Magnetar: Space Fighter

Gen cert, Gemeprom, iPod (also iPhone, iPad) ***

2D shooters and handheld devices are suited. Using the limited memory and horsepower of a small device, developers do well to go back to the old days for inspiration. Magnetar: Space Fighterfeels like the sort of game that you'd have pumped coins into in a seedy 1980s arcade. Controlling a small spaceship, the job is simple: blast as many incoming enemy vessels and objects as you can while avoiding annihilation frommissiles. The controls are tricky but simple. You don't have to worry too much about firing, since the game is generous enough to have the ship constantly shooting. The neat graphics ensure that the screen doesn't get too cluttered, and the electronic music is hypnotic. There's little to distinguish Magnetar from similar games on the app market, but it's nicely presented, playable – and rather cheap!