Astro Ranch ploughing an iPhone furrow near you

Remember all that spare time you used to have for doing things like taking walks in the evening or sitting down in front of a warm fire to read a book?

Try not to get too attached to those carefree moments, because Tag Games has just launched Astro Ranch.

Described by its creator as a cross between Animal Crossing and Harvest Moon, this cutesy RPG is cut from the same accursed cloth as the insanely popular Facebook app FarmVille and may suck away all your spare moments with the same ease.

Stepping into the moon boots of space-trotting siblings Sindy and Max, you find yourself stranded on a strange alien world. Throughout the course of the game you’ll raise livestock, explore your new homeland and communicate with a wide range of zany characters.

Ominously, Astro Ranch also promises social networking features which are likely to make it even more irresistible at those times when you really should be doing other more worthy tasks, like playing with your children, conversing with your partner or eating, sleeping, and working.