iPhone News Updated

Fantasktik for Mac OS X now lets you close windows from the taskbar, more

Dockland Software has released Fantasktik 1.4, an update of the taskbar application for Mac OS X 10.5 (“Leopard”). The upgrade adds the ability to close windows from the taskbar, launch Expose on any open application directly from Fantasktik, and more.

Fantasktik groups windows by application. Double-clicking on an application icon provides a way to manage the taskbar real-estate by collapsing and expanding the windows associated with the application. Among Fantasktik’s features are large document previews created with Leopard’s Core Animation technology. Just hover over a window and Fantasktik will display a smooth animation to show the window contents.

Fantasktik is available for only $9.99 (USD) and may be downloaded directly from Dockland Software website. A fully-functional, 15-day trial version is available.

[Thanks: http://www.macsimumnews.com]

Classic Platformer ‘Rick Dangerous’ Comes to the iPhone

Mobile developer Magic Team this week released an iPhone port of the highly popular Amiga / Atari ST platformer Rick Dangerous [link] through the App Store.

Originally developed by Core Design and released on multiple platforms in 1989, Rick Dangerous is an Indiana Jones-inspired platformer set in 1945. As the tale goes, British agent Rick Dangerous (who had to have known from childhood that he was destined for adventure) travels to the jungles of the Amazon in search of a lost tribe. The game opens with Rick being chased through a ruinous cave by a boulder, in true Indiana Jones fashion. Armed with a pistol and sticks of dynamite Rick traverses four levels in all: the Amazon, an Egyptian pyramid, the Nazi stronghold of Schwarzendump, and a secret Nazi missile base.

The iPhone version features updated graphics, audio, and intro / outro sequences. An on-screen D-pad and button system provide game control. It works well enough, but feels a little cramped / oversensitive as compared to most other iPhone virtual D-pad implementations.

I’ve spent only a brief time with the iPhone version but can verify that it feels quite like the Rick Dangerous I knew enjoyed on the Amiga — and every bit as maddeningly challenging. Fans of the original should feel right at home with the iPhone release, and those unfamiliar with the game can try out the free Flash version before making the jump.

See a gameplay video of the Amiga version for a closer look.

App Store Link: Rick Dangerous, $1.99

[Thanks: http://toucharcade.com]