Clumsy Ninja isn’t just for kids, but we think it’s going to appeal to slightly older children (say, eight and up) in the same way that Talking Tom Cat has to younger kids.

It’s the work of games publisher NaturalMotion, and we first clapped eyes on it more than a year ago, when it was shown off at the launch of Apple’s iPhone 5.

Now Clumsy Ninja is finally available for the rest of us to play with, so who is he? “The most hapless ninja ever to grace a touchscreen,” according to his creator. “Train him, throw him, tickle him, and even tie balloons to him. Everything you do will make Clumsy Ninja more skilful, and help him find his missing friend, Kira.”

So, this is part virtual pet app (albeit with a ninja rather than a puppy or kitten) and part game, with the promise of more than 70 items to help the little chap learn new tricks – from trampolines and punch bags to, er, a chicken.

There’s a big focus on customisation too – kids will love this – with suits, belts and headbands to change the way Clumsy Ninja looks. The animation is top-notch too: much of the fun comes from watching the character’s capering. We love the humour too: the clumsiness is played for laughs, and very well.

You may have seen this coming: the app does use in-app purchases: you can buy virtual gems that are then used to buy some of the items, in prices ranging from £1.99 for a bag of gems to £20.99 for a “gem mine”.

Clumsy Ninja is a free download for iPhone and iPad from Apple’s App Store.