App O' The Mornin': Crazy Parachute Review

Price: $1

As high-concepts go, "Bird Strike in reverse" is as simple as you can get. And that's exactly what Colorbox gives us in Crazy Parachute.

Instead of flying up and then plummeting down, Crazy Parachute just has the plummeting part. There are four cute cartoon characters who start at the door of an airplane. After a 3-second countdown, you tap the screen to jump from the plane. 

As your character falls, tilt right or left to avoid certain obstacles while passing over others. Birds, for instance, will slow your descent, while picking up a shield will allow you to smash right through the birds. Along the way, you want to pick up coins and be the first to land safely. This is done by opening your chute at the last safe moment. Open it too late, and you're a pancake.

As you successfully complete levels, you get to drop from higher altitudes, which means more opportunity to gather stuff. There are a few more powerups to be discovered along the way, such as balloons and birds, but the game is a little thin on content. 

This one is probably a good option for kids who find Bird Strike a little too tough. The production is a bit uneven. There are glitches: sometimes the countdown clock doesn't appear, sometimes it doesn't respond to taps. The music is an endless (and endlessly irritating) loop. There are only 4 characters to choose from, but they're fairly cute and add to the over-all kid-friendliness of the title. It's not a winner, but it's a nice little distraction.