Midnight Bowling 2

Ten pin bowling conjures all sorts of memories, not all of them pleasant. Recollections of silly footwear, overpriced burgers, and the disconcerting scent of sweat not quite masked by that spray stuff they use on the shoes. Then there are the participants – from groups of gobby kids to the slightly odd hardcore hobbyists who use their own ball. It's enough put anyone off the sport.

With Midnight Bowling 2, Gameloft presents us with an altogether more stylish brand of skittle-assault. Out go the safety-barrier-abusing, sugar overdosed eight-year-olds; in comes a selection of characters seemingly lifted from a Next catalogue. Having entered Career mode and picked from one of the two improbably good-looking players available from the start, you're whisked off on a bowling world tour that's far removed from your average retail park Megabowl.

Starting in Miami you have to complete three distinctive tasks in order to unlock the next location. One requires you to knock down a series of pin formations with a single throw, another sets you the task of reaching a simple score target and the third is a showdown against each city's bowling hotshot.

Along the way in Career mode you'll win points and cash for upgrading your skills (you can boost your spin, strength and accuracy) and buying new clobber respectively. It's a nice touch, adding a personalized element to what is otherwise a very straightforward experience.

We did have a slight reservation over the necessity of such tweaks, as the bowling itself is very simple to pick up. It was a little tricky to detect any tangible improvement to our avatar's abilities despite the game's assurances to the contrary.

Control is applied via the thumbstick, with a timed stab of the button setting the power and a further press setting the direction. Spin can be applied post-throw via a press of left or right. Suffice to say you'll pick this up in no time, with scores of 200-plus coming regularly once you're into the swing of things. This comes as something of a mixed blessing – on the one hand intuitive gameplay is what mobile gaming is all about, but on the other progress can become a little too effortless at times.

Elsewhere you'll find a selection of one-off modes, including Quick Play (ten frames of high-score-chasing solo play), Battle Mode (play against an opponent) and Challenge Mode. This last option offers a series of bite-sized tasks perfectly suited to a brief commute, asking you to knock down variously positioned pins with just the one throw.

It's all presented with a decent level of polish. The characters are nicely drawn and the bowling venues possess a surprising level of variety. The menus are a little garish – all pinks and purples – but they're clear and concise, and we suppose it's more a matter of taste anyway.

There's little to fault with Midnight Bowling 2. It presents a solid, well-executed take on the sport with a good spread of modes for any time-limited situation you might find yourself in. You may not be bowled over by the experience, but it's certainly no turkey.