Space Chicks

Thank you, spaceman, but our princess is on another planetoid.

Space Chicks is an endless-running game with an out-of-this world twist. Instead of booking it in a straight line, you see, you run around tiny planets and use their gravitational fields to launch yourself from celestial body to celestial body.

Our guarantee: you will say "Wheee!" out loud at least once while playing this game.

Space Chicks opens with trouble in the galaxy. A space pirate has kidnapped several lovely space ladies. Your job? To rescue them. Of course.

It ought to be noted that the maker of Space Chicks doesn't take itself the least bit seriously, so the game's storyline (to say nothing of the wanton use of the term "chicks") is meant to serve as a parody of the super-macho space adventures that permeated pop culture when Western civilisation was still starry-eyed about space exploration.

SpaceNoize doesn't exactly take a realistic approach to space physics here, either.

Planetoids are scattered around each level, some of which have space women stranded on them, and many of which are littered with enemies.

Each planetoid has its own field of gravity, which keeps you anchored as you run around it. When you tap the screen, you launch outward until another planetoid's gravitational pull sucks you in.

By leaping and slingshotting from place to place, you can collect the stranded women, carry them to their rockets, avoid enemies, and make your way safely to your own ship (where you're allowed to collect a deluge of bonus coins).

Space Chicks obviously doesn't move as quickly as a game like Jetpack Joyride, but it's still a gas to navigate each little planetary system, especially if you're a fan of Super Mario Galaxy or Angry Birds Space.

There's even an option to play simultaneously on one device with a pal. By floating around, you get a definite sense of freedom you don't regularly find in other endless-running games. Furthermore, planet hopping adds a new dimension of challenge to the genre, so to speak.

The challenge might be a bit off-putting for some, though. Working your way around enemies can admittedly be difficult, and the tiny sprites sometimes make it difficult to tell friend from foe.

But practice makes perfect. If you think the creators of endless-running games have nothing left to offer, you need only look to the stars for something a bit different.