Retro

I don't often pay to download apps. When I got my phone I consciously made that decision not to, I think I thought it would open the floodgates and you'd download loads and you might not actually use what you download.

I think I've only paid to download a few: a travel one so I didn't have to pay for mobile internet when I was away and an odd game. My most expensive app download came when I was writing my dissertation. I needed something to put the audio of my interviews in to slow them down so I could type them up. So I downloaded an app which cost a whopping £2.99! Crikey. But it was a really useful app and it made it so much easier.

But now, it seems I was right; the floodgates have opened. Something brought to my mind about the Mega Drive we had when we were teenagers and some of the class games we had. Then I took a notion to see if you could get any in the app store. And sure enough Sonic the Hedgehog was there...for £2.99.

Throwing all caution to the wind I downloaded it. Oh. My. Goodness. Childhood memories a-go-go. All the remembering of where the rings were, the best way to go, how to jump to avoid spikes. Brilliant stuff. And best of all the cheat to the level selector works!

'Up, down, left, right, hold down A and press start'. Except you can't do that because there is no A button.

I always found it weird when he died. Who dies by jumping up and then falling through the earth?

The Special Stages are rock hard with the touch screen control pad.

I completed it (well the final level using the cheat) and was duly rewarded with the em...footage...of Sonic running through the levels with all his freed furry friends.

Of course, Dr. Robotnik was keen to remind me that I didn't really complete it because I didn't get all the Chaos Emeralds. Yeah, yeah, whatevs.

While you might laugh at me for going all retro, I know I'm not the only one. Karen Marathon used Sonic as part of her uni assignment.

It's Sonic but from Apps! (Click on it to make it bigger.)

Yeah, fair enough it's a new spin on it. Take a look at her other app retro art (I'm sure that wasn't the actually title of her work!) at her K Gallery facebook page.

All this retroness was enough to make me download Sonic 2. Yup, those floodgates are open alright.