Candy Rush Review

Candy Rush is a very casual looking game indeed and one that fits in nicely with Valentine's Day. All you have to do is place various pieces of candy on a gift box then send it off for delivery. It's a bit more complicated than that with some subtle time management elements but that's the basic premise.

At the start, it's very quick and easy to do. Levels start slowly and the same pieces of candy come along, you simply put them in the box and gain some points, eventually leading to a Gold or Platinum medal. All very easy stuff. As you progress through, the conveyor belt that delivers the produce speeds up, the variety of candy increases, more gift boxes appear in need of filling and it's down to you to make fast decisions as to what to fill the gift box up with. Different combinations gain different amounts of points. You have to think fast as you tap ensuring an appropriate mix of toffee apples and chocolate strawberries for example.

The game eases you in very gently though. Perhaps too gently for experienced gamers, kids and casual gamers should like the initially slow pace though. Hopefully by the time they get to much faster levels, they'll feel comfortable enough to do well.

There's a steady stream of congratulations throughout with new bits and pieces unlocked, trophies to gain and admire, items to give your pet cat Paws who resides at the side of the screen at all times. Oh and of course high scores to beat. It's a shame there's no Game Center or Open Feint support as this seems an ideal game to offer global leaderboards or achievements. Besides the story mode, there's a Rush mode that's an endless mode basically and it would have been fun to compare leaderboards for that.

Despite this slight oversight though, Candy Rush is quite fun. You won't be too enthused by its nature if you're used to something a bit more involving or less cutesy, but it does have its benefits. Buy it for your kids or that relative who doesn't game much, then find yourself sneakily playing it when they're not looking. It'll last you long enough to be well worth the 99c.