Bomberman

If we're going to be picky (and, as reviewers, it's one of our favourite hobbies – that and poking kittens with sticks, obviously) then we could say that Bomberman was never much of a one-player game. Or, more charitably, while Bomberman was okay as a single-player game, it fell a long way short of the multiplayer option.

With some past versions of the game enabling up to ten Bombermen on-screen simultaneously, the multiplayer action was fast, chaotic and more fun that any game had a right to be. Back then, the moment our friends had all departed and we decided to practise a few mazes in preparation for the rematch, the game suddenly felt flat – we'd soon give up, only returning if given the opportunity of a multiplayer massacre.

Now, here in this mobile version, there is no multiplayer option, meaning you're forced to play as the solitary bomber. Which is a worrying state of affairs, to say the least.

But you know what? It's actually pretty darn good.

Okay, so a lot of the pace has gone out of the game, but there's still a lot of fun to be had, not least because even as a single-player game, Bomberman is still considerably more enjoyable than a lot of the titles available on the market.

The game features 30 mazes, with each of these constructed out of two types of brick – one that can be destroyed and one that can't. Your job (which everyone apart from the young and those recently returning home from a 20-year stretch inside must surely know by now), is to lay bombs to blow up the destructible bricks, along with the creatures trapped behind them. When all living things have been destroyed, you're then free to head for the exit or to blow up any of the few remaining blocks to see if they contain any power-ups.

Ah yes, the power-ups. Each stage contains a couple of them, hidden within random blocks, and these are revealed the moment the appropriate block is blown up. Pick one up and you might expand the reach of your bombs, increase the number you can lay down simultaneously (which is a surefire way to blow yourself up), or even get to walk through walls.

Best of all though, is the remote control option. You need to turn this on in the Options menu; when you do, you're able to lay a bomb and return to safety before you detonate it (normally, all bombs are on a very small fuse and blow up automatically). Alas, this feature only lasts for your first life of the game, but it certainly gives you a flying start.

And, delightfully, you should find that you never come crashing down. Bomberman is a classic slice of gaming action, and on mobile it remains a great and hugely addictive experience, even without the inclusion of a multiplayer mode. Working your way through to the end will take skill, determination, luck and the kind of stubborn persistence that only develops when playing an uncommonly good game – the kind whose solid foundation you can't pick apart, regardless of how much you try.