South Park - Save Kenny

Fear not, you haven't fallen through a wormhole and emerged in 1998. Amazingly, South Park is still popular, even though most of us have either moved on to the superior Family Guy or regressed back to the classic Simpsons. It would appear that there are enough people out there still interested in the inane exploits of Kyle, Kenny, Cartman and company to merit another game based on South Park's demented universe.

As you might glean from the title, this particular release focuses on the trials and tribulations of poor old Kenny – everyone's favourite trailer trash pre-teen. The underprivileged little mite has been left to fend for himself at home (again) and it's your responsibility to ensure he keeps out of mischief.

Save Kenny plays very much like one of those Tamagotchi virtual pet devices, which is almost fitting as, like South Park, it's unbelievable to think they're still popular these days. Like all growing boys (or Tamagotchi), Kenny has three key needs: water, food, and sleep. Via a trio of basic mini-games, you can ensure he doesn't croak it due to thirst, hunger, or a lack of rest.

These small challenges are designed with mobile phones in mind, and call only for simple button presses (plus some canny timing) to succeed.

This is not the kind of game you breeze through in a few minutes, though it is ideally suited for short bursts of gameplay. In order to keep Kenny alive and well you have to keep checking back often – once a session is started, the game clock runs in real-time.

This means starting a new game (which is essentially like 'creating' a new Kenny) and then forgetting to play it for a few days before returning is a surefire way to kill your unruly charge via neglect. Like the aforementioned virtual pets, Kenny needs constant attention.

Unfortunately, this proves to be something of a double-edged sword. On the one hand, it promotes longevity and encourages repeat play. On the other, you'll have to act like some kind of obsessive mentalist in order to truly triumph. For example, leaving Kenny unattended overnight – something that is easily done if you're not some kind of neurotic nut job who happens to check their mobile every 30 seconds – usually results in you finding him dead at sunrise.

So unless you fancy rising in the wee hours to make sure things are running smoothly, you'll get fed up and stop playing after a few days of failure. To anyone who has experienced the joys of actual parenting, it's simply too much like the real thing for comfort.

However, the most infuriating aspect of Save Kenny is undoubtedly the 'threat' system. While you have control over Kenny's need for nourishment, liquid refreshment and a bit of shuteye, threats are totally beyond your control. They will slowly build up over time, regardless of how efficiently you keep on top of the other aspects of Kenny's wellbeing.

Some of these threats lead to additional mini-games (Satan makes an appearance, as do the Pink-Eye Zombies and pesky asteroids), but others, such as 'Death', simply kill Kenny outright no matter how much food, water or sleep he's had, forcing you to start all over again.

As well as being unpredictable, the threat system also withholds some of the more entertaining mini challenges from the player. You can only tackle threat-based games when they reach a certain level (this information is displayed in a sub menu), so you'll be playing the three 'basic' games an awful lot and with unrelenting repeat play over a series of days, they start to lose their entertainment value quicker than you might expect.

Graphically there is better news, with developer Humagade sticking rigidly to the classic South Park design. Thankfully, the basic nature of the original TV show means it's perfect for transition to the relatively primitive visuals of mobile phones.

Granted, that does mean there's not really a look of visual impact on display here but everything is cleanly drawn and laid out. Neat graphical flourishes – such as the particles of steam rising from the cooker as Kenny reluctantly prepares his dinner – help spruce things up slightly. Conversely, the sound is pretty dire, consisting of grating music and limp spot effects. You're likely to turn it off fairly quickly.

The concept of combining the vibrant South Park licence with the virtual pet ethos, along with the inclusion of some well-structured mini-games specifically programmed with the shortcomings of mobile phone control in mind, should have resulted in something of a classic.

Sadly, the execution has been botched slightly. Had the developer given the player the freedom to tackle all of the mini challenges whenever they so wished, then things might have been different.