E4's Great British Summer of Games # 3: The Rather Difficult Game

Back in the twenties, vaudeville performers often had more than one string to their bow, juggling, two or three things at once. The Rather Difficult Game knows its roots, and right from the word go you're back in the twenties.

With a classy piano track and beautiful styling, your job is to keep three different tasks on the go at the same time. The action is fierce and frantic, insanely so after the two minute mark, and the music merely adds to the tension. It's like you're actually performing on stage; luckily no-one boos if you fail.

The first task seems simple as your clockwork dog herds cats to keep them on a rug. Don't be fooled! Close approach will send the cats scampering away, and mindlessly rushing to correct your error just makes things worse. Heaven forbid you should cross the rug, sending them in all directions. After a few disasters though, you'll gain mastery of this sport only to be forced into jelly nailing.

Yes, jellies need to be nailed to the wall while you're watching those damn cats. Worse still, you can't see all the action as the only visible screen is the one you're working on.

Think you can handle two games, do you? Then how about forcing toothpaste back into the tube as well. At this point, the game gets really tough as you try to balance time in all three zones. Cats you thought safe, jellies properly tacked and toothpaste retrieved all go awry in seconds. Even those with a cool, calm exterior will feel the beads of sweat past the two minute mark.

You definitely improve with pracice but gaining the grand prize requires breaking the four minute barrier. This will take time to hone your skills and abilities, not helped by the slightly temperamental controls. Yes, The Rather Difficult Game's downfall is that the game doesn't seem to react as quickly as you'd want. Nails don't go in where you want them, the dog doesn't move to the right place until the second click and the toothpaste seems unstoppable.

This all does add to the tension, but it may be better to tempt your friends to play during the lunch break. There you can watch with amusement as they struggle like idiots trying to balance everything.

The Rather Difficult Game is an engaging little title which you'll find yourself going back to again and again to beat your best time. You'll be doing it in private so no-one is sniggering behind your back but you will be back. Oh yes!