Parents' Guide to Galaxy Attack: Alien Shooter

It's hard to improve on the arcade classic Galaga, but this space-based arcade action app gives it an admirable shot. The gameplay is virtually the same through most of Galaxy Attack -- fight off continuous swarms of bug-like enemies, picking up additional weapons when they drop from defeated enemies and teaming with captured pilots (whom you rescue). But in Galaxy Attack: Alien Shooter, you get a few more bonuses and an occasional boss battle against a large ship thrown in. Where the game really differentiates itself is through the multiplayer mode, where players compete against one or three opponents. The graphics are well done and the gameplay is smooth -- and does require players to make smart choices (which sometimes means ignoring power-ups and sticking with the ship or weapon you have). Multiplayer aside, it doesn't improve on Galaga's formula, but it does an admirable goal of cloning it -- and if you've had enough of the real thing, but want something that's slightly different, this might be worth a look.