PHONE users across the globe are walking in rhythm after a mobile phone drumming game designed in Manchester became an overnight global success.

Anthony Diver, from Chorlton, has developed a downloadable programme that transforms mobile phones into drum machines.

And his invention has proved so popular that it notched up more than 41,000 downloads in the first 12 days of its release online.

Anthony developed the programme, called Tub Thumper, with colleague Andy Todd and the digital development team he runs at SASS marketing agency in Mere, Cheshire.

The programme is available on Google's `smart phone', a touch-screen mobile that is the company's rival to Apple's iPhone.

The game can be downloaded from Google's Android Market, which houses its software applications.

Its popularity has seen it reach the number six spot of Google's international mobile phone applications download chart, just two places behind the successful music recognition software programme Shazam.

Anthony, 31, said: "I'm delighted how well it's taken off. Word of mouth has spread so quickly - it's a classic viral success really.

"There are games like Guitar Hero which is hugely successful, so we called ours Tub Thumper because it's slang for a drummer, so we're being a bit tongue-in-cheek really.

"We only came up with the idea last month and, once we'd uploaded it to Google, we marketed it through all the usual digital channels."

Anthony, who has a musical background including a spell playing bass in the indie band Gecko Levy, said: "We thought it would be fun to create something fun but simple like a virtual drum machine for a phone. And we wanted to put our money where our mouth is by testing the market with a cutting edge design.

"All of us who worked on it are keen musicians and we thought that it would be great way of relieving your stress and just having some fun."

He added: "People can play along to their favourite tunes on their phones, or they can just jam along together, without causing as much noise as you would create with a proper drum kit.

"You don't even need any musical ability really, it's just an easy way to have a bit of fun."