Candy Crush Saga downloads reach half a BILLION on game's first anniversary

The creators of Candy Crush Saga are celebrating more than half a billion downloads since it was launched one year ago today.

On its first anniversary, the smartphone game has established itself as one of the most popular apps of all time.

Each level of the game - which reportedly counts footballer Cesc Fabregas and singer Lil Allen among its fans - contains a board filled with different coloured candies.

Players must complete a series of challenges including mixing and matching sweets to gain points and bonuses.

More than 400 levels have been developed already - with more released regularly through updates to the game, which can also be played using Facebook.

Its creator, King, says the game is most often played on a Sunday, with peak participation between 6pm and 9pm.

A total of 150bn individual games have so far been played - meaning the average user has played 300 times alone.

The app is symbolic of the boom in the use of smartphones for gaming, with the average Brit spending 13 minutes playing on their mobiles every day.

King is now reported to be considering an initial public offering (IPO) on the stock market following the success of Candy Crush.

However, it remains in the shadow of another of the world's most popular online games. Rovio, creator of Angry Birds, revealed yesterday the app had been downloaded more than 2bn times.