Office Dares

It is said that all work and no play is never a good thing for the soul - so it’s important to be quite creative in whatever you do and make sure you inject some fun into it.

However, when you’re in the office it’s not exactly known for the entertainment factor (unless you’re lucky to have a really cool boss), and normally you’ll end up out of a job if you were to misbehave. But what if we could get away with it?

We’ve all seen or heard about the antics that some people go to around the office, whether it’s office Olympics or being creative with a photocopier, but it appears that there are plenty of other fun and risky things you can do around the office.

The plot of Office Dares is simple, you’re serving the last two weeks of your employment so it’s your ‘duty’ to wreak some revenge on your boss by playing pranks on your co-workers which will ensure they all quit one by one – taking the company down from the inside. Then, when you thought it couldn’t get much better, you get to prank your boss!

If you thought this was going to be a simple case of roaming around the office and breaking things or using things inappropriately, think again. This game’s a bit more of a ‘walk about and talk to people and gather information which you can then use to your advantage’ type. In a fairly straight forward way, you get to pick your ‘victim’ and then by chatting with them and others around the office, you start to build a picture of what will tip them over the edge and force their resignation.

Through following rather obvious clues (which do progressively get harder as the game goes along), you get to develop an idea of what to do. Whether it’s finding someone who really annoys your ‘victim’ and stir things up between them or by spreading a rumour, there’s quite a few prank missions for you to do.

As you manage to eliminate the various key figures who keep the business running, you’ll get a sense of justice by evening the score with your evil CEO. Through all the conversations and pranks, you’ll also get one step closer to knowing what’s the best prank to play on your boss.

Should you want to take a break from ‘the quest’, you have a couple of other features – namely ways to stay stress free and also some outrageous excuses for being late at work. The ‘paintball’ mini-game at work was good fun but very short-lived and easy to complete. The anecdotes of outrageous excuses and stress relief are pretty amusing and at first there are only a few you can read, but as you play the game more become viewable.

Overall then, this game is ideal for anyone who’s looking for some release from their stressful day at the office. I wouldn’t advise doing what they do in the game unless you fancy getting fired or getting a criminal record. That being said, the puzzle aspect is quite good and the game’s well detailed – even if the plot’s pretty thin and follows a very simple pattern.

Rating 77%

Positives

Good idea and pretty well executed

Neat graphics

Straight forward controls

Getting to play with other characters is a nice touch and makes it slightly different

Negatives

Sometimes you can’t move due to an interactive character pinning you as they move around

The clue gathering and prank playing is quite repetitive

The mini-game was a nice idea but all too easy to complete

Anytime Pool

Do you love playing pool but suffer the intolerable cruelty that is only being able to watch it as someone else hogs the table down your local? Well you’re definitely not alone – but fortunately for you, my friend, Anytime Pool’s come to your rescue!

As the name suggests, this game’s intended to be a very powerful and enjoyable pool game in the palm of your hand. Unlike many of the other titles I could think of which promise something similar, this game actually delivers exactly what it promises to.

Whatever your skill level is, there’s a setting just for you. If you like to just knock the balls around the table, then you can play at an amateur level, should you be a little more advanced then there’s a setting for this, and if you’re a bit of a hustler then you can give yourself a test in the professional setting. The main difference between the settings is how good your opponent is and how much assistance you get in your aiming e.g. lines showing the direction your ball will travel.

When it comes to spin and ball control this game’s totally unbeatable and presents arguably some of the best cueing action that would terrify Steve Davis! Refreshingly this game evolves as you play. For example, when a ball or cushion obstructs you from hitting a part of the cue-ball, the zone’s greyed out. However, should you wish to attempt the shot you can and you’ll end up chipping or swerving the ball which can impact on the accuracy – making it one the most realistic attempts of simulating the pool game I’ve ever seen!

Another thing I liked about the game was that it was set in a pub setting which adds another lovingly restored factor to the game. In truth I think the only thing that’s missing are the dodgy guy who rambles away to himself and anyone nearby and the queue at the bar! (And, yes, before you ask, this is a good thing!) Sorry, I digress…

Should you want a bit more of a challenge than a quick game then you can play single or double player modes. In single setting you get to pick from ‘practice’, ‘world tour’ or ‘challenge’ modes. In this setting you also will have the assistance of Brooke who’s a helpful tutor who’ll help guide you through the game and develop your skills to become the top pool player.

And of course if you’re a little tired at being beaten (or beating) the AI, you can enjoy playing the two player mode and take it in turns to become the king or queen of the pool table in this virtual world.

Ultimately, this game’s superbly recreated a totally realistic and enjoyable pool game which can be played at anytime, anyplace – either by yourself or with anyone else! If there’s any slight downside to the game, the accuracy is a little awkward to master as a tap on the control will change the angle quite a bit rather than by a degree. That being said though, the rest of this game truly makes it just as good as the real thing – or possibly even better?!

Rating 95%

Positives

Great graphics and nice replay mode and the camera even moves to get the best angle

You can chip, screw, spin to your hearts content with the best cue control ever seen

8 ball UK/US rules and US 9 ball pool to play and enjoy

Various settings of difficulty

Trick shots and challenges help keep the game entertaining

Negatives

Lining up your shot can be quite a bit of hit-and-hope at times – doubtful you’ll sink all balls in one setting (but that’s much like the real thing)

Who wants to be a Millionaire 2nd Edition

Who wants to be a Millionaire has long been a regular feature on the TV and despite it being around for as long as anyone can remember, it’s not lost a bit of its appeal.

So if you’ve ever fancied yourself as the next genius, you’ll be able to test your general knowledge skills with the latest mobile edition of the quiz show. But, if you’re like the rest of us, you’ll probably cut your losses and run with the first £1,000 you make!

OK, so for those of you who aren’t familiar with the game here’s a brief summary. You start the game with the fastest finger round, where you must correctly place the listed items in order. The quicker you do this the more points you receive as a bonus. The next stage is when the game starts properly. You have a series of questions which you must try and answer correctly. For every correct answer you get to earn more money in roughly double the previous increment – up until you reach the top prize of £1,000,000.

To help you get the maximum prize you are presented with three lifelines. As in the TV show they are ‘50:50’, ‘call a friend’ and ‘ask the audience’. The 50:50 will take away two possible wrong answers leaving you with one wrong and one correct answer. Calling a friend will temporarily stop the timer as you are then given a ‘definite answer’ from a computer generated friend – you then get to decide whether to trust this answer or indeed not to. Finally, ‘asking the audience’ will bring a simulated audience response which will lead you to hopefully draw the right answer from.

As mentioned these lifelines are to be taken with a bit of scrutiny as they aren’t always correct and could well lead you from gaining a huge score or prize and leave you with a rather meagre amount. From my experience, just about everyone out there will be doing very well indeed if they’ve managed to get half way through the game with all your life-lines intact.

The topics covered in the game range far and wide, from classical subjects to more modern popular culture. For example one question may cover ‘who carved the classical statue David?’ and give you the names of the four Teenage Hero Mutant Turtles (and yes I know they were named after famous artists), the next question could be ‘What was the title of Coldplay’s 2005 album?’

In truth the game gives you a really realistic and engaging game. I found myself totally getting sucked into the experience and with the clock ticking down as you try to think of the right answer, you’re really able to feel like you’re in the hot-seat.

Rating 91%

Positives

Plenty of new questions which follow on from the first edition

Fastest finger can be turned on or off

Very realistic and engrossing

Highly addictive

Enjoyable

Good graphics – even the cheque being written out was a nice touch

Great sound effects – just like the TV show

Negatives

Some questions will totally flummox you – even at the earliest stages

A repetitive formula

No interesting cut-away shots of Chris Tarrant

Build-a-Lot

For those of you who are into your simulation games then you’ll be interested in taking a second look at Build-a-Lot.

You may be forgiven for thinking that there’s really nothing out there besides the SimCity games in this field, but actually this title is worthy of your time. In actuality, Build-a-Lot is far more upbeat and realistic than the usual sluggish strategy gameplay associated with the SimCity series. With plenty of different buildings to choose from, lots and lots of environments to transform to your hearts content, and quite a few challenges to overcome, you’ll be definitely challenged and stuck fast to the screen.

The gist of the game is simple, build as much as you can as fast as you can. You purchase empty plots of land, build your premises and rent or sell these for profit. Then, with the newly acquired cash, you get to buy bigger plots and develop bigger buildings for even bigger returns.

In a Monopoly-esque way, this would be a really simple challenge but with the time constantly ticking away in the background you really need to act and think smart. To achieve your goals you must carefully tend to your builders – hiring more if required. You may also have to weigh up the choice of purchasing ready-developed land or do it from scratch yourself.

To keep the game fresh and fun, you’re rewarded for your perseverance by unlocking new property designs and types for you to use for maximum effect. The only trouble with all these new buildings, you have to keep an even closer eye on your resources, whether its funds, staff or bricks and mortar.

The controls are pretty clear and are relatively simple to get your head round too – which is no mean feat as with so much going on at any one time, you’d be forgiven if you got confused.

Unfortunately, unlike some of the competitor games on the market where you can develop an entire city, this only lets you focus on a relatively small, but greatly detailed patch of land. However, rather than a handicap, this allows you to really get to grips with what you’re doing and how you’re going to do it. What’s more, it doesn’t look half bad either!

All in all then this game offers an element of building fun combined with puzzle elements and a race against the clock. So if you enjoy your challenges, are tired of the SimCity style, then this is certainly a good substitute/alternative.

Ratings 80%

Positives

Good fun and racing against the clock gives it a bit of a buzz

Puzzle elements as well as managing the sites makes it great challenge

Entertaining and also gives you a few pointers in building

Neat graphics

Intuitive controls

Plenty of unlockable things to keep you entertained

Negatives

Sadly lacks people moving in and enjoying the property you’ve just spent time building

With only small plots to develop, you don’t quite get the same scope of building an empire

As the game’s against the clock, you can’t always do the finishing touches you want

Mystery Mania

Do you have what it takes to unlock the secrets hidden and forgotten in the old mansion?

The inventor, your creator, is missing and you must help the dutiful robot F8 to try and find the answers as to his whereabouts by accomplishing all the tasks you discover as you roam around the various rooms of the mansion. The game tests your logic solving abilities and uses a variety of equipment from cannon balls and dynamite to steaks and plants. The best way to describe the game is that you have various bits of equipment laying around the room, seemingly disconnected. However, taking a battery and putting it into a remote control car will then make it work or putting a log in the fireplace, turning on the gas and then igniting it with a candle will get the fire started.

Ultimately what you must do is combine the bits of the puzzle that are connected together in sequence in order to complete a task. Some rooms will require you solving two or three inter-connected puzzles to unlock the challenge.

Your mission is to go, room by room throughout the mansion and solving a variety of logical and inventive problems. For those of you familiar with Monkey Island series games, this will feel like familiar ground.

What sets this game apart from other sorts of logical games is the interwoven plot which appears as an old film in flashback. For your reward of retrieving the missing pieces, you will get to see more and more of the mystery. The graphics themselves are quite similar to Cartoon Networks’ Dexter’s Laboratory.

Another enjoyable element that was put in the game was the quirky fun things that happen whenever you have an accident. For example, you have three colourful potions which you must put in sequence to either grow or shrink. However, if you mix the cocktail of these chemicals incorrectly, you’ll see F8 pull some funny faces as he grows and then shrinks and collapses. Fortunately whenever you do make a mistake, it’s not the end of a game and you get to pick up where you left off, and hopefully learn from the mistakes you’ve made.

If I was going to say anything bad about this game (and to be fair there’s not much bad at all), I found the puzzles pretty self explanatory in earlier stages and quite easy, but they do get more challenging as you progress.

Overall then, this game’s a really enjoyable puzzle game which will keep you entertained for several hours, if not longer. The increments of difficulty as you progress through the game are gradual and make it challenging but not impossible. The nice touches in the animation and the interesting plot all add to a great game.

Rating 91%

Positives

Plenty of puzzles to unlock and keep you active

Entertaining and challenging which keeps you addicted

The graphics are very stylised and remind me of quite a few cartoons on TV

No puzzles are exactly the same

Negatives

A little frustrating at times – particularly at the end stages

The first few puzzles are very simple and almost self explanatory

No mini-games to break it up a bit

Puzzle Bobble Evolution

Puzzle Bobble has long been one of the most addictive and competitive puzzle games on the mobile circuit.

However generally speaking, the only trouble with the well known titles is that game manufacturers can get a little lax and a brilliant brand can start becoming a bit of a let down. Fortunately, I’m glad to report that unlike quite a few of those games which have managed to lose some of their magic, Puzzle Bobble Evolution is still as addictive and challenging as ever!

For Puzzle Bobbler’s young and old alike, it’s a return to form of the classic connect and pop style arcade puzzle game. Armed with colourful bubbles, you must try and match three or more together to cause them to burst and to receive points. All the original elements have been kept such as the cute graphics and simplistic controls and design. As importantly however, the game’s given all the familiar things a twist.

You have the special bubbles which all have interesting effects in the game. The ‘star bubble’ will erase all bubbles of the colour you hit it with, ‘black hole bubble’ will suck in all bubbles around it, ‘shockwave bubble’ pops a whole line of bubbles, ‘comet bubble’ destroys all bubbles it connects with.

The ‘satellite bubble’ can’t be burst but can allow other bubbles to stick with it, and lastly, in quick play mode the ‘question mark bubble’ will cause a random event when hit during play.

You have two types of game to play and enjoy. The quick game is where you must try and pop as many bubbles as possible as they slowly descend from the top of the screen. You score points for every bubble you burst and there are plenty of power-up bubbles for you to use to your advantage. The only difficult thing is that the bubbles will move faster in their advances as the levels go up, and you lose the game as soon as the bubbles pass a line near the bottom of the screen.

The alternative game play is the explore mode where you get to play a variety of levels, from auto-aim canon (which spins left to right and you must try to judge when to fire), one shot mode (where you must clear the level in one go) and loads more besides.

In truth, Bubble Bobble Evolution’s just the job for anyone with a few minutes to spare. The only word of warning is that once you start you’ll find it hard to stop – so be prepared to live as a recluse for the next couple of days solid if you get bitten by the ‘bubble’ bug.

Rating 80%

Positives

Puzzle Bobble’s the perfect puzzle action arcade game for anyone

Good graphics

You can explore anywhere and unlock more levels as you go

Highly addictive

Negatives

Poor sounds

Could have been a bit more inventive in some of the challenges

Quite repetitive

Arkanoid Evolution

Bricks beware! It’s time for some serious smashing time with Arkanoid Evolution!

I’m sure by now everyone is pretty familiar with Arkanoid game, but for those who need a brief explanation, here goes…

This game has you in control of a paddle which is located at the bottom of the screen. You start with a ball stuck to the paddle which you then release by pressing the select button (or number 5). The ball then travels upwards until it hits a brick or obstacle along the way, which then causes it to ricochet in various angles – sometimes to your advantage, and others not. Using your paddle, you must try and keep the ball within the playing area, because if you don’t you lose a life. In either case, the object of the game is to eliminate all the blocks to score as highly as you can the whole time without losing a life.

Your mission in this game is helped and hindered in equal fashion by the various power-ups you can collect through destroying the bricks. Some power-ups will cause the ball to travel faster, equip your paddle with lasers, make your paddle grow or make the ball travel through every block unhindered in its course. Others will cause your ball to travel slower, cause your paddle to go in the opposite direction, shrink your paddle or cause the ball to stick to the paddle. The symbols are easy to understand however to spice it up somewhat, they’ve added a random ‘mystery’ power-up, which you’ll not know what it is until you chance picking it up.

As the name suggests, Arkanoid has evolved into a beautifully designed and made game. The blocks look graphically advanced with texturing and shading in abundance. The ball looks sharp and the way it moves and is animated with sparks when you get power-ups, make the whole thing better than any other on the market.

In terms of game play, you have three modes to pick from; quick game, story mode and time attack. This variety will suit any occasion or style of gamer. Whether you want to kill a few moments between lessons or during a break, want to score the best hi-score ever or test your skill and luck, then there’s a mode for you. What’s more with 12 levels and four different worlds to conquer before you get to play the final ‘abyss’ level.

So my overall opinion is totally impressed. At first I was curious as to how you could improve an already perfect game recipe. But the game makers have, and by some way! Unlike many comparable versions of this game, rather than trying to focus too hard in one aspect of the game, the programmers simply have turned up the levels on every aspect and perfected it, beautifully. So I say to you, if you think you’ve played every Arkanoid game out there, think again, this one IS the only one for me.

Rating 98%

Positives

Took a great game and just improved it

Beautiful graphics

Good game play

Enjoyable story mode

Negatives

Just as frustrating at times as the original

The speed of the game can catch you out

With so many things happening on screen at any one time, you can easily get distracted and lose a life (or game)

99 Dumbest Jokes

We’ve all been at the bar, school or office and listened to our friends rhyme off some great jokes. If like me however you find yourself floundering when asked to tell one, then help is at hand in the form of 99 Dumbest Jokes.

As the imaginative title hints at, there are 99 jokes for you to keep to yourself or share with your friends and family. Ranging from some silly and quick jokes to more story-like humorous tales, you’ll be treated to a variety of themes which cover everything from ‘Doctor Doctor’, ‘Blonde’ and ‘A guy walks into a bar…’ jokes to name but a few.

I have to say I’ve heard quite a few jokes in my time but I was really pleased to see that I only had heard of one of them in all of the collection – and this means that I’m likely to be joining the comedy circuit armed with a variety of hilarious gems.

Not to be a killjoy or a prude, I will say that this is a little naughty and not all of the jokes are clean or suitable for the younger audience.

In truth, this is a great number of jokes which will mean you’re the toast of the party (if you can memorise them), and if not, there’s no shame in just reading them out loud. Unlike many other programmes out there, the jokes are well written and only have a few grammatical errors which are easy to understand.

There are a number of lists to choose from in the menu, including; today’s joke, personal joke and all jokes. The joke of the day simply gives you one random joke from the library. The personal joke lets you fill in your name before the programme selects one joke for you at random. The ‘all jokes’ category lets you scroll through all the jokes one by one.

If I was to find any fault with this programme, I’d say that it would have been nice if the jokes had been categorised for convenience as scrolling your way through is a little bit of a chore at times – particularly if they’re neared the end. Having said that, the topics and variety of subjects these jokes make fun of is fantastically non PC (politically correct) which some may not agree with, but I wish there had been more jokes as all were far from ‘Dumb’.

Ultimately, if you’re needing to be cheered up or want to make a friend smile, then this title is just the trick. I believe that if someone could resist laughing at a single one of these jokes they’re either a robot or should have their pulse checked just in case they’ve passed away!

Rating 80%

Positives

Plenty of great jokes and quite a few other superb jokes

Superb for those occasions when you need to rattle off a joke or two

Simple controls and menu options

Negatives

No updates to the jokes

No quick category option to help you find a joke more easily

A few spelling errors which could have been removed if scanned properly in production

Lie-O-Meter

We’ve all wanted to know at one point or another in our lives whether someone is telling the truth or not. So with this in mind, there must be plenty of interest in the Lie-O-Meter application.

This application uses a ‘Worm’ which is a rather cute and slightly distracting animated character on the screen which asks you some questions or simply analyses the responses before telling you whether or not the answer was true or not.

As I’ve never really used a lie detector before, I found myself gravitating towards the tutorial to get to know a bit more about the programme. All the tutorial said (in some fairly interesting, broken English) was about the ‘Worm’ and how this is the original programme. I did appreciate the humour that was clearly used in the making of the game as apparently it’s important to exercise the ‘worm’ regularly and it’s best to not use the programme “near fridge magnets, squirrels and angry wives”. Although I’m sure magnets aren’t the most helpful thing at times I’d find it hard to question a squirrel and daren’t use this on a partner – particularly when angry!

When testing yourself, the best way to describe how this application works is quite like the ‘Magic 8 Ball’. Rather than getting answers to your questions, you have to answer the questions posed by the ‘worm’, after which it’s analysed and then the result is given to you. From my experience with this application, the ‘worm’ is determined to believe you’re a pathological liar as every single answer I gave, came back as a lie or half-truth at best!

To test others, this game allows you to ask three questions and have the ‘worm’ listen in when you’re ready. To do this, it’s recommended you ask closed ‘yes/no’ answered questions. Again, these answers are then analysed by the software’s ‘worm’ and you’ll get your answer.

To be honest the programme’s a good giggle, and shouldn’t be taken too seriously – although it could be useful in catching someone out, providing they’re a little gullible or naïve. In either case, this is an amusing little package which, if nothing else, the questions will keep you on your toes and the answers as well as the comical analytical comments from the ‘worm’ will put a smile on your face.

Rating 76%

Positives

Plenty of questions for you to answer, I was playing with it for a few hours and didn’t have a repeat question asked.

Humorous and light-hearted

Fun and fairly addictive

Negatives

The poor English at times makes the questions and instructions a little hard to understand and/or answer

After a few goes you may find your fascination with it ebb away

The software seems to believe everyone’s a liar, even when being truthful

Looney Tunes Monster Match

Fans of the animated antics of the Looney Tunes characters will be looking fondly towards the puzzling fun that you will get by playing Looney Tunes Monster Match.

This game is one of the many match and pop style games which come in the form of Bejeweled and so on. In this game you must play as Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck, Porky Pig or Tweety in saving Acme Acres from the evil Dr. Fricktenstein who’s used his hypno-ray to turn the community into zombie-minions of his.

What you must try and do is match three or more symbols in an attempt to win the game. As a reward for your efforts, you get points, but more importantly, the upper hand in unleashing humorous attacks on your opponents.

Unlike Bejewelled you have to take turns in solving the various combinations. This means that rather than playing against the clock, but try to outsmart the rather devious efforts of your AI opponents. The idea of these face-off situations is to deplete your opponents’ health down to zero. The first few stages their health is quite low and it’ll only take a few hits before you’re champion. However, in later stages you’ll be slugging it out for much longer and the game hangs in the balance until the last blow is dealt.

The controls are very effective, with a clear cursor which outlines a single square and its item. You then use your select button, which changes the cursor to display four arrows (showing the direction in which you can rotate/swap the square with the adjacent one). By using the keypad or d-pad you get to activate whichever direction you wish. If you manage to make a three or more combo, they’ll tot up to your score and can activate the special abilities. Should you accidentally swap the wrong tile, it’ll simply swap straight back and then the opponent takes their turn.

Should you be struggling to find a possible swap, the tiles will vibrate, indicating the available option. When there are no options available to swap, then the board is cleared and restarted and all of your bonuses and those of your opponents are cleared.

As this game is well humoured your attacks are a combination of gags. You can unleash these gags by picking the associated potion bottles and matching them up. Once they’ve reached a sufficient level you get to zap your opponent.

Overall then this game is fantastic fun and an entertaining title for anyone and everyone who enjoys these puzzle style games. For those of you new to this type of game then this will offer you a challenge but also guide you along the way. There are a number of ways to enjoy this game, as it has a story, quick match and a tutorial mode. Th…That’s all folks!!!

Rating 92%

Positives

Very intuitive game-play

Addictive and entertaining

Fun with a variety of modes and outcomes/special abilities

Negatives

Frustrating at times

The game’s fairly similar throughout

MobiFart

If anal humour is your bag then definitely look no further than MobiFart as this will cause you to wet yourself in hysterics.

As the name indicates, you use this application to convert your mobile phone into a mobile joke whoopee cushion. With a selection of 10 different sounds to choose from there’s a potential sound just right for any occasion – no matter where you may be.

Farting, although commonplace, is still definitely a taboo in polite society. So to avoid instant detection the application comes with a useful countdown timer which gives you up to 90 seconds before ‘launch’.

I can instantly think of some very funny situations where you could apply this application. Please note that the following suggestions are only ideas and perhaps ill-advised in practice – I will not take the blame for anyone caught using this application and being told off or worse. The first location would have to be in the classroom, lift, office or on the bus. Alternatively, you could use this in and around the home and picking on your siblings and friends.

The thing about this application is that to avoid detection of yourself you may want to be creative in terms of where you hide the phone. This is because if you’ve got the phone on you when you let rip, you’ll give the game away or potentially end up isolated in the room as everyone will want to be as far away from you as possible (just in case it’s not fake). This in itself poses a bit of a gamble as your phone will, if found, instantly give you away and no doubt lead to some detention or lack of any tea!

However, this is a great little programme for anyone to use at just about any time. The only drawback is that the counter is only up to 90 seconds and when selecting the desired noise, it plays it – meaning you will have to plan your attack very carefully rather than on impulse.

Some of the sounds are far too synthesised but there are some good ones in there which will certainly make people laugh, gag or flee in panic. If you could remotely trigger off the sounds by calling the phone for example or using it as a text sound effect then this would definitely give you a good giggle also.

I will say that once the initial humour’s worn off there’s the possibility you’ll only end up using this application sparingly, but at least it has some shelf-life and can be used whenever you like and how you like – just make sure you have a clean getaway plan.

Rating 60%

Positives

Some good sound effects

Countdown option up to 90 seconds before ‘lift off’

Simple and easy to use

Negatives

The novelty value can dwindle quite quickly

Some sound effects aren’t terribly realistic

The volume setting on your phone must be loud for best effect

Swine Foo Fighting

Everyone’s heard of the rather nasty Swine Flu outbreak in the news so it was only ever going to be a matter of time until someone in bad taste created a bit of a comical game – Swine Foo Fighting.

This game is a bit of a spin off of the centipede or space invaders style arcade action genre. You start off with three lives (or should that be three pigs), but no red riding hood. The idea of the game is simply protecting your pigs from the waves of doctors and nurses who are running toward you. To do this you have a pig armed with ninja throwing stars (I can think of other things pigs would probably feel more at home throwing but none the less), it’s your mission to move from side to side and firing your unlimited ‘stars’ at the pesky health workers.

The controls are pretty straight forward, using the keypad buttons. To go left you press 4, to go right you press 6. Firing is the only mildly difficult thing to do for the following reason – you have three types of doctors. Male doctors with masks and hats – you must press 1 to hit them. Male doctors without hats you must press 2 to hit them. Whereas, the female nurses can only be hit when using your number 3 button.

To be honest the game seems a little confused to say the least, for example the game’s set in Mexico (where the Flu’s meant to have originated from) yet you’re using ninja throwing stars. Not detracting from the game, this is quite an enjoyable title and does get increasingly more and more challenging the longer you play and the more advanced you get in it.

For the initial first few levels, you would need to be either blindfolded or unable to tell the difference between the numbers to use against the advancing docs. In truth, for the first couple of levels I could use the wrong weapon and cycle my way through to the right one in good time. However, by level 5 or so the targets get quite fast and room for error does decrease considerably. It does get to a point where you’re lucky to be in the right position to hit the target, as your character is quite slow both moving sideways and at reloading between shots.

All in all then, this game is quite addictive and certainly for those who like a novel approach to the retro style arcade action games. With tongue firmly placed in cheek, this game offers some humour and light relief.

The only real drawback to this game is that it’s all the same thing throughout, there’s no cutaway mini-games to keep the action coming, just wave after wave of pesky doctors which get faster and faster with every level and there’s no real end in sight other than surviving as long as you can.

Rating 74%

Positives

Quite good graphics

Mildly entertaining and good distraction from whatever else you may be doing

Let’s you take some vengeance on doctors and nurses

Negatives

Progressively gets faster until there’s no point playing as there’s no way you can survive

No mini-games

Very repetitive which causes the humour and addictiveness to wear off quite quickly

The game froze quite a few times when I lost a piggy

The End

It seems quite odd to be writing about The End right at the beginning, but rather than a paradox, this is the title of a new mobile phone application.

The End is aimed at those with something of a morbid curiosity, either their own or of others. As the name hints at, it’s all about when you may be pushing up daisies. However, rather than leaving you with a feeling of impending doom, this application is trying to show you how your life choices can influence your lifespan.

The way this application works is by asking you some basic information, name, age, date of birth, gender (however the last time I checked my name wasn’t an indication on how short my life may be). The application then goes on to ask some lifestyle questions of a more personal nature. These questions include eating habits, sexual behaviour, active lifestyle and whether you own a pet?!

After honestly answering all the questions (don’t worry there’s only about 10 to do), you’re then told that the calculation is now complete and then shown your results.

Now some of you who’ve read my other reviews of similar applications will probably already know my slightly sceptical opinion of such things. I think it’s fairly safe to say that certain things will of course affect your life expectancy. For example eating fast food rather than having a healthy balanced diet will dramatically influence your overall life expectancy. However, this title doesn’t really look too deeply on your daily activities and clearly makes some assumptions rightly or wrongly which then contribute to your final countdown.

For some of you this will be quite a bit of harmless fun, as is intended by the developers of the application. However for me I find it a little disturbing and rather pessimistic.

I did fill in the questions a few times and yes, the end results were different each time as a result from tweaking my answers. The answers do range from a matter of a few years (particularly if you are playing Russian roulette with your life by not having protected sex) through to being a very ripe age, providing you’re careful.

Of course there’s nothing in this application which takes into the effect of being squished by a bus – but that would be taking the programme to a whole new level.

On the positive side, this can show you the errors of your ways and will help illustrate how something quite simple, like quitting a smoking habit, a change in diet and improved fitness will change the likelihood of an early death to having a long and healthy life.

Please note, as this application asks some mature questions I would advise that only mature audiences download it.

Rating 60%

Positives

Can show you that changes in your lifestyle will affect your life expectancy

Quite an interesting idea

Simple to use application

Negatives

Once you’ve answered the questions and got your answer, there’s not much else you can do

The results aren’t scientifically proven and should not cause you to worry (as this will probably shorten your life – ironically)

Some ambiguous multiple choice questions

Qix

The hearts of many enthusiastic retro gamers must be surely leaping at the prospect of playing the classic game of Qix.

For those of you who weren’t born during or before the 80’s or able to get your hand to a computer at the time, Qix is an arcade puzzle game where you must try and avoid being hit whilst claiming a proportion of the screen for yourself. To claim parts of the board you must use your small cursor to cut up the screen in a kind of ‘etch-a-sketch’ style of lines (called stix). By completing a shape by drawing a line from a border to the same or other border, the space is painted in your colour and you are awarded points.

Unfortunately for you, there are the Qix, Sparx and the Fuse - which are the rather annoying adversaries in the game. The whole time you’re trying to cut up the screen and turn it into yours, these quirkily named foes are doing their best to stop you from succeeding.

The Qix is a line-shaped enemy which floats about the screen and gravitates towards your marker. If the Qix touches the line you’ve drawn you instantly lose a life. Similarly, the Sparx move along the limits of the unclaimed area and should one touch you or your ‘stix’, you’ll lose a life.

To make things more frantic for you, there are the Fuse, which activate should you pause or stop in drawing your line. Unlike the other enemies, these little chaps flow along the lines themselves and if they should touch you before you’ve reached the safety of the border – you lose a life.

The game tests your nerve as well as your reactions. By using the d-pad or the number pad you get to move your marker around the screen. You are automatically playing in ‘quick draw’ mode, where you can draw your lines faster, or you can activate the ‘slow draw’ mode – which does make you more of an easy target for the opponents, but does give you greater scores as a reward. To switch between either modes simply press 5 during the game.

As you can imagine, with so many things happening at the same time, you’re going to have to be quick as well as crafty and also just that bit lucky too in completing the level.

As this is a retro game, the game’s graphics are far more functional than pretty. Those of you who remember Elite will certainly see the similarities, both in terms of line drawings but also the game launch sound – which is worth the fee alone!

Overall, this game’s addictive, fun, simplistic and utterly flawless – brilliant, just as a classic retro title should be! I’m finding it hard to find any flaw with the game and in truth; I don’t think I can find a single one. Simply put, this game was made for your mobile and will give you hours of thumb-twitching fun!

Rating 95%

Positives

Classic retro game which looks and feels just as it should

Good controls and plenty of action will keep you glued to the screen

Highly addictive

The game launch sound is great

Negatives

Repetitive game play

Monster House

Just in time for Halloween this spooky puzzle game will cast a spell on you!

In Monster House you must help guide a boy called DJ around the creepy rooms of a rather large mansion. Your first few stages act as a tutorial; being that you must avoid coming into contact with possessed objects (e.g. hopping chairs and lamps) and get your way to the door (which leads onto the next level).

The game tests your timing as well as your puzzle solving skills. In the initial levels you will simply have to make your way around without the objects spotting and knocking you down. As the game advances, you’ll have to move objects (boxes and metal chests) to block the monsters path or to trigger switches on the floor which will then unlock the door – granting you access to the next level.

To add to the complexity of the game, each level gets more and more devilishly hard. For example the number of monsters you’ll encounter on the level will increase or the location and combination of monsters will pose more of a challenge to either your logic or reaction skills (or usually both). Don’t think that it’s purely the monsters you’ll encounter which will cause you the biggest problem either, the layout of the room as well as the position of the box or boxes will certainly keep you guessing for quite a few moments.

Another nice touch which makes the game more realistic and challenging is that in some levels the floorboards will give way under your weight. Meaning some will survive two goes, others will only hold your weight for one move.

To help you in your mission of finding all your lost toys (as well as surviving) are the occasional bars of chocolate which you’ll find strewn around the level. These high calorie treats give you a temporary energy boost which means you can push the heavy metal chests, (which otherwise you can’t move). Your energy boost is shown as a thin red line which depletes over a short period of time. One thing to keep in mind is that you can end up trapped and unable if you run out of your energy boost at the wrong time. The good thing is that the chocolate bar reappears as soon as your boost has gone.

The fun thing with this game is that these little twists all add up and mean you can play it the way you like, with many of all of the 27 levels being able to be completed in more than one way. Ultimately, this is a great game which will keep you playing for a few hours until your mind has melted from overdoing it or until you have got too frustrated by the puzzles. In either case you’ll want to keep going until you’ve managed to complete it.

Rating 88%

Positives

27 tricky levels for you to overcome

Cute graphics and fun sounds

Very entertaining and totally addictive

Negatives

Once you’ve completed the levels there’s not much point in replaying

Some courses are very easy and others are very hard, but not much continuity from one to the other

A tad repetitive at times

Pro Golf Paradise

Golf’s been a long time fascination for millions of us throughout the years. So it seems sensible that the game for all weathers (except during lightning storms), has been put into the palm of your hand.

Until now however, many golfing games have tended to be on the cartoonish side of playability and style. Now the game’s been given a shot in the arm by the developers of Pro Golf Paradise. As the name suggests, this game’s far more in the more serious category than any else. Not to say that Pro Golf Paradise is devoid of any fun, in fact quite the opposite – it’s serious fun!

Rather than the more conventional looks, the game is played in a bird’s eye view of the course. All that is visible is the ball, bunkers, water hazards, trees, fairway, rough and green. The rules are all that you would expect e.g. sinking the ball within the par of the course.

Where this game differs is in the detail in what you can do to influence the stroke of the ball. For example, you not only pick the club to use, but also where you wish to hit the ball (top, centre or bottom). For those of you unaware of what happens when you do this; one causes your ball to go low and spin forwards, the other will chip the ball higher and puts some backspin on the ball and the one in the middle is somewhere between the two extremes.

The controls themselves are essentially what many would be used to. You can change the angle you approach the hole in and you have the power meter at the bottom of the screen which not just controls the distance but also the accuracy of the swing. The most tricky thing about this game is the judging of the shot using this power bar. You must tap the select button twice, too quickly and you’ll scuff the ball a matter of inches, too slow and you may hit it far but hook the shot.

In fairness this game captures the finest points about the real experience. Unlike the various other titles I could mention, Pro Golf Paradise makes them all look and feel much more like crazy golf than real golf!

Despite this game lacking the more conventional appearance where you see the player taking a swing at a ball and then seeing the ball land. The game does have some some nice touches, like it zooms into the green when you’re near the hole – giving you a bit more precision and a more engaging experience.

If I was going to pick faults, the only real let down this game has is that there’s only one course of 18 holes to play. Honestly though, with such a tricky and addictive game, you’ll be doing well if you don’t end up with a handicap of 20 or more!

Rating 78%

Positives

Intuitive design

Very addictive and entertaining

Challenging but practice will make perfect

Definitely for the more serious golfer out there

Negatives

Graphics are a little basic

Only 18 holes to play so fairly repetitive

No two player mode or difficulty setting options

DTM Race Driver 3D

Racing simulators have progressively got better and better as every new title becomes available.

One particular new title that’s well worth having a closer look at is DTM Race Driver 3D. As the name suggests it’s a racing game where you can get behind the wheel of a high powered rally car and work your way from the back of the pack to cross the finishing line first.

Whether you want to have a ‘World Tour’, develop a ‘Pro Career’ or test your skills in a ‘Free Race’, then this will give you all the possible full-throttle action you could be looking for. Displayed in fantastic 3D quality graphics, you get to see the detail in not just your own vehicle but all the other cars on the circuit. Speaking of the tracks themselves, they are a brilliant mixture of hairpin turns, chicanes and long straights -where you can push the pedal to the metal and try to distance yourself from the others.

The controls are responsive and well poised. By using the d-pad, you can do all the acceleration and turns but for a little more control and to give you a bit more of a realistic feel, I’d suggest using the keypad instead. To turn left and right, you can use the 4 and 6 buttons, to slow down as you turn there’s the 7 and 9 button and to accelerate as you turn use the 1 and 3 buttons. To give your thumbs a bit of a break I’d suggest you switch the accelerator from manual to automatic.

For added realism it’s worthwhile keeping your car glued to the track as you’ll end up not just losing time, but damaging your car – which may even result in you not finishing the race! You don’t just have to try and stay within the white lines but also avoid coming into contact with vehicles on the road, as again they will not just cost you time if you ram them but can bring your game to a crashing end.

In World Tour mode, the world’s been split into 7 championships, which have up to 4 tracks available in each. The object of the game is to rank highly in the races for cash prizes. When you’ve managed to win enough money you will be allowed to progress to the next stage – but all previous stages must be complete before you can start the next course.

In Pro Career mode, you choose from three different tournaments (Autosport, V8 Supercar Championship Series and DTM), where you must compete in up to 13 races. As with standard races, you are awarded points depending on the finishing position, which effects your overall standing position during the tournament.

If you’re after a quick game then Free Race mode is probably the best suited option. In this mode you get to play any unlocked courses in any vehicle. To unlock a course you must finish higher than 3^rd in World Tour mode.

So in the end then, this is a really fun fuel guzzling challenge which will certainly keep you playing over and over again as you try to get a better position in each race. For the more novice race game players amongst you, you’ll be given a good challenge and will no doubt start by bringing up the rear but with practice and luck, you’ll soon be able to call yourself a pro.

Rating 87%

Positives

Great graphics

Fantastic range of courses

It’s quite a challenge winning 1^st place

Negatives

A little repetitive

Sounds aren’t very good

This is a game where persistence pays off

Lego Bionicle Challenge

Everyone’s heard of Lego and for those of you who have been building an empire from plastic blocks and block-like creatures more recently, you’ll probably know a thing or two of the Bionicle series.

Regardless of how much you know, you’ll be able to get stuck right into the game, Lego Bionicle Challenge. If you enjoy racing challenges you really will enjoy this latest edition of the Lego franchise.

You have a choice of three various Bionicle creatures to choose from which all have slightly different attributes (armour, speed and weapon) for you to use to your advantage. Although this is a race it’s not a question of being the fastest and beating the clock, it’s more like a question of survival. You are up against two other machines with one thing on their electronic mind, winning!

Unlike many other racing games you’re equipped with a weapon which can make the difference between first and last. As opposed to using your skill to go around the opposition on the track, you can simply take aim and fire and ram them out of the way – which, let’s face it, is much more entertaining!

Dotted about the track are various power-ups which you can take advantage of. The red squares give you temporary speed boosts and the yellow squares replenish your fuel for as long as you are on the square. The spanner symbol repairs your Bionicle to full health. Other objects worth collecting are the orbs, the red one drains armour from any opponents who dare fly close enough, the yellow orb lets you drain your opponent of fuel and the blue one provides you with a shield for a short period. The best thing about the power-ups are you’re able to select when to trigger them to suit. The only drawback is whilst you’re waiting to trigger your special weapon you can’t fire your normal weapon.

You are given 1200 points for getting first, 800 for second and 400 for third place. To boost your score even more, you get additional 300 points for every kill you tally each round. The only way to progress and unlock every race course (there’s 15 in total), is by getting the most points at the end of the race. In truth, finishing first is normally sufficient to getting through to the next round, however taking the opposition out is just good practice!

For the average to advanced racing game player, this game will offer you few surprises but the challenge of the different courses and graphics are good. Lego’s aimed towards the younger audience so it’s certain that younger players will definitely find this game enjoyable. Although I found the game pretty easy I still got pretty addicted and can imagine many others will feel the same.

Rating 79%

Positives

Great racing game for younger audiences

Good graphics and sounds

Quick races (5 laps each)

Entertaining, especially with the different power-ups

Negatives

A little too easy to win

Only a choice of three different Bionicles

No mini-games or ability to equip your Bionicle to suit your playing style

Micro Counter Strike

If you enjoy playing first person shooters then there’s only one thing I should say to you… Micro Counter Strike.

This game is a shrunk down version of the classic PC game Counter Strike. Although some games of this type are more engaging with a really deep plot and lots of twists and turns, this game’s far more straight forward. Your mission is simple, you play a Special Forces agent who’s challenge is to search different maps and eliminating any terrorists you find.

In truth, from my experience, the terrorists will find you and have an uncanny ability to shoot you at great distance. Fortunately they’re not the smartest of opponents and do tend to run straight towards you – so as long as you’re able to shoot faster, and more accurately than your opponent, you’ll win the duel. The advantage that the opposition have on you is that there’s only one of you and normally three or more of them.

There are six maps to choose from including; military base, command, street, depository, fortress and construction sites. These locations are well designed and offer a unique experience and a different challenge from each other.

In this cat and mouse style game, you have to be able to explore the area whilst not blowing your cover. You must try to spot the terrorist soldiers who are fairly well camouflaged – particularly at distance. I believe the camouflage is not necessarily by design, due to the rather stick-figured opponents blending into the background. From the experience I had when playing this game, the only thing that gives these opponents position away is the occasional muzzle flash from the end of their gun as they’re shooting at you!

The nice thing about the game is that it’s pretty realistic. For example when in the military base, there are tar paling tents which may obstruct the opponents line of sight but not the bullets, whereas brick buildings and other structures will not just mean you can hide but also take aim and fire at the terrorists but giving you some protection at the same time.

The unfortunate thing about this game is there’s no ability to change any settings. You are timed in your mission and so only have 3 minutes to clear the level, so this does give you a bit of a challenge, but for more advanced players you may wish to half the time allowed. To be honest though, if you manage to live for three minutes you’re doing well!

The AI is a little unrealistic, as the terrorists can hit you from far away but when close they run around like headless chickens and you’ll have to move fast in killing them. This would be a fairly easy task to do, but sadly the controls are a little unresponsive and means that you will have to play the game two handed (one for the movements and the other for the fire button).

Overall then this game is a very enjoyable challenge and will certainly give you a great way to release some pent up frustration. There are some very entertaining elements about the game but the poor controls and un-editable settings do take the shine off a well rounded game.

Rating 74%

Positives

Great first person shooter

Challenging

Interesting levels which will keep your interest going

Negatives

Enemy AI is not balanced – they’re sharp-shooters at distance and sitting ducks up close.

Pretty bad controls

No option to change settings

Stolen in 60 Seconds

If you’re a fan of Grand Theft Auto, Saints Row and other such criminal and gangster games, then you’ll certainly be interested to hear about Stolen in 60 Seconds.

When loading up I thought this game may be a bit of a rip off of the movie ‘Gone in 60 Seconds’, but actually it’s not at all got anything to do with driving (other than getting away from the scene of the crime). In actuality this game’s a bit more of a planning and implementation style puzzle rather than an action or another type of genre.

You start the game with the option to pick from the tutorial, unlimited, many attempts and three attempts. As you can probably ascertain from the rather descriptive titles, this is how many goes at pulling off the job before you have to hang up your balaclava and TNT for the last time. The object of the game is to manage a gang of crooks and pull off heists at shops, banks and offices.

Before you can get going you have to speak to the informant who gives you your mission and more info to help you in your cause, should you pay him for the information. To do this you must move the cursor over the telephone icon. Once you know the score, you must pick your man for the job and kit him out appropriately with the various devices available to you. When tooling your man up however you have to keep an eye on the load as some equipment are very heavy and prevent them from carrying anything else. If, however, the items you pick are quite small, then the most each crook can carry is three items.

Next, you have to look at the blueprint of the place taking the hit – planning meticulously the steps taken to get the job done. From the car, you must draw the path to the point of entry (e.g. door), if it’s locked, you must break into it using the right tool for the job. A crowbar for example will take about 30 seconds to break the door, a drill however will do the task in about half the time. Then you must break into the cabinet, safe or whatever and grab the goods before trying to get away. Once you’re happy with what you’ve planned, you then go to action and watch it all unfold.

For some missions you are against the clock and so must hire enough hands to do it within the limit or get the right equipment for the job. Overall this game is pretty voyeuristic and you’ll generally simply watch the action unfold before your eyes rather than help influence the outcome.

The only interactive part of the game is when you can use the mysterious ‘boss’ who acts as all the other crooks but you can control his movements during the mission.

So, if you’re interested in criminal activities, particularly becoming a big time thief, then this could give you a good insight into the under-world crime syndicate activities. Fortunately, the game does warn you that everything in it shouldn’t be done in reality as it’s a crime – which is quite responsible really.

Rating 70%

Positives

A pretty new take on puzzle games and a welcome change

Quite challenging

Entertaining puzzles to solve

Negatives

Games are all fairly similar

Limited interaction except when using the ‘boss’ character

Graphics aren’t all that brilliant although are very clear

Once you’ve got enough money and can buy all the good equipment, you’ll not be challenged by the tasks

Many levels give you longer than 60 seconds to do and there’s no option to speed up the action on the screen

Extra-Spatials3D

If I was to ask you for a good FPS (first person shooter), the chances are you’d say Halo, Doom or Wolfenstein.

Alright, I hedged my bets a bit there, but you get the picture. However if you like atmospheric games of this genre then I’d suggest for you to give Extra-Spatials3D a go, as it’s really quite good.

You begin the game with a rather epic storyline which basically is as follows – some big bang appeared in space and some Daivas (spiritual aliens) appeared through it. Initially they start losing the war between the humans and themselves so they plan to change their destiny by any means possible.

By chance one of the most fearsome soldiers, Commander Meemo of the UN, along with his team are sent to Morocco to investigate some strange goings on. Unknown to the Commander, this investigation will actually prove to be more crucial to the survival of mankind than could have possibly been imagined.

You play the part of Commander Meemo in this FPS and are charged with exploring the various mazelike levels in an attempt to both eliminate any enemy you come across as well as uncover any objects along the way. In this very well detailed 3D game you do get totally immersed with the very graphically enhanced corridors and walls. The objects you come across, such as ammo, health packs, oil lamps and embryo’s (you’ll understand the reasons behind these more if you play), are a little less graphically advanced, but at least they are quite visible to see from a distance.

You’re armed with a pretty reasonable gun which proves more than a decent match against any enemy you find lurking in the halls and corners of the room. The AI of this game proves pretty good, with you having to move quite quickly to duck being in the firing line or in close combat with the alien beings.

The controls are pretty standard, however I realised that there’s no strafe controls, meaning you can only move forward or backwards and turn left and right rather than facing around the corner whilst running sideways. This for me is a bit of a let-down as nearly every other game has this control feature. However, in some ways it makes the game a lot more challenging and a bit more creepy as you have to try and keep your eyes peeled for any creature that may lurk beyond any turn.

So ultimately this game is fantastic in terms of thumb-twitching shooting action and offers a superbly detailed lair to explore and challenging monsters to shoot at as well as finding specific objects to complete the level.

It doesn’t have all the finer tunings you’d probably expect from similar games but despite these shortcomings it still packs quite a punch.

Rating 75%

Positive

Good graphics

Interesting story and very atmospheric

Addictive and entertaining

Negatives

No strafe controls was a bit of an oversight

The game crashed when tapping the * and # keys

Limited weapons choice and the enemy die with one shot

Brain Tacho

One of the longest unanswered questions in the history of time is attempted to be answered through the game Brain Tacho.

Who’s better, men or women? OK, well this is a bit of a tricky one as admittedly guys are better at some things and girls are naturally better at others. So rather than testing your skills at replacing a flat tyre, explaining the off-side rule or how to apply make-up, this game focuses on testing both parts of your mind at the same time.

You start the game by selecting the language you want to play in, admittedly I accidentally picked German which was a bit of a problem – particularly as it didn’t ask what language when I tried to load it the second time round.

So, providing you’ve chosen the right language, the game asks you first whether you’re male or female. Then when the game loads you have a cartoon male or female character at the bottom of the screen.

The screen itself is split into two separate sections which run simultaneously. On the left hand side of the screen is the calculations side and on the right is the colour challenge.

The mathematical section asks you questions like 2+2 then gives you three possible answers, 1, 4 or 8. By using your keypad you must correctly provide the right answer to this question, for every correct answer you’re given a point, for every incorrect answer you get one step closer to losing the game.

The colour challenge gives you two coloured squares e.g. yellow + blue, then gives you three possible answers, purple, green and orange displayed on three arrows. By using the d-pad controls (either left, up or right) you can select the corresponding answer. As with the maths problem, you get a point for every correct answer, for every mistake you lose a life.

You have three lives in either section and also are running against a timer, which should you not give an answer will deduct a life from your tally. Regardless as to which side costs you your three lives, your game is over and your score’s added up. In a nice cartoon way you’ll be presented the score you’ve achieved as well as a funny cartoon with a bit of an amusing quote. No doubt this is to try and encourage you to try harder the next time!

Overall then, this game is ideal for anyone who likes to tax their brain. Whether you’re trying to improve your maths or testing your colour co-ordination skills, you’ll certainly be given a mental workout by doing both at the same time!

It’s pretty addictive and arguably will separate the men from the boys, or rather the men from the women. So why don’t you download this and test your friends, family or partner? There’s nothing wrong with a little competition!

Rating 70%

Positives

Challenges both halves of the mind at the same time using the maths and colour game

Clear graphics and entertaining pictures

Quite intuitive

Negatives

Very repetitive

No mini-games or alternative game to keep it fresh and addictive

Reaching a score of 250 will prove nearly impossible (I struggled to get into the double figures!)

There are plenty of alternative ‘brain training’ games on the market which do this sort of thing better

Some of the things written at your score aren’t appropriate for younger audiences

No way to re-set the game’s language should you accidentally select the wrong one (other than trying to work out the right option in the menu options)

Age of Empires II

As an avid AoE II fan I’m honoured to be writing the review of the classic PC game which has been transferred to the mobile phone.

In truth I was a little unsure about just how close this game would relate to the original and yes, at times it does lack some of the finer touches that the original version has to offer, but none the less this is definitely a great game to add to your collection!

For those of you unfamiliar with the game, you have two aspects to try and cover. The first is getting your town, resources and economy developed as fast as you can and the second is to ensure you have an army to protect yourself from envious enemy advances.

Set in the middle ages, your townsfolk are the workers of the game. They gather materials (wood, gold and stone) which can be used in different ways. Wood and stone are used to construct buildings and gold is used to conscript troops. Unlike the PC game there’s no trading aspect to help you tip the balance of power in your favour.

To build is an instantaneous result, rather than watching your worker hammer away to construct the building, it simply is a case of select the building from the menu, pick its location and click – it appears! Although it’s a bit like playing the game at warp speed, but this is a nice thing, particularly as this would slow down your mobile and the gameplay considerably. The other thing which has been improved is the civilisation advances. To go into the next ‘age’ you must click on your town centre and when you’ve gathered enough materials you can instantly advance. These advances are critical to your survival, as they unlock new buildings which offer you better technology for your civilisations development and offensive/defensive capabilities (improved armour and attacking ability from your blacksmiths etc.)

Your army consists of soldiers, archers, cavalry and siege engines. Your foot soldiers are slower to move, but pikemen are effective against horse mounted units, swordsmen are better against archers and siege machines as well as other foot soldiers. Ranged units (archers and crossbowmen) are good at killing off soldiers – but you must try to keep them away from horse units. Mounted units are better at rush attacks by scouting and wiping out archers. Siege engines are slow moving and quite weak against everything but archers, but are particularly strong when destroying buildings.

As touched upon, this game is largely the same as the original but it does seem like everything’s playing at speed and your opponents AI is not as strong as it could be. However, the fundamental elements of the game are superb – the battle tactics and the town developments are recreated perfectly and you can develop quite a large army and civilisation without any significant restrictions to the game.

Ultimately this game is very enjoyable and is a brilliant RTS game which should be added to your collection.

Rating 82%

Positives

Very enjoyable and challenging

Tutorial, Campaign and Random Map mode to keep you challenged

Reasonable graphics

No real waiting time for units to move or buildings being made

Negatives

Games are quite short and pretty easy

No option to have a bigger epic battles and no selection of the civilisation to command

The speed of the game means you have to keep yourself on the ball and can lose

Controls are a little fiddly – you can end up de-selecting accidentally

The AI of your units as well as the enemy units is pretty awful

Mobile version misses out on some of the finesse of the PC game (but this is to be expected)

Age of Heroes IV: Blood and Twilight

Age of Heroes is one of the longest standing RPG game brands on the mobile market – in my opinion this is deservedly so as it’s probably one of the best – so how does this latest instalment compare?

In a word, brilliantly! OK, this game’s got plenty of expectation to meet and as a bit of a keen follower of the series, it’s got a tough act to follow, but I’m pleased to say it’s everything it should be and more.

As before, Age of Heroes IV: Blood and Twilight is a story of heroes and monsters; although the line between both good and bad is very blurred. You can play as the warrior, the ranger or priestess. The warrior has the ability with improved attack and defence, the ranger has improved speed and sight, meanwhile the priestess has magic and necromancy abilities. So you have the flexibility from the start to pick the character of your choice which will be able to be used to suit your particular style.

In this rather bleak plotted game, the Elves have lost the war; the few survivors have fled to another world and those that remain fight for their various reasons, despite the fact they’re without food or water – and certain to die! Rather than ending there, death for them was the beginning and they rose from the grave…

As you roam around the map you will uncover various opponents of different classes and abilities. Some have ranged units e.g. archers and magicians, others are able to move further when attacking and the rest are better at close quarters. You will start with a small force of undead skeletons and zombies at your disposal. By exploring the surroundings you will not just find opponents to battle and gain experience from, but also raise their souls to add to your army. Before too long, you will almost certainly have a decent contingent to unlock the various mysteries and defeat all who stand in the way of your quest – revenge!

The game benefits from more intuitive controls, the cursor for example stays in the same location when moving around the level, meaning rather than repeatedly having to pick the location again and again, you only have to click it again at the end of each turn.

Funnily enough though, the game’s taken a bit of a step backwards from its predecessors in the way that the map’s hidden until you’ve roamed around it. Unlike the other versions where you could see all the area of play; including all its monsters and buildings, you must first look around. However, this is not terrible and actually again adds to the game.

Overall then, this game picks up just where the last one left off and cranks it up just a little. In truth, if their games continue to improve like this we’ll need to start looking at going beyond 100% - at the very least, every other RPG can only dream of being this good!

Rating 96%

Positives

Excellent graphics

Improved controls – minimising key presses

Good music

Fun and challenging with a good storyline

Negatives

Just a pity the game’s not quite as long as I would have liked but still many hours of fun

Can be a little confusing using all the spells and objects in battles etc. particularly if this is your first RPG – maybe try the earlier versions to get to grips first (failing that you’ll enjoy the story from start!)