Rolando 2: Quest for the Golden Orchid review

When we heard that a sequel to Rolando, one of our favourite iPhone games, was coming so soon after the original, we were a little concerned that it would be a rushed-out retread. How wrong we were.

The story sees a team of Rolandos travelling to a distant island to find a fabled flower that will cure a disease that afflicts the royal family. This simple scenario will appeal to kids, yet adults will also be entertained by the whimsical stylings and superb soundtrack from British DJ, Mr Scruff.

The essence of the gameplay is the same. Tilt the iPhone and the Rolandos roll around, swipe upwards and they jump, and you can interact with various objects, too. You can still use explosive fruit to clear the path, and use draggable platforms and spring-loaded plungers to propel the Rolandos on their way.

The most immediate change you'll see is an adjusted viewpoint. The action still moves along a 2D plane, but platforms now have a depth to them and the perspective tilts in the same direction as your iPhone.

More exciting changes lie in the gameplay, where vehicles speed up proceedings, allowing the Rolandos to build up momentum to clear jumps. Larger Rolandos sink in water, which opens up new underwater areas that their smaller compatriots can't reach.

Other abilities have been shown in online videos prior to the game's release, but we urge you not to watch them as half the fun lies in discovering them. Rest assured that they broaden the gameplay for the better.

Then there's the compulsion to beat your previous score by finishing levels quickly, collecting every crystal and getting every Rolando to the exit. This is taken further with Xbox Live-style achievements and the free Plus+ network's online scoreboards, which add a competitive edge, and where you can pair up with friends to make it personal.

We can't recommend Rolando 2 highly enough. It does what all sequels should do: it builds upon everything that was good about the original and turns out a much better game. By far one of the best we've seen on the iPhone.