The Pokemon phenomenon sparked into the cultural consciousness in 2016 and was an instant hit.

It struck a chord with Pokemon veterans from the original card-based game and introduced an entirely new generation to the rich Pokemon ecosystem on digital.

It was inevitable, perhaps, that when the switch to pixel form took hold so enormously, there would be momentum to refine the augmented reality game further.

And that is the case with the latest version of the multi-award-winning Pokemon GO.

Features

● You can now challenge other Pokemon GO trainers

● Join the Pokemon GO Battle League

● Explore the world around you

● Catch Pokemon wherever you are

More

Some five years from the launch, the buzz driving Pokemon GO shows no signs of abating. Our lives have been filled with Pikachus, Squirtles, and an overabundance of Rattatas.

What at first seemed to be a short-lived trend has grown into a global cultural phenomenon.

With this latest incarnation of Pokemon GO, you can now do battle with Pokemon GO trainer opponents from around the world.

GO Battle League is essentially a global matching tool that lets you fight it out with other Trainers, get rewards, and increase your global ranking

However, it is only available to Trainers who are at Level 10 or above. To take part, you need to unlock a GO Battle League set. This gets you access to a series of five matches. Your first set is free, but to unlock more, you need to walk 3 km. When you have walked part of the distance, you get the option to unlock the set by spending some PokeCoins. The price reduces the nearer you reach the 3 km mark.

You are, however, limited to unlocking only three sets per day. Presumably to ensure you don't overdo it and maintain some semblance of home life.

PROS

● Seriously addictive

● A fun way to stay fit

● Good graphics and a massive cast of characters and features

● The game has been downloaded over a billion times, so you will never be short of Trainers to challenge

● Multi-language support

CONS

● It can be laggy at times if your internet signal isn't strong

● Urban-centric, there are fewer Pokemon to capture in rural areas

Price - Free but offer in-app purchases.

How to use

Before downloading Pokemon GO, you should be aware that it is optimized for smartphones, not tablets. You will also need to use data to get the full experience and enable GPS. It's possible to hop around using free WiFI, but there's no guarantee of accuracy.

The game developers recommend Android users have 2 GB of RAM available and run a minimum of Android 6.0 or later.

iOS users need to part with 356.9 MB of storage space and run iOS 12.0 or later.

Google Play and App Store reviewers are very much of the same mind when assigning a rating for the game. Google Play gives Pokemon GO a respectable 4.1 out of five, while the App Store is not far behind on 4.0 out of five.