Carps and Dragons

I've tried my hand at fishing before, and it's definitely not for me. Sitting there, often in the pouring rain, watching and waiting for a tiny nibbler is not my idea of fun.

Carps and Dragons makes the art of fishing that little bit more interesting, although it does become nearly as repetitive as the real thing.

As fish jump out of the water you have to get in position by moving left or right, and catch them by pressing B to swing your net. If you can catch enough fish before the timer hits zero you move on to the next level, and even more tricky fishy formations.

It's not as simple as that, though - there are enemies in the water that want to bring your fun to a grinding halt, including - yes, that's right - fire-breathing dragons. Enemies come bopping along the pier too, just to make life even more complicated.

There's plenty of variety in these enemy types, especially as you move further and further into the game, and it's fun to see what Carps and Dragons has to throw at you throughout play.

Carps and Dragons is wonderfully presented, with pleasant animations and backdrops. I particularly like how the two main characters look like they're playing the theme tune on a violin and banjo on the main menu.

Multiple game modes put a spin on the main action. Challenge mode gives you special requirements to fulfil, while Fishtris is all about collecting same-coloured fish for big points. Two player fish-catching matches between two 3DSs are a nice addition too.

But Carps and Dragons doesn't really have a lot more to it besides swinging a net to catch fish, and as a result it becomes dull fairly quickly.

While the change in scenery and enemies is welcome, the action itself never changes, and the fish you're collecting are rarely mixed up. The gameplay isn't that exciting to begin with, and it gets boring rapidly.

The controls are also problematic in places. For example, when you swing to catch a fish it's not really obvious where exactly the fish needs to be in relation to your character.

Sometimes you'll swing out and easily grab a fish, and other times you'll catch nothing but air.

Carps and Dragons isn't going to light up your 3DS, but if you're looking for a quick and cheap mini-game to play on the bus you could probably do worse.