In our latest (and shortest?) Ovi Gaming review, Ewan looks at MotionSpeed, perhaps a modern equivalent to Whack-a-mole. The title comes across well, though it's best played using a device with capacitive screen, which in the Ovi Store world means just the Nokia X6 at the moment. Read on...

I like complicated games, games with depth, where choices can have a long term effect on gameplay. Think strategy games, think a big Tetris-like grid to plan stuff, think chess.

But sometimes I like the simpler games. And while you can’t get much simpler than MotionSpeed (now available on Nokia's S60 5th Edition phones) is the modern equivalent of whack-a-mole. You get presented with a number of coloured circles, rather dull in colour. When one of them brightens up, all you have to do is tap it.

I almost passed over this in the Ovi Store because it is so simple, but on a whim I grabbed it. And it’s been a good relationship. Yes it’s one where there is little demand on both sides, but that means it's tough to be disappointed.

But if you consider that a game is something that challenges you and improves with you; that it should be absorbing and be a good “timewaster”; and should be something that you want to share with others. Given the above, it’s natural that the evidence points to MotionSpeed as a good game.

Each time you play, if you pass a level successfully (by pressing enough lit up buttons without making an error) you’ll be able to play at a higher level during the next game. That could be the lit pads not staying lit for as long a time as earlier levels, less of a time gap between new lights, or even more pads that could light up. At every step you’ll be handed more to deal with.

Keeping score? Well it’s a high score table of the number of consecutive correct presses, with a note on which level this happens. The real measure is how many levels you have progressed into the game.

Hints? Either play this on a non slip surface or hold your phone securely in your hand – and this is one application where the light touch on a capacitive screen (e.g. on the Nokia X6) is a huge advantage as your fingers dance over the screen – resistive screens are going to need a harder touch, which with the pace of the game leads to a drumbeat sounding whack whack whack with the pointer.

MotionSpeed is recommended as a good thing to have in a queue or when hanging around. No frills, no surprises, pure reactions, and it does what it sets out to do.

-- Ewan Spence, Aug 2010.