Ballerburg: Castle Siege

Remember that classic Atari arcade game, Ramparts? No? Well, you and two others sat in your castles and then proceeded to pound one another into submission with as many cannons as you could lay your hands on. In between salvos of artillery, you rebuilt your ruined walls as best you could.

Imagine that, crossed with porcine 3D Worms rip-off, Hogs Of War and you get something approaching Bailerburg. As with Rampart, you and a number of opponents sit in your 3D-rendered castles while subjecting each other to bombardment with your arsenal of siege weapons. However, now you have the chance to build workshops and laboratories to upgrade your firepower, and can also harness the power of wizardry to further harangue your opponents with lightning strikes and fire-dousing rainstorms.

Everything happens in real time, and most of your time is spent waiting for cannons to reload, making minute adjustments to their trajectories and then watching as your projectiles rain down on the enemy’s keep. Catapults, cannons, flaming catapults, primitive mortars - all can be developed and put to good use.

It’s a simple game, hardly original and of limited scope. But certainly in multiplayer, it can be an absolute blast. The thrills are unsophisticated and rely on you taking pleasure in sheer destruction, rather like a child throwing stones at a neighbour’s window, but frankly, when did that stop being fun? The only thing is, despite the flashy 3D visuals, it’s the kind of game you'd expect to download for a fiver. Twenty quid? Leave it out. Wait for it to go to Budget, then grab it.