Burn the Rope 3D

There are several levels of 3D in Hollywood.

There's the conceived-from-the-ground-up technical showcase of Avatar. There's the cynical post-production rubbish in almost every other action film.

And then there's the odd 3D film that sits in between, which has been artfully converted to 3D in post-production. Think Gravity.

Burn the Rope 3D is like Alfonso Cuarón's recent space flick, then, but with 100 percent less Bullock panting.

Burn the Rope has always been a decidedly 2D game. Utilising an accelerometer-driven control system, you spin your iPhone or iPad around in order to keep a flame travelling along intricate patterns of rope.

With Burn the Rope 3D, Big Blue Bubble takes that core system into the third dimension. And while the Ontario-based dev doesn't quite do enough to drag the game into a higher class of puzzlers, it does restore the lustre of a series that became slightly singed with its more-of-the-same sequel.

The key factor in that is a shift in control system. It's a blessed relief here that you no longer have to perform acrobatics with your incredibly fragile £500 iOS device.

Indeed, now that you use the touchscreen to rotate the field of play - always ensuring that the flame is travelling upwards or level, lest it sputter out - Burn the Rope has become a less frantic and more deliberate experience.

It's a good job, really, as you now need to negotiate full 3D models, with sections of rope that aren't immediately apparent after an initial scan.

At worst, this can be a little overwhelming, especially when you have to time the start of your burn in order to hit the coloured bugs that change the colour of your flame or switch it to a new portion of the puzzle.

But generally it makes for some genuinely interesting puzzles that require scoping out and analysing before tackling. It helps that the game retains the forgiving three-medal rating system.

There are still a couple of niggles with the unpredictable way flames can react - the point at which they 'decide' to sputter out or spark back into life can feel a little random - but we found this far less of an issue than in the previous games.

Of course, there are all-new irritations brought about by the 3D view, particularly when it comes to selecting a spot to start the burn. Occasionally, this can be hard to do with the more intricate, multi-layered puzzles, and a pinch-to-zoom system certainly wouldn't go amiss (on iPhone, at least).

Overall, though, Burn the Rope 3D marks a return to relevance for a puzzle series that appeared to have sputtered out.