The original Fairway Solitaire's blend of golf and cards was superb. Its simple take on solitaire was fun and immediate, while the golf elements encouraged you to minimise moves to come in under par.

Fairway Solitaire Blast retains the original's slick solitaire gameplay. Once again, your enjoyment of this will be dependent on your appreciation of solitaire. However, Blast’s streamlined gameplay kept us entertained as we attempted to clear each board as efficiently as possible.

Though the basic solitaire elements remain, Blast’s golf elements have been dialed back considerably, much to the game’s detriment. Now you have to come in under par by clearing three boards, one for each stroke - a far less elegant implementation of the golf metaphor. Considering the degree of chance involved in the game, this makes winning a hole more about luck than skill, as one bad screen can scupper your run for good.

Blast’s other huge alteration to the original is a reliance on in-app purchases. Every time you run out of cards, one of the game’s cartoon mascots will hop on screen to offer you the chance to buy a special card. You could try the Joker’s Wild card, letting you play any card on the board, or purchase a Hot Line card, which summons a gofer that guns down the majority of the remaining cards.

Its an expensive solution to succeed in this game of chance, but after trying to clear a hole for the dozenth time and feeling cheated by Blast’s random elements, these IAPs start to feel depressingly appealing.

Fairway Solitaire Blast may have a new cartoony look, but this doesn't make up for watering-down of the original premise. It a wonderful concept that has been diluted to make space for IAP. While this still leaves an entertaining game, it has been stretched too thin to be recommended over the superb original.