Computer giant Apple has come under fire for introducing ‘hidden and underhand’ charges into children’s games which many parents thought were free to play.
The US firm has made millions of pounds by developing a new generation of games to play on gadgets such as the iPad and iPhone.
Thousands of British parents have downloaded the games, assuming that because they are free to download they are free to play.
But they have been horrified to discover that children have run up huge bills by buying credits which allow them to progress faster and farther through the game.
The offending games, which include The Smurfs’ Village, Zombie Farm and Tap Zoo, all operate along similar lines and encourage players to build up a virtual community.
Anyone taking part can progress farther and faster if they buy credits as they go along.
In theory, purchases can only be made if the person playing the game enters a password.
But many have discovered to their cost that if they enter the password, for whatever reason, and hand the device to the child within 15 minutes, he or she can make payments without re-entering the password.
Angry parents say Apple failed to provide any advance warning of the payments at the time of download and say that young children do not understand the few notices about payments which do crop up as they play the games.
Adam Williams, of consumer watchdog Which? Mobile, said: ‘It is pretty underhand to have these extra charges in games that are aimed at children.’
One of the most lucrative games is The Smurfs’ Village, which was only introduced last month but which has already topped the download charts.
Players build a village for the Smurfs. To progress through the game they buy credits called Smurfberries, sold in quantities at prices ranging from £5.99 to £59.99.
At the start of the game players are told that it is free to play but there is an option to purchase extra credits.
There is no other reference to charges until players click on to the shop to make their purchases.
One furious father in London, who asked not to be named, has complained to Apple after his daughter ran up a bill of £90.
He said: ‘The first we knew about it was when my wife looked at her credit card bill and saw that she was being charged just under £90 by the Apple Store.
'At first we couldn’t work out what the charges were for. It only became clear when we spoke to our nine-year-old daughter.
‘She had run up the charges by buying extra Smurfberries. She thought she was just playing the game in the normal way and she had no idea she was spending any money.
'Clearly, Apple should have warned parents in advance about the charges and they should refund any bills run up in this way.’
Another British father vented his fury online after his child ran up a £110 bill.
He wrote: ‘The reason this game is out-grossing its rivals is because it is a rip-off and a fraud.’
In the US Kelly Rummelhart, 36, from California, ended up with a credit-card bill for $66 (£42) after her four-year-old son Sawyer used her iPad to play The Smurfs’ Village.
She said: ‘Never in my wildest dreams did I think they would be charging things on it.’
Capcom, which publishes The Smurfs’ Village, has pledged to increase the number of warnings in the game.
Zombie Farm, where players build up an army of warring zombies, is published by the California-based firm The Playforge.
But some players, who are encouraged to buy brain food in the advanced stages, have described it as a con.
A spokesman for The Playforge insisted that it was possible to play the game without making any additional purchases.
There has been similar criticism of Tap Zoo, in which players build up a zoo.
A spokesman for Apple said: ‘A password is required to purchase any goods on the App Store, including using in-app purchases.
'And parents can use our parental control settings to restrict app downloading and turn off in-app purchasing.’
PocketGems, the publisher of Tap Zoo, and Capcom, were unavailable for comment
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