Zombies vs Sheep

Herded en masse onto iPhone, finger-tapping shooters like Zombies vs Sheep have difficulty standing out from the flock. For all its cuteness and decent action, this simple game can't pull away from the sheer glut of similar titles.

Controlling a single sheep standing at the bottom of the screen, you're given the task of killing waves of zombies and other creatures in a desperate fight for survival. A tap of a finger shoots off your sheep's invisible gun, which is reloaded by shaking your handset or touching the ammunition counter in the upper-left.

You carry a basic six-shooter to start, although bonus weapons and upgrades boost your firepower the further you advance. A machine gun power-up, for example, enables you to hold your finger down on the screen for a continuous stream of bullets. Sticks of dynamite can be detonated for radial damage.

Each dispatched undead drops a coin that can be picked up by tilting your device to move your sheep left and right. Coinage can be spent in the sheep shop, accessible in the upper-right. Four upgrades are available - increased movement speed when tilting, extra lives, quicker dynamite explosions, and expanded ammo - each of which can be enhanced to a maximum of six degrees.

The upgrades help when facing a screen filled with bats and flaming phoenixes and mean bosses. Zombies vs Sheep is a challenging shooter, one that makes you work for each of its 20 Open Feint achievements. To be certain, there's nothing inherently fresh about the gameplay - dozens of competing shooters offer the same tap-to-shoot play - yet it's still mildly entertaining.

Sadly, there are problems with the structure. Die and you're forced to start all the way from the beginning. There are no options to begin play at later intervals that have previously been reached: instead, you're required to slog through the earliest and easiest stages over and over again.

After a frenzied shoot out against a big boss, starting up from the beginning with piddly pot shots against single zombies is not fun.

Whether consciously inspired or unintentionally derived, Zombies vs Sheep employs an artistic style influenced by the Latin holiday El Dia de los Muertos or Day of the Dead. It's charming.

Thick-lined caricatures of skeletons, birds, and strange monsters contribute to the noted style, though the music dissembles the illusion. Honky tonk country music sounds geared for a slapstick western, not a zombie shooter with a slight new world bent.

Exchanging the soundtrack for one better suited to the visuals would make Zombies vs Sheep more pleasant, but a fundamental change in how the game is structured is needed to encourage continued play. It's well-crafted, but it needs a bit more shepherding.