Namco launches free iPhone trial of Pac-Man

The App Store really needs a more formal system for developers and publishers to release free demos of their iPhone games.

Ideally, it'd be an N-Gage-style system where users download the full game, but most of it is locked until they tap a button to buy. In the absence of that, publishers have to resort to releasing separate 'Lite' versions of their games for free.

Namco Networks is the latest, having released Pac-Man Lite over the weekend. It's just the first stage of the game, with the aim of persuading users to upgrade to the full £4.99 version.

A free demo of Pac-Man might sound like a silly idea who DOESN'T know what the game is like? but actually it's a smart move, allowing players to see how the iPhone-specific controls work.

However, the offer isn't quite as generous as that extended to Android gamers, who'll be getting the full-fat Pac-Man for free when the Android Market launches this month.