"Smart Poke 2" aims to outwit Pokemon Go restraints

"Pokémon Go" developer Niantic recently shut down a swathe of unofficial maps and apps 'enhancing' (or breaking) its super successful AR game, but already a new app has managed to restore what many enthusiasts call essential features.

An early version of "Smart Poké 2" for Android phones and Android Wear Watches overlays the location of "Pokémon Go" creatures on a map of the real world, telling users all they need to know to catch those elusive Pokémon before they disappear.

A July 31 behind-the-scenes update to "Pokémon Go" had culled such features from sites like Pokévision and PokéHound, but "Smart Poké 2" has offered a restoration of sorts; its Android Wear functionality also provides handy notifications in the way that the official Pokémon wristband is intended to do upon its September arrival.

The French-made app is not expected to last long -- "Google Play has been fairly diligent in removing apps like Smart Poké 2," notes The Verge -- but for players of "Pokémon Go" impatient for a better built-in Pokémon radar, the unofficial app may offer a beacon of hope, however fleeting.