Pirates Poker XXX

On mobile, XXX titles should be approached with caution. It's not likely to be the adult content that offends, as most games of that ilk don't stray from using the most mainstream of breasted pics, but rather the gameplay that causes us to cringe. With much of the pixel-space and production time spent on porn rather than playability, the games themselves generally end up mining a distinctly lesser furrow.

Pirates Poker XXX, however, manages to rise above the murk with a very playable poker experience. Sure, against non-adult poker titles, it remains mediocre, but adult-infused gaming is one area where faint praise certainly isn't damning.

Your aim in each poker match is to unlock an image of a naked lady. Unlike most mobile adult content, she's generally 'in the act' in the photos, with her male 'companion' at least partially in shot (please note, that's not a euphemism – no winkies here). The images are a little more hardcore than we're used to, but at least they're not dull.

The money you earn from playing poker pays for the unlocking of the six covered squares that make up the picture, with each one costing a different amount of money to reveal. Once you've revealed the whole picture, you can view it at any point in a gallery accessible from the main menu.

Cleverly though, you're shown the unlock grid after each hand, meaning it's very easy to blow your load over the partially-revealed image, leaving you with little or no money for the next round. In keeping with its adult genre contemporaries, the difficulty is set fairly low, and you're much more likely to get a royal flush than your banker opponent. That's not to say that you won't get wiped out by a royal flush just as you get overconfident and go all-in on a single pair hand, though.

However, it's not a realistic interpretation of the game that makes Pirates Poker XXX a relative success. It's the confidently breezy execution of this casual version of game mixed with decent presentation, which sees Pirates Poker XXX's head poke above the proverbial parapet. There's a well-drawn, swarthy-looking pirate arm that delivers the cards to the table and the layout of cards, chips and the 'check' and 'fold' options are all intuitively-placed.

This isn't going to threaten the big boys of mobile poker, of which there are a few. However, in the adult world, it's up there with the best. If you must have your card playing accompanied by porn, Pirates Poker XXX is therefore a good bet.