Bait your hook and cast your line through 22 levels and catch fish quickly enough to avoid running out of time. Unlock new Gizmos, Rods and Reels as you fish in six different eye-catching areas that boast multiple fishing spots. From the tranquil Shiny Pond to the dramatic Doom Deeps, each spot contains many different types of fish as well as some older and wiser fish that will be hard to catch...

Fast Fishing is the latest game from the two-man games company Strange Flavour. Like the companies previous Flick Fishing (which they claim was downloaded by over 20 million players) this is a game that is aimed at angling fans. It goes without saying that if fishing games aren't your thing then you will find little to amuse you here.

From the opening menu you have the options to play the main game; organise your tackle box; check out the fish you've caught in the 'Aquarium'; look at the leaderboards and change the game options. One of the neat options is to use "flick" mode, which allows you to flick your iOS device when casting the line instead of using the "cast" button.

The controls are fairly straightforward. Sat in your boat, with a view of your fishing grounds, you cast out your line and wait for the fish to bite. Then you reel them in, by performing a clockwise motion on the screen with your finger, being careful to watch the line tension.

Each level has a different goal. You may need to catch a certain amount of weight or a specific fish before you can progress to the next level... but the clock is constantly against you. You can gain extra time by casting the perfect line, or catching a treasure chest, but in the early stages, once you know which bait to use, running out of time isn't really that much of a problem.

One of the aspects of this game, that some might find annoying, is that you'll climb through several levels and once you fail you have to start all over again. You do have the ability to skip earlier levels, but these cost you some of your in-game currency. For me, games like this put me off very quickly and I end up getting fed up with them sooner than I should. However, with Fast Fishing, there is a 'Zen Mode', which allows you to fish for as long as you like in any of the spots you've previously played. This is useful for working out which bait to use in order to catch which fish, because when you're up against the clock in the main mode, this can be tricky to work out.

The 'Brag This Catch!' function allows you to share your catches with your friends... However, the positioning of the button makes it almost impossible not to accidentally tap it a little too regular and there's no option to turn it off. So you'll spend a lot of time clicking the "don't share" option once it opens up a window asking you to confirm you want to share this information.

In-App purchases allow you to buy extra space in the tackle box for more gizmos, rods and reels. These spaces also give you Chocolate Crowns which are used to access the Zen Mode areas and can be tossed into the water to tempt bigger fish.

It's a fun, free game that will provide many hours of amusement.

7

Nick Smithson