Table Hockey HD

Bringing something fresh to the classic mini-sport of air hockey - the cause of many a bruised hand, ego, and the odd eye - is not the easiest of challenges.

Rather than churn out yet another hack virtual version of the magnetic game for Android, developer Brosvision has at least taken a swipe at trying something new.

Table Hockey HD's Google Play blurb promises elements of "Air hockey, pinball and Arkanoid" and it just about delivers, but it stumbles in the box with some sluggish controls and lack of longevity.

The crucial difference is that the movement of your player is controlled table football-style, with a plastic-looking blue or red model (you choose which side to play) sliding vertically up and down in front of the goal.

The object, as always, is to bounce the ever-moving puck between your end and your AI opponent's until one of you screws up - and a goal is scored.

To move your player, you either tap where you want them to go or - more intuitively - slide them up and down.

While it's very straightforward to get to grips with, we found the response to be noticeably lagging behind our finger. The lag isn't game-breaking, this it made it easier for the AI to sneak otherwise easily deflected shots straight past us.

Unlike standard air hockey, where sharp angled shots are the best way to speed up the puck, here straight bounces make the most impact.

It makes play rather conservative and it's also, apparently, the only trick the AI seems to have up its sleeve, so don't expect anything more ambitious until you reach the Hard difficulty.

To boost your defences, hitting the puck into a token on the rink will cause one of two defensive poles to pop up on either side of your goal. These will rebound a shot before disappearing, often scoring easy points in the process.

While they add a slight element of strategy to the game, as well as the dash of Arkanoid influence the developer promised, trying to aim for them highlights just how unpredictable the simple physics are.

This lack of programming flair, or imagination, extends to the limited number of timed or target score game types and the bizarre lack of online play needed to extend Table Hockey HD's brief shot at stardom.