Mikey Boots

Mikey Boots is likely going to upset some platforming purists.

At first glance it looks like another entry in the Mikey series. There's a small boy in shorts, some spiky scenery, and a few floating coins.

But you're not running anymore. Instead Mikey's wearing jet-powered boots that let him drift forwards automatically, and you can press on the left of the screen to move diagonally left, and the right to move diagonally right.

In some ways it makes for a simpler experience, but Mikey Boots keeps the focus firmly on the time trial aspect of the series.

The levels might be a little easier to complete, but getting the three star time is no mean feat once you're past the first chunk of the game.

Everything is a little more polished as well. This is definitely the best looking game in the series. It's twitcher than its predecessors, and demands you pay attention if you want to win.

Weaving through the maze of spikes, lava, rockets, and knife-sided foes makes for an intoxicating experience. It's surprisingly easy to lose a couple of hours in the bouncy rhythm of play.

Things get gradually tougher as you progress, and some of the later levels require some pretty challenging pattern recognition if you want to get to the glowing purple strip that marks their end.

On top of that, if you're chasing the best times, you'll need to avoid everything. You can take three hits from the spikes, enemies, and fluids that litter the levels, but getting stuck on the corner of a harmless wall can be just as damaging to your time.

If you're thinking of writing off Mikey Boots because it's not a proper platformer, I urge you to at least give it a try. It's a fun, brilliantly designed mobile game that plays wonderfully.

It offers as much challenge as most of the pure platformers on the App Store, and it isn't afraid try out new ideas.

The way it does things might take a little getting used to, but it's definitely worth it in the long run.