Pinball Dreams from Cowboy Rodeo for iPhone and iPod touch is based on a port of the Commodore Amiga Pinball Dreams trilogy from the 1990s. It's an impressive piece of programming for the iPhone and iPod touch, but has some major UI problems.

At first blush, the game looks cool and promising. I spent my fair share of time on pinball machines as a youth, so that's what caught my attention. According to the publisher, over a million copies have been sold for most major gaming platforms, a bestseller for its time.

After the initial giddiness wears off, one discovers that the developer forgot to use some basic, good user interface principles and common sense.

At launch, there are scrolling credits that go on and on forever and distract the user from starting. The first impulse is then to make the credits stop, so one touches the screen and fails to realize that different game themes can be selected by swiping a finger to select the theme, aka Cover Flow.

Once into the game, it's fairly obvious how to launch a ball, but that's about all. Instructions go flashing by, Times Square Marquee style, at light speed. I searched in vain for the info button to bring up a static description or perhaps preferences, but it's not there. Nothing on the Website either.

For whatever reason, the screen slides up and down in an annoying fashion. It's an effect, but not a very useful one.

The sound effects are cool, but likely to tire one after awhile. That could lead to the novelty of the game wearing off quickly.

Finally, the game is on the expensive side, as iPhone/touch games go, and while I fully appreciate the skill and effort in porting to the iPhone, it's possible that, after a few playful sessions, the game will be pushed to the back page of the iPhone -- six dollars gone.

Every kid enjoys pinball machines, and playing them in person with friends, rocking the machine, and physically interacting is a fun experience. Sitting around with an iPhone or iPod touch, punching a virtual steel ball may provide endless hours for some, but seems lacking in the essentials.

For those who do want to enjoy the game, it would be far more enjoyable with a standard info page of instructions for player selection, scoring, and how to chose themes. The splash page should also time out with a quick note on how to select a theme.