Passing Time

Passing Time is quite possibly the only football game in existence that lets you act out the classic Peter Kay "'Ave it!" advert.

That's because this is more of a football mini-game collection than a full-on simulator, with keeping possession just as much of a focus as scoring goals.

Sadly, the controls aren't up to snuff and the action does get rather repetitive, but this is still a nice little time-waster for those who like to kick a ball around.

Armed with a pixellated team of footballers, you're thrown through a series of challenges that range from keeping possession by kicking the ball around, to scoring from a corner, to banging free kicks into the back of the net.

A good portion of your time will be spent seeing how many passes you can make around a circle before being overwhelmed by the hordes of players that suddenly run onto the pitch.

There are some great variations on this task, such as the fireball that allows you to kick the ball through the other team and set the players alight, and the bomb ball that goes off if you don't make enough passes in time.

The customisation options are pleasingly extensive, too. You can choose the names of your team, their team colours, and apply skill points to them as you advance through the game.

This all leads to a virtual football experience unlike any that you've played before. It's quirky, it's silly, and it's completely focused on taking the serious edge off The Beautiful Game.

Passing Time is fun in small doses, but those looking for an experience to remember will come away disappointed.

Firstly, the controls aren't very well suited to anything more than the simple passing-around-the-circle game. Trying to score goals or knock the ball around in a proper match doesn't feel right at all.

Passing Time does offer the ability to play full matches, but these leave a lot to be desired due to these control issues, and you'll quickly fall back on the passing mini-games again.

The game also becomes very repetitive very quickly. The challenges simply ramp up in difficulty, asking you to make 60 passes instead of 50, and later - just for a bit of extra variety - 80.

As a quick one-two for the commute home, Passing Time will satisfy your football itch. If you're looking for anything more than that, it's perhaps best to look elsewhere.