Lost

You've gotta love The Others. No, not the rubbish indie band. The Others in Lost. Y'know, the mysterious island denizens who make life hell for that stubbly chap and his stranded mates. A Lost mobile game where you got to play as The Others would be great fun, wreaking havoc and trying to kill everyone off to avoid another far-fetched season of the show.

This game isn't it, but what it is is a polished and atmospheric action game that does a good job of condensing Lost for the small screen without a) turning it into a platform game, b) revealing any plot spoilers, or c) including the hobbit bloke's comical Britpop band flashbacks. And that's something to be thankful for.

Lost follows the rough narrative of the show's first series, taking in a number of memorable set-pieces. The game starts just after the plane crash, and has you (as Jack) scuttling about rescuing fellow passengers as explosions rage around you.

From then on, the game takes in exploration, boar-hunting, rooting about down the Hatch, and, of course, those pesky Others.

The action takes the form of a top-down game that looks very similar to Glu Mobile's Stranded (a game that admittedly half-inched its plot from Lost in the first place). The characters are small but well-drawn,with mugshots that pop up when they speak to you, so you can see they're from the TV show.

The controls are well implemented too, taking in eight-way movement, an action button ('5'), and another button to switch between items – for example a knife, gun, or dynamite.

The system works well, and you're introduced to the different actions as you play through the game, so there's no scope for confusion.

So far so good, then, but Lost is not a stone-cold classic for two reasons. First, it's too linear. You're constantly being told where to go next, often via a flashing blue arrow at the edge of the screen. Stranded wasn't vastly more free-roaming, but, crucially, it felt like it – even if your freedom was mainly used to catch fish and grow courgettes.

The way Lost pushes you every step of the way may be appreciated by novice mobile gamers who've bought the game through being a fan of the TV show. But older hands will feel a bit stifled.

The second problem with Lost is it's too short – you'll crack through it in a couple of hours – and the storyline's nature means there's little incentive to replay (even though you're given the chance to in the game's separate Mission mode). It's both a compliment and a criticism that when we completed the game, we were left wanting more.

Lastly, there is the odd niggle, such as enemies that spring back up when you've killed them, regenerating on the spot like vengeful ghosts to kick you back to the last restart point.

Don't get us wrong: Lost is still a high-quality game whose best trait is its sheer pace. The action scenes are frenetic, and you're constantly no more than a screen away from doing something exciting.

If you're looking for an island-based action-adventure, our preference would still be for Stranded, but of course fans of the TV series will opt for Lost every time, and chances are they'll enjoy what they find. Like the TV show, there's every chance this game will spawn sequels in the future, so perhaps more grizzled mobile gamers can hope for something a little more taxing then, too.