Biplane

The headline-grabbing tale of a plane landing on the Hudson River earlier this year was an amazing story of heroism and, more than anything, sheer skill. Getting those planes up in the air and keeping them there is astounding enough without trying to execute a water landing.

Flying is all about balance, avoiding rash movements and keeping your cool. Biplane has a fine balance of its own, a game where a steady hand and careful flying sees you through.

That's isn't necessarily the kind of challenge you'll be expecting when you start Biplane up, its cartoon style and raccoon pilot promising a frolic in the clouds. While there might not be any plot or a technical bent of any kind, controlling our raccoon's magnificent flying machine takes a measure of patience and a sense of balance.

The game's main Arcade mode has our hirsute hero taking to the air to defend a small island under attack from ships and zeppelins slowly advancing inward from sea.

Said adversaries attack in waves; as such, you patrol the island, shooting down warships and skull-marked zeppelins before they have a chance to take you and your island down.

Survival is your only victory here, with each wave of attacks that passes offering a sterner test than the last. Points are awarded for every enemy ship you obliterate, and you can earn additional points for picking up balloons floating around the island and dropping off their attached cargo on platforms bobbing around on the water.

Many of these aspects are retained in Biplane's other mode, simply titled Race. Despite the name, this is another solo excursion in which you guide your plane around a course marked by a series of aerial green hoops.

You're welcome to pick up those same balloons to take seconds off your time, shooting down enemy ships again on latter courses. The real goal, however, is to complete three laps in the shortest time possible.

It's in this second mode that control of your plane becomes evermore essential and while Biplane is fully customisable, the handling of your aircraft never really feels under your control.

All of the desired options are here: calibration of the handset's neutral point and tweaking of the sensitivity. These don't prevent the need obsess over the degree at which you move your handset.

On any setting, Biplane has a tendency to run away with itself, meaning if you lose control for a second - dipping too low or swerving too far left or right - it's very hard to correct yourself. Firing your weapon also feels a tad awkward, the plane traveling too fast to allow you to get a clear fix on your foe without flying slap bang into them in the process.

Both factors slightly sully what is otherwise an attractive package. The instant play-and-replay nature of Biplane serves as a major selling point, not to mention the darling presentation.

The fact our raccoon has to fly with such concentration, though, with slow and steady movement being the only way to avoid crashing and burning keeps Biplane from soaring.