Sword and Sandals by 3RDsense continues the tradition of bringing free flash titles over to the App Store, but instead of merely cashing in with a direct port this version has been given some serious upgrades and tweaks over the free one. In this title you'll battle against vast amounts of gladiators, one at a time, until you rest easy as the ultimate champion.

For those familiar with the series, the App Store version is an adaption of the second title that has been tweaked with a few additional features from their newer releases. After creating your gladiator you're thrown in to a turn-based combat system where you'll have to please the crowd while eliminating your enemies in order to gain experience and cash to equip yourself for these unforgiving battles. And I'm not kidding about the unforgiving part - dying or otherwise losing is quite easy early on, but through persistence and a bit of luck you'll start to turn the tide in your favor with magic spells, enchanted equipment and the occasional trip to the tavern for more cash.

Graphically the game is best described as simplistic, but for what it lacks in polish or style it makes up for with sheer variety in different characters and equipment. This can make the game extremely entertaining, especially considering the effort that has gone in to giving just about everyone a unique one-line back story.

However, balance issues such as the easy-money scam in the tavern to the luck-based combat keep Sword and Sandals from remaining fun through to the end; fun, but ultimately too flawed to recommend outright.