Daily iPad App: Doodle Jump for iPad

Doodle Jump, created by Lima Sky, is one of the first indie success stories to emerge from the App Store. It's a simple tilt-based vertical jumper that has you navigating your Doodler up a series of platforms without falling. Doodle Jump has enjoyed great success as a time-waster and, after a long wait, the classic iPhone game has been ported to the iPad. So how does this tablet version compare to the original?

The gameplay on the iPad is refreshingly similar to the iPhone. The tilt-play, familiar characters and scenes are all there. Gamecenter support is present, too. The biggest difference is in the iPad itself. The larger tablet device provides a wider playing field, but is unwieldy to hold and tilt for any period of time, especially since you have to play in portrait mode. There is no landscape. Eventually, you do get accustomed to the size, but I have to admit that I prefer the smaller size of the iPhone.

Besides the size, there are two other differences between the iPhone and iPad game. First, the iPad includes an exclusive submarine level that's not present on the iPhone version. Second is the use of cheats. The common ones used on the iPhone do not work on the iPad, so there's no Easter bunny level.

For fans of the game, Doodle Jump for the iPad is an excellent companion to the iPhone version. It's exactly what you expect - a version of Doodle Jump for the iPad. That's not bad as most of what you know and love is now available on the iPad without having to double the pixels of the iPhone version. Doodle Jump for the iPad is available for US$2.99.