DS moves to a Tank Beat

I have a confession to make – I like tank games. The strange thing is that I'm not very bothered about the real-life metal versions, only the games. I think it all started the time I pulverised some Pocket Gamer back room staff in holiday sessions of Namco's excellent sit-down arcade boomer, Tokyo Wars.

Of course, since those days there have been plenty of other diesel-soaked experiences to keep me busy – from the under-appreciated Wild Metal Country, to all manner of heavy-duty sims, such as M1A2 Abrams, as well as historical strategy games whose titles invariably seem to include the word 'Panzer'.

Bizarrely, my favourite so far has been budget PlayStation 2 game Seek And Destroy, which despite the overt aggression in its name is the cutest Japanese tank-based RPG ever.

Maybe Tank Beat is about to blow it up though.

Made by Japanese outfit Milestone Inc, Tank Beat certainly sounds innovative, thanks in the main to its touchscreen control method.

This will sees you drawing the movement of your tracks on the bottom screen 2D game map, as well as firing the gun at land, sea and air targets with a flick of the stylus.

Meanwhile, on the top screen, your 3D Panzer (there's that word again) gets down to business.

Three modes are promised, with the main Story option consisting of 27 levels and plenty of unlockable vehicles – everything from missile carriers to giant tank destroyers. Skirmish is designed as a practice mode, where skills can be honed using any unlocked levels and armaments. Finally, the Battle mode enables up to four players to duke it out, either using adhoc connectivity or the global Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection.

Due to be airdropped into the US in March, we can only hope a European publisher can assist with a Tank Beat invasion later this year.