In July of last year, Team17 released their classic artillery battle game Worms [$2.99/HD] onto the App Store. It was great to see such a beloved franchise hit iOS devices, but unfortunately the game was plagued with a number of problems. Performance was subpar even on a then-new and more powerful iPhone 3Gs, and fans complained of certain missing weapons and lack of online play. The game was updated a number of times which resulted in much improved performance, but the promise of additional weaponry and online matches never actually materialized, though they did add a very nice Bluetooth multiplayer mode to the game.

Now Team17 has just released Worms 2: Armageddon [$4.99] to the App Store, and it essentially feels like what the first game was always meant to be. There is an incredible amount of weaponry in Worms 2, and local multiplayer with up to 4 players or 2 player battles online. A single player campaign contains 30 missions to play through across 5 brand new locations, with tons of different modes to try out. Also, many options are available to customize the look and sound of your worm teams as well as a number of unlockable items to earn.

In many ways, Worms 2: Armageddon feels more like Worms 1.5. The UI feels just like the last game, slightly clunky but manageable. The graphics also don’t look any different, save for when running on the iPad, and the lower resolution visuals stick out on a Retina Display device. Online play is a nice addition but I can’t help but wish for full 4 player support, as that’s when Worms is really at its best. Overall it’s a good game if you’re a fan of Worms and are looking for the best available version for your iOS device, but if you were expecting leaps and bounds of progress over the first game then you will likely feel disappointed with this latest installment.