This photo-realistic recreation of the Mattel Football handheld is truly impressive, but also kinda boring.

If you’re old enough to remember the classic Mattel Football electronic game, you’ll do a nostalgia-fueled double-take when you see LED Football. It’s a near-perfect replica, not just of the gameplay, but also of the handheld itself. And at 99 cents, it’s definitely an impulse buy--especially for those with fond memories of the original.

For everyone else, well, this ain’t exactly Madden ’09. In LED Football you maneuver a single player (represented by a red LED, natch) across a field of five defensive tackles (slightly dimmer LEDs). You can move up, down, and to the right, but not left (i.e. backward), and you can’t pass. At least you can punt on fourth down, but that’s not enough variety to keep the game entertaining for more than a few minutes.

Ironically, Mattel added four-way movement and passing to the sequel, Football 2, making for a more enjoyable, replayable game. We can’t help wondering why the developers didn’t start out by recreating that version, but here’s hoping it’s in the works. LED Football is certainly a fun trip down memory lane, but most players won’t want to stay there too long.

It’s worth a buck just to show your kids what used to pass for an electronic game--and relive the button-mashing glory of your youth. But modern gamers will want to steer clear.

LED Football
COMPANY: touchGrove
CONTACT: www.ledfootball.com
PRICE: $0.99
REQUIREMENTS: iPhone or iPod touch with 2.0 Software Update
Looks and plays just like the original, right down to the amusing sticker that adorns the backside of the “handheld.”
Like the original, it gets boring pretty quickly. No passing or backward movement allowed. Mashing the iPhone screen not quite as satisfying as mashing actual buttons.