Arguably the best Sonic game ever made and easily one of the least played, Sonic CD was a classic that never found its way to the mainstream. This in theory is about to change with its arrival on iOS.  

But is the lack of a physical controller enough to damage the speedy Sonic gameplay experience? Does the app just not excite like the Sega games used to? Or is all the magic still there and crucially, has Sega translated the game properly onto smartphones? Read on to find out. 

Sonic CD

Format

iPhone, iPod touch

Price

£1.99

Where

iTunes

Like most of Sega's Sonic apps on the iPhone, you get the usual game pad on the left, with A and B buttons on the right. They are responsive enough to make it feel like you don't have any cheap deaths and usually send Sonic running in the right direction.

This is crucial as Sonic CD is easily the fastest of the original Sonic games and can at times require ultra quick reactions to get the hedgehog jumping and landing in the right places. It is also one of the easier of the series, which makes it a great pick up and play app for any longer train journeys. 

The best bit however is that it saves your position in game, which unlike other Sonic titles, doesn't mean you have to work back through those incredibly irritating first stages. Sure they are great, but they get boring after each game over screen. 

The actual idea of Sonic CD is no different to the other MegaDrive games, in that you just need to run to the end of a 2D racetrack collecting coins. The twist comes in the time travelling element, which allows Sonic to jump between past and future versions of the level, to see how its layout might change. It keeps the game interesting and is a particular bonus for those who plan on doing multiple playthroughs.

We didn't encounter any issues with things like lag or crashing whilst playing Sonic CD. This is a good thing as often Sega likes to release fairly buggy apps into the app store. The iPhone 4S we tested on had the game ticking over smoothly throughout. 

At £1.99 it sits between the more expensive gaming apps in the store and the 69p cheapies. In reality it outdoes both of them. This is a Sonic classic and at its price, given how it plays so well, one of our favourite apps on the iPhone so far. 

What do you think to Sonic CD? The best in the series? Let us know in the comments below ...