Vampire Season - Monster Defence

Vampire Season - Monster Defence is probably a little more original than you're imagining right now. It's not a simple tower defence clone, and while it owes a debt to Plants vs Zombies, there's a chunk of originality here too.

That's not to say it feels fresh, but it feels novel enough that you won't mind sinking a few hours into its monsters vs angry humans gameplay. And there's enough strategy here that those couple of hours won't grate too badly.

The game sees you leading a troupe of monsters into action against the bounty hunters, vampire slayers, princes, and jocks that are trying to smash up the casket they're carrying around, which just happens to contain Dracula.

Each ghoul has its own role to play. There are cheap bloodsuckers who act as your foot soldiers, burly werewolves who dole out buffs with howls and damage with claws, and fat zombies who are immune to magic.

It's pretty standard fare, but it's presented pleasantly enough, and the tapping and swiping to place your different units is nice and easy. There are a variety of powers and weapons you can throw into battle too, and they come in handy when things are looking grim.

Rather than marching down set lanes enemies come in from portals then swarm around, meaning you'll need to find out where they're going to be coming from and set up your defences accordingly.

As you progress you'll unlock new monsters to command, and you can upgrade your old ones with the cash you earn each level.

There's enough going on in Vampire Season - Monster Defence to keep you entertained, and the levels can get a little frantic when you only need to hold on for a little longer to earn an extra gold star.

There are moments of frustration though, and a free-to-play model that throws adverts at you every few minutes can get a little annoying.

Still, the game is good at what it does, and while that's all pretty standard, it's put together in a way that's eminently enjoyable.