Sega have reset the leaderboards for Sonic The Hedgehog 4: Episode I after dastardly cheaters’ hacked scores had completely compromised the integrity of the competition (sorry for the Partridge-ism). The gaming giants have apologised to those gamers who had posted genuine high scores wiped along with those of the cheats.

‘The reset was not useless - and is far better than simply leaving even more hacked times up there,’ said SEGA forum administrator RubyEclipse. ‘It's not a long-term solution, but while we look into what options there are to combat this effectively for good, I think it's very important to do what we can in the short-term, too.

‘Be patient, guys - we're working on it, but an effective solution is not something that can be rushed.’