This week we're going to be taking a long hard look at Pokemon Duel. It had a bit of a sticky launch period, but things seem to have calmed down a bit now.

So to start things off we're going to have a look at what the game is all about. We'll walk you through the basics and make sure you know exactly what's going on before you dive head-first into the madness.

Come back later in the week and we'll go over some more advanced tactics, as well as explaining the various menus and currencies that you're going to have to get on top of if you want to be a Pokemon master.

The basics

Pokemon Duel is a boardgame. Imagine a cross between chess, Pokemon, checkers, and GO. And probably some other things thrown in there for good measure as well. The aim of the game is to get one of your Pokemon to your opponent's goal.

At the same time they're trying to do the same to you. So it's a game of attack and defence, of taking opportunities, and making sure that you're not leaving the door open for a counter attack.

Each of the Pokemon in your arsenal has a different set of attributes. Some can move further than others, some are more powerful in scraps.

The fights

The fights are conducted with spinning wheels. These are broken up into sections. They spin, you tap to stop them, and the attack they land on is the one your Pokemon performs.

Your opponent does the same, and whoever throws out the most powerful move wins. Obviously there's a very big element of chance here. But there are Pokemon who will do better in fight, and Pokemon who your essentially throwing out as pawns to the slaughter.

We'll deal with the ins and outs of the fighting mechanic in a later article, but here's a top tip to get you started. It's a good idea to try and avoid fights as much as possible, because they can quickly mess up your plans.

Other moves

The other main move you're going to be making involves surrounding another player's Pokemon. If you manage to place a Pokemon on either side of one of your foe's, then they're automatically kicked out of the game.

It's quicker and simpler than a fight, but there's a level of difficulty in just getting it to happen in the first place.