At the time this article was written, Burn the Rope sat at No. 2 on the App Store's Top Paid Apps list, just below the unstoppable juggernaut that is Angry Birds. While this new release from Big Blue Bubble might not have the "it factor" that led to Angry Birds' phenomenal success, it features innovative gameplay that makes it a nice break from other games and an excellent buy.

The object of the game is both simple and self-evident: Burn all of the rope on the screen. At the beginning of each puzzle, users are shown a two-dimensional rope design, and then given an opportunity to start a fire anywhere along the rope, using the iPhone's touch screen.

Just like in real life, the flames in the game want to move upward, so Burn the Rope players are tasked with rotating their iPhone to ensure that there is always somewhere for the flame to go. If the iPhone is positioned in such a way that there is no rope left above the flame, then the fire is extinguished and the puzzle is over.

It sounds simple, and it is...in the beginning. Early stages of Burn the Rope involve pretty simple geometric shapes, where it doesn't really matter where you start the fire as long as you keep moving your iPhone properly. The difficulty escalates quickly, however, with complex designs and pictures that necessitate careful flame positioning. The gameplay gets even more complicated as branching paths give gamers multiple flames to monitor and keep moving.

Burn the Rope does an excellent job of taking a simple concept and gameplay mechanic and then finding myriad ways to make it compelling enough to keep gamers coming back. One of the biggest ways it accomplishes this is through a medal system. While you can move on to the next level simply by burning enough rope to earn a bronze medal, you must incinerate every last strand to be awarded a gold medal, which means that even after beating a particular puzzle, there is motivation to go back and try it again.

As the game progresses, Big Blue Bubble also brings in additional gameplay elements, such as ants that change the color of your flame, allowing it to burn ropes of the same hue. With the ants constantly moving, gamers must choose carefully where and when to start their fire and then guide the colored flames in the correct direction. Burn the Rope quickly turns from an idle distraction to a rather robust mental challenge as outside of dumb luck, the only way to get gold on many puzzles is careful foresight and planning.

As mentioned earlier, while Burn the Rope's gameplay is unimpeachable, there are a few things that will likely keep it from dethroning Angry Birds as the iPhone's top game. Key among these is that the game lacks personality. While the title screen and interstitials contain a happy anthropomorphic flame, the little fellow is nowhere to be found inside the actual game. This, combined with thematically appropriate yet nonetheless lackluster area names like "Firepit" and "The Wood Pile" make Burn the Rope's personality seem decidedly wooden - pardon the pun.

While Burn the Rope may lack some of the wacky personality that made Angry Birds such a big hit, it can stand up next to any game in the App Store in terms of gameplay and handling. The game makes excellent use of the iPhone's accelerometer, with smooth, responsive controls. Best of all, Burn the Rope is truly a game for the iPhone, in that it could never work in the same way on another console. The same can't be said for most App Store games, including Angry Birds.

Burn the Rope is a great game, and an even better bargain, with a regular price of $1.99, and currently on sale for just $0.99. Like the best puzzle games, it has a simple mechanic that can be explained to absolutely anyone, but to truly become a master, it requires gamers to plan ahead meticulously. Whether you hope to gold medal every level or just play in stolen moments over the course of your day, Burn the Rope is a great addition to anyone's iPhone gaming library.

Final Score: A