TapMe lofts into space with Galaxy Golf for iOS 4

I doubt I'll ever get the opportunity to find out, but it's said golf is a very social game.

Chaps of a similar disposition wander around landscaped environs, proving how unlucky they can be with ball and stick, and then head back inside for bonhomie and conversation about how lucky they are in real life.

Of course, golf is really about non-linear physics but that's way beyond the scope of the gents.

Stripped of Pringle sweaters and carts though, Galaxy Golf is much more about the precise relationship between velocity and contours; at least gravitational attraction.

Hence you have to fire your spaceball at the holes in the 100 levels by pulling back for power, and letting the ball bounce around off barriers amd using the gravity surrounding each hole to get sink your ball (most levels contain multiple holes, which you have to complete in order) in as few shots as possible.

One nice touch is that logging into Facebook enables you to interact with your friends in-game. They appear as sphere that you can either save or eject into deep space. Of course, your actions are updated in Facebook, alongside the game's own achievements and global high score tables.

Indeed, like golf itself, Galaxy Golf is a cipher. Developed by Chicago outfit TapMe, it's a game that using its new iComplishments in-game ad platform.

For full details of how it works, it's worth reading our interview with CEO Joshua Hernandez.

In terms of the case of Galaxy Golf, you can gain power ups by interacting with the various sponsors and advertisers.

For example, if you buy iPhone game Karnival, you get more planets to play golf around. Other iComplishments work simply by looking at a sponsor's website - although it should be pointed out that it's still early days so it doesn't yet feel like a completely fleshed out platform, nor are many advertisers signed up.

It's an interesting approach though, and attached to a pleasant game, so worth checking out.

Galaxy Golf is available from the App Store for iPhone 3GS, iPhone 4 and third generation iPod touches running iOS 4 only, priced 99c, €0.79 or 59p.

You can see how it works in the follow video.

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