Balloons are floating down Monkey Lane, and they're homing in on Monkey City! Luckily the monkeys are there to stop the onslaught. Developed by Ninja Kiwi, “Bloons Tower Defense 5” is a unique and creative twist on the classic tower defense game.

This fifth installment of the successful Bloons Tower Defense series was released in 2011 with a massive amount of hype. Having played the previous games, I thought it lived up to expectations. The series is focused on popping balloons (or “bloons”) using monkeys. Its addictive concept kept me glued to the screen, and it never got old.

What makes the game so brilliant is the creative concept. You use an army of monkeys to defend Monkey City from an onslaught of bloons. Each map has a unique plan, such as the Switch map, where the track changes every round. The game makes you strategize. Each stage gets harder, and the strategy changes.

“Bloons Tower Defense 5” uses many aspects to keep you interested. For example, there's a co-op mode that allows you to interact with other players. You hear an iconic pop every time a bloon is hit. The sound is always pleasing, since it means that Monkey City is safe. The graphics make me feel like I'm in a cartoon world. They are well drawn and ­polished.

In the game, you drag the monkey or machine onto the map and attack when the bloons come near. Each tower has unique qualities to help fend off enemies. For example, a dart monkey throws darts at the bloons. A monkey village supplies many beneficial elements for a tower, such as camouflage detection and wider attack radius. This offense and support makes the game more exciting.

Mobile versions are available for the iPad, iPhone, iPod, and all Android platforms. With hundreds of thousands of players online daily, “Bloons Tower Defense 5” is one of the most played tower defense games. The bloons are coming so get popping!