Curse of the Lost Tomb

Professing the need to explore an ancient tomb in search of precious artifacts, Curse of the Lost Tomb has you guiding a small ball via tips and tilts of your handset through 20 stages. A curse protects the golden coins and idols inside, however, and you must circumvent mummies and precarious catwalks to make it out alive.

Within each level is a batch of ten golden coins hidden inside clay jars. Collecting them takes a swift roll, the coin clinking into view. Along with a fast finishing time, finding coins boosts your score and unlocks achievements.

Curse of the Lost Tomb keeps things simple with few obstacles, focusing instead on challenging coursework. Mummies predictably clamour to push your ball into the abyss, as do giant mallets that rhythmically swing from the ceiling. These are pedestrian attempts at halting your advance when compared to the troubles in navigating narrow catwalks and slanted thoroughfares.

The lack of variety gives way to intricate level design. Passages only a single tile in width, steep inclines that lead to dangerous jumps, sloped platforms that threaten to slide you off one side or the other - the intensity rarely lets up, keeping you on edge until you finally reach level's end.

Perspective poses a problem in a few levels where towering columns block your view. Without the ability to adjust the camera angle, you're forced to guess in what direction to roll. Complicating matters even more are the sepia tone visuals that frequently toy with your eyes, causing passages to blend into the background.

Neither of these damns the game, though they do prevent it from breaking the curse of convention. Forgiving controls, good level design, and online leaderboards for each stage ensure Curse of the Lost Tomb is a worthy find, even if it isn't a gilded treasure.