24: Jack Bauer
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| 24: Jack Bauer

The long-running TV action series 24 has probably been running too long (just like Jack), with series 8 underway right now. But for all its formulaic implausibility, there’s one thing Jack Bauer and team have perfected - the cliff hanger.

I’ve seen every episode of 24, not because I wanted to watch them but because the awesome cliff hangers wouldn’t allow me not to.

Now Digital Chocolate is putting its previous 24 mobile game license (and game engine, for that matter) back to work in 24: Jack Bauer, and, in good 24 style, it won’t allow you not to play it.

Previously on 24

If you already played Special Ops then Jack Bauer isn’t going to have any real surprises for you. But DChoc’s previous 24 title was good enough that another day in Jack Bauer’s life is no bad thing.

This time, Jack is working as an unwilling chaperone for a visiting Eastern European prime minister who’s having trouble with the Russians attempting to install a communist government in his country.

Naturally the action begins in the first few moments, between the hours of 11am and 12pm, when an attack is launched on the airport where Jack is providing his taxi service. And from that moment on, 24: Jack Bauer never lets up, which is what the series is all about.

Be like Bauer

The game places as much emphasis on stealth and information gathering as it does on balls-out action, which shows a distinct awareness of the big budget TV inspiration.

At times you’ll be carefully infiltrating an enemy hideout, ducking behind cover, while at other times you'll be going about in a noisy hail of bullets. Most importantly, however, there’s always a clear and plot-based goal, which provides the gaming equivalent of the TV show’s awesome cliff hangers.

The isometric perspective is at a bit of a sharp angle, which can sometimes make it tricky to fathom the controls (up and left being hard to distinguish) but the strong espionage plot means 24: Jack Bauer isn’t so much a game of speed as a game of wits. Barge in and you’ll bring down more firepower than you can handle - but dally too much and the leads dry up.

The only thing in 24: Jack Bauer that’s new is the story, but, given the quality of 24: Special Ops, that’s all it needs.

24: Jack Bauer

Jack is back in a game that plays exactly like the previous Dchoc 24 game, but with a whole new plot line that puts you and Bauer in the middle of a first class conspiracy with plenty of action. What more does a 24 game need?
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Spanner Spencer
Spanner Spencer
Yes. Spanner's his real name, and he's already heard that joke you just thought of. Although Spanner's not very good, he's quite fast, and that seems to be enough to keep him in a regular supply of free games and away from the depressing world of real work.