NFL Quarterback 13

Full Fat's flick-to-play approach has worked wonderfully in the past, as the success of Flick Golf Extreme and Flick Soccer! testifies.

But American football doesn't translate well to the flick approach, unfortunately, and NFL Quarterback 13 is a shining example of exactly what you don't want from a football sports simulator.

During the tutorial, everything in NFL Quarterback 13 runs smoothly. Receivers have green arrows over their heads when they're open and red ones when they're covered.

A simple flick sends the ball flying, and virtual buttons allow you to switch between receivers freely. It's a classic 16-bit approach to quarterbacking, but it works quite well - for the first couple of minutes of gameplay.

Once you set out to the Play Maker mode, however, everything falls apart.

You have three lives (yes, the game uses the term "lives" presumably because it forgot about "downs") to complete as many passes as possible. Touchdown passes will earn you more points than simple, short receptions, so it pays to aim deep.

Not that you have any control over the pass routes.

NFL Quarterback 13 struggles in two main areas: its controls and its AI.

The flick-to-throw controls are buggy at the best of times, and you'll often need to flick a couple of times before the ball will go anywhere.

This leads to frequent, awkward instances of you tenderly caressing your quarterback's arm with your fingertip and whispering encouragement as you pray for a miracle.

When your quarterback finally wakes up enough to throw the ball, you'll often find the green arrow of your intended receiver's head has gone well and truly red and your perfect pass floats into the waiting arms of a defensive linebacker.

Further complicating matters is the AI of the receivers, who often become so distracted by the adequate graphics that they forget to catch the ball.

Sometimes the receivers will make Herculean leaps over defenders to snatch a ball - and when they do you'll think of them as heroes.

This hero worship will fade to bewilderment and disappointment on the next play, when you watch dumbstruck as the receivers run around in tight circles on the sidelines.

With the Super Bowl now past us, football fans might be on the lookout for a quick, bite-size bit of gridiron fun. NFL Quarterback 2013 might scratch this itch for a short while, assuming the fan in question doesn't want to do anything other than throw a ball and dodge the occasional defensive tackles.

But those looking for a more involved experience, or more consistent controls, should probably look elsewhere.