Crazy Dog

We might think that the dog is a man's best friend, but do you think that man is a dog's bestest chum? After all, if they were that enamoured of their human owners, would they really poop where they pleased when out for a walk, necessitating the use of a plastic bag and scoop? Or shed everywhere, chew your slippers, and bite the postman?

We think not. Crazy Dog, star of his own mobile phone game, doesn't believe it, either. After being bitten by a frenzy mosquito, he's become rather unhinged, lunging at and biting anything and anyone that comes close.

As a result, his owner has stopped coming close to him in the garden where he's chained, leaving a bone in a dish out of harm's way. There's a problem though, because the other dogs in the neighbourhood have spied their chance for a free meal and will take any opportunity to sneak up on ol' Crazy Dog and steal his chow.

It's up to Crazy – ie you – to defend your nosh by scaring off those canine interlopers with your terrible bark. Thus ensues a series of mad dashes around the post to which you're chained as you attempt to charge at and terrify the other dogs.

It all sounds very simple but when faced with the prospect of defending five or six dinner bowls, with opportunistic hounds coming at them from all angles, you suddenly realise that you are, quite literally, going to have to work like a dog.

In fact, you'll be running hither and thither until you've racked up enough points and lasted long enough for the level to end. If you lose all of your nosh before then, it's game over and you'll go hungry.

As you progress through the game, more dogs get wind of the potential free bones on offer and these later hounds are braver and faster, meaning you'll need to step up your game if Crazy Dog's not going to go without dinner.

An added complication is that if Crazy gets too close to his target, he's all too willing to get involved in a scuffle with them. While this does see off Crazy's foe, it busies him for a few seconds, leaving a window open for other dogs to sneak in unopposed.

The neighbourhood cats make an appearance, too, scampering across Crazy's patch. While they won't make off with the prize, they do get in your way as you make a beeline for a rival mutt. If they do, Crazy gets distracted and ends up fighting with a cat rather than fending off the more dangerous dogs.

It's a strange premise for a game and one that only just works, because Crazy Dog is very limited as a pocket gaming experience. While it does fall into the creditable breed of 'one-thumb' game, where you need only use your thumb and handset's directional-pad to control the action, it's neither immensely intuitive nor incredibly enjoyable.

Instead, it gets by on its cartoon-esque charm and humour. The visuals are fabulous, bright and garish with genuinely funny character portraits and animations, and the whole concept is slightly off-kilter.

It's not enough to lift it high up into our affections but it is adequate for the occasional five-minute fling every now and again. Just don't expect this dog to be your best mate.