Croc Mobile Pinball

Just to distinguish between crocodiles and alligators for the less well-educated among us (well, you), the crocodiles are the ones with big tails and teeth, and the alligators are the ones with big teeth and tails. The differences are of the subtle, minor, almost irrelevant kind that arise when the animal in question can eat a man whole.

Unless the reptiles in question are of the video game variety, that is, because Croc Mobile Pinball has all the menace of jelly tots and ice cream, with a side of fluffy kitten thrown in for cuteness value. It doesn't try to be anything other than a pinball game for the little 'uns, and with neat controls and a table layout geared towards the first time player, it avoids anything too advanced in favour of a user-friendly approach.

With only one pinball table on offer, Croc Mobile Pinball is also clearly better suited to a child's attention span than an adult's. Even so, it is a suitably interesting table, with all kinds of whiz-bangery to liven up the silver ball and flippy paddle interaction. As usual, special bonuses and points are awarded whenever you hit certain areas or go down particular holes, and they add some extra reward to keep you amused.

Croc Mobile Pinball also captures the look and feel of a real pinball game. The backdrop and buttons are big and colourful and the right jolly music and sound effects jangle around in the background. A few more effects wouldn't go amiss, though, particularly since the bumpers that you hit on the table respond with silence – there's no feeling of responsiveness.

Indeed, there is a tendency for the ball to actually stick to things and not bounce or move whatsoever at times. It can be like watching a gnat interacting with flypaper.

For the advanced pinball wizard, the fact is that Croc Pinball is far too easy. The bumpers are very close together and you're often given multiballs to play around with, making it virtually impossible to willingly finish by losing them all. This does mean that younger players will get a good long go with minimum frustration. Adults, it isn't aimed at you, so don't complain.

There may be a lack of depth, challenge, and realism, but given the target audience, that's not exactly the end of the world. The average six-year old isn't going to throw a wobbly when they are given a fun little game that ticks most of the right boxes in terms of entertainment.

Parents will be looking around the room within minutes, thinking of any excuse not to have to play (that mantle could do with a dust, couldn't it?), but for pocket-sized pocket gamers, Croc Mobile Pinball is a worthwhile and fun way to while away trips to the library, dentist, clothes shops, doctors, grandparents, post office, supermarket…