Zone Warrior

It was a staple part of any geeky child's upbringing, but there was always one part of The Krypton Factor that grabbed my attention more than any other: the plane landing. Back in the late 1980s, these plane simulators seemed like they were beyond futuristic - the kind of thing I could only dream about having in my living room.

Of course, in these modern times such technology is mere child's play compared to the home consoles and hi-spec PCs now available to us all. I've learned that landing virtual planes or any kind of flying craft is not my strong point. Alas, Zone Warrior throws up the same paradox; just to watch the game in motion is a thing of beauty, but trying to control the spaceship you take charge of during play is easier said than done.

With stunning visuals depicting a space station being assaulted by a barrage of asteroids, the game has you downing said obstacles before they have a chance to damage the station. You do this using a blaster, which handily comes with an unlimited supply of ammunition and a batch of missiles.

Using the accelerometer, you guide your craft through space by tilting left and right, up and down. Speed is dictated by a set of buttons neatly situated on the left of the screen. The aim is to point your ship towards the ever encroaching asteroids, shooting them down as they fall into your range.

The station can take some impact, though it's best to try and score a clear run as a damaged station loses its tractor beam and that makes your life a whole lot more difficult.

That's because, without a tractor beam, once you've cleared the screen of asteroids (and, later, the more tricky alien crafts, which turn the game into all out dogfighting warfare), you then have to guide your ship back into the station.

This involves navigating through the narrowest of holes as your target, your ship rebounding back off the station if you miss the entry. A special ship docking mode allows you to practise this tricky landings, fortunately.

Such is the success of Zone Warrior, in fact, that you begin to find yourself asking for more. This could be one of those rare games titles that would benefit from some kind of plot, which only serves to prove just how exciting a prospect this could be in the future with further development.

With a perfect setting (aided by some real photographs of deepest darkest space), sound effects that evoke arcade classics of old, and a straightforward approach to control that runs throughout, Zone Warrior is currently peerless in its genre on iPhone.