Download: Skylanders Lost Islands

Skylanders is a popular game series on all the major consoles, a key part of which is buying small figures that can then appear in the game. As an official tie in app, the Skylanders Lost Islands app for iOS devices lets you enter the web codes supplied with these figures so they can be used in this game as well. It works with both the first game Spyro's Adventure and the more recent Skylanders Giants.

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The game follows the usual path of these kind of village management games. There are several resources that can be spent: gems, gold and energy. Gold and energy are relatively easy to earn but gems are much harder to come by, unless you choose to buy them with real money. As with all these games that really depends on your self control and patience.

The Skylander characters themselves are a form of resource as they are used to complete missions that earn other resources. One Skylander comes with the game and more can be added by entering the codes supplied with the figures from the console games.

Every so often when you level up you get a free Skylander. These are chosen at random although you can spend gems to produce another random result.

The Skylander missions don't require any action from the player. It is more a case of managing which Skylanders to send away and which to use to complete the missions on the map including evicting evil trolls and controlling sheep.

There are plenty of different structures to build to increase the number of villagers and earn resources. As you'd expect there are new buildings unlocked as the game progresses. They are also worked into missions that explain how the game works.

This is a fun game with a nice twist thanks to the inclusion of existing Skylanders characters. Those who don't haven't played the Skylanders game will find it a good game but will be at a slight disadvantage.