The iPad’s 9.7” screen makes it perfect for a lot of things—especially gaming. While the iPad is able to run some really intense games, like Asphalt 7 or Infinity Blade, some of the best games happen to be the simplest both graphically and in gameplay. For that reason, Flight Control HD happens to be one of my favorite games for the iPad. Read on to find out more.

Flight Control HD comes with the five standard levels from Flight Control for iPhone.  There are also five levels that are exclusive to the iPad, including a space themed and a 3D level. Each level has its own theme, and some levels are more difficult than others. You can tell the difficulty of a level based on the amount of stars it has in the level selection menu.

The goal of the game is to direct airplanes and helicopters into their respective landing spots without aircraft crashing into each other. You do so by tracing a line from the aircraft into the matching runway. Airplanes must land in runways, and helicopters must land on helipads. The color of the aircraft must correspond with where it lands, and you need to make sure that aircraft don’t run into each other when they are flying their course. And yes, some aircraft travel faster than others.

Some levels also come with their own extra challenges built in. There are levels that have planes enter with their routes already made; there are some that have runways that open and close periodically. The space-themed level has meteors that fly around the world—smaller ones knock your planes off course, and larger ones destroy your plane and subsequently end the game.

Rounds are scored based on how many aircraft are landed. The fast paced nature and toughness of the game is what makes it so addictive. That being said, this is one of the games where you say “just one more round” time after time.

Flight Control HD also boasts some awesome graphics. The cartoon style artwork looks really nice. Textures and colors are used well, and everything just meshes together perfectly. It gives the game an arcade-like feel that is ageless, which is always something I love to see in apps.

Even though it is one of the first games to ever grace iOS, Flight Control HD is by far one of the best. Gameplay is simple and fun, but still has the challenge that makes you want to return for more. The artwork is also beautiful, which makes the game all the more enjoyable to play. Therefore, I highly recommend this app despite the $4.99 price tag [hint: it goes on sale often] as it truly is a great game for the iPad.

Flight Control HD

Price: $4.99

Click to download