Top Trumps: Dr Who

Every man and his dog, it seems, loves Dr Who. Once a popular, if slightly cultish, low budget sci-fi show of yesteryear, the new millennium saw it reinvented as a slick, savvy piece of space (soap) opera which the mainstream have lapped up. Fans of the show no longer need to tread carefully when discussing their hobbies at dinner parties, or to fear the mocking laughter of their peers when it's revealed that they wear Dr Who pyjamas. Which is a relief for this writer, as they're dead comfy.

Along with this success has come the inevitable kiddy-merchandising push. If you're young enough not to remember Sylvester McCoy's stint as the great Time Lord it's likely you either own or intend to swap your shoes for a piece of Who-themed tat. One such piece may well be a set of Dr Who Top Trumps cards.

Wherever there's a playground fad, after all, there's a set of collectible, swappable, cards to go with it. Taking things one step further, Rockpool has decided to scrunch up a deck of Dr Who Top Trumps cards and force them into your mobile phone's memory card slot to produce the imaginatively titled Top Trumps: Dr Who.

Playing through the game's main Adventure mode, you're pitted against a selection of opponents in a familiar game of card battling. Each player is given a selection of 'cards', each of which breaks down the stats and abilities of an individual character from the Dr Who series.

The Doctor, for instance, is strong in Intelligence and Bravery, but not so hot in the Darkness stat (he's far too cheeky). Conversely, the Emperor Dalek is the embodiment of Darkness, but doesn't score too highly in the Stair Negotiating ability.

Okay, that last bit was made up.

Flipping through their decks in order, players get the chance to call a stat for comparison with their opponent's equivalent card. If you flipped over the Slitheen, for example, you might want to call up their above-average height of 2.25 metres for comparison. Win the individual round and you win the opposition's defeated card; win all of their cards to win overall.

It's a game of calculated risk, attentiveness and memory. There are no super-cards here – even puny Martha Jones can defeat a mighty Cyberman if you select the right attribute. Rather, any unfair advantage comes via the game's Ability Cards. These are single use power cards that temporarily enhance your chances of success.

For example, Teleport allows you to swap your card with your opponent's, which is great if you have been paying attention and know that a particularly powerful card is due up. Another handy one is Scanner, which enables you to take a sneaky look at your opponent's card. Due to their limited presence the Ability Cards don't unbalance things unduly; rather they add some much needed spice and variety to each encounter.

Indeed, it's the inherent balance of the Top Trumps system that leads to the game's biggest drawback: rounds that seem to go on forever. The player calling the shots is at an undoubted advantage, but once you get a good few levels into Adventure mode it's unlikely that you'll go through a whole round without a number of reversals.

This can often see a dramatic swing in fortunes, which can and does grow tiresome alarmingly quickly. Such interminable bouts don't lend themselves well to mobile gaming, where 'bite sized' is the operative phrase. Rockpool has thrown in a few unlockable mini-games, including versions of Pairs and Higher or Lower, but none will keep your attention for long.

Otherwise Top Trumps: Dr Who is a slickly presented, accessible experience that will please any budding Trumper. If you're the type who delights in card games and takes their food to school (or work) in a Dr Who lunchbox, this could well be the next best thing to a joyride in the Tardis. Otherwise, hand on heart(s), we'd have to recommend that you give this a miss.