Really though, I think Shadowgate is a solid upgrade to the original adventure.

Over time, it’s easy to imagine that Football Manager Mobile will grow to be even more like the full-on PC game as the devices in our pockets allow more soccer to be packed into a smaller space (there’s also Football Manager Touch 2018 to bridge the gap). Until then, this is the best way to see if you’re smarter than the gaffers you see in real life. And while you probably aren’t, at least you can have fun pretending.

In the end, Chain Chronicle is a great game to get into. Even though it has a few blemishes, they don’t stop the gameplay from being fun and rewarding, and while the story didn’t necessarily appeal to me, I’m sure some of you will happily get lost in its depth.

Panda Pop certainly doesn't re-invent the genre, but do you really want to turn down an invitation to play with pandas and the elements of nature?

With striking animations, precise controls, and a touch of humor, Outland Games is well worth checking out, and will reward the time you put into it. More variety in settings and announcer dialog would go a long way toward fleshing out the experience, but there is still plenty of fun to be had in the outlands, barren as they may be.

Galaxy of Pen & Paper may not fill you with exactly the same delight as Knights did when it first came out, but it’s a welcome way to extend the fun and probably the most logical direction to go after two journeys into fantasy. Space, we welcome your vastness and look forward to taking these new quests as far as they go.

A really solid game. It's well-made, detailed and deep. If you're looking for something new and fun, you'll definitely find it here.

Scrubby Dubby Saga is a cute and addictive distraction that’s perfect for the bus — or the bathtub, if you’re one of those people that like to risk everything.

Offers what might be the most ideal word game in the series yet. The rounds are long enough to be engaging but short enough that you can play them in between other things. This coupled with the refined and accessible "With Friends" structure makes Scramble With Friends one of the better asynchronous mobile games available today.

The pedigree is there, and if you're as old as me, it'll poke the nostalgia node in your brain and remind you of playing in younger days.

Elegant in its simplicity yet challenging in its execution, Super Crate Box is a game that should easily satisfy fans of classic gaming.

Mighty Match is immediately welcoming in that regard, being about as casual-friendly as it gets. You’ll soon find yourself dipping into it every once in a while for that sweet sense of satisfaction; its simplicity is quite beguiling.

I know not everyone will be as enamored with it as I am, but with a cool blending of cards and castle defense, I think it’s definitely worth giving it a shot.

Ultimately though Fashion Police Squad is a well priced and superbly presented shooter that offers something very different to its peers.

Clumsy Ninja is a solid simulator that really shows off some impressive character personality and animation.

While The Detail was more interesting than it was challenging, I feel like the game was designed to be more of an ocular experience than a gameplay one.

While not quite the revelation that its predecessor was when it landed on Facebook four years ago, Marvel: Avengers Alliance 2 is a worthy heir to its legacy; one that takes a solid foundation of both gameplay and story elements and wraps them in sleeker presentation.

Interactive books might not be everyone's cup of tea, but if you consider yourself a member of the literati and want to dive into a neat experience with a surprising amount of replayability, An Assassin in Orlandes kicks off the Gamebook Adventures series with a bang.

Duel of Fate isan essential download if you're looking for an introduction to battle cards or if you'd like a more streamlined version of battle cards you already love. And at the low price of free, there's really no reason not to start downloading it right now.

Last Horizon is a great little mellow but not really mellow space adventure that reminds me a little bit of Out There if it was more arcade-y and less simulation-y. That is to say I really like it, though it can certainly be frustrating at times.

All of which conspires to make Hyper Maze Arcade into a game with higher quality production values than a casual title like this would normally come close to enjoying, and that makes it an essential download for anyone on the hunt for their next time-devouring F2P addiction.

War Dragons can use more of a story, and a meatier single-player campaign. Its battles are also a bit repetitive, and lacking depth.

Anyone who likes arcade shooters should pick this game up. If you like a challenge, doubly so. My biggest qualm with the game is that, because the control surface is also the screen, I sometimes couldn't see the action because my own thumbs got in the way.

Check out Flail Rider for a game with great value, great design, great concept, great fun, and great flail.

Dead Reckoning: Brassfield Manor does a lot of interesting things with the hidden object genre. There are plenty of mini-games to solve, clever puzzles to tease apart, and detective-style diversions to keep you scratching your head. It’s equal parts story and substance, and even though the game itself falls on the easy side, it’s a unique experience that will hook you from the very beginning.

Luckily, even though Jetpack Fighter suffers from an energy crisis, the gameplay experience is good enough to warrant a strong recommendation.

Ultimately Grapple Dog is a well priced platformer that’s clearly a labour of love for all involved, and is essential if you’re looking for a new 2D platformer on your Switch.

Jones is so responsive—able to jump or charge the instant her last action is complete—that even failing on harder levels still feels like your own fault, not the game’s. Couple that with the adorable kitties who celebrate your success with fireworks, the blocky retro graphics that make even an overflowing litter box endearing, and the chiptune soundtrack that is charged with enthusiasm for kitty-rescuing, and Jones on Fire is an excellent automatic runner pick-me-up for the feline at heart.

Completing a level is remarkably satisfying, particularly for the type of person who needs to hear the hook of a song all the way through before they turn off their radio. Anyone who can appreciate the process of creating music, especially the complexity of layered loops found in electronic music, will enjoy Resynth. Puzzle lovers in general can also indulge in a fresh perspective on problem solving that offers some hearty challenges. Ultimately, this conceptual representation of synesthesia makes for an artful gameplay experience.

This is a charming, sometimes enchanting, way to spend some of your time. It’s not going to stick in the memory for very long, but it’s still a fresh and entertaining slice of pocket-sized gaming that’s going to paint a broad smile squarely in the mouth region of your face.

These shortcomings are hardly ruinous though, even if the game would benefit from some early updates. Neither is the poor AI as much of a problem as it could have been, thanks to the way in which the simple joy of trampling your foes into the dirt manages to make empire-expansion games compelling even when they’re too easy. Sage’s track record means they get the benefit of the doubt on those upgrades and fixes, and their game gets a cautious recommendation.

In the end, Indie Pixel is a truly unique, if not completely innovative way to play a mobile game online with others.

Full Fat Productions have made something special with Flick Golf, offering up a perfect pick-up-and-play experience that's easy to learn, difficult to master, wonderfully unique, and impossible to put down.

A simple, clever, and fun game which is basically hindered somewhat by its quirks and intricacies. It's all fun and games until the lights go out.

Even though Tiny Troopers 2 may not have set out to redefine the Tiny Troopers franchise, the game still functions as a fairly impressive sequel with great visuals, fun gameplay, and a perfect balance of depth and pick-up-and-play accessibility.

The music is perfectly tied to the DJ vibe, and the timing is spot on. I've really no complaints at all. Skillz: The DJ Game is one of the better rhythm games I've had the good fortune of playing.

Really, I can’t help but recommend Topsoil to anyone who enjoys a good puzzle game. It’s really easy to get into, but it also gets super tough the longer you last. From the layered puzzle complexities to the tricky rule-bending plants, it makes for a solid and enjoyable challenge.

It’s quite the compilation of treats for word game enthusiasts. Sidewords is a well made pairing of conundrums, albeit one that could maybe do with a hints system for the wimpier player. Free of any pesky in-app purchases, it’s a rich, premium experience. The kind that’ll stick around on your iPhone for a while to come.

It has simple mechanics, quick bursts of gameplay, and each enemy warrants a different strategy to handle. It’s just going to ultimately come down to whether you like 2D brawlers or not — and if you do, The Executive is a very easy recommendation.

I’ve been having a lot of fun with Transformers: Earth Wars. It’s a well-made game that doesn’t buck any trends, but it stands as a solid representation of the genre — starring robots in disguise.

Although it’s a bit slow paced, Fallout Shelter is a great experience for mobile gamers.

Romans In My Carpet! is like a Ravenmark for people who wouldn’t usually mess with strategy games of its ilk. And if the idea of mite warfare on your rug grosses you out, remember that it’s just a game -- as far as you know.

There’s no story, dialogue, interesting art style, humor, characters, flash, or multiplayer to rely on as hooks. If you’re not immediately inspired to struggle for survival against the CRUSH!, then you probably aren’t going to be. Public tours available, hard hat required.

There's a catharsis here that the seminal arcade classic didn't - couldn't - provide...a knowing freedom from the era of dwindling bags of quarters.

The game itself is pretty standard for the genre, not taking too many chances by deviating from the established formula, but when it looks this good, is written this intelligently, and plays with such ease, you'll have a hard time saying no. The lure of filling out status reports and managing superhero nap times is too great to resist!

Despite my harping on the overuse of a particular formula, which I’ll admit probably wasn’t pioneered by Mobage’s juggernaut, I still enjoy it. It’s painfully familiar at times, but adds at least a couple of different features to the mix as well as a fantastically illustrated series of futuristic cannon fodder. It encourages competition but doesn’t outright punish anyone who’d rather simply collect cards and build out their dream squad.

If you can scratch up the right players and brew the right chemistry, One Million Monkeys is potentially one of the App Store's most entertaining word games.

As it turns out, there is room for another free-to-play Marvel game on the market as long as it’s enjoyable, and this one certainly is.

It's kind of surprising how good the game actually looks.

There are even boss battles to contend with. Every so often, Gru’s rival, Vector, will show up in his battle-mech and toss smaller robots at you. You need to tap on these robots to send them flying back at him, which requires tricky timing. Younger players might need to turn to an older sibling or a parent to help them best the gangly super-villain.

As a consequence, Tales of the Adventure Company requires a lot of repetition and grinding, and that’s sure to turn some people off. However, anyone that doesn’t mind retreading familiar paths to make progress will have a good time adventuring with these tiny, disposable heroes.

So if you’re a fan of NASA, space adventures, gamebooks, or The Martian be sure to check out the official game. Mark is waiting for you to help bring him home.

If you're a fan of word and grammar games you'll enjoy suffering with The Grading Game. But if you are or ever were a TA, you might want to gird your soul before playing. This one hits a little close to home.

Rising Hell has moderately simple ambitions and fulfills them with aplomb. Sensibly priced and well presented, it’s an easy recommendation if you’re after an action platformer with a more satanic edge.

In an increasingly cynical world of devious ways to trick you into in-app purchases, or into making you feel like you’re having more fun than you are, Maximum Car is a truly pleasant return to good practices. It’ll scratch that Burnout itch for a while to come.

If you were a fan of the original, Junk Jack X is going to need a place on your iPad.

But in its entirety, SimplePlanes is a great flight / building simulator. It just takes a lot of getting used to, and plane enthusiasts will no doubt be happy to pore over every little thing the app offers.

The collection component may leave conventional CCG fans cold but the strategy aspect, while simple, works well and can result in some very intense and exciting battles. In fact, I'd go so far as to say that calling it a CCG is a bit unfair. It's a strategy game, plain and simple, and a pretty good one, too.

Despite having no prior experience with the series, or even with visual novels in general, I found myself totally engrossed in the story of Apollo Justice. The bizarre dialogue and twisty plots made the whole thing feel like a playable anime, with stunning art and animation to match. While it may stumble sometimes with puzzles that feel too tricky for their own good, referring to a guide occasionally is a small price to pay to enjoy three fully-realised epics such as these. We the jury find Apollo Justice: Ace Attorney Trilogy… Not Guilty! Of being a game you’ll regret picking up.

The issues I had with the game revealed themselves because I played it a lot. I loved it and still do, and I'd readily recommend it to anyone. I only complain because I see a good game, but I know with some minor tweaks it can be great.

Bringing Agricola to the small screen was a very tough task. Playdek has tried extremely hard and managed to come up with something that’s a lot of fun, but does fall down in a couple of key areas. But for experienced gamers wanting to play online, fans of the solitaire variant, or those who simply want to find out what all the fuss is about, this most-talked-about board game should be picked up without question.

The only real disappointment to be had in Gizmonauts is how much it feels like ground we've tread before. Yes there are improvements, and yes it's a lot prettier, but at the end of the day it just feels like DragonVale with robots. Is it a better product that DragonVale? Absolutely. But it's just not different enough to really blow our socks off.

Postknight is an adorable, engaging RPG from the creators of the towerless tower defense game Tiny Guardians. As in Tiny Guardians, developer Kurechii has taken some elements from a popular genre and reworked others, resulting in a game that is both familiar and novel.

For those who don't mind a little bit of morbid fun, Unpleasant Horse is anything but unpleasant.

Is Lil' Kingdoms a lil' too much like Tiny Tower to avoid labels like "clone" and "copycat"? Sure. But here's the thing – even if you're going to toss those words around, there's no denying that it's a really great clone or copycat, and it does just enough new to set it apart. If you're a fan of Tiny Tower and looking for a second building to manage while you restock your sub shop, you'd be a village idiot to pass Lil' Kingdoms up.

Fans of Ninjump and Ninjatown will absolutely want to make Mechanic Panic their next buy. It may be built on the same foundations as these popular vertical jumpers, but it brings enough new to the table to be well worth the purchase for any fan of the genre.

While Twist Pilot doesn't necessarily break new ground, it does spin its way into both your mind and your heart rather quickly.

If you’re looking for an exciting strategy title on four wheels, Winterstate won’t let you down.

Gacha games can be overwhelming for beginners, but there’s no such danger here. If you’re looking for a warm and sunny RPG to fill the remaining summer months, Epic Odyssey is worth a download.

Delightful, mainly because it keeps on doing what made the previous games great. It's goofy, fun, and more than a little ridiculous.

Heroes Call isn't quite in the same class as Diablo, yet it manages to capture much of the same spirit in a freemium mobile package. That's a pretty impressive feat, and it should be enough to keep you hacking and slashing for a while.

Simple to play, utterly charming, and completely addictive, Whale Trail has all the makings of a great mobile game.

Overall, I think this is a wonderful game for fans of Error Salvation. You get to play through a variety of alternate endings, both good and bad. Bad in the sense that they’re depressing and dark. From the selection screen, you have multiple options to choose from.

It's a welcome facelift to the farming experience that millions have come to love in recent years, with the main difference being that Farm Up lacks the social interactions, gifting, and bragging rights that makes games like FarmVille such a hit.

As a kind of violent puzzle game, ENYO is reasonably rewarding, but be prepared – you’re going to have to be pretty patient when you’re first learning the ropes.

You're not going to find a lot of innovation in the core gameplay if you're already committed to another city builder; it's still the same type of game we've seen many times before, but with a charming space theme.

It’s interesting how such a tiny gameplay tweak can make or break such a simple game, but here we are. Slide the Shakes’ perfect timing makes it a great title to go back to repeatedly, even if you’re only playing in short spurts.

Going from endless gameplay to structured levels is a big change for the Doodle Jump series, but it's one that pays off.

What Agent Dash lacks in originality, it makes up for in solid design. Its controls are responsive, the graphics are some of the best I've seen in an endless runner, and the gameplay doesn't pull any sort of punches.

You're given direct control of the game's speed. Feeling bored? Want to earn more money? Crank up the pit's activity to twice its normal rate. Or four times its normal rate. Feeling frayed? Drop it back down. Managing the pit at top-speed requires a lot of assistants, though, and unlocking the full lot takes a lot of kart points.

Beyond the fact that it’s a pretty standard tower defense game, there is little to dislike about Anomaly Defenders.

If you’re looking for a dyed-in-the-wool racing experience, you’re not going to get one here. But Forza Street offers up some sharp and entertaining slices of mobile action all the same.

Spellspire has great graphics, charming characters, and a smart game mechanic that focuses on quick spelling but adds some casual RPG fun for those who like a little strategy with their wordplay.

Peak’s Edge is a smart and engaging experience that’s easy to pick up and pretty damn hard to put down. There’s thinking to do, and loads of stuff to unlock as well. If you’re looking for a roguelite with a hefty chunk of bite, then it’s definitely worth picking up.

If you’re on the lookout for a new strategy MMO – and, in particular, if you’re new to the genre and find the games you’ve tried confusing or overwhelming – First Hero is worth a try for the combat alone.

Ultimately, Spirit Lords’ free-to-play barriers are relatively minor. They’re definitely worth looking past if you’re in the market for a charismatic game that lets you collect oodles of loot and brilliant-looking ghosts.

Slickly made, Swing King and the Temple of Bling is cute and appealing while also being quite tough at times. It’s an ideal action puzzle game, whatever your mood, meaning you’re going to enjoy working your way through the 45 levels on offer. That might not sound substantial but just you wait. You’ll see that’s plenty of content for little Mumbles.

Overall, we’re pretty impressed so far with Teppen. It’s going to take some getting used to as it does offer a style of gameplay we’re not familiar with, but it feels fresh and exciting in a way that card battlers have struggled to ever since Hearthstone made it big. We’re also huge fans of the presentation, which is pretty stellar, and the inclusion of genuine Capcom properties is very welcome indeed. A good start for this new card battler.

Our only complaint would be the price tag, which is a tad high considering the age of the game – even if there admittedly is plenty of content to get your teeth into. For any fans of old school first person shooters this is still a must buy though.

Ruzzle Adventure successfully adds some dimension and depth to the already-addictive Ruzzle mechanics. It's far more of a single-player experience than its older brother, but there's nothing wrong with wandering the world on your own from time to time.

Practice makes perfect, and the road to perfection in Door Kickers is a very long one …but it’s one worth travelling.

As far as the iOS implementation, I actually found San Juan to be a nicer experience over its board game brethren Puerto Rico. While both games hinge on a similar mechanic and identical theme, I found the simplicity of the cards to help immensely with the UI.

Arena Allstars isn’t the most elaborate production you’ll find on mobile, and it feels a bit underdeveloped in places, but if you’ve yet to sample the joys of auto chess on mobile, this is a good place to start.

Nuclear Blaze is definitely a case of quality over quantity though, and well worth checking out.

For a couple bucks, The Spookening is an entertaining romp that doesn't masquerade as anything more than it is -- a people-scarin' good time with plenty of ways to scare the pants off the average Joe. It may be completed quickly, but it's still worth your time.

You only get so many chances at guessing the correct answer, but it’s worth taking that risk. And that is exactly how Tokyo 13 gets you. It gets under your skin, encouraging you to figure things out. Just how hard is it? Pretty hard actually, but you’ll enjoy finding it out for yourself.

Huebrix's sins are far from great enough to sink it, as its original gameplay, bold difficulty, long term expansion potential, and dedication to hardcore puzzling help it rise above not only its poorer decisions, but feel like a great one for any fan of the genre. Especially those in need of a little humility.

Paper.io is fun, addicting and definitely worth the free download, especially for .io fans. Those who maybe didn’t understand the appeal of these games will enjoy the simplicity Paper.io brings to the genre, along with the vibrant and charming aesthetics.