Cafe Memory Match

Concentration, Pelmanism, Shinkei-suijaku, Memory Match or just good old fashioned pairs. Whoever you are and wherever you're from you've more than likely played a game where a set of cards has been laid out face down in front of you, and you've had to turn over two in the hope of finding a match. What starts as a game of chance swiftly evolves into one of the purest tests of memory available.

So it makes sense, then, that Digital Chocolate would want to marry this classic game to its accomplished Café brand, as it has done successfully with a number of other well loved games. Café Memory Match doesn't let the franchise down, but it's hardly a resounding success.

There's nothing wrong with the mechanics of the game - Sumea has produced another tightly constructed, cleanly presented addition to the series. As before, everything's accessed through a café hub area, where you can alter the decor and customise your little avatar, as well as invite other users in to check out your handywork via your phone's online network abilities.

Nor is the game itself badly designed or executed - the cards are nicely drawn and, importantly, distinctive enough from one another to make memorisation a relative doddle. The controls, too, function perfectly, with the thumb-stick or corresponding number keys moving a cursor across the cards and a press of '5' flipping the cards over.

You're not left with any shortage of game modes, either, with Classic (straight up Pairs), Time Attack (speed through the levels before time runs out) and Hotseat (two player mode) all customisable in terms of grid size and card design.

No, where Café Memory Match falls below the best of the Cafe series is in the central game of pairs itself. It just doesn't possess the depth or strategic nuance of the other established games in the series, such as Blackjack, Spades or Poker. Alongside such full fat, 'grown up' gems, Memory Match is a kids game. How many of us, as kids, persisted with the game of pairs once we'd grasped the rules of, say, rummy?

With the game at the core of Café Memory Match so severely limited, no amount of spit and polish, groovy customisation options or neat networking capabilities is going to prolong the experience beyond, at best, a couple of hours. Sumea has tried desperately to add an extra dimension to the play by introducing special power-up cards which allow you to remove selected cards or briefly reveal a set of pairs. Unfortunately these merely serve to make a fairly easy game even less of a challenge, and highlight how limited the core premise is.

Of course, you may well be the world's biggest lover of all things memory-based, in which case you won't find a much slicker mobile representation of your hobby. There's also no doubting the basic fun to be had with such a simple and mildly taxing formula. But as a standalone mobile phone game there simply isn't enough here to represent good value for money.

We'd suggest you forget the existence of Café Memory Match and check out one of Digital Chocolate's more memorable offerings.