Skydrift challenges you to avoid collisions and stay alive while you fall

Games are often free or good. This game is free and good. Skydrift is simple to learn, but hard to play. You are falling from a high altitude toward the Earth's core. To stay alive, you must collect some glowing orbs and avoid hitting obstacles. Movement uses the gyros in your iOS device.

I started with an "I can do this" attitude, but I was soon humbled. At the start, I wasn't even sure what I was supposed to be doing. But soon the fog lifted and I got aggressive with my moves and was picking up the orbs and avoiding collisions.

The graphics are other-worldly and smooth on my third-generation iPad. After a few minutes, I was hooked, trying to go deeper and deeper.

Tyson Kubota, author of the game, leads digital development for Criterion, the great little company that provides wonderful special editions of classic movies. The game is the result of Tyson's interest in immersive environments.

I like the game a lot. I haven't gotten to the third of four levels yet, but I am motivated. If you're looking for some fun and a challenge, Skydrift is worth the 50 MB download.

Skydrift needs iOS 5.0 or above, and it is optimized for the iPhone 5 and universal.