Kids vs. Zombies (iPhone)In horror movies, only the spunky kids have a shot in hell of surviving (spoiler: I'm screwed). Enter . This polished spin on tower-defense games is a little finicky to control, but it's a blast. Actually, it's probably more accurate to call this an Alamo-defense game.

You're barricaded in, aiming and shooting at anything that comes your way. In this case, three kids hold down the fort: One has a Nerf-style machine gun, another has a slingshot, and the third lobs explosives--and you're able to switch between and control all three at the same time.

Between rounds, you rearm and upgrade your weapons while patching up the walls. You can also boost the smarts of the AI so that the kids you aren't controlling can more effectively watch your back. Kids vs. Zombies is hardly the first game to try this approach, but it certainly has plenty of flavor and minimal frustration compared with the slightly buggy Attack from The Dead that's also available on the iPhone. (Oh, and if you want a free taste of the game that inspired both, play Flash game.)

The Tapping of the Dead (iPhone)And then there are the zombie games that should go straight back to hell. Someone has a lot of guts to try charging $4 for . It's a terrible, sad game on just about every level. The art looks like something I doodled on a notebook in the sixth grade. (Okay, and maybe last week. What of it?) And here's the game in a nutshell: You tap the screen. Quickly. That's it. You're punching holes in stupidly drawn, static faces.

You know who you should buy this game for? Someone you hate. Or yourself, if you're compulsively twitchy and you want to test your reflexes. Otherwise, let this one die. Apple, I'm giving you fair warning: How about a little quality control on the crummy games? Though it's great that you have a bajillion apps in your store, I think you need to start investing in a game czar or something. But that's a rant for a different column.