Pogo Swing!

There is something ridiculously addictive about launch games. I have spent countless hours pointlessly blasting hedgehogs into outer space, shooting turtles into the sky and catapulting peasants across burning countryside in launch classics such as Hedgehog Launch, Toss the Turtle and Catapult Madness.

Every time I complete one of these games, I vow never to play another. They really are such time wasters. But each time a new launch game comes out, I can't resist and am soon in a happy trance endlessly launching things into the air. And there have been quite a few innovative launch games as of late, including such gems as Reachin' Pichin and my personal favourite Flight (for more such games, see our list of the Top 10 Launching Games).

Pogo Swing

Now yet another stupidly addictive launch game has, er, been launched. Pogo Swing by Armor Games is a great addition to the launch genre, offering a number of exciting new innovations. Perhaps the most interesting is the game's launching mechanism. You play a little kid and to thrust yourself into the air, you have at your disposal a playground swing. By alternatively clicking the left and right arrows, you build up swinging speed and when you are ready you press the space button to swing yourself into the air.

Initially, you can't throw yourself very far. But each launch you undertake earns you some cash, which you can then spend on upgrades that will allow you to catapult yourself even further next time, earning even more cash to spend on bigger and better upgrades, and so on.

One of the most fun upgrades is a pogo stick. The pogo stick allows you to bounce when you hit the ground but only if you are at the correct angle to the surface. You can control your angle using the left and right arrows while in flight. This feature adds an extra element of game-play that is missing from many launch games.

Pogo Swing

Ouch!

There are many other ways of extending the distance you can fly in Pogo Swing, not least by buying upgrades for your swing, boosts to your character's agility and, when you have earned enough cash, a rocket launcher. You can also take advantage of the game's environment, bouncing off magic mushrooms and birds, to put off your inevitable reunion with the ground for as long as possible.

Pogo Swing is typical of the launching genre; mindless, repetitive, pointless but at the same time unbelievably fun. Go do some launching here.