Drawing lines on the touch screen has proved quite a popular mechanic for iPhone games; not only does it convey a direct sense of control, but it can lead to a certain unpredictability that button based games wouldn't be able to achieve. Nodding its head towards games such as Reflexion, Karuki is one of the new games to use this formula. But is it enough?

It's chalkboard aesthetic is certainly pleasant and playful - take a look at the screenshots and you'll find many chalk drawings in the background - simple line drawings which have a certain charm to them. Unfortunately, most of the time you will be too busy to gaze at the board. Karuki moves at a pace.

The object of the game is to guide your chalk drawing across the board by drawing lines underneath it - large lines give more bounce, whilst small lines give little. Along the way, you'll collect gems to score points, and also pick up smaller friends who follow your every move (like Dizzy Bee). Upon discovering the exit, any friends that you've grouped together will leave the field in return for points - and if you manage to collect them all in a single go then you'll get a large bonus. Happily, the pass requirements are usually well below the maximum available friends on the level, so you don't have to hunt down every last one.

Problem is, it's often difficult to ascertain where you are going - the camera is loathe to following you around unless you're near the sides of the screen. This wouldn't be a problem if the levels were a little more confined, but they are expansive and ready to be explored, and so there's a good chance that you'll accidentally run into an enemy and lose a life. Whatever you do though, don't fall into the water at the bottom, that leads to immediate death.

Introducing level sets with more focus, challenge and diversity could increase the replay value.

It's a shame that the game is built around a high score chasing mechanic, as we think it could take a few more cues from the aforementioned Dizzy Bee series - perhaps introducing level sets with more focus, challenge and diversity could increase the replay value. After all, there is a deluge of leader board based games already in the Store. As it is, the arcade style of the game can get repetitive after a while.

Karuki is not a solid recommendation. It could make better use of it's chalkboard themed environments to become a fully fledged game and not simply a 'play until you drop' arcade experience. However, it's still innovative and fun, so for 59p it's a good game worth having if you're a fan of unique controls and graphics.

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