Touch Cricket mini-review

I hate cricket. It is one of those games which passed me by at school and has continued to do so into adulthood, and even the recent Ashes series has done little to peak my interest. Touch Cricket, however, has certainly peaked my interest and has been dominating my free time of late.

The idea of the game is incredibly simple, as most of the best iPhone games are, and all you need to do is hits runs to reach a set score. There are some variations built-in such as 20:20 matches, the full 50 over game and quick play games which can involve achieving a set score or batting until the bowlers run out of overs. The quick play game is touch because you only get one batsman, but this proved to be a good grounding for me for when the match modes were introduced.

Learning how to bat can be quite frustrating and you should be prepared for a few days of head scratching and general annoyance as you try to understand the process. When you do finally understand how to do it the fun starts instantly. All it involves is 2 buttons, but the positioning you can create is almost endless and some days of use will get you to the point of anticipating types of delivery perfectly. However, this is not a game where you learn how to play it and then that’s it- you ‘never’ get to the point where you can win every time and it is always a challenge.

I come back to it every day and win some and then lose some. It does not matter to me because each event is useful, good or bad, and gives me experience for future games. You score by directing the ball to specific points at the side of the screen and the positioning of these points works extremely well- getting a 6 is gratifying, but you will not be attempting one too often. There are multiple areas where you can be caught and my main issue is with the one at the right-hand side, just above the panel for score 4 runs. It is a death trap and one placed so perfectly that the intensity of the game is all the better for it.

I have rarely played a game so perfectly executed from a game play point of view that I have to continually concentrate to do well. The feeling of accomplishment is great when you do well and this makes it a huge bargain at its current price point.

As with all great games, we always want more and there are some additions I would like to see added later on-

A league system where you get to play a whole season.

Bowling? This may be difficult to implement, but a similar system could be employed and this could lead to a more rounded playing experience.

Updates do continue to be added to this game and I have to recommend it highly. Whether you have a few minutes to spare for a quick knock or an hour for some serious batting action, Touch Cricket is the one to get.

More details at www.touchcricket.com.