I love and hate N.O.V.A at the same time. To deny it's the definitive FPS and one of the best looking games on the App Store would be plain stupid, but at the same time it's also one of the most shameless clones I've ever played.

Hot Springs Resort is another triumph of balance between the hard nosed world of number crunching and cute character management. The beautifully detailed characters and scenery hide a devious game engine that will see you playing long into the night.

A fab little game.

In re-creating a classic game, Vivid Studios have triumphed with this iOS version. Every ounce of fun has been successfully transplanted from the Amiga classic. But more than that, they've added to it without diluting what made the original so good.

It feels as if it's a step beyond Espgaluda II in terms of the depth the game provides, making it the easier of the two to get into if you're new to the genre or just can't take the massive enemy reign of fire that constantly bombards you.

While the main campaign is over too quickly, the amount of fun to be had in the other modes and the mix of great controls and humour help to make Laser Dolphin a stand out title in a sea of App Store action games.

Arcade mode captures the arcade game and various other versions, such as the Xbox Live release, perfectly.

If you're a TD fan or even if you've yet to try the genre, there's a lot to recommend in iBomber Defence Pacific. Although it's still early days, it gets my vote for Tower Defence of the year.

There will still be those who complain that this game is a Zelda Rip-off and that it has no new ideas, but to me Gameloft have created a perfect new adventure based loosely on the ideas of a much loved franchise. Sacred Odyssey: Rise of Ayden is a treasure among a heap of average adventure games, a mix of great characters, fascinating story and gorgeous graphics.

In many ways Ravensword reaches beyond the limitations of its native hardware and you could argue that this is its one true downfall. If you can look past the poor draw distance, and you should, you will find an irresistible leviathan of a game.

iBlast Moki combines aspects of Rolando, Billiards, Litte Big Planet and Crazy Machines to form its own unique, engaging and fun experience and we would urge you not to miss out on it.

FIFA 13 turns out to be an incremental update from last year and yet, with all the tweeks and small changes, EA's game manages to become the world champion of the iOS football league yet again.

Swarm is hopelessly addictive; a quick 5 minute session after lunch can often be responsible for the loss of an entire afternoon.

While Outrun has yet to appear on iOS, Final Freeway 2R is more than enough compensation for the lack of Sega's racer.

There has always been a reason that Angry Birds is THE mobile game, and that is because it does what it does extremely well indeed. My own personal iPhone has a folder for "Essentials" on the first page, and it is in to this very folder that I have put Angry Birds Space.

A return to form for Telltale and big technical improvement over recent games. It mixes the best of the well-loved series with the best of point and click interfaces and comes up with a winning combination.

Home Sheep Home 2 takes all the parts that were good from the first game and builds on them to create an excellent puzzle game, this time providing a much more rounded package. Even without the star attraction from Aardman Animations the game would be easy to recommend to puzzle fans.

Bike Baron is a game that provides fun and frustration in equal measure, but balances these at just the right level to perfectly hit that 'one more go' approach. Fans of Trials style games shouldn't hesitate to pick this one up.

The quality feel to the app and its addictive nature makes it an easy recommendation for anyone who likes puzzle games.

Pumped:BMX is not a game for the feint hearted and will take a lot of practice before you find your feet, just like the real thing. But stick at it and there's an incredible amount of fun to be had from performing some impressive trick combinations.

Anomaly Korea is a must for any Tower Defence fan looking for something a little different and it's a great sequel for any fans of the first game.

If you're looking for a nice pick-up 'n' play game for your iPod, this is definitely it. Besides the small gripes with the weapon swiping, this game is one of my favourites.

The charm of Magic Orbz is plain to see from the moment you first pick the game up and it's certainly a great addition to the hallowed halls of the best Breakout games. Easily recommended for any fan of the genre.

Origin8 have packed so many features in to this game and have really pushed for a more strategic approach that, even with the bulging numbers of Tower Defence games on the App Store, Sentinel 3 still stands tall as the leader of the pack.

I cannot recommend Tiny Heroes enough, its brilliant art work and gameplay is supreme in the tower defence genre. The only thing missing is a sound track, but it's odd that while playing this superb game won't miss a sound track at all.

Although there are a plethora of top down racers on the App Store right now, I'd stick my neck out and say that Reckless Racing 2 is the best one out there, hands down, and will be for some time to come. Pixelbite have really nailed it with this one.

Bug Princess is another top class shoot-em-up from Cave that doesn't disappoint. It might not have quite the same depth in scoring as some of the later coin-ops and there are no extra modes to speak of, but it certainly hits the Bullet Hell spot.

Back To The Future Episode 2 is an essential purchase for fans of the movies and, of course, the first episode. It has the same strengths and, particularly for first generation iPad owners, the same weaknesses too.