MATH SOLDIERS is the latest release by Japanese developers Racjin for the App Store. While there's little to do with 'math' there's a whole lot of 'soldiers' and it's your job to match up the sliding tiles to counter-attack monsters invading your cartoon kingdom.

In order to attack and defend your castle, tiles need to be matched in to groups of four. Sliding tiles across the screen is performed with a basic swipe and large tiles can move independently of the smaller tiles, making complex matches much easier to perform. Multiple tiles can be activated to strengthen their unique powers, but they'll need to be carefully deployed in order to stop the creature in time.

Pencils and crayons make up the predominant theme for MATH SOLDIERS and despite its over-use on the App Store, Racjin pulls it off well and makes the game bright and easy to follow. Gameplay comes in two difficulty modes, with the Easy mode acting as a bridge to the Normal gameplay by using a 4x4 grid. Normal mode 'ups the ante' to a 6x6 grid and adds more levels to conquer.

MATH SOLDIERS is a different take on the 'match-x' battle system that's extremely challenging to master. What starts off as a simple 'counter x with y' style of gameplay can quickly dissolve in to a frantic moment of ripping out a chunk of your hair as you pray that the right tiles drop when you clear the board. This is definitely a great title for all ages and certainly a brain-buster that'll keep most casual fans busy on their daily commute.