Until now, we weren't aware of any animosity between squirrels and beavers. But, according to Funday Factory's new 2D tower defence game Tree Wars, the rivalry between these species runs deep.

This age-old battle stems from the squirrels home, the Tree of Life. As the name suggests, the arboreal homestead is quite important, and the little red rodents are sworn to protect it from the tree-munching beavers.

The result of this confrontation is an odd blend of cute and cruel, as the two cuddly races of cartoon critters begin to slice each other to death on the battlefield.

Taking command of the squirrels is an easy task. Tapping the appropriate icon will summon one of cute rodents from their tower on one side of the map. From there they will walk mindlessly forward along the path toward the beaver's lodge (or lodges), stopping only to attack enemy forces, and only turning at forks in the road if you've told them too.

There are a range of different unit types, upgrades, and power ups available. These can be added to your arsenal during the course of each stage by unlocking them with golden acorns, which are awarded for destroying the opposition.

There is little advantage to waiting to summon specific units. So, calling squirrels into battle the moment their cooldown timer expires is what you will spend most of the game doing. That, and occasionally altering the path along which your troops advance.

This streamlining is also Tree Wars' biggest problem. Despite the game's multiple difficulty levels and a strategic powers and buffs, most of the time you will just find yourself waiting for a button to light up so you can execute your 'strategy'.

At its best, Tree Wars is an entertaining, fast-paced tower defence game. Unfortunately, at its worst, the game is little more than a panicked scramble to call the next squirrel.