Primate Plunge is a vertical scrolling platformer game for the iPhone and iPod Touch. It makes a good attempt at being fun, but falls short on a few fronts.

The purpose of the game is to get the monkey to safely navigate through obstacles, by leaping from platform to platform, while the screen continuously scrolls upward. If you don't leap fast enough, the spikes at the top of the screen will cause damage to your monkey. Some ledges are simple tree branches, while others will hurt your monkey with thorns.

To get from one ledge to another, you can tap on the screen and your money will drop down to the next ledge. Or, you can tilt your device left of right to make the money climb in that direction and drop to a ledge that's slightly off to one side of the screen. Both methods work well and you will need to use a combination of them to get the scores you need. Each level must be unlocked by obtaining a specific score in the previous level. To unlock the second level, you need one hundred points. You receive one point for each ledge you leap onto. There are six levels in all, each with a unique environment, new enemies and different power ups to help you succeed. For example, a heart will replenish your health and a parachute will slow your descent so you don't fall to your death.

The game starts off incredibly boring, with little challenge in the opening level. While the screen scrolls very slowly at first, it will seem like it takes forever to get to one hundred points to unlock the second level. But, as your score gets higher, the screen does scroll faster and the game gets harder. Once your required score is reached, you can continue playing the current level in an attempt to get a five star rating.

The graphics in the game are nothing special, but they do fit in well with the game's theme. The sound and animations are just as mediocre. There are also a few little bugs in the game that detract from the experience a bit. For example, when the monkey bounces on the trampoline platform, half of the monkey's body actually goes through the trampoline before he bounces back up. It just doesn't look or feel right. Also, sometimes the monkey will keep climbing hand over hand when there appears to be nothing to grab onto. These are small bugs, but in a simple game as this, they are very noticeable.

The game is simple and moderately fun to play, but really doesn't seem well executed. When you think of monkeys in trees, don't you picture them swinging from branch to branch? When you play this game, you'll feel the urge to make your monkey swing or jump from one ledge to another, but it won't let you. The game only allows you to drop down to the next ledge, but that's not what monkeys are known for. It's just a little gameplay element I think was carelessly left out.

Primate Plunge will neither grab your attention nor will it make you want to play it for hours and hours. It just doesn't have the qualities that make for a great app. I strongly recommend passing on this one.