Even the yodeling background music is here.

The Price Is Right closely follows the game show staple, even lifting footage from TV episodes to use in pricing games. The iPhone translation feels a little light, due to a mediocre interface, repeating prizes, and reliance on an announcer instead of a host—we’d even take Drew Cary if Bob Barker couldn’t come out of retirement. But this casual game gets close without going over.

You’ll bid at Contestant’s Row, play 16 pricing games, spin the wheel, and battle in the Showcase Showdown. One game mode follows just as if you were on the show, having to succeed at certain steps. A second mode, which we surprisingly enjoyed more, keeps shuffling through these stages until you lose too many times. The slick presentation, announcer, and variety in games pulled us in.

A dollar? We might as well just go home now. Oh, we are home.

The interface always works, but we wanted it to take more advantage of the iPhone. When playing Plinko or spinning the wheel, we never felt connected to the event. Neither object felt like it responded to our touches in a physical way. We could spin the wheel faster or slower, but it just didn’t feel like our gestures had enough control. Worse, in the putting game, Hole in One, you stroke the club by tapping the screen; the game omits many opportunities for creative input.

While the game includes a deep assortment of prizes you’ll bid on and win, we began seeing a few repetitions after just a couple hours. These duplicates make the games less interesting, since you’ll almost always be guessing their value to win.

Come on down to an authentic--and light--translation of the popular game show.

The Price Is Right 1.0.1
COMPANY: Ludia
CONTACT: www.ludia.com
PRICE: $4.99
REQUIREMENTS: iPhone or iPod touch with 2.1 software update.
Exciting announcer voice, music, and sound effects. Range of prizes. Lots of games, including our favorites. Multiplayer mode lets you play against three friends on the same device.
Physical-touch games don’t feel like your gestures matter. Can’t select individual games unless you complete nearly impossible unlock tasks. No host. Prizes occasionally repeat after only a few games.