Airfix for iPad

Your favourite childhood models come to life on your iDevice

There will be plenty of people who will see the name Airfix, and instantly be taken back to childhood days spent trying to put together a Spitfire. You’ll be thrilled to know that you can now bring those models to life. There’s no need for running around your living room making aeroplane noises anymore; just a quick download, and you’re ready to get flying. If you would care to make plane noises while playing then that’s up to you.

It starts with a tutorial to help you master the controls, which involve sliding a crosshair around the screen to steer. It takes some getting used to, but the game itself is more than addictive enough to keep you coming back and there are plenty of small challenges to keep things interesting as you master the setup.

Set in a range of indoor venues, you must take part in aerial dogfights, as well as bomb ground targets. The graphics have a Toy Story appeal, if not cutting-edge clarity, but the real reason for buying Dogfight is the nostalgia and the addictive gameplay. Like bringing your childhood imaginings to life, these little planes can swoop and glide around a living room in some weird parallel dimension where wars are fought out in people’s homes on a tiny scale. The inclusion of retina display is great too, because a lot of the in-app planes are true to their original models, so a crisp 3D representation is a real bonus.

The sheer frustration you get from over doing it on the very sensitive controls is almost endearing, as it keeps you coming back again and again. You can after these, however, by opting for tilt control to maneuvers your aircraft, but this is recommended only for flying veterans, as one over-zealous move, and you’re in trouble.

The only real let down is that there are only five levels after the tutorial, so just as you think you’re getting the hang of Dogfight, you reach the end of the road, which does feel slightly anti-climatic. Even so, this is a great download for anyone who has ever had their fingers glued together while finishing their Spitfire’s propellers.