Hero of Sparta

Ancient mythology is a grave oft plundered for concepts, creatures and whatnot. Hero of Sparta is very much a game in this vein...

Taking ancient Greece's storybook for inspiration, you play the part of a Spartan (a hero, apparently) who has to romp around wildly hacking a bunch of monsters to save some flying lass who wants... something. The plot is not a strong one by any means. But then again, Sparta does unashamedly use it as an excuse for the running and the chopping, so nothing is really lost.

The running and chopping itself works really well, and is one of the stand out parts of the game. Innovatively using the iPhone's touch screen to form a sort of 'virtual analog stick' you can send you little Spartan off around the world, and a few taps of your finger will have him performing some basic hacks and combos.

As you progress through the hordes of random man beasts you gain new weapons and can upgrade old ones, adding a little bit of interest to what is a very simple game. The vast majority of which can disappointingly be completed by just holding down attack and pointing your guy in the right direction (which can be a bit tricky with some of the camera angles); that said, it's still quite fun, even if it isn't that challenging.

All of this choppery takes place in 3D worlds unlike any yet seen on the iPhone. The developers have done really well to squeeze this out of the tiny device; with some very shiny and varied levels providing the backdrop for the head stabbing and general hackery.

The fact that you can wade through the game, largely with one button press means that the game is never tense and there is never really any sense of achievement. The lack of any real plot is a bit disappointing, but again, in a game like this it isn't really needed; Sparta is still quite fun and very easy to pick up and play for any length of time. If you are after a casual bit of mutilation of mythology, you will be hard pressed to find a better use of your six quid on the iPhone.