Reviews

Thanks to the touch screen of the iPhone and Nintendo DS, a new genre has graced us recently. The line drawing game, as it's been coined, is one so simple yet so addictive that the hours soon disappear. The most notable of which being Flight Control on the iPhone and now PlayStation Network. Ivy the Kiwi?, the latest game from co creator of Sonic the Hedgehog, Yuji Naka is another liner drawer to pass away the time.

Ivy (the Kiwi) is an anxious little fella, hasty to get to its destination. Rather than control the kiwi, you control its route by drawing lines of ivy vines with the stylus (Wii remote on Wii). Ivy can't jump or help itself, and it certainly doesn't stop, so to get it to the podium destination at the end of each level, you must master how to use the ivy to avoid spike pits and deadly rats.

Although the vines you draw are used mainly as a path, they have other uses too. You can use them to push Ivy up and around obstacles as well as use them as a catapult to shoot Ivy through blocks and enemies. You are limited to only three vines at once though, so it's generally a case of mastering where to put them to get through the obstacle. It can be annoying when you draw the vines in a bad position as there is no clear way to delete them other than drawing smaller vines away from the main play area.

Along the way you can collect feathers to boost your score and earn you an extra life once you've collected 10. Some of the levels can be completed in seconds, but will take much longer if you decide to venture off course to find all the feathers the levels contain. In the main game there are ten areas, each with five levels. You are rewarded with a score and a medal upon completion with the option to go back and do better, so there's plenty to get on with.

There's also a multiplayer mode, where up to three DS owners can put their vine drawing skills against one another. The modes include a race to the podium, and one involving collecting more medals than your opponent in the allotted time. Thankfully download play is also an option for those who don't own the game but have a friend who does.

Ivy the Kiwi's story book approach looks great and and the simple controls work excellently. While at first you may struggle to get to grips with the way the game works, the level design (and tutorials) ease you in nicely. By the third chapter you'll be guiding Ivy to the end without a second thought. Not only this, but you'll be enjoying it. What may start out as quick gaming fix suddenly becomes several hours without realising. Ivy the Kiwi? Is very easy to recommend if you like simple, stylish, addictive and challenging games. Perfect for the Nintendo DS and perfect for the iPhone (hint hint).