Finger Bowling

Finger Bowling is out of this world. No, quite literally.

The idea of taking part in a ten-pin bowling content in the depths of outer space might not be one that immediately springs to mind, yet from Glu's point of view, it leads to favourable descriptions.

While Finger Bowling's odd aim of taking down pins in order to save the solar system from destruction is intriguing, I can't help feeling that the whole thing is a missed opportunity.

That's largely because, surprisingly, the setting actually works. In Finger Bowling's story mode, you move from planet to planet, playing out solo ten-pin bowling matches where reaching a set score is your sole objective.

Once you've placed the bowling ball at the top of the run as desired, the power behind your effort is determined via a sliding gauge that requires a prompt press of the '5' key.

Spin can also be applied to your effort as it travels towards the pins: tap '4' to send it left and '6' to send it right. This is the most crucial element of play, as approaching the pins at an angle is the only real way of picking up a strike or two.

To prevent gameplay from becoming overly repetitive, Finger Bowling mixes things up by adding both hazards to avoid and power-ups to boost your bowls.

These obstacles and pick-ups appear almost randomly along the run itself, forcing you to hurriedly adjust the spin on the ball as it's in motion.

Holes in the track, for instance, suck your ball in unless avoided, while your alien enemy also has a nasty habit of narrowing the entire approach - this makes hitting all the pins with one shot far more difficult.

Even with the addition of exploding bomb balls and the like, though, Finger Bowling never really moves out of first gear.

Intentionally simple, it provides a modicum of fun when the power-ups come into play, but they serve only as a hint as to the kind of mayhem developer Jump Games could and should have instilled in the action.

With a mite more gusto, Finger Bowling could have really made its mark, but in its current also-ran form, it's far too grounded to really take off.