Cutter

It's one thing to fear a cut on your index finger, but it's entirely another for the finger to do the cutting. The premise behind Cutter is about as thin as a piece of paper, though it's sharp enough to slice out a unique spot on the App Store.

Using a finger as a virtual blade, you're tasked with slashing up wooden blocks in order to nestle a lemony yellow ball inside a circular goal post. It's all about physics: how you slice up the blocks affects the manner in which they fall apart, which in turns influences the movement of the ball.

Cut down a block propping up the ball high on the screen with a horizontal swipe, for example, and it drops quickly to the floor. Slash it at an angle, however, and the ball moves in a different direction and speed. Armed with this basic knowledge of physics, you're able to tackle the game's 50 levels.

Cutter is admittedly basic and not a new concept (ever play free flash game Splitter?), but it's challenging enough to keep you coming back. Each stage comes with a limit on the number of cuts you can make, which forces conservative puzzle-solving. You're not able to slash up the screen and solve levels accidentally; instead, you're forced to contrive solutions through experimentation, trial and error.

Out of the assorted 50, most levels are easily solved. A few difficult stages are boggling, but in these cases a handy hint button in the lower-right allows you to opt for a helping hand if you're truly stumped. You're also free to select from groups of levels, instead of being forced to solve stages sequentially.

It won't take long to burn through all of the levels, which limits the game's value. A level editor would extend play; alternately, downloadable level packs available from with the app could add value.

It would be great to see new elements thrown into the mix too. Wooden blocks are your primary material, with rocks, string, and the occasional impenetrable cement platform thrown in. Introducing new materials - sponge that slows movement, bouncy rubber, slippery glass - could mix things up and leverage the physics engine to a greater extent.

The game has been cut from quality cloth, nonetheless. Cutter is a sharp game, ideal for a quick moment of play, but it just needs more variety to earn more of your time.