iShoot 2

If iShoot 2 was a tank, there's a fair chance it'd be a Panzer: seemingly sleek, smooth and efficient.

It's so preoccupied with perfection, however, that all its efficiency and sleek design loses track of practicality. iShoot 2 seems a fairly impressive beast, until you start playing and realise it's unnecessarily complicated.

A turn-based 2D tank shooter in the Worms mold, the game has especially high production values. Randomly generated levels defined by their panoramic backgrounds give it a fresh appeal that isn't matched by the clunky gameplay.

Each tank comes loaded with an arsenal of mortars, missiles and nuclear warheads that can smash foes in a few shots to melt the ground beneath their feet and leave them incapacitated.

It's choosing the right weapon that determines whether you're the last tank standing or first for the chop. The idea, of course – whether you're playing in a one-off Skirmish or taking on map after map in the Campaign – is to outlast each and every tank you confront.

Attempting to outgun your rivals isn't a wise strategy since it can leave you overly exposed. Luring them into traps is often the best tactic. For example, you can punch a hole in the ground into which they will fall, at which point you can unload the fires of hell upon them in a most satisfying manner.

Setting your sights

Doing so, however, is more complicated than necessary. iShoot 2 pivots on a fine balance between going on the attack and defending your position, yet its clunky controls make tactical shifts difficult.

Unlike comparable games which focus on the angle of each shot, iShoot 2 requires you to determine the power behind each missile too. This means you have a full spectrum of shots at your disposal – from horizontal head-on hits to high-in-the-sky dive bombers that soar out of view before falling down on your foe like an Acme anvil.

Unfortunately, the controls are botched. The touch controls, which take the form of two sliders, are entirely too sensitive. Finding the sweet spot for a direct hit is a needlessly fiddly and frustrating process.

The mere act of lifting a finger from the screen is enough to jerk it out of place. It makes hitting enemy tanks before they have the chance to blow you apart virtually impossible at times.

Moving your tank is no easier. While in theory you can trundle left or right before a shot, if your tank is tipped over by enemy fire, it's impossible to get it upright.

As a result, even the luckiest of shots can take you out of the battle. Your only option when flipped 180 degrees being to self destruct and try again.

With no semblance of multiplayer beyond a rudimentary Bluetooth setup, iShoot 2 is a game that has managed to handicap itself. It all comes down to awkward design decisions that complicate an otherwise competent formula.

Take the controls out of the equation and the variety of weapons allow for the tactically minded to flourish, but its insistence on fiddling with the controls leaves iShoot 2 wide open to attack.