Amateur Surgeon 4 tips - How to keep a steady hand

Amateur Surgeon 4 is currently cutting a bloody swathe across the App Store. It's like a greatest hit package of the previous AS games with a bunch of bonus tracks, just in time for Christmas.

It can also be a harsh and downright cruel game - and I'm not just talking about the way it has you use a pizza cutter to open up your patients/victims.

The game does a good job of talking you through the basics, but the precise nuances of the mechanics are left to you to master. Here, then, are a few tips to get you up and operating in Amateur Surgeon 4.

The key to using the cauterising lighter and healing cream is slow and steady. Go to fast and you'll just need to take another pass at the cut.

Going too slow will at least get the job done - though to get full points you'll need to find the ideal, consistent speed at which to swipe your finger.

Another process that requires a steady hand is when it comes to pulling foreign objects out of wounds. You need to be sure to pull as precisely in the opposite direction to the point of entry as possible in order to achieve a clean removal.

Got your stapler out? Then use it on all of the wounds that need it before you put it away. The same applies for the lighter, the healing cream, and any tool for that matter.

Not only is it more time-efficient to use your tools in this way, it also maximises your combo score, as you can tick off multiple stages in quick concession if you're essentially doing the same thing repeatedly.

The trick to applying staples on regular large cuts is to use three, spaced evenly. If you don't get the gaps roughly even, you'll need to apply a fourth.

If your patient's heart rate drops into the 20s, you'll need to apply the adrenaline injection to keep them breathing. Don't let it drop too low, or you'll find yourself fighting a constant battle with it.

That being said, the best way to stabilise your patient is to heal them, so sometimes you just need to power through and get them all stitched up.

On using the adrenaline, don't rush the injection or you'll harm the patient. Conversely, you can draw out poison with the red needle as fast as you like.

Amateur Surgeon 4's freemium nature means that using partners is expensive. As such, contrary to the game's recommendations, you shouldn't use them unless you really need them.

Any level that lets you play it without a partner should at least be attempted in this way - you can always retry it with a partner installed. Conversely, if you retry having used a partner, you'll have to purchase their services again.