I'm not sure what the correlation is between pudding and haunted houses. I've never seen anyone eat pudding in one. Maybe the connection between sweets and scares is Halloween, though I can't recall ever getting pudding while trick-or-treating (it would make the bag all sticky). No matter the tenuous premise, Pudding Panic's concoction of sugar and shocks is a winning formula.

The general idea is that you help guide a glob of googly eyed green pudding (which is actually jello, but still considered pudding in the U.K.) through a spooky amusement park attraction. Placing tracks down at certain intersections will alter its trajectory as you try to steer clear of a host of ghoulish critters. Throughout each level are tokens that grant special abilities. Snakes-in-a-can punch foes off the track, jack-in-the-boxes function as mines, and a paper bag mask will spook your foes away.

Pudding Panic's compact levels ensure that even though you're quite literally on rails, there's always something to do as the labyrinthine tracks require constant finessing. Thankfully, you can pause at any time to examine the rest of the level, but with so many moving parts you can only fall back on this so much. If you're quick and clever enough you can even sanction off foes into an infinite loop. Improvising safe passage for your pudding requires an even blend of reflexes and precognition.

Beyond being a heck of a lot of fun, Pudding Panic is a very charming game with a love of eerie carnivals. The presentation has lots of personality with an even mix of comical and creepy. Even the load screens consisting of humorous mad scientist scrawls are entertaining.

Why our hero is a glop of pudding/jello I'll never know, but Pudding Panic's saccharine yet gloomy atmosphere, accessible controls, and finely tuned design make this gelatinous junk food's ride one worth taking.

The bottom line. Pudding Panic is a charming and well crafted action/puzzler with lots of attention to detail, making it one of the best iOS games of its genre.