Have you heard of the latest mobile gaming craze, Pokémon Go?
The augmented reality game is an international phenomenon and sees players searching for Pokémon characters in their real world surroundings.
As it explains on the official Pokémon website: “As you move around, your smartphone will vibrate to let you know you’re near a Pokémon.
“Once you’ve encountered a Pokémon, take aim on your smartphone’s touch screen and throw a Poké Ball to catch it. Be careful when you try to catch it, or it might run away!”
Local fan Peter Gebbie said: “The best place I’ve found in West Kirby is the far end of the prom by the sailing club!”
However, anyone wanting to join in the craze may be temporarily disappointed as reports in the media suggest the official UK launch has been postponed after unexpectedly high volumes of downloads in the US and Australia caused it to crash.
John Hanke, from developers Niantic, said: “We’re excited that Pokémon fans and gamers can now start exploring their very own neighborhoods and cities to capture Pokémon using the Pokémon GO app.
“Players can discover and catch more than 100 Pokémon from the original Red and Blue games, take Pokémon into battle against other Pokémon at Gyms, uncover items including a variety of types of Poké Balls and eggs at PokéStops, hatch and train new Pokémon, and more.
“We are also super excited about the Pokémon GO Plus wearable device which will enable players to capture Pokémon and harvest items from PokéStops without ever taking their phone out of their pocket or bag. Players can explore the world and play the game while keeping their attention on the people and sites around them. A walk in the park just became more fun. :-)”
For more info on how to download the game, visit http://pokemongo.nianticlabs.com/en/