Apple's iPhone, iPad, and iPod Touch have brought new life to portable gaming, and while the iPhone may not be a Sony PSP or Nintendo DS, they are perfect for on-the-go recreational gaming. Currently, there are over 30,000 games available for the iPhone and luckily for us motocross lovers out there, over 30 of those are motocross-related. Now, thanks to a partnership between popular moto magazine Racer X Illustrated and game developer Turborilla, another moto game titled "Mad Skills Motocross" will be added to the iTunes App store on January 10, giving us yet one more way to kill our precious time.

WHAT IT IS:
In late August of 2009, a small independent developer released their first title Mad Skills Motocross, which spread like wildfire, quickly developing a cult-like following amongst computer-based gamers on a worldwide level. Described as "the best 2D side-scrolling motocross game," Turborilla's Mad Skills Motocross was a PC, Mac and Linux compatible game that was reminiscent of Nintendo's classic "Excitebike," but with a much more realistic feel, utilizing precise physical simulations, making the bike-to-rider interaction more believable than its ancient predecessors.

Fast forward to early 2011, and the wildly popular game is making its way to the iPhone, iPad and iPod Touch thanks to Racer X Illustrated. Racer X's President Bryan Stealey explains, "I ended up learning about the game one way or another, so I downloaded it and played it a lot with my son. We were playing it one night and it just dawned on me that even though it's an amazing game on a computer, it had the potential to be even better on an iPhone because it's an arcade-style game and that's where those kind of games thrive." Quickly after, Stealey approached Turborilla's Tobias Andersson about bringing the game to Apple's portable platforms with Racer X backing the promotion side of things and the rest is history.

WHY IT RULES:
When it comes to iPhone and iPad games, simplicity is key and Mad Skills Motocross nails it in that department. With four controls in total -- go, stop, lean back and lean forward buttons -- controlling the dirt bike is simple as can be. Within a matter of minutes, we were up and racing in no time. But don't be fooled, Mad Skills Motocross is easy to play, but very difficult to master. With over 50 different tracks, the game offers plenty of challenge and guarantees hours and hours of playability without getting tedious or boring.

If there's one word that can describe Mad Skills Motocross, it's the word "addictive." Stealey tells ESPN, "Everybody that plays the game uses the word addictive. I got an email from Jeff Emig [Supercross and motocross champ] on Christmas Eve pissed off at me for ruining his Christmas -- he said he should've been spending time with his family, but instead he was in the bathroom trying to beat one of the tougher levels on the game" [laughs].

WHERE TO FIND IT:
Mad Skills Motocross will be available for the iPhone, iPad and iPod Touch on January 10th through the iTunes App store. A price has not been set for the game as of yet, but we're told it'll be very affordable -- more specifically, less than the cost of a fast-food lunch. For more information, features and specs check out the official site at www.racerxonline.com/madskillsmotocross.