In a nutshell...

Super Bomberman in all but name, this simple action-puzzler is a real blast from the past.

What’s it good for?

Killing a few minutes with some bomb-chucking, zombie-exploding action.

Judgement time...

We’re not sure the makers of Super Bomberman are going to be particularly chuffed if they ever come across MiniBlaster: it’s one of the most blatant knock-offs of a video game we’ve seen, with its creators not even bothering to change the look of the main character!

Still, considering it’s totally free we don’t suppose there’s any real harm done - and in any case it’s certainly not going to rob the real Bomberman of many customers. Why? Well, it’s just not that good.

The multiplayer game (which uses a Bluetooth link-up with up to three nearby mobiles) is a straight-up recreation of the classic Bomberman game. The aim is to be the last man standing by avoiding your opponents’ bombs and cleverly placing your own. A host of powerups deliver bonuses that improve bomb range, allow you to place more bombs simultaneously or boost your life. It’s simple and it’s good fun - but honestly, how often do you play mobile games multiplayer?

You’re far more likely to reach for your Nok when you’re on your own, so the single player game is really where it’s at - and here it’s pretty damn dreary. The game makers have created a new mode where you have to kill off a handful of enemies to advance, but it’s tedious, lacking in real challenge and, well, not much fun. If only they’d simply replicated the multiplayer game with AI opponents…

Yes, MiniBlaster is free, but it could have been so much better. If you want some proper bomb-hurling kicks, we’d avoid this one and pay a few quid for the real deal.