Carmageddon is the '97 classic given just enough of a tweaking to make it feel at home on the iOS platform - there are still some quirks left over from the original, but smashing your way through pedestrians and vehicles alike makes for a disturbingly fun distraction.
I have no recollection of how the original game progressed - I mainly just remember the moment-to-moment glee of splattering pedestrians - but this iOS version is a series of unlockable levels, a collection of unlockable cars, a garage full of car upgrades, and variable goals for each level. If that's not enough, leaderboards, achievements, and challenges are all supported on Gamecenter. In other words, a whole lot of incentive to drive, smash, and splatter.
Carmageddon delivers a charming, though very frustrating, experience. The game is packed with lots of cars and tracks, and it's very fun to play, but you have to deal with some awkward controls.
Carmageddon is an older game, and it shows even on a mobile device, but people don't always love old games purely because they're old. Sometimes they love them because they're fun. And despite the slippery controls, this bit of nostalgia is still very, very fun.
Carmageddon has never been a great racing game, not in 1997 and not in 2012. It is however some of the most fun you can have on four wheels in a game. I have already had more fun playing this game than I have ever had in Real Racing or Need For Speed. Sure the gameplay differs greatly, but when I play games it is about having fun. Carmageddon spits at realism, farts at proper handling and pees on fair play, and that is just how I like it.
Carmageddon on iOS is the exact same game that came out in 1997, which it doesn't get away with nowadays. It's never been a franchise about refined techniques, but revolved around pure, raw fun. To experience that fun, you'll have to get past a number of barriers, like bad controls and an awful look.