If the iPhone game Angry Birds was a pop group, it would be Take That, destroying competitors like an avian cluster bomb. The game has sold millions of copies since its release last December and has long been the device's top money-raker. It was even given an apparent endorsement by David Cameron, who is said to enjoy flinging exploding birds on his prime ministerial iPad.
But the Angry Birds have received a thrashing with the emergence of Smurfs' Village, now the iPhone's top-grossing game. Following in the footsteps of Facebook's real-time farming simulator Farmville, Smurfs' Village allows people with too much time on their hands to curate a new place for the Smurfs to live now that their sworn enemy Gargamel has ransacked their old one.
But the game's success is proving controversial. The game is free to download but makes its money from purchases of "Smurfberries", which speed up play. Parents have left a barrage of reviews on the Apple app store complaining that kids can rack up huge bills (though the feature can be turned off) – 1,000 Smurfberries for $60 (£37.50)? Ouch. Is this a Gargamel-esque fiendishness from makers Capcom or the future of capitalism? Let's wait until the PM puts 50 Smurfberries on his expenses and then decide.
