Angry Birds

Price: £0.59

• CONCEPT: 7/10
• GRAPHICS: 9/10
• SOUND: 8/10
• CONTROLS: 9/10
• LASTING APPEAL: 10/10

If you’ve a certain penchant for cute little piggies I suggest you look away quickly, as this review condones, and even advocates violent action towards said mammal. Although, rest assured, these are not real pigs: for a start – they’re green.

The storyline (and I use the term in the loosest of loose senses) is a premise upon which a gang of unruly pigs have stolen the eggs of our hero birds, thus, explaining their fury; and believe me, these birds are hell-bent on causing mayhem. Funnily enough, rather than attempt to rescue the eggs, the player is faced with the somewhat amusing challenge of killing the piglets as they hide in various castles of sticks and stones. By catapulting the birds into the pigs’ dens and hideouts one can progress through the many levels unlocking more angry birds. The player eventually has the alternate selection of a dive-bombing yellow bird, an overweight-white bird which drops exploding eggs, a black bomb-like bird and a blue bird, which, when activated bursts into three for maximum damage.

As the game progresses the pigs come in larger numbers and often wearing armour (why not?). Their castles require an immediate sieging by our battalion of livid nest-dwellers. The graphics are simple and impressive. Much like the point of the game, it’s hard to say exactly why one would wish to play it, but there is no denying it’s addictiveness and the fun to be had destroying the little pigs is almost endless.

The sound too is amusing: particularly the sound effects of the birds and pigs, which can often surface a sly chuckle, and the theme tune, strangely cheery in an ironic fashion.

It’s a simple idea for a game and it’s one that sticks. The levels are easy to begin with but as the game progresses they can often be challenging but never impossible – creating a chance for the player to apply physics and battle tactics, or to simply unleash a bird-like hell. If seeing these piggies’ toothless, and somewhat bruised faces, doesn’t inspire you to retry the level, or march gallantly to the games completion then nothing will.

That’ll do pig, that’ll do.

Nat