Adventure game fans with an iOS device, it's time to saddle up. Scarlett and the Spark of Life, a brand new "point-and-click" adventure from Launching Pad, creator of The Pretender series, has arrived, and it's got more humor than you can shake a pair of reclaimed fenceposts at. Princess Scarlett has been kidnapped by a pair of meatheads, but she's clever and snarky enough to get out of the situation on her own. Her sister, on the other hand, needs her help, so it's time to break free, find a horse, and gallop off to the rescue!

Princess Scarlett's little adventure starts off looking grim, as she's tied up and on the back of a horse. Fortunately, escape is a cut rope and a disobedient servant away, eventually leading Scarlett to a town where everybody seems to be in love with a nasty llama-like creature called the polcalcos. Most of the village is away at the polcalcos festival, but a few stragglers stayed behind, just enough to help you solve the mystery of the mechanical horse in the warehouse just inside the city walls.

Everything in Scarlett and the Spark of Life is handled with a simple touch of the screen. To move Scarlett, simply tap where you want her to go. To use inventory items, tap the backpack icon and drag the item to the screen. The star icon at the bottom of the screen will show you areas you can interact with, a handy tool that makes exploration a cinch.

Analysis: Most of the puzzles in Scarlett and the Spark of Life are straightforward affairs that can be solved through a little conversation. In fact, much of your time will be spent navigating conversation trees and talking to villagers, something you'll love doing because of the snappy dialogue. In fact, the writing in this game is nothing short of brilliant, and the wry humor will remind you of classic adventure games like Broken Sword and Secret of Monkey Island.

It's great to see another adventure game make its way to the iTunes App Store, and having a completely original outing built for the touch screen devices from the ground up is even better. Casual gamers will feel right at home with Scarlett and the Spark of Life, as the puzzles are pretty simple and if you ever get stuck, a tiny bit of experimentation can get you out of any situation. Don't expect to spend more than a few hours with the game, as 90 minutes is about all it'll take to work through to the end.

Scarlett and the Spark of Life is planned as a series of four games, so with any luck the next installment will grace us before too long. The humor and writing are definitely the strong points of the game, and you'll encounter several genuine laugh out loud moments while you play. An excellent adventure game for casual gamers, and a must-buy title for any iPhone/iPod Touch owner!

Download Scarlett and the Spark of Life for iPhone and iPod Touch!