The latest Lego game to hit iOS, Lego Star Wars: Microfighters, tries to combine two massive properties -  Lego and Star Wars - in the form of a vertical shump. Despite the collective might of huge brands, however, Microfighters never manages to rise above the mundane.

All of the game's craft are based on the Star Wars Microfighters toys, which appear as stylishly scaled down interpretations of the movie craft they represent. There are fleets of tiny A-Wings, AT AT-Battle Tanks, and even little battle droids, to give the action an authentic Star Wars feel. Weirdly, while decent character design is usually a strength, the sharp models only serve to highlight the jarringly bland backgrounds. 

The first decision you face is to choose with which side of the force you wish to align. While this opening choice does nothing to alter the level progression, it does dictate the craft you fly and enemies you face.

You guide your constantly firing craft around the screen with a finger. It's an effective control scheme in theory, but one that leaves the ship prone every time you readjust your grip to get you fingers out of the way of the action.

To help you stay on top of the enemy theat, there are a range of power-ups which can be bought with studs collected from each stage. More powerful abilities can be unlocked by finding hidden red blocks.

Unfortunately, to find the red blocks or collect enough studs to make your ship sufficiently powerful to survive, you will have to play levels repeatedly. This is where the mundane nature of the game kick in, as the game forces you to fight against the same few backgrounds in the same environments time and time again.

There is an audience for Lego Star Wars: Microfighters, but it's a small and patient one. Its slow paced action is too repetitive, and too challenging, to appeal to any but the most hardcore Star Wars or Lego fan.