AR game Heineken Star Player makes its debut on the App Store, lets you play along with football matches

Last night, Dutch beer firm Heineken revealed a brand new kind of football gaming app to a select team of journalists and bloggers, including - naturally enough - this Pocket Gamer representative.

At a prestigious event, timed to coincide with the Schalke 04 v Manchester Utd UEFA Champions League semi-final first leg, Heineken Star Player made its home debut.

This innovative and interactive free game is designed to work alongside real UEFA Champions League matches by asking you to predict the outcome of various events.

Will the next dead ball result in a goal scored, shot saved, shot missed, or a clearance? You decide.

(Well, actually, Ryan Giggs decides, but you get the picture.)

Points are awarded for correct predictions during the action, and rise incrementally in direct relation to the swiftness of your ‘hunch’.

When the game begins to lull, i.e. whenever Schalke 04 assume possession of the ball, trivia questions pop up to keep you entertained and earn you bonus pointage.

Social drinking

There's also a social element to Heineken Star Player, with the ability to compete against friends in one-off games or leagues, and to share results (and some trash-talk) over Facebook.

More on the leagues to come.

All in all, it seems like a very interesting new addition to the world of augmented reality gaming, fantasy football, and/or beer promotion, depending on how you look at it.

First impressions were certainly good, with the assembled press pack positively engrossed, screaming at both the ref and the United strikeforce.

The prospect of winning a UEFA Champions League ticket and free Heineken didn't hurt, mind.

Floris Cobelens, global head of digital at Heineken, said in a press release: “Star Player will really change the way in which football fans interact with the UEFA Champions League, creating a more social experience around watching and enjoying the matches.

"For Heineken to be able to bring the excitement and competition of these premium matches to the actual fingertips of the fans through the cutting edge ‘dual screen’ technology of Star Player really showcases our commitment to providing extraordinary innovative and engaging experiences for fans.”