Fast and the Furious
Digital bridges/Morpheme
***
Driving games have been particularly unsuccessful on mobile phones so far, with designers continually unable to recognise the limits of the devices. But Morpheme, a developer best known for its quirky puzzle games, has gone back to basics for this licensed Java title, drawing inspiration from Atari's classic Sprint series of arcade racers - even down to the oil-slicks and puddles.

The idea is to grind your Boy Racer-style street car through a series of illegal races, picking up cash to spend on new parts. It's rudimentary stuff, but that's why it works. Before long, you'll be unable to switch it off until you've saved up for Nitro canisters. Very sad. Could have done with some kind of two-player mode, though.

Splashdown: Rides Gone Wild
THQ Wireless
***
This attempt to transport the console jet ski (sorry, SeaDoo) series to mobile phones is admirable, but not entirely successful. You can race, or take part in a freestyle mode - essentially Tony Hawk's Pro Skater on water. The isometric perspective works quite well, and the water physics model is surprisingly authentic.

But it is too easy to get disoriented in the race section, and a lack of variety in freestyle means you quickly exhaust the range of tricks. There appear to be some sprite-sorting issues, too, so when you ride behind an object, you actually over-lay it. We haven't seen that since the Spectrum days! Still, an ambitious project, and certainly worth a look if you are tired of puzzlers and platformers.