World of Tanks, which has had a successful life on other games machines, has finally found its way to the iOS platform, in the form of an online multiplayer tank battle. The game is based around tanks from the early to mid-20th century.

When the game starts you find yourself in a garage with, admittedly, a pretty underpowered tank. At this point there is little you can do except arm it, but this is only the start. The game has an impressive tech tree whereby you can improve your vehicle.

Now, the game is free to play and most of the improvements can be done by gaining experience in battle. Experience equals credits which you can spend, however there is also gold which can be used, but the only way to get gold is to part with cash, via in-game purchases, which also gives you access to some stuff which can only be bought.

This does not actually create a problem as the game itself will always set you against tanks of a similar quality as your own. The game will pit your team of seven random players with a team of an equal number. Placed in a detailed environment, you and your team's only aim is to destroy all of the other team’s tanks. Each battle lasts between five and ten minutes, depending on the team’s skills.

The controls can take a little getting used to. Control of your tank is via a WSAD thumb pad on the lower half of the left side of the screen. Because of the screen area, this works better on an iPad, rather than an iPhone. On the right hand side you have you controls to load and fire the main gun, which has a delay between shots. The game also allows you to swipe the screen to change perspective, which helps you not only spot the enemy tanks, which are also highlighted with a coloured dot, which is not only a real advantage if you’re playing with a smaller screen, but also allows you to scope out the surrounding terrain, helping you to plan your sneaky ambush.

As the game is not really about a tank rush (you can, of course, do this, but you’re likely to be the first one dead and have to spend your time waiting in the garage until your particular match is over; unless you’re lucky enough to have progressed to owning more than one) strategy is the thing which will help you win.

Unlike a lot of games, it’s pretty quick and easy to find a match and also unlike a lot of online games the other players appear to be a decent enough bunch, so it’s a child friendly environment. As each player will develop their own tanks, in their own way. The sides are made up of a mish-mash of nationalities.

Just as the tanks vary so does the environments generated for the game, from desert towns to mountainous regions and the real name of the game is to use the environment to your own advantage. In the end the game is easy to pick up, fun to play and will provide anything from minutes to weeks of play.

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Charles Packer