One of the biggest challengers to traditional forms of computer gaming, and the consoles in particular, is the explosion of games on the new generations of smart phones. Although limited in their processing power, for the size of screen they are able to reproduce some stunning graphics and the memory limitations have forced the gaming community to eschew bloatware, which values graphics over game play. It’s like going back to the days of the commodore 64, but with much better graphics.

Professor Pym and the Secret of Steam is a new game from Naoplay. You play the good professor who has to traverse a forward scrolling world which consists of only spinning discs. You do have a time limit as below you noxious green gas is slowly rising up to meet you.

The basic game screen consists of a number of spinning discs which the professor can jump between to reach the top; there is also the option to bounce off portions of the wall when transferring between the spheres. So far, so simple. You guide the good professor by swiping over his little figure, whereupon he will launch himself off the spinning disc which he currently occupies on to the next higher one. Along the way you can collect cogs with which you can buy further enhancements.

There are a minimum of option to play with. You can change the game to a number of differing European languages; turn the music (which is pleasant enough) off, as well as turning off all the other sounds. There are pages of graphical tutorials to give you the basics or the game as well a leader board and the inevitable store, where you can buy extras for the game.

The game is, like many of the best, simple in construction but highly addictive in its execution. The first few levels have you just swiping Pym from one disc to another. The fact they are spinning adds only a little difficulty and you're thinking, is this all it is? However, as you progress more types of spinning disc appear, some half covered in spikes, which you can only partially land on; discs start to move up and down and the wall sprout various threats. It’s at this point that you’re glad you made sure you built up on the cogs, as some of the extras are going to come in really handy.

If you get to the end of the first ten levels you’ll discover that the game requires a certain level of skill as the layout of the screen becomes ever more perverse. You can fall off the discs and still recover as long as you’re lucky enough to hit a lower disc, miss this and it’s a green gaseous death.

Unfortunately only the first ten levels are free, which equates to about ten minutes of game play, but if you like it you can buy extra levels for less than a pound. With its steampunk look and an ever increasing level of difficulty Professor Pym and the Secret of Steam is well worth trying out.

7

Charles Packer