There has been something of a boom in simulating the seemingly mundane over recent years. Truck driving proved popular, and even the needs of ski lift enthusiasts have been catered for. There have been successful parodies too, such as Surgeon Simulator, but until now they've been largely limited to PC and Mac.

Farming Simulator 14 brings what one might hesitate to call "the party" to Vita, where the business of running a smallholding – harvesting, selling to market and expanding the operation – is compressed into a handheld. Largely focused on operating vehicles and machinery, it ticks along at an agreeably gentle pace, atypical of most contemporary games. Visually, Farming Simulator 14 is a shade underwhelming, and its abi lity to communicate with the player is painfully poor. There's little explanation of how to get going, resulting in an excruciatingly protracted start – who knows, perhaps real-life farming start-ups are the same? Persist, and there's a balanced, pleasant distraction tucked deep within the game, but its lumbering pace and lack of polish will limit its appeal to anyone except absolute devotees of a good old virtual mucking out.