Developer: Jadeware / [Product Page] 

Price: $15.00
While browsing macupdate.com (my personal fave replacement for versiontracker) recently, I did one of my usual "grab a bunch of stuff and see what cool things are out there" tricks -- download 20 to 30 programs of all sorts, and then just try them all to see what's out there. In the process of working through the selection, I got sidetracked (quite effectively!) by Android. Android is a "clone" of one of the all-time classic Apple ][ game Lode Runner. 

If you never played it, Lode Runner (and hence Android) is a deceptively simple, deceptively addicting "platform" game. The objective is to collect a number of objects on each level, and then make your way to the exit. You do this by climbing ladders, bouncing on springs, and swinging on vines to reach the objects. Preventing you from accomplishing this goal are the level designs themselves (which forc you to plan your routes carefully), as well as enemies who kill you if you come in contact with them. Your sole offensive (and defensive) weapon is a small bomb. Using the bomb, you can create temporary holes in the platforms. You can fall through the holes to avoid the enemies, or force your enemies to fall through the hole (or get stuck in it, depending on what's below the hole you dug). 

Android features some very creative and tough level designs -- you can play 10 levels for free, out of 100 total levels spread across five different "worlds." One nice touch is that the program remembers your last cleared level, so you don't have to repeat history each time you restart the game. I did have one crash while playing that wiped out my progress in the game, which is the primary reason I gave it a 9 instead of a 10. If you wish to back up your progress file, duplicate the android.cfg file (located inside the jade folder in the Android game folder) every so often -- you'll be glad you did! 

Android is a very competent update to the Lode Runner legacy, and I think my wallet will be $15.00 lighter in the near future!