SimpleRockets 2 celebrates and rewards tinkering, experimentation, and lots and lots of patience.

Balance of the Shaolin is the definition of easy to learn, hard to master.

I'm finding Fluxx to be somewhat of a tricky recommendation. Not because it's bad, but because it doesn't really capture the manic nature of the original game.

Multiplayer and pinball have never gone hand-in-hand, but after playing PinWar it’s hard to wonder why it hasn’t happened sooner. Factoring in an insane amount of missions and stage structures to boot, and this is an experience worth pulling the plunger on. Just try not to be too competitive when crushing the opposition. Sometimes sore losers and fragile electronics don’t exactly mix.

Create words to defeat the monsters in this 8-bit style RPG/Boggle mash-up.

Death Come True is easily the best conventional FMV game I've played. It shows enough restraint and attention to detail that every scene (even the ones you sit through more than once) enhances the story. While its overall revelations aren't entirely original, it's refreshing to play a game like this that isn't constantly derailing or undermining its own narrative.

Assuming someone isn't looking for a single-player only game, there's plenty of entertainment to be had with Scotland Yard. It's easy to learn and lots of fun. Just know that it truly shines when played with or against other people.

Hanging With Friends is a neat twist on an old classic; Zynga With Friends did a great job at making the classic hangman game work in a competitive sense with asynchronous multiplayer.

Bottom of the 9th is a really cool take on a sports game. It looks and feels almost nothing like most other video game sports, yet it captures the feeling of real sports in ways that a lot of other games don't. This magic is only at its best when playing with others though, and finding people to play Bottom of the 9th with can often feel like more trouble than it's worth.

Though short, The Great Prank War offers an interesting and fun mix of action and tower defense. Get your fish out.

The latest in the series, Gamebook Adventures 11: Songs of the Mystics, is a little gem.

Oh, nevermind. Just another Threes! clone. What? Y-you mean Swipe & Slash is actually a fun RPG-lite dungeon hack using Threes! as a combat engine? Oh, well why didn't you say so?

Chip Chain neatly avoids any excessive in-app purchasing problems. It's a high quality game without it. Sure, it might not be the most attractive of games to look at, but there's a heap of fun here for Match Three fans looking for something with a bit more strategy.

Blek is a beautfiul minimalist puzzle game that has players drawing lines to follow a path that will hit all the dots in a level, requiring planning and spatial awareness to master.

Get past that, however, and Majesty: The Northern Expansion shines, especially for strategy gaming fans. It's a satisfyingly enjoyable ride, providing players have the patience to learn its ways.

Tavern Guardians has enough going on in it to make it worth checking out, even if it's the billionth match-three you've played. It's not a complete reinvention of the genre, nor is it perfect, but it does a great job of injecting fun into a pretty tired genre.

Hectic Space makes blasting aliens feel as good as blasting phat techno beatz.

Space Op! is a fun game with great visuals and easy game play. There's plenty of content due to a lot a levels and plenty of items to buy. It has a unique game play idea that is executed well and leads to a solid game.

Kyubo is a little rough at times, but it's a pretty clever puzzle platformer regardless.

Let's Jump may lack in originality, but it is still quite fun, and its universal app support is quite welcome. It does everything right, just don't expect the freshest experience.

Dotard's Escape probably won't win over any maze haters out there, but it's sure to please maze lovers. There are plenty of options to play around with and it's never the same layout twice. Plus it's possible to suggest new insidious traps to the developers directly, which might even make it into the game in future updates.

It may appear simple and slapdash, but Tomato World is a ton of fun for free.

Edna & Harvey: The Breakout is very much a traditional point and click adventure. The puzzles are sometimes bizarre and infuriating, but the story keeps you playing on, with much owing to its original tale.

Straight to the point, Blackjack Royale doesn't deviate with the classic Blackjack experience, sticking to offering a quality card playing time.

Telling a great story of murder and intrigue, Curse of the Assassin is a highly enjoyable adventure gamebook from the iOS masters of the genre.

Romance. Kidnapping. Heroics. Inebriated robots? Trust me, it works. CLARC is an action-puzzle game not to be missed.

Help Alice explore a mini-golf version of Wonderland in the quirky Wonder Golf.

Repetition with Mystery of the Japanese Werewolf is pretty much the only issue. The witty meta-referential lines start to get old after they're repeated. The new abilities wind up just being the same as the old ones, just with the ability to destroy new blocks. Even the boss enemy recurs with similar ways to defeat him.

There are only 17 total "jobs" in the game for players to compete. This is simply too little. The levels don't take long to complete and, beside from boss battles, they aren't particularly challenging.

Auditorium is unusual, soothing, inventive, and extraordinarily pretty. If you're looking for a sleek puzzle game, put this one on your list for sure.

FastBall 2 dispenses with the parts of platforming games that are usually frivolous filler (the story), focusing instead on the action within.

It is a safe bet that proponents of the first episode will likely enjoy Episode Two, and if Telltale's track record in the adventure game genre is any indication, the whole Back to the Future game series is likely going to reach classic status down the road.

My only complaint would be that load times can seem a little long for when I'm trying to get a quick game in during a commercial break on television or something, but it's certainly worth waiting for - it's also totally understandable when considering the detail in the levels that's been squeezed onto our little devices.

Despite a rough edge here and there (so to speak), Release is a unique, challenging, and addictive shooting game.

BlibBlob is a childlike game that is complex enough for adults to enjoy. The controls are easy to pick up, the storyline is cute, and while the repaly value is not the best – unless the player is on OpenFeint – who cares when there are stars to gather, secret passageways to discover and fruity bonus points to eat.

A pleasant auto flyer with a cute and entertaining storyline and structure.

It's a little dark, in every sense of the word, but The Journey Down: Chapter Two is a solidly entertaining adventure game.

Based on its interesting game mechanics, twist on the generations old house fly and challenging race to the finish, Fly Run is a solid flying adventure.

LostWinds is a very worthy purchase. It was relatively expensive for its length on the Wii but on the App Store, it fits in nicely. There may be limited replayability once completed, except for those desperate to collect all the Melodia Idols around the game, however the general ambience is warm and enjoyable. It's backed up by some neat wind based mechanics. LostWinds is a fine way to spend some time.

It's tough to resist the charm of Banana Kong and while it's never going to be as exceptional as the Donkey Kong Country series, it's a warm, Endless Runner focused alternative.

Perloo commands both time and a certain level of intrinsic logic. Provided one has both, it is highly rewarding. However, be prepared to cry at the hard bits.

Overall, Seed Studio is off to a nice start with Pirate's Battle. I would love to see more playable ships and some extra game modes or minigames, but the package as a whole is still a great offering if you love playing same system multiplayer.

There are better twin stick shooters on iOS, no doubt of that, but few of them feel as unique as Dead End does. If it had gone with more traditional controls it would probably still be a fun enough game, but because it's brave enough to try something different, Dead End has a curious hook to it.

A complex sim and one that demonstrates just how wondrous it was the first time.

Dive deep in this fun explore-em-up that's a little grind heavy but ultimately quite entertaining.

It's pretty tough for those not used to such past mechanics. Timing and speed is everything, much like the Track and Field games of old, but it's not a format that everyone will adore.

WordTag offers something not only novel, but thought provoking. If the developers continue to nourish it, I can see it living on my iPhone for a long time.

Wicked Lair is a compelling mix of tower defense and tower building. It feels good to be not nice.

Even in the opening moments of Planescape: Torment, it's easy to see that it is an important game. Just because it's important though, doesn't mean that it has held up well in the 18 years since its release. Unless you have a high tolerance for old game design or have some deep nostalgia for Infinity Engine RPGs, I'm not sure you'll have a great time controlling Torment, but you may still enjoy how totally unique a game it is.

The Land of Venn - Geometric Defense is a wonderful, kinetic app that teaches early geometry to children with an interesting use of color and style.

These are the kinds of titles that can set the platform apart as one of the truly unique experiences in gaming. It is definitely well worth a look, especially when you consider that the base game is actually free.

Powerslide Penguin does just what players would expect of Chillingo. It's simple but addictive and cute. For the asking price of 99c, it's an ideal game for those looking for a new hook during their daily commute.

You won't get much satisfaction out of Harry Potter: Spells unless you're a strong Harry Potter fan, and you need a friend who's also willing to get the app in order to really enjoy it. Even then, the fun doesn't last forever; this app is a one-trick pony.

PBR: Raging Bulls is about as good as a bull riding game could be.

Never Let Go is a tough test of touch endurance.

MotoTrialz isn't the best game ever, and the controls and features need some work, but it's a solid little game – and you could sure do worse for $0.99.

Lost in Space? Nothing helps to solve that problem like a fully-armed space vessel.

Destructopus is a fun game. The amount of levels means there are a good few hours to play through here and most importantly, it's enjoyable.

Office Gamebox offers a very simple experience but it's still fantastic fun. The presentation is spot on with simple instructions guiding you through each game and a high score encompassing all the titles in one, as well as individual ones.

VS. Racing is not an impressively realistic iOS racing game, but it is a fun racer, nonetheless. It's got a unique, functional control scheme – one that actually lends itself to creating a stand-out experience – and it visuals serve as nice eye candy. Not bad.

Corrypt is a game that got my attention with its visuals, gained my favor with some interesting gameplay twists, and finally earned my utmost respect and adoration when it pushed those twists even farther.

Rush City is an endless runner where players control an escaping alien, avoiding helicopters and perilous falls while collecting stars and completing objectives.

Word Soup may not be new, but the gameplay is still fresh and addictive.

Bugs Wars is one of those delightful games that you can drop into and everything just clicks immediately.

It's an engaging game that does an excellent job tying into both the book and movie. The adventure never gets boring, although waiting for energy points to restore can be tiresome.

The real question in all of this is, would I recommend Trade Nations? Absolutely. It's free, fairly addicting and is a great way to kill those occasional 3 minutes of nothing to do.

That touch of class exudes throughout the rest of Hidden Runaway, propelling it above the typical heights of Hidden Object gaming. The story is interesting and charming with the playable elements just as intriguing. It's an all round sterling package.

The war is on! Tank Nation blasts its way up the app store charts with explosive artillery and competitive combat.

Tap & Blast's barrel blasting gameplay and unique cartoon art style are just some of its good points. It's controls are not half bad, but could do with some tweaking.

Players looking for a quick bite of old-school racing action on their iOS device will be right at home with Retro Racing.

This somewhat shaky port does a great job of capturing the spirit of Prince of Persia games to the point that some of the changes introduced feel pretty weak or unnecessary by comparison, but its core is sound and enjoyable nonetheless.

Amazing Studly Strikes may not be very deep or particularly rewarding, but it’s a reasonable amount of fun and won’t hamstring players for avoiding in-app purchases. It’s also a bit light on overall content (minus the link to the webcomic, of course), but there’s still plenty available to keep a bored iOS user entertained for a while.

Yes, a game about taking on hordes of zombified animals is as good as it sounds.

Snabbit is a really fun and enjoyable faced paced arcade game. The controls are super simple and easy to learn and will be picked up in a minute by any casual gamer.

Spooky thrills abound in this adventure gamebook with more focus on puzzles than most.

Danger Alliance: Battles is a solid title although one that would benefit from future updates. Speedier enemy AI would be welcome as well as the much promised single player campaign. Despite such niggles, currently on sale at $1.99, it's a good time to jump onboard the Danger Alliance: Battles ship.

NeoMech isn't some piece of high art that seeks to elevate or deconstruct an old genre the way certain other retro throwbacks do. It's just a new game with fun, old influences. Sometimes fun is enough.

Pro Pinball only offers one table, but it's a good one - and more are coming.

This game attempts to capture the magic of tabletop dungeon crawling in video game form, and it does so, but with mixed results.

Velocispider is a bit lacking in content, but not in fun. What started out as a fun game jam idea has turned into a great little retro arcade game for the App Store.

Incorporating interactive elements and promising new forms of media to explore, Netwars - The Butterfly Attack is an interesting take on the interactive graphic novel.

A great title to play if you're a fan of Lunar Landing style games. It offers a perfectly pitched difficulty curve and its developers haven't forgotten to consider presentational aspects, as demonstrated by the sterling comic book and soundtrack.

It's back and it's just as addictive as ever.

Angry Birds 2 is a great sequel, when you're able to play it.

Simple yet fun, Trouserheart is a charming hack n slasher that's ideal for when one wants to play something a little more casual.

Staying Together is a charming but taxing puzzle platformer about love.

Uberstrike brings fast-paced FPS action to the masses for free, and it gets a lot right with its controls, gameplay, and free-to-play model.

The level of control I have over my racer provides a certain degree of addictive game play and keeps me wanting to play more.

SMG Studio takes boring old tower defense and jazzes it up a bit with gibs aplenty and a buttload of firepower.

A professionally designed, easy-to-manoeuvre game, with decent graphics, music and well developed storyline. What more could you want?

Eden to Green is probably the first tower defense CCG I've ever played. It's also set the bar pretty high.

While the gameplay may be repetitive and a bit on the shallow side, Marvel Contest of Champions looks darn good while doing so!

There is a lot that I would change about Star Marine: Infinite Ammo, particularly to make it more in line with the games that inspired it, but what's here is rather intriguing and fun. Flawed, but there is fun to be had.

A superbly put together shadow-based puzzler.

PangoLand is an open-ended world full of familiar characters, bright colors and interactive appeal.

Pigeon Presents: Mo... on the Go! includes a collection of activities based on the storybooks by Mo Willems.

Odd Squad is a multiplayer strategy game that forces players to think differently.

Pastry Panic is, quite simply, another pick-up-and-play iOS game destined for Classic status. There've been a lot of those lately, haven't there? Not that I'm complaining.