Funkyball Worlds

Funkyball Worlds is like a good piece of chocolate. It's not an exotic variety or new flavour fusion, yet rich quality makes this pure platform game a treat.

Tilting your handset enables you to guide a shiny ball through three themed worlds: Forest, Desert, and Water. Finding the goal gate is your one and only objective. A clock ticks away the seconds as you roll through each side-scrolling level, although bronze, silver, and gold stars can be nabbed to reduce your final time and increase your chances of earning a medal.

In the vein of platform games such as Super Mario Bros, you can hop between platforms by tapping the screen as you move left or right. How long you hold a finger to the screen determines the power of your jump. Timing is critical to success, as is the angle and speed at which you move when jumping.

Getting from one platform to another is challenging, but its the score of tricks and traps that really test your skills. Mines blast you to bits, while timed laser beams fry your ball. There are even touch-activated elements like special tactile mines that can be eliminated with a tap and cannons that shoot your ball with a quick touch.

With each world comes a new set of hazards suited to the theme. It's easy going in Forest world, but shifting winds in Desert's levels complicate jumping and the floaty physics of Water world make navigation more difficult.

None of it is ever too hard, thankfully, and Funkyball Worlds does a fantastic job of preserving playability without sacrificing challenge. Completing a level is enough to unlock the next - no matter what the time. Should you seek a greater challenge, you're welcome to collect every star and work against the clock for gold medal finishes.

A couple of dozen levels per world equate to enormous value - that's a total of 72 levels. We're keen to see additional levels available for purchase within the game, though no gripes on the number included here.

One complaint can be drawn against the linear unlocking of these stages. In the offchance that you find yourself stuck on a level, you're unable to advance to another. Unlocking batches of levels - 4-5 at a time, for example - would prevent this problem from ever arising. Fortunately, no one level proves so tough as to stymie progress.

Straightforward in its approach and orthodox in design, Funkyball Worlds satisfies because of high production values. Like pure chocolate, it's a simple pleasure.