What do the three comedy greats Homer Simpson, Fred Flintstone and The Dude from The Big Lebowski have in common? The answer, of course, is that they all love bowling. Guys, if any of you are reading this and have an iPhone then make sure you check out iBowl.
This game is perhaps the closest you're going to get to bowling without actually getting out of the house and going to the lanes. Just like with its sister app, iGolf, iBowl requires you to physical swing the iPhone in order to play your shot. You simply drag your bowl into your desired starting position then move your hand (with the iPhone in it) in a bowling motion, with the 'Bowl' button pressed down. The faster you move the harder your shot will be. You can even put spin on the ball while it's in motion.
iBowl is loads of fun to play and looks great to boot. The graphics are as polished as the lane surfaces and the sound of ball smacking into wood is as satisfying as it is in real life.
One of the great things about iBowl is its multiplayer mode, where you can pit your skills against other bowlers online through the 'Challenge' menu. You can choose between real time or turn-based play, or even set up and compete in competitions. Waiting for other players to join your game can take a while sometimes, but it's worth holding on. It's a shame iBowl doesn't have a local multiplayer mode, although the Deluxe version (which is heavily advertised throughout this free version) lets you play friends over Bluetooth.
iBowl is a game you'll be playing for quite some time - unless you break your iPhone with over-zealous bowling!
