The fine boffins over at Halfbrick (and in particular one Phil Larsen) has seen to it that I have an early copy of Jetpack Joyride in my grubby little hands and so in a show of fairness to our readers I'll stop playing for a moment to let you see what you're in for later this week!

(Thoughts and impressions to follow the video footage.)

More than anything else it feels like Halfbrick have hit their stride with Jetpack Joyride a year after introducing gamers to Barry Steakfries in Monster Dash (5/5). What was a simple, yet polished take on the endless runner has evolved in to something far more exciting as Barry takes to the skies by stealing a jetpack that's propelled by bullets.

It's a simple one-touch affair, propelling you up with a touch and letting you sail down if you let go - reality is also suspended in favor of the physics feeling nice, so no matter what your speed you should be able to control Mr. Steakfries with some amount of success (though the increasing speed at which you travel makes things incredibly hard to react to).

The real success of the game is going to be hinged on its multitude of unlockables ala Hook Champ and the like - cash earned from each run can go towards vanity items (such as costumes and jetpacks) or useful power-ups like magnetic upgrades for the vehicles or single-use items to potentially boost your score.

Speaking of vehicles, each one is an absolute blast to get your hands on, with my favorite currently being the rare teleporting machine that, if used well, can result in some seriosly huge gains in distance.

Jetpack Joyride will be released this Thursday (September 1st) and is already shaping up to be another must-have title from the Brisbane based development studio. For more info, check out the website here.