Fast Food Frenzy

Whittling a game down to an effective one-thumb control method is no small task. If nothing else, it really limits the complexity of what you can do. Yet, as is often the case with such tight restrictions, many game designers have thrived, and it's agreeable to see more of them catering to the needs of the outgoing Pocket Gamer with simple titles like Fast Food Frenzy.

Of course, just because you're using one digit doesn't mean you should only be using one button, and Fast Food Frenzy expands its possibilities by making full use of the handset's keypad.

The screen is segmented into nine seats, each with a customer's face staring out of the screen at you (it's not unlike watching Celebrity Squares, although game-wise, the inspiration is more likely to have come from Diner Dash). These customers come from all walks of life, from punks to grandmas, wizards and even farm animals. Regardless of their social background, they're hungry, and looking to you for a fast food fix.

As the waiter (or waitress), it's your job to supply these punters with whatever variety of food appears next on your list. The types of comestibles are equally varied, and while the assortment of items isn't really pivotal to the gameplay, administering them appropriately is.

Several of your nine customers will shout out what they want to order (by way of a small icon in a speech bubble), and you're required to deliver the next item on your tray to the correct customer.

Each of the nine seats is represented by a number on the keypad, so matching the hamburger to the customer sat on the middle right seat is a simple matter of pressing number '6'.

Well, it would be a simple matter were it not for the crazy fast time limits. You're given around two seconds to deliver before it's onto the next item and your previous customer has either left full and satisfied or extremely aggravated by the lack of service.

Even from level one, the time limits are incredibly strict and Fast Food 'Frenzy' really begins to live up to its name. Jabbing furiously at the keypad while your eyes flit at hyper-speed around the screen is the only hope you have of progressing through the game. And this fury is quite obvious to any observers who happen to near you when you don your virtual apron and cardboard hat.

The thumb war can often reach an… well, frenzied crescendo as the levels increase. So long as you're disciplined enough to avoid any colourful, tension-fuelled exclamations (it turned out we're not), this shouldn't be a problem, though the guy sat next to you on the train had better prepare himself for a good elbow jostling.

Fortunately for your co-traveller, the frenzy doesn't last all that long. This is a fast title both in terms of gameplay and longevity. The high-speed play certainly encourages a good many retries, especially as you hone your keypad-assaulting skills, but the excitement is soon exhausted, often replaced by exasperation.

So this is one for the skilled text messager, as their dexterous, well-developed thumb muscles and intimate touch-sensitive knowledge of the keypad will provide a distinct benefit when playing Fast Food Frenzy. But the limited gameplay and high aggravation factor will make it a short-lived thrill ride for the rest of us.