Picross picking its way on to DS

Honestly, brain training is the new black. Or is it brown these days? We don't know and, frankly, we don't much care – we're too busy keeping up with mind-enhancing software releases to attend international fashion shows.

In fairness, Picross DS isn't strictly a brain training title. But it is the latest in Nintendo's Touch! Generations Series (software designed for broad appeal and which includes the likes of Dr Kawashima's Brain Training: How Old Is Your Brain? and Nintendogs) and its remit is firmly focused on light puzzling entertainment.

As such, in the main Picross mode players are expected to reveal a hidden image beneath the puzzle by filling in a grid with squares and crosses in order to complete patterns.

The 300 grids on offer ensure serious longevity but also variety, not least because they range from five-by-five versions, all the way up to daunting 20-by-20 alternatives (those with tiny minds may find comfort in the revelation that clues may be obtained to help finish puzzles, as well as the option to get a head start with a roulette-style hint function that reveals a line of the puzzle).

Creative types, meanwhile, will no doubt cherish the option to create their own puzzles to test their acquaintances' mental capacity (and select their friends accordingly). Stylus in hand, puzzles of all sizes can apparently be designed, including the image hiding beneath the challenge, and once completed are then shared wirelessly or via the Wi-Fi Connection service.

And as the brightest amongst you may have already pre-empted, this also paves the way for the download of both unofficial and Nintendo-created puzzles, meaning a potentially limitless supply of fresh challenges – this is precisely what My Picross mode is for.

There's more, though. Daily Picross is perfectly suited to those looking for quick distraction-type play, providing a selection of five small-grid puzzles designed to be solved as fast as possible. Daily results are then plotted on a chart to get an idea of progress over time.

Furthermore, regular play is rewarded by new unlockable modes such as the descriptively named No Xs, Error Search and Memory. (Though not related to this mode, further unlockable items include touchscreen reaction-based mini-games and skins to enable players to customise their game environment.)

Finally, if you're brain can take it, why not engage in multiplayer competition? Multi-Picross caters for five individuals trying to beat each other and the clock to be the first to finish puzzles, while the Online Battle mode, as its name suggests, enables infrastructure play.

Glu shuffles up with Poker Pop for mobile

This week, the great and good of the mobile industry are gathering in Orlando for the CTIA trade show, which can loosely be described as the North American equivalent of Europe's 3GSM – in that companies show off their wares, announce new mobile stuff, and do a lot of schmoozing.

Glu Mobile took the opportunity to announce its spring games line-up at the show. It was aimed at the US audience, and we've seen some of the games here already: Brain Genius, Project Gotham Mobile Racing and Lemmings Return, for example.

But there was one newie, Poker Pop. Based on a casual web game, it's part poker and part puzzle, taking the basic idea of poker hands and throwing a tile-based twist on top of it. It's similar thinking to that behind I-play's Jewel Quest Solitaire, or Digital Chocolate's WordKing Poker.

Scalextric gets a new mobile game

We have to admit, we're a bit confused. Last year, mobile publisher Player X signed a deal with Hornby to release a Scalextric mobile game. Look, you can read our story about it for proof. But now Spanish publisher LemonQuest has announced that it's releasing a new mobile game based on... Scalextric. Except it's through a licensing deal with Spanish firm Tecnitoys, not Hornby, and the game is going to be called SCX in some countries, and Scalextric in others. Ah well, despite the confusion, the game itself looks like a corker. Boasting nifty isometric graphics, it'll let up to six players race against each other, although it's unclear whether that's on one handset, via Bluetooth or even over the network. You'll be able to tweak your brake tension and fuel load, and alter your pit-stop strategy to get the best out of your car. And, brilliantly, you'll also be able to build your own tracks with the game's built-in editor.

RPG meets RTS in DS' Heroes of Mana

When it comes to national gaming stereotypes, we all know the Japanese typically do role-playing games, while Western developers do strategy games. Psychologists could write learned papers about why, but being journalists we'll just say it probably has something to do with Japan's rigid social structures and the colonial baggage of the Europeans and North Americans. At the end of the day, we all tend to do best what we know best. So where does that place Heroes of Mana? According to our demarcation of roles, this real-time strategy, role-playing hybrid should be being developed halfway between the US and Japan – maybe Hawaii? But, of course, it's not. Instead Tokyo-based Brownie Brown is doing the business. As the title suggests, the game's set in the World of Mana, a place we last visited in the thoroughly enjoyable dungeon-battler Children of Mana. This time, however, you've moved up the chain of command, so now you're ordering around groups of heroes, warriors, bizarre creatures with trumpets for noses, and the Mana's series special icon, those ferocious little yellow rabites. Viewed from a top-down position, control over your troops will be maintained with your stylus. It will be interesting to see how tightly you can move them around though, as it appears there will be up to 20 units onscreen at any time. There's a neat icon system enabling you to quickly select any unit, which hopefully should maintain some order in the ranks. Another feature will be the game's limited use of the Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection. Sadly, no multiplayer gaming is supported, but you will be able to upload scores, as well as download new missions and maps.

Brick it with Ark-Annoyed

Enough already with the Breakout clones. Gameloft's Block Breaker Deluxe might have sold like the clappers on mobile, but there's 768 other variants of the classic bat-ball'n'bricks arcade game that have sunk without trace. We don't need any more! Do we?

Under Siege Studio thinks we do, and it's putting its money where its mouth is, in the shape of Ark-Annoyed (like Arkanoid, see?). And to be fair, the design does put a novel twist on the formula.

You still have to hit a ball with a bat, but this time there's only ever one brick on screen at once, with a points counter that ticks down � so the quicker you hit the brick, the more points you score. And then carry on in this vein.

There's a Warp feature to get you out of tight spots where you don't think you're going to hit the brick, and a four-player competition mode to see if you can beat your friends.

Meanwhile, the game works with the RumbleX high-scores community, so you can test your brick-busting abilities against the world.

First DS screens for Shrek the Third

One of our happiest surprises about DS gaming in 2006 was the fact many titles based on the big movie blockbusters tried to do something a bit different. We really enjoyed Monster House and Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest, while even Cars had the occasional mini-game moments. And Eragon the DS game was much better than Eragon the film.

So where does that leave Shrek the Third?

Well, the first thing to note from the two released screenshots is that the game maker (Vicarious Visions, who was also behind Tony Hawk's Downhill Jam) seems to have gone for an impressive-looking 3D graphics approach. The environments look great.

In terms of the action, the screens show a melee battler, with Shrek and Puss-in-Boots wielding fists and sharp objects to defeat Prince Charming's henchmen � he's trying to take over the kingdom of Far, Far Away, of course. Apparently, each of the playable characters, Shrek, Donkey, Puss-in-Boots, Fiona, Fiona's rebellious cousin Arthur, and Sleeping Beauty have their own special attacks.

Less violent parts of the game will be the so-called Princess puzzle and platform levels, where you get to play as Fiona and Sleeping Beauty and brains not brawn to get out of difficult situations.

In terms of the plot, the game appears to follow some of what goes on in the film but new characters and areas will also be introduced. For example, you'll fight through the game-exclusive Evil Queen's Castle location.

Six multiplayer mini-games (Castle Attack, Shrekleboard, Frog Herder, Shooting Gallery, Catacombs Leap and Ships Ahoy) are also promised.

Shrek the Third is released in conjunction with the film in May.

Ghost Recon 2 blasts onto mobile

It sounds like a sequel, but Ghost Recon 2 is actually the first time Ghost Recon has been turned into a mobile game. Gameloft has done the honours, and the result looks like a blastfest of significant proportions.

You play Captain Mitchell, who's the boss of an elite US special forces ghost unit (sadly, this doesn't involve driving enemies from the battlefield by putting sheets over your head and shouting "BOO!").

It's 2014, and your job is to protect the US border against a bunch of Mexican rebels wielding burritos big guns. To help you, you've got all manner of high-tech weaponry, a souped-up jeep, and a crack team of special forces soldiers.

The game will also feature interactive scenery, presumably so you can blast it out of the way to feel even more manly while carrying out your duties.

Ghost Recon 2 is out this month, so get set for a suitably explosive review in the near future.

Smash Court Tennis 3 to be served on PSP

This could be the Borg vs McEnroe (or, potentially, Federer and Nadal, for younger readers) clash of the video game world, as Namco Bandai's Smash Court Tennis 3 takes on the imminent Virtua Tennis 3 from Sega.

The former isn't expected to make its appearance until the summer, but the nature of game development doesn't automatically mean it has months left to get itself in shape � all of its features and play dynamics will probably have been locked down by now.

So far, we know that players are able to compete as or against 16 pro tennis players, including all conquering Roger Federer and 2006 French Open champions Rafael Nadal and Justine Henin.

As you'd expect from any sports title these days, customisable items such as racquets and sportswear feature prominently (there are twice as many items as the game's previous version), while the characters based on real-life stars have been modelled to perform in convincing fashion.

That doesn't mean you can't teach them a trick or three. Developing and acquiring skills � such as hit speed, serve accuracy or footwork play � make up an important part of the Pro Tour, which sees you entering the globe's various competitions (the courts appear modelled on real venues, although they are not officially licensed) in order to rise to become the world's number one player.

Other modes include quick-thrill Arcade and Exhibition options, as well as a Tutorial mode to get you acquainted with the franchise's traditionally responsive and intuitive game dynamic.

In addition, Namco Bandai is promising a selection of imaginative mini-games, gamesharing for head-to-head fun, and ad hoc support for full-on competitive play.

On paper, everything looks promising, then. But on paper Borg should have eased to his fifth Wimbledon victory when he met a young McEnroe for that classic confrontation back in 1980 � and things didn't quite go according to plan.

Smash Court Tennis 3 will inevitably have to face up to Virtua Tennis 3 (and its predecessor, too: 2005's highly regarded Virtua Tennis World Tour), and we'll know how difficult that match is likely to prove when we get our hands on Sega's contender later this month. Smash Court Tennis 3 may yet need all the preparation it can manage between now and release.

PSP's Test Drive Unlimited gets a new trailer

Our resident driving expert is away – probably doing donuts in a deserted multi-storey carpark – but we know he's looking forward to Test Drive Unlimited.

And with the release date almost visible in the distance, it's time for the obligatory promo video download. Cue the funky electronica...

All the features that got us excited seem to be in place. The graphics are crisp, and the sense of speed palpable, with no pop-up in evidence. There are also plenty of shiny-looking cars: 30 manufacturers, such as Lamborghini, Aston Martin, Mercedes, Saleen, Shelby, and Jaguar are included.

It's harder to tell how the game handles from a video, but the 'slipstream' and 'drift' cues are present and correct. The 'if it moves, challenge it to a race' gameplay is highlighted too, as is the four-way head-to-head wi-fi racing mode.

Check it out for yourself by hitting the 'Watch It!' button to get your hands on the 38MB QuickTime movie.

Test Drive Unlimited is due to hit the streets on the 23rd March.

Exclusive: I-play set to unleash Pillowfight

How do you buck the trend of entirely original mobile games not selling as many downloads as they ought to? If you're I-play, the answer apparently lies in scantily-clad ladies thumping one another with bedding. Pillowfight is that game, and we won't argue with the publisher's claim that it's "the only game to feature gorgeous gals battling each other with pillows". You get to play a French maid or cheerleader, and the controls are resolutely one-thumb. The game will also be the first to feature I-play's new 'I-play lounge' technology, enabling you to upload high scores and download wallpapers of the contestants as you progress through the game. Pillowfight should be out in May, and when we talked to I-play boss David Gosen at 3GSM for an interview we'll publish later this week, he hinted that it may also become an online casual game, or even transfer to Xbox Live Arcade in the future. Exciting stuff. For now, here's hoping it kicks off a new genre of casual games based on popular boarding-school activities. Gameloft could do Midnight Chinese Burns, for example. Glu could do Super KO Bogwash. And... okay, maybe not.

MySims comes to DS

For a game famously inspired by the dollhouse decorating habits of creator Will Wright's daughter, it's amazing how many different situations the concept of The Sims has been applied to. There's been everything from pets, to hot dates, university, celebrities and business. Oh, and ants – really!

Now, with its latest version for Nintendo consoles (in this case Wii and DS), in MySims Electronic Arts appears to have decided to drop in elements from a couple of other simulation type games too, notably Sim City and Theme Park.

Of course, you'll start off creating your own highly customisable little fella (or gal). Everything from body shape to clothes and hairstyle – pig-tails, baseball caps, dreadlocks and mohawks – will be optional and, in contrast to previously games, presented in a highly manga-esque art style. You'll also be able to unlock extra clothing, hairstyles, accessories and expressions throughout the game.

But the main focus of MySims is customising the rundown leisure resort in which your MySim finds itself. In this respect, the game seems to be a bit like the DS version of The Sims 2, a game we were suprised to enjoy as much as we did, in which you had to take over a tired hotel and build it up into a successful operation.

In MySims, however, the game's scope appears to be much bigger, as you get a selection of basic building templates and object creation tools to shape the total look and feel of your resort – everything from new homes and businesses to leisure pursuits and even furniture, as well as the ability to landscape the environment with flowers and plants.

That said, as a single-player-only experience (again, like The Sims 2), it seems you'll have to follow a fairly linear plot, as the residents of the resort provide you with their requests and missions to satisfy. Less sandbox then, more join the dots.

Monster Hunter Portable 2nd sells half a million on day one

News reaches us from Japan that Monster Hunter Portable 2nd sold half a million copies on day one of its release.

Of course, Japan is a land of cryto-zoology fanatics. If it's plastered with dragons (or any other mythical beast for that matter), be it a lunchbox, a packet of tissues, or a game, then chances are it will sell by the lorry load there. So it comes as little surprise that Monster Hunter Portable 2nd has given the PSP software sales a beastly boost.

Still, if the popularity of the new Monster Hunter game is sustained beyond its launch weekend, then the bundle (which includes the bizarre inclusion of cuddly meat) of the game could help to shift a few more PSPs in a region that currently seems near-obsessed with the DS.

Even though there have been roughly five million PSPs sold in Japan so far, games released for Sony's handheld seldom make a dent in the Japanese top ten. Demand for Monster Hunter Portable 2nd however has been greater than even the likes of Pokemon Diamond, Dragon Quest Monsters Joker and Final Fantasy III. All top-selling DS titles, all with monsters.

Perhaps the real question is: Are monsters the new stealth? Probably not, but at least they are helping to fly the PSP flag where it needs flying most.

Hovr launches ad-funded mobile games service

Hovr has officially launched an advertising-funded mobile games service, following a two-month beta test that saw more than 200,000 free game downloads.

The service already has more than 100 games on offer, and reckons that advertising will help more people to start downloading games to their phones, rather than just playing what's preloaded when they buy them.

"Most people who play games are just playing free demos or the games that are preloaded on their phone," says Hovr president Vipul Sawhney. "And when you ask them what's holding them back from buying new games, one of the biggest reasons is price. Games are out of reach for a large majority of mobile subscribers."

Hovr's solution is advertising-funded games, using its technology to insert ads in the dead space within games, such as loading screens.

The company has signed deals with over 15 developers and publishers, including Kiloo, Ozura and Robotube Games. However, the big names – like EA Mobile, Gameloft and Glu – are conspicuous by their absence.

"We're definitely interested in speaking to the larger players like those companies," says Sawhney. "The situation is that it's still early days for these advertising-supported games, so we're starting off with some of the smaller publishers."

Hovr hasn't announced yet who'll be advertising within the games on its service, although Sawhney says you can assume it'll be media-savvy companies who are keen to reach 12-29 year-olds, plus companies selling other forms of mobile content, such as ringtones and wallpapers.

Sawhney is also keen to stress that its service isn't just about adverts. Hovr also includes social networking profiles, where you set up a profile on the Hovr site, invite your friends to join, and can upload high scores – and be sent an alert when a friend beats your score.

That said, this does filter into the advertising side too. "With all these capabilities, we have a much more targeted impression of who you are, and when you play," reckons Sawhney.

"We can use this to target you in the manner that's most relevant to you. We don't share your personal data with advertisers, but for example an advertiser like a beer company might come to us and say they want to target people who are 21 years or older, and who can buy beer in the US."

One obvious reason why some of the big publishers haven't dived into the ad-funded model may be their fears that giving games away for free with ads will stop people from buying full-price games. It's certainly something we've heard them say at industry conferences. How does Sawhney respond?

"We don't see that at all," he retorts. "People will realise it's not the case. We'll actually be helping the premium downloads, because we'll be getting people who are unaware of mobile gaming to try it on a free level first, but then they'll go on and buy premium games if they have a good experience."

Hovr went officially live today: check the website here. And stand by for a feature later this week, where we'll be testing a selection of the games, to see how they compare to the ones you can pay for elsewhere. (Click 'Track It!' to be reminded via email).

DS manga get organised in Naruto: Ninja Council 3

No one ever seems to have a good word to say about the men from the council. They're either increasing our taxes, setting up road calming humps, or fining us for putting envelopes into our paper recyling sack (by mistake, we didn't mean it!). If it was a Ninja Council, we assume the level of compliance from the local population would improve somewhat. The first Naruto on DS (the previous two titles being GBA games), we don't imagine the latest in the manga spin-off series involves going around cleaning up graffiti or dealing with noisy neighbours. Instead, you'll work your way through 60 missions using a fluid attack system that enables you to combo the jutsu techniques from over 20 characters. Plot-wise, headstrong ninja-in-training Naruto Uzumaki and classmates Sakura and Sasuke will be doing their best to learn the importance of friendship, teamwork, loyalty, hard work, and beating crap out of their enemies – all under the watchful eye of their teacher, Kakashi. And after you've attempted to battle your way to the top as your favourite character from the TV show, you'll be able to relax with your friends via the four-way multiplayer battle mode. Due a 2007 release in the US, there's not yet a confirmed European publisher for Naruto: Ninja Council 3. Let's just hope it can repair the damage to handheld ninjitsu's reputation following the lamentable Shinobido on PSP, which we reviewed earlier this week.

Things are hotting up on DS for SpongeBob and Friends

Most of us at Pocket Gamer are supposedly grown up, which occasionally makes us wonder if we should put childish things away. Then a box set of Futurama or perhaps Family Guy will beckon us into their warm embrace, and we may as well be 14 again.

Fair enough, you think – but surely SpongeBob SquarePants is a step too juvenile? So my guilty secret is out. If I'm honest, I actually enjoy the antics of Bob of the spongey pantaloons, Patrick Star and Eugene Krabs.

Whether that enthusiasm will transfer to the latest SpongeBob SquarePants game remains to be seen, however. There have been plenty of previous game examples – mainly on the GBA, but a couple on DS – and they haven't been too impressive. In fact, most have been downright pants.

This time, as the 'and Friends' part of the title informs us, Bob and Pat will be joined by their Nicktoons chums in the battle against an evil spirit from the Ghost Zone, who plans to destroy their island paradise.

So as well as the SpongeBob SquarePants dudes, you'll be able to choose playable characters from some ten other Nicktoons series, including Danny Phantom, The Fairly OddParents and Jimmy Neutron. There'll also be an option to play through the game in a co-operative two-player mode.

Not surprisingly, the action itself will be strictly of the 2D action platforming and exploration variety, as you make your way up the dreaded volcano, disposing of various cartoon villains as you go.

Until we hear more about why this game will be different from previous examples, we'll not be too excited. But perhaps there's still time to get some good news from publisher THQ: SpongeBob SquarePants and Friends: Battle for Volcano Island isn't due for release until June.

Spin-It! on mobile phones

Reaxion is putting a new spin on the classic 'match three coloured shapes' puzzle genre – literally!

The game is called Spin-It!, and has an innovative structure that involves rotating a mechanism to match coloured spheres in sets of three.

There's also the usual bonuses that help you create chains and boost your score, with special balls including Bomb, Rainbow, Painter and Link Ball to collect and use.

The game will feature four modes: Career, Action, Puzzle and – for the really hardcore players – Endless. The game supports Reaxion's own Gamarama community for players to upload high scores, while also going to the Gamarama website to chat to other players.

Spin-It! is launching soon in the US, and hopefully soon after over here in Europe too.

Will Galaxy's End bring the RTS genre to PSP?

In terms of difficulty, securing a publishing deal as a start-up video games developer is as tricky as finding a suitable use for the Millennium Dome. And if what you're trying to get published isn't part of an existing franchise or licensed to a major brand, then you may as well step into a Canadian grizzly bear sanctuary wearing a blazer lined with the freshest Scottish salmon. You'd have a better chance of winning over the bear than attempting to sell an original game idea within a publisher's meeting room (and you won't get torn to pieces as much – grizzlies aren't a match for marketing men).

So it's tough to be lost in the gaming space without a publisher – but Tiki Games isn't afraid of boldly going where few have gone before. Undeterred by the cold darkness of uncertainty it faces, the developer has been working on Galaxy's End, an original sci-fi realtime strategy concept designed specifically for PSP. This means that the convoluted control system usually associated with such titles has been streamlined to compensate for the fact that the last time we looked, the PSP didn't come with a slide-out keyboard.

We don't know how well this works in practice (Tiki is reporting the feedback it's had so far in this regard has been encouraging) but judging from the work-in-progress screenshots and accompanying trailer (click 'Watch It!'), all of the staple elements of an RTS appear solidly in place.

Galaxy's End currently seems promising, even if unlikely to prove revolutionary. That's by no means a criticism – the PSP could certainly do with an RTS, if only to broaden its horizons, and in the absence of competition there's surely no need to re-invent the warp drive?

Of course, without a publisher on board we'll never know, so let's hope one keeps its marketing department at bay long enough to give Galaxy's End the chance it seemingly deserves.

Fish Tycoon swims onto mobile

It must be fun being a fish breeder. Plonk a pair of guppies in a tank, stir in some Viagra, and await some frenzied fin action. Something like that, anyway.

Fish Tycoon may disprove our sketchy theory. It's a Tamagotchi-style game where you play a fish breeder, who has to save the eco-system of a magical island called Isola by, well, breeding fish. Stick to what you know, we say.

You control a virtual aquarium, and have to feed your fish and keep them healthy, while also breeding them to get new varieties. There's over 400 types of fish in the game, apparently, some of whom have special powers and magical properties.

Fish Tycoon is due out by summer, and is being published by Oberon Games, which is one of the larger web gaming firms, so has plenty of experience in these types of casual games. Check the trailer out below.

Panel de Pon gets DS upgrade

Buoyed no doubt by the massive success of Tetris DS, Nintendo today announced that the latest beneficiary of the revamp-o-wand will be Panel de Pon, a puzzle game that has been previously released as Tetris Attack, Pokemon Puzzle League and Pokemon Puzzle Challenge.

Never heard of it? Not to worry, it's pretty simple: players swap adjacent tiles in a large wall of blocks, with the aim being to make horizontal or vertical lines of three or more to delete them. A bit like Zoo Keeper, come to think of it.

In addition to benefiting from touch-screen control, the game will feature both a mission mode and a puzzle mode, the latter of which sees players trying to clear the screen of blocks with a limited amount of moves.

The game makes use of the DS' wi-fi capabilities to provide not only four-player local matches, but also battles over the Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection, complete with full voice-chat support.

Also new to this edition are items, which are used in competitive matches to hinder your opponent's progress.

Panel de Pon is set for a Japanese release on the 26th of April for
the modest price of 3,800 Yen (approximately £16). Although there's no word of an international release, if it's as succesful as Tetris DS we'd certainly not rule it out. Click on 'Track It!' and we'll keep you informed.

Tom and Jerry get new mobile game

Tom and Jerry isn't much like the real world, is it? At least not in our house, where despite the cat bringing in a bedraggled rodent every couple of days, they've never once been on the wrong end of an anvil as a result.

Glu's previous Tom and Jerry games have been extremely popular with The Kids, but the publisher's new effort has the potential to cross over to grown-ups, too. It's called Tom and Jerry Pinball Pursuit, which should give you a clear idea about the game's content.

Yep, it's pinball, with the distinctly disturbing sight of a ball-shaped Jerry being pinged around three colourful tables. Each table is based on a certain area of the pair's house, which will be recognisable to anyone who's a fan of the original cartoons.

We had a go at 3GSM last week, and the game is looking really nice, with bold visuals and a great variety of angles for Jerry to travel in.

Tom and Jerry Pinball Pursuit is due out in the first half of this year, and already seems a cut above the usual lazy pinball tie-in games that have made themselves a nuisance on mobile in the past.

Pandora Bricks promises thrilling four-play for mobile owners

As you'll have noticed, there's no shortage of Breakout clones available for mobile. It's partly because the mechanics of hitting a ball with a bat to destroy bricks suit the confines of a mobile screen, and partly because they sell like hot cakes.

Pandora Bricks is another in a long line of bat-and-ball games to hit your phone, but it's at least trying something different, by sticking four bats on the screen, two running up and down the sides, and two moving across the top and bottom.

In solo mode, you control the bats at the top and bottom, while your mobile controls the ones at the sides. There's also a multiplayer mode, using Bluetooth, in which a nearby friend takes over the mobile's role. In the latter mode there are 30 levels to play through, plus three bosses to defeat.

As you'd expect, there are power-ups to collect along the way, including multi-balls, mallets, caterpillars and magnetic fields. There's also a plot concerning a battle between Chaos and Orde, an ultimate being called Enki, and a hero called, erm, Gilgamesh. We'll need to brush up on our mythology.

Plot aside, it's the quad-bat system and multiplayer mode that may mark Pandora Bricks out as an original addition to the Breakout genre. We'll have a review for you soon.

Akira Hero leaps onto mobile

You can't beat a good Super Mario platform game that involves jumping on cartoon enemies' heads. And Akira Hero is a new game that provides exactly that.

Based on OrangePixel's existing Dynamo Kid games, it's a bouncy platformer with nine levels and more than 30 bonus rooms to explore, plus a skirmish game mode that generates random levels whenever you play.

As the name implies, the visuals are distinctly Manga-influenced, while there's a Princess Peach

Akira Hero is out this month, including a free version on the advertising-supported GameJump to save along the way. The game also works with OrangePixel's online rumbleX high score tables, so you can see how you rate against other players. portal. OrangePixel says it's the first in a new line of hardcore games, to add to its existing one-thumb and casual mobile games.

First shots of Rayman Kart Mobile

Kart games are an oddity. Too often, slapping existing characters from other genres into a cartoon racer results in a tawdry piece of brand extension that only a loon would want to play.

On the other hand, if you want proof that transferring characters from, say, a platform game to a kart game can be genius, you don't have to look further than Nintendo's Mario Kart.

Gameloft hopes Rayman Kart will follow the success of the latter, clearly, and it was shaping up well when we got hands on at 3GSM last week. Now the company has released first shots of the game, so you can see too. Nice, innit?

Needless to say, we'll be reviewing the game when it emerges faster than Rayman can say, "Isn't my lack of limbs a problem when it comes to handbrakes, steering wheels and pedals?", so hit 'Track It!' for a trackside seat.

Location-based Triangler scoops top gong at IMG Awards

Prizes too for Crazy Matches, Mega Monster, 3D Tilt-a-World and Anima Wars

We're still recovering from a few days' hectic networking at the 3GSM show in Barcelona (too much paella and sangria), but one story well worth reporting is the culmination of the 2006 International Mobile Gaming Awards.

Having whittled down 400 entrants to 26 nominees before 3GSM, Barcelona saw the winners announced in five categories, plus a Grand Prix award for the best overall game.

That top award went to Triangler, which also won the Most Innovative Game prize. Created by Dutch research institute TNO, it's a location-based game for two teams of 100 players who have to run around encasing each other in 2,000-metre equilateral triangles. As you do. The game uses GPS, voice and chat communications.

The Best Interactive Experience (that is, the most fun) award went to 3D Tilt-a-World from US developer Super Happy Fun Fun. We've written about this gem before: it's a 3D ball-rolling game that uses your phone's camera to tilt the playfield.

Meanwhile, the Excellence In 3D award went to Australian developer Firemint for its Mega Monster game, which sees you playing an extremely angry monster smashing towns to bits.

Best Use Of Connectivity went to Anino Mobile for its Anima Wars game, which combines turn-based strategy with 3D hack'n'slash action for up to eight players over the network.

Finally, the Best Use Of Flash award went to Polish firm IKS Mobile for its Crazy Matches, a suitably silly (in a good way) collection of mini-games starring zany sticks of fire-lighting fun. This award was for the best Flash Lite game – a technology we'll be hearing more about in connection with mobile gaming in the coming months.

Dragon Ball Z: Shin Budokai 2 to enter the PSP arena

Last year's Dragon Ball Z: Shin Budokai was mostly well-received by fighting fans, not least those who enjoy two-player ad hoc battles and also have a penchant for the Dragon Ball Z anime series on which the game is based.

The just-announced sequel, which pits combatants from DBZ, Dragon Ball GT and Dragon Ball

And it does so while wrapping everything up in an all-new story arc following the future world of Trunks on his adventures against rival Majin Buu.

Other than that, it's more or less business as usual – the game even features the same cel-shaded, cartoon-styled graphical look as its predecessor. We'll find out whether it plays any better this May, which is when Dragon Ball Z: Shin Budokai 2's fighting is schedule to begin. worlds, will not to tinker with the fundamentals but does offer an apparently improved fighting system, with over 50 new fighting skills and ultimate attacks.

Ghost Rider races onto mobile

For most of us, fiery vengeance is what happens the morning after an ill-advised curry.

That's not the case for Johnny Blaze, though. He wreaks fiery vengeance every night in his role as the Ghost Rider, an immortal motorcycle stunt rider who roams the streets seeing off evil gangs.

You might know him from his Marvel comic, but now he's got his own mobile game too (ahead of an upcoming movie) courtesy of Hands-On Mobile.

The core of the game involves racing the streets killing enemies using fire balls, shotguns and, erm, 'hell chains'.

You can do power slides and wheelies along the way, which build up a 'flame bar' that when full, gives you invulnerability, unlimited fire balls and a speed boost for a limited period. If only real-world motorbikes had these kinds of features.

The game includes story levels, where you eliminate enemy henchmen and then see off their boss, and bonus levels which are more about big stunts.

Ghost Rider is out soon, and we'll have a review for you soon. Once we've recovered from that vindaloo, obviously.

Harvest Moon DS sprouts in AprilHarvest Moon DS sprouts in April

Originally we expected the first DS version of cute farming sim Harvest Moon to provide a tasty winter crop, but its release slipped away like a mad cow surfing down a muddy hill. So European agriculturists will be pleased to hear that their time to plant has finally been dated on the 13th April - check out our review of the US version for more details of what you should expect as you attempt to turn around a failing farm in Forget-Me-Not valley.

There's also good news for those green-fingered folk who couldn't resist the temptation and have imported the game. The second DS Harvest Moon is already in development.

Entitled Harvest Moon: The Island I Grew Up On, this time your farming scenario will be set on an island. You won't be stranded alone though as your mum, dad, brother and sister will also be there. Other details remains scarce at present but it seems that the island setting will affect the type of crops you can grow with rice rumoured to be an option. The graphics are expected to receive a major overhaul too - the GBA-quality graphics of Harvest Moon DS being one of our main criticisms of an otherwise enjoyable game.

Harvest Moon DS will be sprouting from the ground on 13th April. As yet there's no release date for Harvest Moon: The Island I Grew Up On.

Ronaldinho hits mobile for some street soccer skills

I didn't manage to visit Spanish developer LemonQuest at 3GSM this week, but I wish I had. The company was showing off a stack of new games, including some based on Brazilian footy ace Ronaldinho.

Ronaldinho Street Soccer features seven-a-side matches on the streets, with 32 national teams and big-headed cartoon players, including an entire squad seemingly consisting of Ronaldinhos. Imagine the tricks!

LemonQuest has four other Ronaldinho games on its slate, too. Ronaldinho Gaucho Kicks has you booting footballs in what looks very much like a soccer-themed Zuma, while Ronaldinho Gaucho Goal! is a dribbling sim, complete with opponents who get in your way if you don't stun them with the football. Ronaldinho Gaucho Tricks is Tetris, except with more toothy Brazilian maestros in, and Ronaldinho Gaucho Bubbles is Bust-a-Move with colourful footballs.

While we'd prefer to see a few more footie-playing zombies in the mix, we like the concept of branding existing puzzle games with footballers. Do you think someone'll do it here in the UK with Wayne Bridge? Perhaps not.

3GSM 2007: Armored Forces invading the UK

While at 3GSM, I hooked up with German firm Lbxgames, which showed me its latest games.

Pick of the bunch was Armored Forces, which originally came out late last year in partnership with Siemens in Germany, but is now about to be released in the UK.

It's a strategy game set in the year 2456, with you taking on an evil federation of megacorporations (in other words, the likes of Starbucks have got too big for their boots).

You play as the Armored Forces rebel group, which is pluckily defending its home planet of Perseus. The game is turn-based, with you controlling dozens of units and weapons on a 2D map. There are 13 different missions in the solo mode.

Do the screenshots remind you of anything? Yep, it's reminiscent of Nintendo's Advance WarsAncient Empires

There's also a multiplayer pass-the-handset mode, which sound like it'll add a new challenge, and Lbxgames also says it supports 'booster packs', which are downloads of new campaigns, missions and weapons. series on GBA and DS, which on mobile makes its nearest competition Glu's series.

Embrace the dark side in SW: The Force Unleashed

DS and PSP versions in the works
It's a frightening thought but 2007 marks the 30th anniversary of the original Star Wars film. Perhaps even more amazing however is that those creative types at Lucasarts have managed to come up with yet another scenario to design a game around. At this rate, there's little doubt we'll still be pretending to be Jedi in 2037.

In the case of Star Wars: The Force Unleashed, your allegiance is of a distinctly murky kind though – who would have guessed Darth Vader had a secret apprentice?

That's you, that is.

Plot-wise, sandwiched between Star Wars: Episode III Revenge of the Sith and Star Wars: Episode IV A New Hope, in The Force Unleashed you'll have your work cut out as you run around the universe hunting down fugitive Jedi and Force-sensitive Felucians, amongst other rebel scum.

Locations will include Wookiee homeworld Kashyyyk, the floral Felucia, junk planet Raxus Prime, plus an Imperial TIE fighter construction facility.

As the title suggests, the Force plays a major role in the game. You'll have four main powers to toy with – push, grip, repulse and lightning – which can be combined together for moves of pure evil destructiveness.

Or as Lucasarts puts it: "The Secret Apprentice won't just Force grip foes to throw them aside. He'll Force grip them in midair, zap them with lightning, then drop them to the ground to explode like a bomb."

What a bad boy.

What we're less certain about is how the DS and PSP versions of the game will differ from their big console brothers. For example, Lucasarts is making a big song-and-dance about arcane technologies such as 'Digital Molecular Matter' and 'Euphoria Behavioural Simulation', which are too processor intensive to run on handheld devices.

Hopefully this implies there are different game developers looking after the DS and PSP versions, who will make the most of those handhelds' available power and features, although nothing has yet be confirmed.

Star Wars: The Force Unleashed is due for release in November, but hit the 'Track It!' button to get breaking news as soon as it's out.

Handy Games offer first glimpse of Townsmen 4

HandyGames' Townsmen strategy series has accounted for many a happy hour in the Pocket Gamer offices, with the most recent title deservedly scooping one of our silver awards for its troubles. We were therefore heartened to discover this week that its German publisher is planning a fourth extension in the series. Indeed, as these first shots illustrate, construction on Townsmen 4 is well and truly underway. Though set in 'dark medieval times', this latest outing has a religious overtone, as you swap the lordly robes of previous games for the monastic cloth and take control of a monastery. Subtitled The Brotherhood, the game will apparently offer a host of new features such as 'proselytising, or the mixing of brew-mixtures in your monastery's own brewery'.

3GSM 2007: We interview Kiloo about taking C64 and LEGO mobile

For anyone who grew up with a Commodore 64, the recent news that Kiloo had signed a deal to bring a bunch of classic C64 titles to mobile phones was unfeasibly exciting. The games you grew up with, now in the palm of your hand – without the lengthy tape-loading delay before you play.

There are some questions though, particularly over which games Kiloo will release, and whether they'll be based on the most famous C64 titles (those that haven't already been brought to mobile, of course, like Turrican).

I sat down with Karl Woods from Kiloo at 3GSM to find out.

"The games we've got are the original Commodore-published games," Woods says. "We've not gone for third-party brands though. For example, we could have gone for Ghosts And Goblins, but that would have meant going to Capcom to get the rights, and I assume they wouldn't want to give them to us! But there's enough: there's about a thousand titles to pick from, so we've taken 22 of the ones that we think will work on mobile."

As we reported previously, Jupiter Lander will be the first game to be released. Woods says that because some of the 22 chosen games are so simple, Kiloo will be selling multi-packs, where you get three C64 games in one package. Dancing Monster is one game likely to get this treatment, apparently.

The other big question about this deal is whether modern-day mobile users are really interested in playing old C64 games? After all, even average handsets are capable of graphics a console or computer generation or two beyond the C64, while the better phones are pushing PlayStation 1 quality. Do people want old 8-bit games on their phones?

"All I know is that people's gaming habits haven't changed over all the years, and this just goes back to the roots of gaming," says Woods. "We might polish games up to the standards of new handsets as they come out, but the games are the games. The operators love this too, because a lot of the games managers grew up with the Commodore 64, so they love the brand. It makes them feel like they're a kid again."

Even as a committed C64-lover, I do still have some reservations – not least because most of my favourite games on the computer WEREN'T published by Commodore, so won't be covered by the deal. Still, Kiloo is talking about doing some interesting competitions when the games launch, such as giving away a full C64 setup including a tape drive and proper joystick. It'll certainly be worth watching.

Kiloo is also working with another iconic brand, LEGO, developing games based on the classic toy set, but also on its higher-tech Bionicle spin-off. Woods says the latter is perfect for mobile, not least because many of the keenest Bionicle fans are also already playing mobile games regularly.

If you read our review of LEGO Racer, you'll be aware that the classic LEGO games have so far not featured the level of customisation you would have hoped for. You can't build stuff, in other words. But hold your horses: that's changing.

"Our first game was LEGO Soccer, which came out for the World Cup and was quirky, but it wasn't core to the LEGO brand," admits Woods. "They don't play football! LEGO Racer is getting closer, as bits on your car can fall off. The next game in the series is even closer to the core values of LEGO, and the fourth will be even more so."

"We'll be getting close to the core value of personalisation: not destruction, but construction," he concludes.

3GSM 2007: Hands on with Rayman Kart

This week is 3GSM, the mobile industry's annual shindig in Barcelona. Mobile games publishers keep a fairly low profile at the event: most are here, but buzzing around having meetings rather than splashing out on big stands.

One company that does have a stand is Gameloft, and they're showing off some new games on it. Yesterday I got hands on with Rayman Kart, which is basically Mario Kart with less plumbers, and more limbless French slightly-doglike heroes.

It seems fun, with you able to race as Rayman, Globox, a rabbid or other characters from the series. You steam around colourful tracks bouncing off rivals and picking up power-ups to flatten them with � examples being some boxing gloves, a nuke and something called a 'mega fist', which I won't speculate about.

There's three categories of race to enter, grouped by cc to indicate the power of the karts.

Mobile is still waiting for a truly great Mario Kart clone, but Rayman Kart is shaping up as a decent stab at the genre.

More from the Gameloft stand � and other publishers � over the next couple of days, so stay tuned!

Crimson Fields ported to Pocket PC

As announced on FreewarePPC (set pop-up blockers to stun) is Crimson Fields Mobile, a Windows Mobile port of the free open source turn-based strategy war game inspired by Battle Isle.

According to Wikipedia, "The maps in Crimson Fields are made up of hexagonal tiles. Each tile can be made of a different terrain. Different units have different amounts of mobility in different terrain. For example, tanks can move quickly on roads, slowly in forests, and cannot move at all in water.

"There are also buildings in the game. All buildings can store units. Some buildings can also build units and repair units. These two operations cost crystals, the game's form of resources. While buildings cannot be built, they can be captured, along with all of the units stored within them, using infantry."

Crimson Fields Mobile is compatible with all VGA and QVGA Pocket PCs and Smartphones, and is available to download here.