Firemint's SPY Mouse is its first game to employ in-app purchases

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Demonstrating that where Angry Birds' developer Rovio breaks ground, other developers will surely follow, EA-owned Firemint has implemented its first in-app purchase.

As with Angry Birds' The Mighty Eagle - effectively a 99c cheat to complete a level you're stuck on - Firemint's just released iPhone game SPY Mouse has Kiska The Cat, who "can help you pass levels".

Buying the IAP removes all the patrolling cats from a single building, ensuring the mouse - agent squeak - can steal the cheese and make his getaway onto the next level.

Tipping a toe

Significantly though, as with The Mighty Eagle, which can only be used once (the level has be solved normally to gain a further use), once used the 99c Kisha is locked for 24 hours.

Obviously not as lucrative as the freemium model where users can spend as much money as they want to progress through the game, nevertheless in March Rovio revealed that after The Mighty Eagle was introduced into Angry Birds, around 40 percent of new users bought the IAP.