If lastability and replay value are the sacrifices needed for tight and innovative design, then Attack of the Earthlings signals a welcome change in a saturated genre. I for one welcome our new insect overlords.

Whilst clunky controls and uninspiring visuals hamper proceedings, Attack of the Earthlings nonetheless offers an intoxicating mix of satisfying strategy, well designed levels and guffaw inducing humour.

The concept of being a monster fighting off humans instead of the other way around makes for an entertaining title. Although the game will make you chuckle occasionally and while the core gameplay is solid it never really stands out above the crowd. The game suffers from random difficulty spikes and the levels can become confusing. It is not a very long game either. The result is an original game that is executed well but could have been far more than the sum of its parts.

Attack of the Earthlings is disappointing precisely because it contains so many hints of what could have been a great game. There's a strong tactics title buried beneath the muck, here - buried beneath inconveniences and irritations numerous enough to cross the threshold separating molehill from mountain.

While Attack of the Earthlings is aiming to be more casual than its counterparts, its gameplay really is too simple to be interesting for more than a few minutes. This, mixed with the criminally awkward and slow animations, makes the game little more than a chore, broken up a few some decent jokes.