Hand of Greed is a game of skill, dexterity and hand/eye coordination, brought to us by Brainium Studios, that manages to be fun, challenging and very addictive. The action is spread across 5 worlds, each containing 10 levels of increasing difficulty, wherein you are tasked with collecting coins and gems before time runs out whilst avoiding a variety of perils including rotating blades and killer rays of light.

As a member of the Guild of Thieves, it is your duty to prove yourself a master of agility and dexterity by challenging a variety of deadly trials and stealing the riches contained within, all whilst avoiding a collection of moving hazards. We found the basic concept of the game inherently simple; touch coins and gems to collect them whilst avoiding a variety of blades and other weaponry before the trail of fire at the bottom of the screen extinguishes. The different worlds are themed (Stone, Sand, etc.) and each presents its own set of perils to befall the player. Within each world are 10 levels which increase in difficulty as they progress by including more, faster weaponry with more coins and gems to collect and less time in which to complete each challenge. You do possess a health bar (more of an orb, really) at the top of the screen but two or three mistakes—being caught by hazards and missed treasure both deplete you health—and your challenge is over, although occasionally a ruby will appear which will heal you if you require.

The game itself, whilst being quite simplistic in its methods, is graphically appealing and achieves a good level of re-playability thanks to its scoring system. The quicker you collect spoils, the less damage you take and the higher the point multiplier you rack up by concurrently collecting gems, all contribute to a high score. You can replay a level at any time once it has been completed, and collecting all treasure whilst taking no damage in a quick time will result in you "Mastering" that level. Hand of Greed is also OpenFeint enabled, presenting you with a variety of worldwide leaderboards both for different world's total scores and for scores achieved on individual levels. Achievement fans are catered for too, although in a trend which really is beginning to irritate us, they are all secret until they are unlocked.

The ambient music and sound effects all help to add a level of immersion, along with nice touches like the screen flashing red and vibrating upon impact when you are hurt, accompanied by the gruesome and realistic sound of the loss of a digit. The game also enables you to play your own music during gameplay, overlaying the sound effects on top, and it has a save state so that if you are called (iPhone users) or otherwise interrupted (iPod Touch users) mid-trial, re-opening the app. and pressing resume will allow you to pick up where you left off. With the nature of the game being as it is however, we found it quite tricky to get back into the flow mid-level once we had been disturbed.

For its price-tag, Hand of Greed is definitely worth the purchase. It is a highly polished, addictive game of skill that presents you with 50 levels in which to prove your dexterity. The game is a masterclass in how simplicity in games can still present something worthy of your time and cash, and could still find you, weeks down the line, competing for that number one spot on the leaderboard.

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