Virus

If we were to start handing out awards for the game with the best premise, then Virus would most be on the shortlist. This isn't a game about battling aliens, driving race cars or matching coloured gems - no, this is far more serious than all that. Virus is about protecting the body from invading illnesses, building up the defences to stave off a bout of man-flu or things much worse.

But, while the game is brilliantly pitched and comes with the sort of swish intro screens often bereft from bite-size titles such as this, it's equally true that taking on those nasty beasties that roam around your body isn't quite as exciting as it might sound. In fact, Virus is a far simpler game than both its concept and the title's own build-up-blurb would suggest.

As in real life, the key to fighting off viruses is building up white blood cells, and this is your primary task throughout play. Simply touching the screen creates a startlingly realistic looking cell. Only a set number of cells are available for each level, leaving the main goal to make each one as big as possible. You do this by holding your finger down on the screen for as long as you can.

Of course, this isn't altogether too long given the cells aren't the lone occupants of the blood stream. Viruses make an appearance too, bouncing around each level. If they happen to bounce into one of your cells as it's growing, then the cell is destroyed and a life is lost. With just three lives available for each group of levels (three standard levels and a bonus level), avoiding contact with the virus itself is just as important as growing the cells in the first place. The size of the cells themselves take precedent over everything else, with progression only being awarded if you manage to grow the required cell mass.

Growing cells isn't the only tool in your arsenal, however. Employing the iPhone's accelerometer, you can create time for yourself to grow your cells in safety by using the ones already in play to your advantage. By tipping the phone, you can move the cells around the screen to block viruses or trap them in a corner - at least for a short period - so your new cells can flourish unchallenged

Nevertheless, when they do escape, Virus essentially turns into a game of chicken. With virus spores pinging all over the screen, it's all about how long you dare hold your finger down growing the cells before the viruses pings into destructive contact. Play too placidly, growing only small cells but avoiding any kind of tussle with the virus itself, and you'll fail to reach the target mass. Likewise, act too cocksure, growing cells without awareness of your surroundings, and you'll fall at the first hurdle.

That's no way to play at all, given that Virus is all about survival - survival in as quick a time as possible. That's due to the fact that the game awards points both for merely getting through each level and for doing it with speed. With your points added to a global league at the end of it all, the pressure to succeed is one that will drive many a player forward, but the shear simplicity of play and sleek presentation will also ensure that this is one patient that will require treatment for some time.