Full House Bingo

If Full House Bingo is anything to go by, a lot has changed in the world of bingo since we last played it at some dreary holiday camp when we were ten.

For a start, the players are now a lot more glamorous. We wouldn't want to stereotype, but we were under the impression the average bingo player swigs wine from a box and shops at Iceland. However, from the six characters you play in this game it seems we're way off the mark – some wouldn't look out of place at the high stakes poker table of a casino.

Adding to the glamour are Full House Bingo's locations. These neon-lit bars aren't what you might expect, with even the bingo caller wearing a tux and looking like he might get menacing if you mention anything to do with fat ladies or little ducks.

Still, all the fancy visuals and sophistication in the world doesn't detract from the basic fact that bingo isn't the most exciting game on our planet to be playing without the lure of a big money prize. So has enough been done to make it an enjoyable experience to play on mobile?

In short, yes, it has.

Your bingo playing career begins up against one solitary player and with just one card to concentrate on. The numbers called appear in the top left of the screen, with three displayed at a time before being knocked out of view. In the beginning, pressing the '*' button will scroll through these quicker, although by halfway through the game they'll be coming so fast you're unlikely to need or want to use it.

Crossing the numbers off your card as they come up is as simple as it sounds. It requires intense concentration to get them all – especially later on – although it's not very skillful or particularly thrilling. Luckily, more gameplay is brought in with so-called Sudden Events and Power Tricks.

Sudden Events are like mini-games triggered while you play. By ascertaining the location of a Joker card or correctly guessing a number that's obscured from view, you win extra prize money or Power Tricks.

These Power Tricks are like collectable items and can be used at any point during the game. There are different types, ranging from a pair of lips, which blows a kiss at the opponent of your choice and destracts them from getting their next few numbers, to the 'gold number', which guarantees the number you need is called next.

While you can't see your opponents' cards, a meter beneath their picture shows how far they are from getting a full house. Alongside everything else, you need to keep an eye on that and get ready with any Power Tricks to stop them beating you to the big prize money.

Full House Bingo, then, turns out far from being blue rinse brigade boring and actually a quite strategic, skillful and compelling affair. And its swish presentation almost makes you forget you're playing something your gran would probably enjoy.

There are a couple of flaws, though. Having to move to called numbers using the numbered keys or thumbstick to strike them off is quite fiddly, and you can simply try out numbers even if you're not sure if they've been called and get a minimal cash deduction. So when you have three cards to follow, the numbers are coming thick and fast and you've missed a few, you can still win just by guessing. If you're disciplined, the latter is easily overcome and therefore not a game-breaking issue.

Ultimately, our preconceptions mean we remain unconvinced real-life bingo players are really as glamorous as their wonderfully portrayed Full House Bingo counterparts. But that hardly matters – what we are certain of is that this is more fun than the real thing.