Editor’s note: This review was written by Tiffany Gill, aka TheOne, a student at Full Sail University. TheOne is consistently on the move, so she usually gets her fill of gaming on her iPhone. When she isn¹t out and about, she is delving into all things creative and entertaining — from art, graphic design, movies/TV and music. TheOne¹s console of choice is the PlayStation 3, on which she not only slices, dices, shoots and puts it down, but she vanquishes all matter of creature — human and beyond..

One of the most interesting and insanely funny games I have played is Amateur Surgeon. Brought to you from the crazy minds at Adult Swim, this game first came out for the PC and now thrives on the iPhone, thanks to Artificial Life Inc. I began my addiction over the holidays with Amateur Surgeon: Christmas Edition. As soon as I had to put a reindeer back together by adding a vacuum cleaner as a leg. Hook, line and sinker, I had to purchase the full game.

So began my adventure as Alan Probe, the pizza delivery boy. On one of my shifts, I’m driving along, reading my medical magazine. Engrossed in this week’s bloody new operation procedure, I neglect to look up and notice the cough syrup addict, Dr. Ignacious Bleed, stumble onto the road. BAM! I hit him. In my intrigue, I find out he was once a brilliant, well-known surgeon but has been banished and cast off as a disgrace, roaming the streets for refuge and looting pharmacies for his next cough-syrup kick. In a mad dash, and with Dr. Bleed’s instruction and the tools in my delivery truck, I begin working on my first live patient. After using a pizza cutter, corkscrew, tongs, staples, lighters and glue, I’m able to save his life. From that moment on, Dr. Bleed mentors me in becoming the go-to surgeon for the degenerates, hobos and criminals in my neighborhood.

So begins my academic career as an amateur surgeon. I now have to work my way through 27 patients, with case files ranging from everything to broken bones to platinum, pimpin’ upgrades. I even get the privilege of operating on three “secret” patients. From here on, I quickly begin to gain the knowledge I need to save the lives of every drunken, caffeine popping, crazy alley-walker that finds me. As my training increases, so does the difficulty. I also get graded, timed and have to make sure not to kill my patients. After a while, I realize my Alan Probe alter ego takes his work very seriously.

With the iPhone edition, the screen layout created by Artificial Life Inc. is pretty sweet. Tools are lined up on the left and right sides of the screen, a Timex-style watch on the top right corner to reflect the patient’s heart rate and a time meter on the bottom left corner. All conversation text appears along the bottom of the screen so it does not interfere with your workspace, even though sometimes it does get in the way and you have to touch it to see past it.

Another cool aspect of this game is the 2-D animation and graphics. Amateur Surgeon keeps me entertained with its funny and at times ludicrous introductions to each. This gives me an understanding of what brought them to me as well as what kind of operation needs to take place. Overall, the 2-D animation flows pretty effortlessly, and the colors really pop.

The gameplay for Amateur Surgeon on the iPhone is pretty unique. As I use the tools I realized I’m putting to use just about every possible type of interaction allowed, like rubbing, tapping, pinching, swiping, and dragging. To engage a tool, first I tap its icon. Then I proceed to applying it to the patient. If I applied it correctly and in the prescribed time, then I get a little word of encouragement like “Awesome” or “Great Work.” What’s pretty neat is that when I perform the application of tools in the correct order, I not only get combo points, but I get the chance to unlock hidden tools. This definitely keeps things interesting because I can always go back through my case files and try to improve my score, lower my operation time or try a new sequence of moves.

But let’s face it, the real star of Amateur Surgeon is the story itself. Known for their bizarre but genius storylines, Adult Swim has a long list of loyal followers and haters. Therefore, I know when it comes to games, Adult Swim will give me no less than what I can expect from the dark recesses of their minds — something that is not only weird, but funny and fast-paced. Where else would I get a story about a pizza delivery boy with aspirations to become a surgeon, who then gets mentored by a crackpot surgeon to operate on criminals using household tools? No where.

As much as Alan Probe shines as the main character, I can’t deny the patients keep me glued to the game. At times, patients don’t have any immediate problems, and they want Alan do a favor for them. One such patient is Donny Debonair the Pimp Extraordinaire. He has two hand puppets as his entourage of prostitutes. Donny is just too cool for school and decides he needs to add some bling to his internal organs. In return, he will throw in some time with his ladies. Then there are some patients that have a life-threatening problem that needs emergency surgery — like Bug-eater Peter, who has a pet komodo dragon named Mister Caruthers. He usually feeds Mister Caruthers caviar, but he noticed he would not eat. So Peter decides to lead by example and show his pet he will eat the caviar himself, which turns out to be spider eggs. Now he is poisoned and needs to remove the hatching spiders from his body. Pretty gross!

If you are looking for a zany, off-the-wall step into the weird to fill your time and challenge your surgery skills, then Amateur Surgeon is the game for you. This game may not be for everyone, so definitely test-drive the free edition. But once you are hooked, you will want to spend the $2.99 and get the full edition. It is sure to give you hours of challenging mindless entertainment.