Price and Availability

• Platforms: Windows Phone 7
• Price: £2.99 (Free trial available)
• Windows Phone Marketplace

You'll need to regularly engage your opponent to keep their numbers culled, but just as important is the dash to secure the battlefield's control points. Capturing these allows them to be built upon, and the more control points you own, the more funds you receive.

The game's systems succeed in juggling plenty of balls at once, and when your turn ends the results of both you and your opponents' actions are played out at the same time.

It is vital, therefore, that you foresee your rival's next moves. Even after Armed's step-by-step tutorial is over, there's a definite learning curve of knowing when to attack, whether more control points are needed to build up forces or when to relinquish control to avoid a rusty war of attrition which could see your resources squandered.

Armed also has a heavy multiplayer angle that is playable simultaneously online, but only if you can find a partner. More likely you'll want to play correspondence matches at your leisure, or better yet local multiplayer, which involves passing your handset back and forth. Handy in case you find sourcing another person with the game and a Windows Phone 7 device a problem.

The game's single-player offering, meanwhile, simply offers matches against the AI. It's a shame that there is no real campaign to speak of, but the lack of a tacked-on story is excusable when Armed developer Sickhead has concentrated so firmly on the game's mechanics.

Priced at £2.99, Armed also features a generous demo which lasts up to an hour, which should be more than enough time for you to make up your mind on whether to lay down more money.

A fresh iteration on a time-worn formula, Armed's mechanical guts are clearly harvested from the genre classics of old. Yet its well-oiled presentation and nuanced gameplay sparkle with a quality that's more than a lick of paint deep.

App of the Day highlights interesting games we're playing on the Android, iPad, iPhone and Windows Phone 7 mobile platforms, including post-release updates. If you want to see a particular app featured, drop us a line or suggest it in the comments.