Dark Engines

Longsuffering fans of F1 racing will probably tell you that the action this year has eclipsed anything we've seen for what seems an eternity. Though we should, in fairness, pay heed to the caveat that rain has played a major part in creating most of the excitement.

Dark Engines - or Dark Engines: 'Super Racings' according to the loading screen - attempts to put the fun back into racing by adopting a near-future post-apocalyptic setting where drivers supercharge old bangers to exceed their original top speeds by insane margins, flying in the face of stifling safety regulations or common sense.

Sounds like it's the makings of a Mobile Classic.

Perhaps the best aspect of Dark Engines is in its presentation. Despite impressive 3D graphics and a physics engine, the action zips along without noticeable slowdown on either of the two handsets used in testing.

It's entirely possible to damage your car, represented by deformation of the bonnet on your vehicle, with enough impacts causing it to detach completely.

The title screen is presented in shades of steely grey, boasting a theme tune that almost rivals Fleetwood Mac's iconic 'The Chain' used by the BBC to present F1.

Sadly this aural excellence does not transmit into the game proper, where the overcharged engine of your vehicle is represented by an immediately nauseating loop of what seems to be a very poor quality recording of a drill slowed down to a low bass growl.

But surpassing even this woeful inadequacy is the gameplay itself. Perhaps the blame lies with the physics engine, which suffers from lackadaisical collision detection and 'sticky' walls. Whatever the cause, controlling your vehicle in Dark Engines is akin to steering a rampaging bull by pulling on its tail.

Almost criminally, using the brake mid-corner will negate your key-press on either the left or right key, fatally halting your turn on the apex of a bend. This leaves you with the option of either slowing to a crawl before each turn, or careering across the track and into walls as you navigate the twists and turns of each track.

It's not all bad news. There are unlockable upgrades and new vehicles to try out, paid for by points attained from racing, but you'll more than likely never see any of them through sheer frustration at the shoddy controls.

If Dark Engines featured gameplay to rival its graphical strengths then this would be one of the best racing games available on a mobile phone. Sadly, it doesn't even finish in the points.