Sonic the Hedgehog seems to be as youthful today as he was when we first played Sonic the Hedgehog on the Sega Megadrive all those years ago, but is his latest adventure worth the bother? We got playing Sonic Dash to find out

Our quick take

FORAGAINST

Sonic Dash

Format

iPhone / iPad

Price

£1.49

Where

iTunes

Temple Run is one of the all time most popular games in the Apple App store and one of the most popular games in Google Play, so it's not surprising games companies are trying to emulate the success of the running game with their own spin or take on it.

In fairness to Sega we remember the concept of Sonic Dash in one of the early Sonic the Hedgehog games whereby you ran into the screen trying to collect coins and stay out of trouble and that's exactly what happens here.

 

That's right, you run into the screen swiping left and right, up and down to avoid the numerous pitfalls in your way. Failure to do so ends the game - just like in Temple Run - although if you've got coins and you hit a critter you just lose the coins and not your life. 

This being Sonic, you get to collect coins, try to avoid crabs, and swiping downwards turbo spins Sonic so he can knock critters out of the way.

The further you get the more the pressure builds and doing well earns you "coins" which you can spend opening up other characters from the Sonic world like Tails, or buying continues, head starts and other helpful bolt-ons.

If you can't be bothered to earn coins the good old-fashioned way by playing the game, you can buy more in app and, worryingly for parents, you can quickly spend, spend, spend. The shopping options go up to £34.99. Ouch.

As for the gameplay it's harmless fun that is as addictive as it repetitive. If you like Temple Run or those kinds of games you'll feel at home, although it's fair to say that Sonic Dash brings little extra to the experience apart from seeing Sonic's face every so often. Oh, he is so cute.