There is a growing genre developing on the iPhone platform, shooting gallery games, and more specifically, a sub-genre of police trainers.   The basic game play is essentially the same across the genre, tap the screen to shoot at a target (typically moving).  The games in the police trainer sub-genre, however, all simulate real exercises which are used to train police officers.  I really like these games because, not only is it a fun twist on the shooting gallery genre, but it also provides a little insight into how real life police officers are trained to protect our neighborhoods.   The latest entrant into this field is Handmark’s Astraware Game Studio (at least I am pretty sure that is the correct name, but if I told you it was the folks formerly known as Astraware, who know develop games under the Handmark imprint, then I am sure you would know who I mean), with Police Range.

Police Range features two game play modes: Target Practice and Crime Alley.  Gameplay in both modes is pretty similar, targets pop up, and you shoot them.  The more shots in a row you hit, the more points you will earn.  In Target Practice, you will test your speed and accuracy by shooting at targets which pop up in a firing range.  There are three rows of three targets, so nine spaces to watch for targets. As you progress through the levels, the targets will move faster, and the number you must hit will increase.  Additionally, your points will vary based upon where on the silhouette target you hit.  Once you fail to meet the goal set at the beginning of the level, your game will be over.

In Crime Alley, you find yourself facing what appears to be an old apartment building, with nine windows facing your street.  “Bad guys” will slide into view behind these windows.  All you need to do is shoot them.  Watch out though, because there are plenty of good guys hiding in that building as well.  Shoot the civilians (or your fellow officers) and you could be docked points.  Again, as you progress to higher levels, the targets will move faster, and you will need to successfully hit them more frequently.   Additionally, you will find a larger mix of civilians and bad guys as you move through the game.  Like Target Practice, this one tests your speed and accuracy, but it also tests your judgment as you must identify friend and foe in a matter of seconds.

Both of these game play modes do an excellent job of approximating the real exercises which police officers use for training.  I thought the graphics were fantastic, even displaying real shards of wood flying off the targets, without being too realistic (it is a fine line in shooting gallery games which are not trying to be uber-violent, and I thought Police Range did an excellent job of navigating this line). 

Another interesting aspect of the game is your streak.  As you hit multiple targets in a row, the hole you put in the targets will begin to grow.  When you start each level, a hit will result in a small, bullet sized hole.  But if you hit numerous targets in a row, then you will soon be obliterating targets with a single bullet, which is really just a lot of fun.

The great graphics and animation aside, though, I did find this game had a bit of a downside.  With only two game modes, the game feels very one dimensional.  It would be nice if there were some different kinds of shooting games, testing a wider array of skills, to give you more variation in game play.  Additionally, since there is no end to each level, playing 25 or 30 (or more) levels of the same shooting game, requiring you to hit hundreds of targets again and again…well, it just got a bit repetitious and boring.  Some of the best games I have played in this genre recognize this danger and address it by featuring five or more extremely different game modes, ending each mode after a set number of levels, and increasing the difficulty quickly.  I thought Police Range suffered by not adopting any of these techniques.  There are only two modes, each of which continues indefinitely, and the difficulty progresses slowly, so it is not until level 20 that the game really starts to grow difficult.  Again, the combined result of these factors was a game which grew repetitious and did not hold my attention as well as it should have.

I was happy, however, to find the online leader board.  This is something which many iPhone/iPod Touch games have adopted.  Not only does it allows you to compare your best scores with other players from around the world; but it also allows you to earn awards within the game. 

This is a fantastic addition.  As I have said with numerous Astraware games in the past, in-game awards are a fantastic way to add an exciting element to the game.  It also encourages the community aspect of gaming by connecting you with other  players.

I have been playing games from Astraware (now operated by Handmark) since I started here at JAMM with my Dell Axim.  I have played, tested, or reviewed just about everything they published; and if you want to see what these folks can really do when they set out to develop a game, then there are many excellent titles in their library which I can recommend.  This, however, was not one of their better games.  Playing Police Range, I felt like the developers had not adequately researched their competition (though I am sure that was not the case).  There was just a lack of originality in the two game play modes, both of which felt far too similar dozens of other shooting gallery and police trainer games available in the iTunes App Store.  In short, Police Range simply offered nothing to make it stand out from a relatively crowded field. 

What I Liked:

• Great graphics and animation
• Online leaderboard and awards

What Needs Improvement:

• Not enough variety between modes
• Game quickly grew dull and repetitive
• Needs more game play modes to test additional skills

Developer: Astraware/Handmark

Price: 99 cents

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