Spunk and Moxie

Gamers of today have it easy. Those old enough to recall the unforgiving platformers of the 8- and 16-bit eras will surely agree with this sentiment, and should those same crusty players want to get a taste of the good old days they could do a lot worse than download Spunk and Moxie.

Despite the rather suggestive title, this is actually a cute platform game in which you control a ball of ooze as it propels itself around 30 different levels set across three themed areas.

The ooze moves automatically, with you controlling its jumps. The longer you hold your finger on the screen the higher the leap, and it's possible to rebound your ooze off walls by keeping your digit glued firmly to the display.

Your aim is to successfully traverse each level and collect as many gems as possible along the way. The challenge begins in a relatively relaxed manner, with your only concern being the timing of your leaps.

However, by the time you're ten levels into the game the difficulty takes a considerably sharp upwards thrust as elements are introduced such as one-way trap doors, crates that you can only break when you imbibe a special potion, and switches that control access doors.

Even when played on the lowest difficulty setting, Spunk and Moxie is insanely tricky. It requires pixel-perfect reaction times and the patience of a saint. On some of the harder levels it's possible to hit a trap door which sends you almost to the start of the level again, making your struggle even more frustrating.

There are also hazards that deplete your energy bar, and once that's all gone you have to start the entire level from scratch.

While it's clear that the developer is keen to test your mettle, it's clear that making Spunk and Moxie look and sound as appealing as possible was also high on the list of priorities.

The 2D visuals call to mind the Amiga classic Silly Putty, and the infectiously bouncy soundtrack will stick in your head long after you've hurled your iPhone across the room in anger after failing the same level for the fifteenth time.

There's nothing wrong with making a game that requires plenty of skill to complete, but Spunk and Moxie is just a little too sadistic to hold any mainstream appeal.

If you consider yourself to be something of a touchscreen expert and you desire a real challenge then by all means buy this game. However, those of you with a short fuse should probably try something a little less taxing.