Admittedly, taking care of a curious infant doesn't sound like the most exciting idea for an iPhone game, especially when you're expected to do it by controlling a Victorian-style baby carriage. Against these odds, the developers of Grimm: Ride of the Perambulator have taken that underwhelming premise and combined it with classic platforming action and a distinctive Gothic look to create a fun and addictive gameplay experience.

The thing that stands out the most about Grimm is its visual aesthetic. The game makes use of an extremely limited color palette, restricting itself mostly to black and shades of grey. But instead of making the game feel dull, the crisp graphics and sparing use of color are extremely effective at conveying a sense of time and place. With Grimm's gothic Victorian accents, gamers will feel as if they stepped into an Edward Gorey book, or at the very least a Tim Burton movie.

Sure, Grimm looks great, with a style that sets it far apart from the overabundance of cartoony games in the App Store, but what about the gameplay? Fortunately, Robox Studios meets the high watermark set by the game's visuals, and delivers with an experience that works with, not against, the iPhone's unique controls.

In order to move the baby carriage, and the precocious tot within, gamers simply tilt their device in one direction or another, sending the pram rolling toward its destination. Like many iPhone games, Grimm makes up for the lack of buttons on the device with on-screen ones, but unlike some other releases, these buttons are conveniently located and extremely responsive. The only problem with them is their location sometimes means that upcoming obstacles can be blotted out with carelessly placed thumbs.

Though Grimm begins as a relatively simple platformer, with levels traversed through simple rolling and jumping, it quickly becomes more complicated. Your carriage will be assaulted by undead hands reaching up from graves, swarms of bats and more, which can be dispatched through fun, intuitive uses of the iPhone's touchscreen and accelerometer.

Additionally, in order to ferry your charge to safety, you must avoid a series of louts and scoundrels, including overweight pub patrons, creepy murderous druids and the game's titular villain, a hook-nosed fiend straight out of a Sunday matinee. Even when Grimm's gameplay becomes somewhat repetitive, unlocking new levels and seeing the developers darkly comic designs is always a treat.

Grimm's gothic Victorian aesthetic does not just affect other characters, but even the challenges one must navigate. These include antiquated looking machinery, steam-powered trains and even ancient malevolent gods. Throughout, however, Grimm manages to walk the delicate line between funny and scary, making the game enjoyable and appropriate for a wide range of gamers.

Outside of slight issues with the game's on-screen buttons, Grimm is a remarkably polished gaming experience, and a must-have for fans of physic-based games or Gorey-influenced art. Though the game already contains a number of different levels, one hopes that the developers will work to release additional content or even a wholly new game that pairs Grimm's gameplay with additional themes.

With its addictive gameplay and ability to find so many uses for a simple mechanic Grimm is an excellent buy, especially at only $0.99. What makes the game truly great, however, is the attention to detail lavished on the project by its developers. It's clear that the entire team set out to make a game with a particular feel, right down to the game's creepy, atmospheric sound design. Grimm plays great, but it looks and feels even better.

Final Score: A