Asterix and Cleopatra

It's never much of a compliment to be described as 'average'. Emmerdale is an 'okay' soap, Boddingtons is an 'alright' pint, and most people sat through the final two Pirates of the Caribbean movies slumped in the knowledge that they did their job, but no more. It's almost more of an accolade to instil anger and hate in people than it is apathy and ambivalence.

When it comes to Asterix and Cleopatra, our ancient hero has fallen into the trap of getting involved in a very run-of-the-mill puzzler, with a boardgame thrown in to boot. It would be especially pernickety to devote much time to the game's faults – in actual fact, Asterix and Cleopatra doesn't provoke that sort of passion. But it wouldn't be far off the mark to describe it as a jack of all trades and a master of none: it does everything proficiently, but without much zeal or flair.

Well, not entirely. Asterix and Cleopatra does get a number of key components spot on, namely its menu screens and its overall simplicity. In-Fusio has found the perfect balance between clarity and embellishment – never will you stop and wonder what you're meant to be doing – yet at the same time it's hard not to admire the effort that has gone into making every aspect of the game's presentation feel the part.

Asterix and Cleopatra is a boardgame with the added bonus of mini-games chucked in along the way. The tasks themselves are fairly unfussy and revolve around the game's narrative: Asterix has been charged with building Cleopatra a palace to demonstrate the civility of the Egyptians and impress Roman rival Caesar. Though if you're thinking there's any real construction involved, you're sadly mistaken.

In reality, this means a number of standard mini-games have simply been themed, albeit well, in an Egyptian manner. First on the list is a simple 'bouncing-blocks' affair, which actually involves positioning Asterix so that falling blocks bounce off him to safety. Play itself involves moving the mighty Gaul left and right in time with the barrage by tapping the '4' and '6' keys.

It's the sort of game that has existed since time began, and is represented perfectly adequately here, but Asterix and Cleopatra struggles to deliver much else. The events that follow hardly raise the bar either, ranging from slapping a merchant trader in the face to reveal information, to dodging crocodiles and whirlpools whilst swimming in a river – all with just a few taps.

Indeed, it's telling that the more 'administrative' parts of the game (namely the board that drives the play) are actually some of the most entertaining. As displayed via a beautifully illustrated map, Asterix has a set amount of time and throws of the dice to get around the board and complete the 12 mini-games set by Cleopatra to complete her citadel. Along the way he lands on various spots that either help or hinder his progress, in typical boardgame fashion.

This is the one area where everything comes together nicely – the game's style, the pressure of time running out and the simplicity of the controls – but it's all too short a moment. While what we have here is an entirely competent compendium of mini-games wrapped up in a neat little package, there's little reason to recommend Asterix and Cleopatra over the scores of other similar titles out there. In-Fusio's effort is painfully so-so; adequate without excelling in any department.

And we all know what that means.