Today we are bringing you a review of the iPhone game Bobby Carrot Forever. For almost 5 years now, mobile gamers have been hoppin’ around with Bobby Carrot. Now FDG Entertainment has ported Bobby Carrot 5 to the iPhone OS under the title Bobby Carrot Forever. The AppSmile Team has been spending quite a bit of time with this impatient little rabbit. Here are our impressions.

First of all, the Bobby Carrot series consists of puzzle strategy games that will certainly put your noggin through the ringer. The goal of these adventures is to guide Bobby around each level while collecting carrots, avoiding traps and obstacles, and in the end finding the magic exit. For the iPhone, FDG has implemented three control methods to move Bobby around. They are explained in the built-in video tutorials but basically involve 1) swiping your finger in the desired direction, 2) touching the screen in all 4 sides, or 3) using a virtual D-pad. Personally, we opt for the finger swipe method.

FDG has thought this game through in terms of menu designs, character development, and instructions. Upon entering the game, you are presented with a help screen that walks you through every single item and obstacle. This is essential because tons of items can be gathered and some obstacles are overcome only using particular tools. For example, Bobby can employ a riding lawn mower to plow down weeds and access blocked sections of a level. First though, he needs to have obtained a gas can to activate the mower. In addition, certain areas can only be traversed once before they trigger a trap that prevents return. These and other features present quite a challenge. If you have a short attention span, Bobby Carrot Forever may quickly frustrate you. On the other hand, if you’re up for a workout, Bobby Carrot will keep you busy for some time.

There are 6 worlds to explore -- each presumably containing a golden carrot. Obtain all 6 and get the Memory Paintbrush. An approach we found handy is to zoon out to get an overview of the entire level. Then plan Bobby’s moves in your mind to make sure you don’t put him in an inescapable position. Otherwise, you’ll find yourself hitting the Reset button constantly.

We think FDG has created a quality character in Bobby Carrot over the years, and we’re glad to see he made his way to the iPhone. AppSmile has been informed by FDG that the App Store will see more iPhone games under the Bobby Carrot moniker soon. They are porting all the classic Bobby Carrot games to the iPhone starting with chapter 1 by the end of March.

Want to get a head start? Give Bobby Carrot Forever a try.

Here’s our AppSmile List of Favorite Game Elements:

• Extensive instructions with an invitation to email the developers with questions
• Appealing artwork with high quality look and feel
• Menu access within the game -- sounds simple but you’d be surprised how often this is left out
• Several levels within each of the 6 worlds
• Bundled video tutorials
• An array of control options

What Frustrated the AppSmile Team:

• Difficult game play situations early on requiring lots of level restarts
• It took us “forever” to find our way through World 1 Level 2
• No checkpoint available to begin from when restarting a level
• Jerky panning when trying to view an entire level

Bobby Carrot Forever gets our AppSmile 4-Dimple rating: