Strike Force Heroes: Extraction

The side-on endless-runner hasn't really changed its shape since it first popped into existence. Simple controls, spinning gold coins, and randomly positioned obstacles are all still the dish of the day.

But there are always little tweaks made to the formula, some successful, others pointless. Strike Force Heroes: Extraction adds some action elements to proceedings, giving you a gun and letting you dive into cover with a swipe.

It makes for a more interesting, staccato game than most runners. And while it isn't without its flaws, there's still a solid and entertaining arcade game here to sink your teeth into.

The game is all about leading a soldier to safety through a series of platforming levels. It probably owes its biggest debt to Canabalt, except here there are bad guys to shoot, helicopters to escape from, and new characters and weapons to unlock.

The campaign is split into brief bite-size levels, each of which gives you a star rating. Finish the level within the time limit and collect the two glowing boxes of enemy intel while you do and you'll get the highest rating.

Tapping on the left of the screen makes you jump, and tapping on the right of the screen makes you fire. Swiping down slides you into cover if there's any nearby. From there you can pick off big groups of enemies before darting back out to continue your jog.

You've got a health bar that gets eaten away as you're shot, run into the side of buildings, or barge through bad guys, and once it's gone it's Game Over.

Different characters have different strengths and weaknesses, and a couple of perks that you unlock as you play. It makes for a bit of variety, although there's a central rhythm of jump and fire that never gets knocked too far out of whack.

A free-running mode takes the guns out of the equation, and a survival mode tasks you with living for as long as you can. They're decent enough additions, and they add a bit of replayability to proceedings.

Strike Force Heroes: Extraction is a good, solid game that'll keep you entertained for a couple of hours. It's far from revolutionary, but its little tweaks and twists are interesting enough that it deserves a shot.