Apple has published a total of eleven premium games for the video iPod since first introducing downloadable games to the iTunes Store last September. But up to now, the only way of trying them has been to buy them. That’s no longer the case, as Apple is offering a free demo of its original brickbashing game, Vortex.
Vortex takes the “Breakout” concept of brickbashing in a new direction by leveraging the iPod’s click wheel to play in 360 degrees. You maneuver your bat around the edge of the Vortex to block the ball as it smashes bricks that rotate within. You can smash bonus bricks for power-ups; clearing the Vortex of bricks enables you to enter the Vortex and advance to higher levels.
The demo version of the game contains two sample levels. The full version, which costs $4.99, includes an infinite number of levels and many bonus features.
As with Apple’s other iPod games, Vortex requires a fifth-generation (video) iPod with iPod Software 1.2 or later.