Astraware, the self-proclaimed (and appropriately so) "Home of Handheld Entertainment" brings us My Little Tank.  Through 60 action-packed levels you must shoot enemy tanks, defend your base, and destroy enemy radar stations and bases.  Is this another "must have" for your Handheld?  Read on for my thoughts.

             Astraware began in the early 90's in England, where its offices still are today.  It has emerged, over the last several years as the leader in handheld games for Palm OS, Pocket PC and Smartphone platforms.  What I love about this company is that they produce so many different games in totally different genres. 

Overview:

My Little Tank is a very creative and wonderful addition to their game line-up.  In My Little Tank, the user will encounter a range of hostile terrains including snow, swamp, plains and deserts. As levels progress, tougher enemies will appear that require more than one shot or more effective weapons.

As you carry out each mission a range of power-ups will appear to aid your progress including Smart Bombs that destroy all tanks in the vicinity; Life bonuses to regenerate your tank; Speed to make your tank go faster; Invincibility to protect your tank against the enemy; Weapons upgrades; and Freeze bonuses to halt the enemy tanks in their tracks.  

My Little Tank features - from the Astraware site read:

• 60 exciting missions
• 5 different enemy tank types
• 6 types of power up to aid in your battle
• Destroyable scenery!
• 7 customizable tank colors (Registered users only)
• Supports native QVGA (240x320), VGA (480x640) in both portrait and landscape, and even "square screen" (240x240) Windows Mobile® for Pocket PC handhelds

Graphics:

From the opening splash screen, it is clear that this is a beautifully rendered game. I played the version optimized for the Dell Axim x51v and I was not disappointed with the graphics.  The colors were vibrant, the explosions were fun to watch and the panning landscape made for an immersive experience.

 Game Play:

This game was just plain fun to play.  Each level gets appropriately harder and there are a good combination of power-ups, health bonuses and things that freeze your enemy and the like to make the game interesting.  The objective is clearly laid out at the beginning of each level.  As the game progresses and there are tons of enemy tanks firing in your direction, it is a challenge to keep maneuvering out of their range and destroy them (as well as enemy bases) at the same time.

Sound:

The sound was just what you would expect and hope for.  The tank sound is realistic, the sound of missiles and explosions is clear and intense and the music adds to the experience.

Replay value:

With 60 levels of gameplay - this is a game that will provide hours of fun on your Handheld.  You can play for a short period of time and come back to continue your game or you can get caught up in the "just one more level" frenzy and play for hours at a time. 

Conclusion:

This is a very straightforward and fun game.  It does just what it is advertised to do - it blows stuff up in an enjoyable way.  If you like to shoot things and you like great graphics and sounds then this game deserves a place on your handheld.

Final grade: A

Pros: Great graphics and sound, Easy to learn, Hours of game play

Cons: Not much more to do than shoot stuff

My Little Tank is available at www.astraware.com for $14.95 while their sale continues.