INTRODUCTION

    Tired of Tetris? Bored of Brickbreaker? Are you an arcade junkie looking for something a bit different? Astraware, famous for their cartoon-style
graphics and addictive titles, have recently released My Little Tank (MLT) for Pocket PC. This game lets you
blast you way through 60 levels of destruction. Is MLT as fun and addictive as their other titles? Or was I left feeling a bit "shellshocked"… Read on as we put this game to the test.

SETUP

    Installing MLT was a breeze, no issues were encountered. If you choose the "download it" option, the installer allows the user to specify their
Operating System. I thought this was a nice touch; a simple way to select your OS, plus it allows the developer to maintain one download file. Alternately, you can access the cab files by clicking the "more options" link. After installing the game directly on the storage card, it booted up without any problems.

Here’s a shot during install. The user can select the appropriate Operating System (I didn’t see any today screens though).

Here’s a shot of the splash screen; load time was quick (> 3 seconds).

From the intro page, a user can access Options, Register, view High Scores, read the Help file, Start/Resume
Gameplay or Exit.

Here’s a view of the help file. It provides a quick rundown on available powerups, among other things.

The Options page is a portal for accessing Controls, Sound and Gameplay.

These pages allow a user to configure the controls, or enable/disable sound.

Here’s a view of the Gameplay options page.

PRODUCT FEATURES

    MLT starts off with an optional tutorial. It is helpful and unobtrusive, therefore, I would recommend
enabling this for first time users. It is on by default unless otherwise specified.

    The game has 30 levels, and the tanks you encounter vary in 5 different shades of difficulty. Powerups are
available and appear frequently. These include Health, Speed, Freeze all Enemies, Smart Bomb and Weapon Upgrades. The Speed and Freeze all Enemies powerups last for a limited time, and the Weapon Upgrades
appear to plateau after about 4 or 5 have been picked up. Extra lives appear (seldom) at random in the form of a
mini tank that must be shot to pickup the bonus life.

Here’s a view of the initial stage with the tutorial mode enabled.

Taking out other tanks is straight forward, it just involves pointing and shooting.

    The graphics look good, and each explosion is timed perfectly, providing the user with confirmation of a successful strike. The sound is clear and rich. Another handy feature, you can exit the application then resume gameplay later remaining in the same state. Also, your health state and weapon upgrades are carried through to subsequent levels.

Some static objects such as warehouses, radars, windmills and walls can also be destroyed.

Each level has objectives, some of which include defending your own base.

    Control via the D-Pad is simple, and there is no lag between issuing commands and tank movement. Note: I was required to re-map the fire button to one of the softkeys, this may just be particular to Windows Mobile 5.0 though. The game can be played with the stylus, I tried this, and it didn’t feel as natural at the D-Pad.

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HELP
SUPPORT

    Support is available via the Astraware website, I have not had the pleasure of invoking this yet so I am unable
to comment on response times, etc. The game has a help file to assist with gameplay.

SYSTEM
REQUIREMENTS

    size=2>MLT will run on the following Operating Systems and screen resolutions:

• Pocket PC 2002
  

• Windows Mobile 2003
• Windows Mobile 2003SE
• Windows Mobile 5.0

• Native 240×240
  

• Native 240×320 (QVGA)
  

• Native 480×640 (VGA)

Note: I was unable to play the game in landscape mode, only portrait. I believe landscape may work on VGA devices though; it was only tested on a QVGA device. The game consumed a little over 1.5 mb on my storage
card.

BUGS AND WISHES

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Although the game is simple and plays well, I found it far too easy and somewhat repetitive. Each level (or
every five levels) should have had a "Boss" type character to increase the challenge, and/or better AI
assigned to the enemy tanks. They just patrol rather than pursue. Also, some type of radar
would have been useful to track enemy tanks. It can be quite repetitive. The game is a little expensive for what it does, it would have been
better suited in the USD$5-$10 dollar range.

PURCHASING

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size=2>The product comes with a trial version, after which a registration key must be purchased for USD$19.95. For the trial, click here.

PROS

• 
  

  Simple, intuitive gameplay

• 
  

  Nice graphics and sound

• 
  

  Explosions offer good feedback

CONS

• 
  

  Repetitive

• 
  

  Too easy

• 
  

  Pricey for an arcade shooter

size=2>Value
Ease of Use
size=2>Features
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OVERALL
IMPRESSION

    If you’re after an arcade style shoot ‘em up with no frills, then this will entertain you for hours. If you are
looking for a strategy/campaign style game, this may leave you wanting more. Overall, the game is packaged well and
provides simple yet intuitive gameplay. Personally, I think enhancements such as better enemy AI, Bosses, and difficulty options
(at the expense of levels) would put this game on a whole new playing field. These are only my opinions though, and I am an old "skool"
gamer. I would recommend downloading the trial to see if it’s for you.