James & Watch: Tooth Cracker

As the name suggests, Tooth Cracker is once again based on the Nintendo Game & Watch and so features some fairly rudimentary graphics and sound effects. This shouldn’t put you off though, as what worked in the 1980s still holds true today in this age of HD graphics and complex narratives – addictive gameplay and high scores are what made the Game & Watch a winner, and Tooth Cracker nails the formula with aplomb.

Gameplay is simple in the extreme – the cans move randomly along the line of teeth at the top of the screen, and when the moving fist below the can lines up you need to hit the action button. Line them up perfectly and you crack a tooth; miss and you lose a life. Each tooth takes three accurate hits with the can of Doggingtons’ finest before shattering and if you get all of the teeth smashed you’ll receive an extra life. As you get better at hitting the A button as the fist and the can line up, you’ll be knocking teeth out for fun; but be aware that the game tempo speeds up as you progress meaning you’re in for some pretty frantic reaction-based gameplay. There are two games modes (titled A and B), and the second mode introduces rotten black teeth that only require one direct hit to reduce them to putrid piles of black dust.