Long time fans of Appspy will have heard a particular criticism time and time again: the unwelcome shoehorning of traditional control schemes onto touchscreen interfaces. Though the implementation of these controls have improved, developers that actually design around the strengths of the iPhone and iPad are far and few between. However, for Combo Crew, The Game Bakers have decided to create a classic beat em up while trying their best to craft an original control scheme that plays to these strengths.

Mr Boss has invited the three best fighters in the world to his tower for the sole purpose of destroying them, and cementing his legacy as the best brawler on Earth. As one of these fighters (or two if you decide to make use of the game's co-op mode), it's up to you to fight hundreds upon hundreds of henchman as you climb the floors of the tower.

Gone is the analogue stick and attack buttons primarily associated with the genre. Everything in Combo Crew is swipe and tap based. Swiping on an enemy will send your fighter in their direction to attack, while swiping and holding will create a block breaking charge attack. Tapping the screen when an enemy shows an exclamation mark above their head will counter their offence.

But it's the two finger combo system around which the game is centred. Using both fingers to swipe in a given direction will unleash a multi-hit combo. Depending on which combo, you might attack enemies in the vicinity of your main target, or throw them up in the air, where you can continue to juggle them with single swipes. Once your combo meter fills, you can unleash a super combo which will decimate everybody on the screen. Of course, any hits by an enemy will interrupt the building of this meter.

Your combos cannot be halted mid-flow. So, if an enemy is about to attack - especially a boss who's moves are more immediate - you find yourself without any recourse to take. A combo cancel would be invaluable, as you don't get far into the campaign before this starts becoming an issue. That said, the lack of a combo cancellation feature does force you to think before you let loose.

You soon gain the ability to unlock new combos for your characters, new perks, and additional combatants, adding welcome variety to the proceedings. There's also an endless tower mode for you high score junkies.

If you enjoy a bit of beat em up action, you're going to enjoy Combo Crew - not just for its control scheme, but for being decent entry into a classic (and recently maligned) genre.