Worms Zone

1. Accept the terms screen the first time, then press To battle! to enter the arena.
2. Point the way with your mouse, or drag a finger across a touch screen, and the worm follows.
3. Eat the snacks scattered across the field to grow longer and heavier.
4. Keep your head away from other worms' bodies, because touching one ends your round.
5. Circle smaller worms or cut in front of them so they crash into you, then eat the food they leave behind.
6. Use your boosters, finish missions and pick a new skin for your worm in the Worm wardrobe.

Worms Zone takes the old idea of Snake, where a line gets longer every time it eats, and drops it into a busy arena full of other worms. You start small. The field is covered in snacks such as cakes, mushrooms, fruit and doughnuts, and every bite adds length and mass to your worm. The rule that matters most is simple: if your head touches another worm's body, your round is over, and the same is true for every rival. That turns each match into a game of nerve. A long worm can circle a smaller one and close the loop, and when a worm crashes it bursts into food that the others race to collect.

The screen gives you everything you need to plan. A live leaderboard in the top-left corner ranks the biggest worms in the arena, a minimap in the top-right shows where you are, and short missions such as collecting a set number of coins pop up during play. Three boosters sit at the bottom of the screen, among them a magnet and a magnifying glass, and you can use them once you have earned some. When a round ends, a results card shows your place, your final mass, the coins you picked up, how many worms you defeated and how long you survived.

Between rounds, the Worm wardrobe on the main menu lets you choose a new skin for your worm. A round lasts from a few seconds to several minutes, so Worms Zone works as a quick break or a longer session. You can play it on a laptop, a tablet or a phone without installing anything.