Zombie Invasion 2 HD

Zombies, on the flesh-rotting surface, are the most basic of all the fictional monsters.

Attracted purely to the scent of a fresh human brain, these shambling creatures have no guile and pose no real tactical threat. Yet zombie movies often act as a smokescreen for more complicated issues than their subject would seem to suggest.

Zombie Invasion 2 HD is similar in that it too is very single-minded, but hides a couple clever ideas beneath its simple appearance.

There’s none of this namby-pamby running around with virtual joysticks in Zombie Invasion 2 HD. Instead, you stand firm at the bottom of the screen against the undead masses, directing gunfire with taps of the screen.

There are four different battlegrounds on which to make your stand – USA, China, Mexico, and Africa – each bearing different music, backgrounds, and wave patterns.

Other than looks, there isn’t very much variety between the zombies you face, either: they all run directly at you. Some are faster and harder than others, but that's it.

Region-specific monsters like sombrero-wearing living dead in Mexico and unique attacks for certain zombies would have made things much more exciting. As it stands, the stages just feel like wallpaper for the slaughter.

Keeping things interesting are money, which needs to be tapped before it disappears, and score multipliers.

Activated by shooting a sequence of zombies with just the right number of bullets to down them, the multiplier rewards accuracy over smacking the screen in a blind panic. It transforms Zombie Infection 2 HD from a mindless tapping game into an addictive high-score chaser.

Even better, you can spend your hard-earned money on new weapons that make it easier to mow down enemies. Even if you're not motivated to post a high score, you'll at least want to perform well for the sake of unlocking new gear.

There’s some disappointment when it comes to certain items in the arsenal, unfortunately. It’s hard to gauge the chainsaw’s range due to some barely-there animation and the shotgun – every zombie slayer's weapon of choice – is pathetic, firing the same single pellet the pistol and magnum shoots, only with extra damage.

Perversely, it’s also one of the most useless weapons when used in close range, which is a crime against the spirit of every piece of zombie fiction ever made.

Real bugs and technical issues do lurk under Zombie Invasion’s skin, though, some more frightening than others.

Previous high scores not displaying on screen during a game is fairly painless, and coming out of sleep while paused to find the game running under the pause menu will probably catch you out the first time. The crippling invisible zombie bug in the USA backdrop, however, is extremely annoying and can render the stage unplayable.

Even with these technical issues and lack of variation in the level, the game’s combo system and emphasis on precision tapping ensures some enjoyment can be gleaned from this simple game.