Jumpy Junior - 3.5 stars

What is it?

Jumpy Jumper is an endless play platform game. The aim of the game is to jump between platforms without hitting walls or falling between gaps. I would describe this game as Flappy Bird meets Ninja Jump. To play the game you simply tap the screen to make the running man character jump, and the more you tap the more mid air jumps you make. This element reminds me of Flappy Bird but instead of keeping the character off the platforms, you actually only score points for landing on them. As you increase the distance travel the game increases in speed, I like this feature and I found it easier than at the slower start.  After several plays though I quickly realised that you can take advantage of the sluggish start by jumping on the longer platforms twice to build up the score quicker. 

On trend the developer has used the pixel design with minimal colours or alterations between game play. Unlike Ninja Jump the characters legs don't move, so it appearance reminds me a little of the static picture of Mario from the retro games.

The game is on the GameCentre which is a big plus for me. After seeing the highest score on the GameCentre today I knew with a bit of dedicated play I could get to the top of the Leader Board, which I did, in less than 10 minutes. There  does however seem to be a design fault with the GameCentre settings applied to the game and only one of the two Leader Boards actually works, which is a shame, but I am holding onto my victory with both hands!

This is a basic game, and similar to many others on the store at the moment, but it does what it says on the tin. If you like Flappy Bird but want to earn points for those unfortunate contact with the platform then Jumpy Junior could be for you.

Now for some ratings.....

Ease of use - 5

The game gives the basic instruction of 'Tap to Jump' at the start of each game, but that is all that is needed really. If you are part of the Flappy Generation, yes I may have just made up a new label here but hey ho, then you will take to this game like a duck to water. The only difference as I mentioned above is that you get the points for landing on the platforms, so if you jump completely over one then you have missed valuable points. 
Price - 5

This is a free game with no in app purchases.

Adverts - 5

There are footer adverts on the app, but to be fair I hardly noticed them and they didn't interrupt my game play at all. 

Keep, jury is out or delete - Jury is out

I have had the app less than a day so I am not sure how long I will keep it just yet. It is a pleasant game that was easy to just pick up and play, but it is very similar to other games out there at the moment. With that said I personally preferred it to Ketchapps Triple Jump which I still haven't managed to master. The app has could be enhanced by earning points to unlock new characters or even options to change the background that I have seen appearing here and there across the App Store in the past few weeks. 

Overall Score - 3.5 
I have selected this score by comparing it to the other apps I have been playing in the past few weeks. This is not a negative rating by any stretch of the imagination, but the concept has flooded the store and it is just missing the special difference that would make it higher. With more user options this game would keep the user engaged for longer, but download it and see what you think (link is below).

Where to find it:

Apple: https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/jumpy-junior/id950560531?mt=8

Space Mousy - 2.5 stars

What is it?

As the title say's it is a mouse in space! The aim of the game is move the mouse to avoid the comets that fire across the screen in different directions.

When you launch the app you are greeted by the Mouse in the centre of the screen with several other shaded versions with numbers. These are additional characters that are unlocked if you reach that distance. The menu screen also has a sound button to turn off the repetitive music and a link to the Game Centre. Your 'Best Distance' is displayed near the top of the screen below an odd white bar (I assume this is for banner ads that aren't being displayed). At the bottom of the screen is 'Tap to Play'... literally you have to tap those words to start the game!

Throughout the game and the menu bar there are graphics of white dots falling diagonally across the screen. Although these are stars (clue in the title ;) ) it actually looks like a snow storm, and at this time of year I liked the effect :).

When I eventually tapped to play I immediately died! In actual fact this happened three times! I eventually figured out that you don't tap the mouse to move it around you tap where you want it to go.

As I said the aim of the game is avoid the comets that fly across the screen in quite cute graphics. It is a bit of a game of pot luck if you move the mouse to the right place and even when you think you have just cleared the comets path it sometime gets you (bit like those stupid pipes in Flappy stupid Bird).

Once I figured out how to control the game I was looking forward to getting into game play...but then I found a bug :(. After four attempts at saving the mouse a full screen animated ad was displayed. I hate ads that you are forced to watch but this did allow you to close it but the cheeky thing moves where the cross is during the ad so I ended up in the App Store... but that isn't the bug. Once the advert has played and you have closed it, you return to the main menu but when you Tap to Play, nothing appears to happen. I had the sound on while playing the app and quickly realised that the game was in fact playing as I could hear the sound of the comet hitting the mouse. The only way to get back to game play was to force close the app to and reload, which does take several seconds to get back into the action. After 10 times of doing this, with regret I put the phone down. 

This app has potential to be very addictive, especially in my competitive household but the bug is just too frustrating :(

Now for some ratings.....

Ease of use - 3 

Once you figure out the controls this is ok to play but this game could really benefit from a tutorial or some instructions. I imagine as the game gets further your thumb will get in the way of play if comets are darting everywhere but I think this will add to the skill and frustration that will make it super competitive. 
Price - 5

This is a free app, but there is a paid version on the store too that I didn't review. 

Adverts - 1

There are ads in this game and I believe the inclusion of them has introduced a bug to the game. The ads are animated and can be difficult to switch off :( Unfortunately even if you do switch them off it kills game play :(

Keep, jury is out or delete - Jury is Out

Overall Score - 2.5
I feel terrible for having to give this score but the bug killed it for me. This game has potential and if it was fixed I am sure I would be playing it to the point that the phone gets thrown across the sofa in frustration then quickly retrieved to try again. I don't often do this but if the game was updated I would happily re-review to see if my suspicions about its potential are true. 

Where to find it:

Apple: https://itunes.apple.com/gb/app/id936540390?mt=8