Hands-On with the Adorable Meerkatz Challenge

Gamers from the 1990s should fondly remember Lemmings. Adorable yet dimwitted, they were a little too keen to jump off cliffs meaning it was down to you to figure out how to stop them doing exactly that. It was a fun puzzle game full of different tools to persuade the lemmings not to jump.

Kind of like that but with Meerkats, comes Meerkatz Challenge - a game set for release in a little over a week's time. The game will be immediately familiar to fans of Lemmings and in a very positive kind of way.

This time round, it's the meerkats that have a death wish and there's a different bevy of tools to keep them safe. There's the typical blocker tool but there's also the ability to use a mushroom as a giant trampoline, propelling the other meerkats skyward. A trainer meerkat encourages the others to run at speed, making it possible to get across huge gaps when combined with a mushroom spring. A blower type will keep meerkats in the air, safe from danger.

We got the chance to briefly check out Meerkatz Challenge and it's looking pretty entertaining. It offers the same vibe as Lemmings but with its own bunch of tools to keep things original. Controls are tight and effective with the option to speed things along as and when needed. Simple taps cause you to choose which tool to use and it takes seconds to master. Even in the early stages though, some careful thinking is required to get past the stage. Up to three stars can be gained depending on how successfully you completed the stage and how many meerkats you managed to save in the process.

Graphically, Meerkatz Challenge isn't going to wow audiences but it certainly offers a pleasant charm, ensuring you'll be attached to these cuddly critters.

With 4 different areas to explore and plenty of levels to negotiate, Meerkatz Challenge is shaping up to be pretty interesting.

We'll talk more about it next week, when it's released on July 24.