The board game was due for a touch of the digital revolution.

And it comes in no more enticing form than Beasts of Balance; the wildly inventive, gloriously addictive game which essentially reimagines Jenga for the iPhone generation.

The physical aspect of the game arrives with a central plinth which, when connected to a Bluetooth-enabled Android or IOS device, opens up a secret digital world to explore; one where you rule over as deity to an empire of uniquely mutated creatures. Touch one of the set's animal figures - from bear to eagle, toucan to octopus - to the plinth and then place it on top to see that animal join the digital environment.

And that's when things get a little crazy; with Beasts of Balance switching up the traditional stacking game by creating physical pieces that have a direct effect in the digital world. You can add more creatures, or pieces that create strange new crossbreeds, or migration pieces that suddenly turn a warthog into the ocean-dwelling sort. It's an ever-evolving game which embraces a player's sense of experimentation to its fullest.

Things can turn frantic pretty quickly, too; especially when you're trying to keep your world thriving in its multitude of inhabitants - if you don't pay enough attention, they can quickly go extinct - all while trying to keep your ever-rising stack of objects from toppling over and destroying your beautifully crafted world. And that's sure to liven up any Christmas Day family gathering.



Beasts of Balance was created by a team of game designers, artists, and engineers all based under the vaults of London's Waterloo Bridge; all with the aim of revolutionising tabletop gaming by embracing new digital frontiers.