K-Shock

Bandages cover unsightly wounds, but they can be an eyesore in their own way. A big white wrap across your forehead is just as noticeable as a gash, albeit with less gore.

K-Shock applies a patch to the bruised visage of arcade action, though you can still see evidence of a battered breed of game design underneath.

The game puts you in control of an aircraft flying over a square pool. Flipping among first-person, third-person, and fixed perspectives, you fire upon monster robo-snakes made up of five or more segments as they dive in and out of the water.

Tilts of your handset steer your ship, while an attack button enables you to take out the snakes, segment by segment, while they're airborne.

The snakes fire back, but K-Shock periodically plonks power-ups onto the map to give you the advantage. There's a shield to absorb counter-fire, added speed to dart around the level with pace, and even one that increases your ship's rate of fire.

It's a stimulating set-up and the old skool style lends the game charm. Cramped levels, however, test the limits of its arcade appeal. With a small snake to target on such a tiny map, tight turns are a must. You find yourself dashing around in smaller and smaller circles, desperately trying to get an angle on the robo-snake from beginning to end.

While managing to hit the bounding beastie brings about a certain amount of satisfaction as a result, the 3D view means that you often know nothing of it, the game literally sending you into a spin. Should you manage to get a fix on flight, K-Shock has some treats in store: each level brings just a little more spice to what starts out as a modest shooter.

With a little honing and a tutorial mode to ease the first few minutes of play, it could be an excellent step back in time. It feels too craggy, though, to be considered quite as classic as the icons it apes so well.