Strike It Lucky

Alwight! Mr Michael Barrymore, the fallen king of Saturday night television, may not be around much to grace our goggleboxes these days, but his name will fill most people over 25 with nostalgic delight.

True, anyone under that age will more likely recall the court cases and dodgy reality TV appearances, and Ant and Dec may have subsequently grasped the prime-time TV mantle and stolen his thunder, but there'll only ever be one Barrymore. No-one else, not even Cilla Black or Bruce Forsyth, was as adept at making potentially cringe-worthy 'entertainment' shows actually enjoyable. (Erm, "-ish"? – Ed).

The iconic Barrymore show was Strike it Lucky, famous for lines like "What is a Hot Spot not?" and the antics of the host as he stumbled and clambered over the set, apparently sober. As the audience rolled in the aisles, there was no doubt Barrymore was what made the show special.

Which is all a way of building up to a terrible letdown: in this mobile version, there's no Michael B! Thine host has been replaced by a silhouetted outline of a random man. Have we struck it unlucky before we've even started?

Happily not. Whilst we mourn the absence of Barrymore's wacky antics, the other elements that made Strike It Lucky what it was are out in force. The cheesy prizes – a 1800watt hair drier, say, or a balloon flight for one – are present, as is the catchy title tune that will bring back the era with a bump to anyone who remembers life pre-Byker Grove.

The format follows the show's too, requiring you to make it across a row of squares, represented by screens, advancing when you land on either an arrow or a question that you correctly answer. Complicating matters, however, are the randomly-placed 'Hot Spots' screens, which halt your journey and give control to your opponent.

To start you moving there are various sets of themed questions, ranging from television to dinosaurs. As you go you gamble your valuable prizes for more spaces, hopefully moving along to the all-conquering final question where you win the works, everything, the whole kit'n'caboodle. Fail to answer the ultimate question correctly though, and your opponent has the opportunity to steal the lot.

It all comes together beautifully as a great multiplayer game, as you and a chum take it in turns to face questions that range from simple doozies to evil stinkers, as well as the occasional mindless inanity for the Vicky Pollards among us. Navigating around the game is really simple, and the questions and potential answers are well presented, enabling you to get on with just enjoying the game.

For anyone who remembers Strike It Lucky affectionately – or anyone who doesn't, but who fancies a fun general knowledge quiz – this mobile memory tickler stands up alongside the best of its ilk.

Before long the classic jingle will be in your head as you go be bed and back again when you wake up. Just don't expect the sets to shake or your relatives to blush: all that is purely optional in your own home.