About this game

The pool sits in a small garden with a tiled deck, a lifeguard chair, towels, an umbrella and two palm trees. Everything is drawn as small, chunky pixel art. Light ripples across the water, and only the swimmers' heads, shoulders and arms show above it.

You play Red. Each team has six swimmers and a keeper, as in real water polo. The match starts with a swim-off: the ball floats in the middle and both teams race for it on the whistle. A yellow arrow shows your swimmer, and it swims for the ball by itself.

When you have the ball, press Pass and it goes to the teammate with the yellow ring, or press Shoot to shoot at the goal. You can also tap a teammate to pass to them, or tap the goal. Tap the water to swim somewhere else, and swim into a Blue swimmer with the ball to win it back.

The computer passes, marks your swimmers and blocks shots, and its keeper dives. Shots from close in go in most often. When a goal goes in, the net bulges, water splashes up and the scorer puts an arm in the air.

First to 5 goals wins. After 3 minutes the team ahead wins, and if it's level the next goal wins. With 2 players, Red and Blue share the screen: whoever has the ball plays it, and the computer defends for both.

Good for

• Wet play, when the class can't go outside
• The last few minutes of a Friday
• Two children at one tablet or the board

The pixel drawing uses the open source engine from Pixel Plays by Amir Mushich.