Matchmaker

Even though you had the freedom to lampoon the characters' lives, The Sims often felt a little too serious for such an intrinsically burlesque concept. Taking control of a series of digital lives is still technologically prohibitive, of course, so it's impressive to see how Longtail Studios has streamlined the notion of virtual life in its latest lovelorn game, Matchmaker.

Not a particularly inspiring (or informative) title, it places the player in the role of an apprentice Cupid sprite fresh from the peak of Mount Olympus. This aspiring love goddess is being sent to the halls of residence at a university on Earth to begin her amorous apprenticeship: helping students to find a rewarding partnership in their new lives as scholastic spinsters.

True enough, this doesn't immediately strike an accord with typical Sims style gameplay – and, indeed, Matchmaker is very much its own game.

By combining a light-hearted, comedic premise with acutely simple adventure play mechanics, the game extracts the romantic aspects of the famous lifestyle simulator and gives them a fresh and highly accessible new slant.

We've seen a few such adventure/romance hybrids on the mobile platform recently, but few have been as agreeably comprehensible and casual as this one – especially considering Matchmaker still delivers such a lengthy, involved and profound gaming experience.

As the trainee cherub, you go undercover on campus as the new student rep and begin getting to know your fellow undergraduates. Most are insecure, nervous and lonely; all obstacles any matchmaking demigoddess must overcome if she's to unite these mostly hopeless cases. The first task is getting a human to trust you – only then will they decide to hang out with you and allow you to begin guiding their lives toward romantic reward.

Your Olympian peers have adorned you with a PDA (apparently the entire Greek pantheon relies quite heavily on an electronic organiser, which seems quite reasonable as managing the cosmos, reality and all existence is probably quite a detailed task), which you use to keep track of your new friend's statistics.

It's at this point where the similarities with The Sims is struck. By not only monitoring your potential match's mental, emotional and physical states but actively remembering and working towards improving them can you help them to attract a suitable partner.

Once you've gained their trust with a little light conversation you can persuade them to attend the gym, the library or the pub so they can begin to work on developing their social, physical and intellectual capabilities – all vital ingredients for courting an appropriate equal.

Each activity, from exercise to playing pool and studying, has an effect on one or two statistics. For instance, going to the gym improves a human's physical appearance, but can depress them if the workload is too much. Your job is to help them maintain a high enough level of achievement in all areas of their romantic existence until a suitable mate is found; then working to tailor each character's attributes to best suit the desires of the other.

Once a date is finally fixed up, it's time for Cupid to sit back and enjoy the ensuing Rom Com. New statistics will be added to the amorous couple's entries in your PDA so you can work on tailoring their attributes to better suit their partner later on.

During the date, your divine powers can also come into play in an attempt to help the romance flow (not literally) in the shape of some entertaining, distracting arcade mini-games. A successful mini-game can add an extra love heart to a date, ensuring the pair will be more interested in meeting up again for another outing.

Guiding your Olympian around the campus is simple and effective as the isometric view is surprisingly clear on the micro-screen. All important gameplay points are shown through cartoon-like, Disney-esque close-ups that manage to impressively avoid the aggravation of the dreaded cut-scene. The visuals are made to work for the game, and it's rare that you'll find yourself jabbing at the action button to skip through any conversations.

This all sounds deeply complex and engrossing, and it is. But the jovial, easygoing nature that thoroughly permeates the game – along with a well designed tutorial – makes playing Matchmaker a surprisingly casual experience.

To pack so much involved, statistical data-basing into such easily accessible and frivolous entertainment is no small task, yet Longtail Studios has succeeded admirably. Playing is effortless, and it's not until you realise the hours have dissolved into the dynamic Cupidian antics that you even begin to appreciate the depth of gameplay you've been involved with.

This is definitely one of those rare and magnificent pocket games that makes you miss your stop on the bus, and despite its distinctly romantic and girly overtones, it remains a thoroughly enjoyable experience for all types of gamer looking for something fascinatingly different, yet conveniently casual. Give it a go – it'll capture your heart.