So, you have a phone that's compatible with the upcoming Next Gen N-Gage platform, but it's still a month and a half before it launches. What should you do while you're waiting? You could check out our new regular series of Next Gen Hors D'oeuvre, which are gaming appetizers to keep you going before the Next Gen main course is served. Your Next Gen phone can already run lots of games and cool applications, and over the next few weeks we're going to highlight some of the best.

Next Gen Hors D'oeuvre 1: Snakes

What is it?

Snakes is a modern 3D reimagining of the classic 2D game Snake, which was embedded on hundreds of millions of Nokia phones since their early days.

The gameplay is far more than just collecting dots. The main concept involves following energy paths, blue rows of spinning objects arranged in various patterns. If you deviate from a path you have to start it again, and if you fail to complete enough paths within a time limit you lose a life. The paths can be quite intricate, and surrounded by various traps, so you have to be very dextrous to manoeuvre the snake all along the path in one go.

Added to this mix are 3D levels which curve and even require you to go through the floor to the other side, special squares to speed you up and slow you down, hexagonal and square grids which require different amounts of turning, teleports, bonuses, shields, solid and semi-solid walls, and a lot more besides.

The graphics are simple but effective, and look like a pulsating disco, with subtle electronic music to match.

Why should I get it?

Because it's one of the best and most original phone games ever made, and it's totally utterly 100% free.

It's also loaded with gameplay, and better than 99% of commercial phone games.

You can read our review of the original N-Gage version, the Next Gen version is pretty much the same but with much higher resolution graphics and smoother 3D.

Getting hold of Snakes

Snakes was originally written for the first generation N-Gage/N-Gage QD, but that version won't work on Next Gen phones. An updated version with support for more modern high resolution phone screens was released a few years later, and this is the version you need for your phone.

You may already have this game pre-installed on your Next Gen compatible phone, or you may be able to install it through the Download! service, but if neither of these are the case then pay a visit to the phone software page below:

Get Snakes here!

(The above page is officially for the Nokia 5700 which isn't yet Next Gen compatible, but the 5700 uses the same S60 3rd Edition software platform as Next Gen phones so this version of Snakes will work on all of them.)

To install Snakes, download the Snakes SIS file, then use the PC Suite's application installer program with the phone connected to your computer by USB cable or Bluetooth. If you don't have PC Suite installed on your PC, it's a really good idea to get it. You can download the latest version from the Nokia PC Suite page.

If you have an N95, N95 8GB, N93 or N93i, you can play Snakes on your TV set using the TV Out cable.