The free iPhone game Trawler Report: Shift and Super Yum Yum 3 make up for messages from beyond the grave

Summer may be here, but if you're one of our UK readers, you'll know that doesn't mean the sun's going to hang around for long. The days that the shiny one does decide to put his hat on and come out to play only emphasise the surrounding gloom.

It also makes it all the more important to keep your iPhone stocked up with freebies to keep the blues away without digging too deeply into your pockets. There aren't any huge brands in this week's catch, but we do have a great selection of slightly quirky titles.

Whether you like puzzle games, action games, or, er, puzzle/action games, there's lots to keep your fingers and mind busy until next week. Just remember to look up every now and then to check if the sun's making another precious cameo appearance.

The best free iPhone games on the App Store

Super Yum Yum 3 Lite
By Airplay
What is it? It's a fruit-gobbling puzzler
Type Demo

It's often the most brain-twisting puzzlers that opt for the cutest-looking front ends. In Super Yum Yum 3, you play as a colour-changing lizard eating fruit scattered across a level. You have to eat them in the right order, as you can only eat fruit the same colour as your little lizard - and different fruits change his scales to a specific colour.

This Lite version features a handful of levels plucked from the full version. There's easily enough to see if Super Yum Yum 3 is to your taste. We found it cleansed the palette perfectly, having won one of our shiny Silver awards at review.

Air Traffic Controller 4.0
By C3 Software
What is it? It's Flight Control's pappy
Type Demo

Before Flight Control became the game on everyone's lips, there already existed an air traffic control game cruising along happily just above the cloud cover. Back when we reviewed it, Air Traffic Controller 4.0 was a lot more sober than its positively drunk-on-the-job cartoon cousin.

ATC 4.0 has since taken a few tips from its famous buddy, allowing you to drag out flight paths rather than just setting waypoints. It still doesn't quite have the compulsive high scores factor of Flight Control, but if your lust for directing air craft hasn't yet been sated, give Air Traffic Controller 4.0 a look.

Abigale Lite
By Meridian
What is it? It's a horizontal scrolling shooter
Type Demo

When you're making a game firmly lodged within a genre, it's tricky find elements to add in to make it stick out from the crowd. Abigale doesn't do a bad job, considering.

You control central character Abigale with the accelerometer. She shoots automatically, but there's also a physics-controlled swinging mace-like weapon that hangs off her flying broomstick contraption.

This absorbs enemy fire, so with a bit of iPhone jolting, you can get it swinging around, essentially protecting you. Once it has absorbed enough fire, you can tap the screen to unleash a special attack. For an arcade-style shooter, Abigale's a treat.

Defend Your Castle Lite
By Xgen Studios
What is it? It's a finger-flicking frenzy
Type Demo

Defend Your Castle originally slid onto the gaming scene via WiiWare but, if anything, it's even more suited to the iPhone's touchscreen.

Unsurprisingly, you have to defend a castle by flicking away a hoard of invaders. Once flicked, they fly into the air, to be reduced to mush upon being re-introduced to the ground. It's actually less violent that it sounds.

This freebie version of the game only includes pretty basic types of enemy soldiers to flick away at, but it'll let you experience Defend Your Castle's stylish visuals and schoolboy humour.

Rollercoaster Rush Free
By Digital Chocolate
What is it? It's an ultra casual rollercoaster game
Type Demo

Digital Chocolate's games seem to be blasting down onto the app store at a rate of knots. Not a week seems to go by without seeing another one of their classic mobile titles made available. Rollercoaster Rush just asks you to control the speed of a rollercoaster. Simple as it sounds, but if you go too fast you'll find your patrons flying out all over the place.

Considering quite what a casual revelation the original was when we fist got to play Rollercoaster Rush on mobile, it's a little disappointing to see no particularly significant improvements in this iPhone version. However, enough of the fun factor has been transferred over for it to be worth a go.

Freebie pick of the week

Shift Lite
By Armor Games Inc.
What is it? It's a stylish puzzle platformer
Type Demo

When style and substance come together in a game, the results can be quite glorious. Keen on poking away at your grey matter, Shift's all about thinking about two worlds at once. Each level is a black and white two-tone scene. You can jump about just as you would in any other platformer, but if you hit the shift button, the two tones shift between being the foreground and background.

Thankfully, Shift doesn't plunge you straight into the deep end, starting off with some very simple levels. This Lite version lets you play through these introductory levels, leaving the more hardcore brain teasing for the full version, which costs just 59p at the time of writing.

Crap Apps Box of Shame Award

Lisa Williams
By DSRTech
What is it? It's a way to connect with the dead via your iPhone
Type Full

If you thought managing the contacts on your mobile or iPhone was hard enough, shameless self promotion app Lisa Williams lets you connect with the dead. Designed to promote the ramblings and tour dates of bouffant haired clairvoyant and medium Lisa Williams, this app just goes to demonstrate what a load of old rubbish these sorts of people tend to spout.

Bringing a whole new side to the sham art of cold reading, Lisa gives us monthly 'messages from the dead' - usefully identified by their senders' (generally incredibly common) first names. Here's just one excerpt from the sadly deceased, but still very jolly, Janet. It's alright, Janet came to me in a dream and said it was ok to relay her message here:

“Woohoo... I made it through. Wow... I haven't been here long, but it's been such a ride. Listen I am ok and thank you for the send off it was lovely. You didn't have to do that, but it was great. Hey I probably shouldn't say this but there is a white lite! Tell my sister that I love her and also let everyone know at the bar that it's me switching the lights off...”