Finally, after being inspired aged three, you actually get to drive a big yellow vehicle. The details may have been different – you may have dreamed of a truck, maybe a tracker. Whatever it was, ‘the little crane that could’ appeals to everyone’s inner child, everyone’s secret desire to control a 10-ton machine.
The game throws you into the driver’s seat, with seven different controls to use. Two are for manoeuvring the crane – the rest are for rotating, elevating, bending, extending or grappling the big crane-arm.
It starts off fiddly, despite relatively simple tutorial lessons. Stick with it, however, and you’ll be living the dream – dunking baskets with footballs, barging heavy roadblocks out your way and even parallel parking.
Just like the tank-engine train the game takes its name from, an “I think I can, I know I can” attitude sees your skills dramatically improve, your times drop, and your scores increase.
The are only two roadblocks stopping the crane game from reaching its five-star destination. First: the lifespan. There are only four levels are available to start, with six more playable after a single £0.59 in-app purchase.
Ten levels is very few, especially with the game’s limited replay value – once you’ve solved a puzzle, you’ll probably only revisit a it a couple more times.
The second is the menu’s terrible soundtrack. Really, it’s awful. Make sure you’ve got your sound off.
If you still feel a need for piloting giant machines, it’ll be the best iPad game ever. If you’ve grown up a little too far, however, you’ve got a strong contender, let down by its lifespan. Still, for a maximum cost of £0.59, what do you expect?
