Category: Entertainment »

I hope that most of you are finished with your taxes, but let's face it: that deadline is always terrifying, no matter how well prepared you are. The fear of a "friendly" phone call from the IRS—politely informing you that the government needs to squeeze a few more dollars out of your sorry life in order to fund those bailouts—is never a fun one. How often have you wished that you could get your hands around the necks of those wretched tax collectors?

Voodoo Taxman is a gag app. Let's establish that right away. The whole thing was obviously drawn in MS Paint, and there's no purpose to it, per se. But when has that ever stopped anyone? Sometimes all you need is a bit of good old-fashioned stress relief, and torture is the oldest form of entertainment!

The app opens to a blank office-like environment, with a single odd feature: the "I <3 SATAN" sign. (I have to admit that I love the decor.) Wait a second (or tilt your iPhone), and the angry, glasses-wearing, stiff-necked tax collector himself slides into view, along with some money bags. Egads!

From there, you have a few options. You can shake your iPhone or tilt it to smash the taxman against the wall, or you can poke him in the face to break his glasses. Grabbing him by a limb and shaking will yield some money. That's pretty much the extent of the app. The guy collects bruises and scratches as you abuse him (though, alas, there's never any blood), and the money scatters throughout his tiny little office.

Sure, it's a nifty idea. But it's not as if this is a serious app, and the devs obviously didn't shower their creation with loving efforts. As far as I can tell, multitouch isn't supported. The sound effects, while amusing at first, are minimal and repetitive. The graphics are rough at best (MS Paint! The horror!) and the animations are jerky and awkward. To be honest, the novelty of "sticking it to the taxman" (to quote the iTunes description) wears off in about thirty seconds.

So, is this a funny idea? Heck yeah. Would I waste my money on it? Er, well...no. Just...no. Go get one of the other great apps on sale for a dollar. I'm sure you'll find something (I'm thinking of Pocket God, if you want to fill that sadistic urge). In the meantime, have fun with those taxes!