The game does the hard work of hooking you in, but is insistent on pushing you away straight after unless you cough up cash, which feels both insulting and desperate.

All things considered though, Ice Age Adventures is very well put together. The clever A-List voice acting alone is enough to keep a non-fan like myself interested. Any fan of the series should give it a shot.

It’s best experienced in short bursts of explosive, colorful mayhem: burn bright and fast.

Rules! is that sort of lightning in a bottle that only comes along every so often. I’d rank it right up there with Threes!, and not just because both games so gleefully abuse exclamation points.

Adventure Time: Time Tangle isn’t perfect, but there’s enough here to bring a smile to fans’ faces.

The verdict here is that if you’ve always been intrigued by Blood Bowl and never had the experience of having a Troll throw a Goblin and the ball together into the end zone, this is probably the best gateway into that world that’s ever existed. For hardcore fans, it’s only going to serve as an appetizer until the next main course comes along in a few months.

So, while I’d love to see some more value added for the player who has maxed out everything, Deep Loot is a really fun dive up until that point. Upgrading items is satisfying, finding special treasures is exciting, and the quest to do both is a great driving factor for a long period of time.

Micromon is worthy of criticism because it’s a very decent Pokemon-style game. With a little more polish (and an extra coat for its online issues), it could roll over the App Store’s competition like a Fire-type over a Nature-type.

Dream Revenant could have been a halmark mobile gaming moment. Instead, it’s a masterclass in how to make a mess out of the best of intentions.

The Phantom PI: Mission Apparition is the first in what I hope is a series of sequels that adopt the same look and casual yet intelligent attitude toward adventure games.

Overall, 80 Days is a wonderful game.

Don’t let it’s business model turn you off. If you’re a fan of the Crazy Taxi franchise, this is a unique spin on something you already know and love that’s well worth giving a chance.

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles wasn’t the worst several hours I’ve spent with a game by a long stretch, but I found it disappointingly lacking.

I don’t think Order of Souls is for the hardcore RPG player – the one who regularly buys Kemco’s games or has no qualms shelling out $15-$20 for the latest Final Fantasy or Dragon Quest port. But for the player who wants a casual RPG that doesn’t feel like it’s dumbed-down? Order of Souls is a great choice.

If you’re a really big soccer fan who doesn’t take the game too seriously (and yes, that’s probably an oxymoronic formula), Football Maniacs Manager is a good way to smile a bit and put yourself in the manager’s role with a minimum time commitment. Other people are going to shake their heads and not get this game at all, kind of like non-football fans react to the sport itself.

Traps n’ Gemstones is more than just another great release from Donut Games — it’s essential gaming for fans of classic back-tracking platformers. I

Knight Girl is a good-looking, professionally made game that’s not bad, but not particularly interesting.

Touchscreen issues and a lack of controller support aside, Modern Combat 5 delivers on what it set out to do.

Its combat is unique and extremely satisfying, its 52 levels offer plenty of challenge, and while long-term players will be putting down the $4.99 for unlimited energy, you can easily get a free taste of it is enough to know if it’s worth the money.

Really, one of the lone bummers in The Universal Weapon is that it’s pretty short.

Ninja UP! is a dead-simple jumping game that successfully offers players an intense test of reflexes.

Overall, Barn Voyage is a cute and busy farming sim that lets you do your thing without throwing up a paywall. Again, it’s pretty repetitive – but you can’t really expect anything else from a vocation that relies so heavily on the sun and the seasons.

It’s all fairly straightforward, but with just enough cleverness and self-awareness to it that I can recommend this to anyone looking for an easy game, or something they can give their kids to play.

Happy Flock is crazy cute, and its concept is sound. Youngsters might find it hard to play, though, and parents are definitely going to want to turn off in-app purchases before handing this title to their lambs.

In truth, it’s clear the developers of Fates Forever were trying to build something very much akin to Blizzard’s casual hit – boiling down push-and-pull of MOBA into something quick, simple, and great to look at (the game looks great, by the way, though the human/animal character design is uninspiring). They just happened to reveal the limitations of doing so in the process.

Big Fish Games has long been known as a publisher of the highest-quality games, and Cascade is the latest feather in the company’s cap.

Dino Hunter: Deadly Shores dishes up tons of behemoth-shooting action. It’s an easy game to enjoy.

It’s the perfect one-minute, pick-up-and-play game, except we’ve been playing it all day.

It was mundane and unimaginative, technically competent but entirely unengaging – not disastrous but disappointing, both as a dungeon crawl and a puzzler.

So yes, while Sonic Jump Fever is not a perfect game and a little repetitive, it’s at least built to not overstay its welcome, and isn’t a bad game to just pick up and play for a few rounds at a time.

If, like the developers seem to have done, you ignore the more complex facets of the game, there’s still a lot of Civilization-like fun to have. It’s just a lesser experience than even the first Revolution was.

It’s no great loss that yet another platformer fails to light the world on fire, as we’re spoiled for choices that match any range of different tastes. But it’s truly a shame that a game with such artistry and heart as Oscura: Second Shadow is crafted in such a boring, clumsy way.

Disney Checkout Challenge will keep you on your toes and entertained, if only for a few minutes at a time. Scanning item after item can only remain fun for so long, but at least you’re not obligated to play the game for eight hours straight for the sake of a crummy paycheck.

If I haven’t dissuaded you – or persuaded you exactly with the reasons I didn’t like it – give the trial tracks a try, and I mean really dig into them, and there’s a good chance you’ll like this one a lot more than I did.

Paperama is a pleasing alternative to the more uptight and action-packed options on the App Store, and while it’s a little slow and feature-deficient since all you’re really doing is folding paper to meet level goals, it’s an intriguing departure that’s worth your time and attention, especially if you’re looking for something a little different than what you’d normally play.

Gameplay-wise, Kim Kardashian: Hollywood is strictly old hat, but its self-aware humor makes it worth a play if you’re into celebrity-building games.

If you’re looking for a game that can suck away thousands of hours of your life, Monster Hunter Freedom Unite should fit the bill nicely.

If a complaint can be levelled at Feeding Time, it’d be that unlocking new stages takes a long time, and a lot of games. There’s no free to play-style energy system to contend with, however, so you can put in plenty of games.

Despite adding a somewhat interesting enemy-evasion mechanic to a traditional match-three idea, the game feels a lot like a lazy add-on meant to squeeze a few more dollars out of an already successful franchise—kind of like the app equivalent to Angry Birds beach towels.

There’s not a lot of game to be had with DUNGEONy – once you beat the game once, you’ve seen everything it has to offer. But it works beautifully as a deconstruction of the roguelike genre, and is fun to play to boot.

With vibrant visuals, clean animations and straightforward mechanics, Dragons: Rise of Berk really delivers. So if you’re a fan of the movies, dragons, or both, Rise of Berk is well worth taking for a spin.

It’s not surprising that the developers reported having 70-minute average play sessions during the World of Tank Blitz soft launch, because it’s so easy to get sucked into saying, “OK, just one more battle” before looking up and seeing that 30 or 60 minutes have passed.

It’s every loot-gathering dungeon-crawling, card-collecting fan’s next transit addiction.

Grub is a cute game, and it’s enjoyable for as long as it lasts. There’s the rub: Once your energy runs out within five minutes or so, you need to wait around for a refill or pay a large sum of coins for one more go.

An adventure lined with missing left shoes, wrestling addicts, bi-dimensionsal spirits, an occasional Archer quote, and cheese-infused fart-monsters.

It’s beautiful, full of surprising depth, and never loses scope of maintaining a sense of playful fun.

Dungeon Gems is readily compared to other collectible card and matching games which means it isn’t a ground-breaking game. E

Birzzle Fever is adorable, fast-paced, and has the potential to be one of the better match-three games on the App Store. However, the problems with its graphics, its fast-depleting energy system, and its constant grabs for in-app purchases clip its wings.

This is Godfire: Rise of Prometheus! This! Is! Boredom!

It looks great, and it has some fun, clever ideas. It’s at least worth a try.

Team17 has crafted an intriguing little mobile game here, but in the end you’re going to want to reach for their much meatier fare. (R)evolve isn’t going to change the world, no matter how many times you spin it.

King’s made some good moves removing the frustrating points objectives, streamlining the interface, and maintaining the more entertaining aspects of the game. And although they haven’t exactly broken new ground with it, King’s Bubble Witch Saga 2 is still a nice casual diversion that looks pretty and plays well.

I’m really not impressed. “Great,” this game is not.

The clever and progressively challenging rotating gameplay of Twisty Planets is its primary draw, and the reason to play it.

Angry Birds Epic has an impressively deep and satisfying battle system, and it’s fun to see the birds in a more personable role.

It’s not too hardcore and not too casual, so just like that girl in the bears’ house said, it’s just right.

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.

If you have even the slightest fondness for Dragon Quest, or RPGs in general, Dragon Quest VIII will be a worthy addition to your mobile games library.

Those are very minor qualms that shouldn’t stop you from playing Battleheart Legacy if you’re into the genre at all. The search for a really rewarding mobile-first RPG can almost be like an epic quest of its own, but even without a big flashing arrow to guide you, rest assured that it leads to this game.

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.

TwoDots would be a wonderful experience to lose yourself within, if the game would only let you in.

That's the core nature of the game – extreme accessibility – and it is definitely a cute little time-passer. But as rogue-likes go, I found it a little too simple to hold my interest for very long.

If the journey to get to the best parts of Uncanny X-Men: Days of Future Past was as interesting as the destination, this would be an excellent comic-based mobile game. As it is, it has to settle for being pretty good, and something that hardcore fans of the source material are going to appreciate much more than non-comics readers.

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.

There’s nothing especially revolutionary about the way CastleStorm plays, but once you experience the hectic switching back and forth during a full-scale siege, you’ll understand that its formula works.

There's no argument about Flappy Golf's excellence, though. If more studios find ways to truly make the Flappy Bird phenomenon their own, all the hubbub surrounding that yellow one-eyed bird will have been worth it.

Don’t let the whole match-3/RPG hybrid thing turn you off: Knights of Puzzelot is definitely a good time and can be quite difficult to stop playing. Some freemium shenanigans get in the way at times, but they’re not significant enough to ruin the fun.

In the end though, the gameplay is over-familiar and there's not much else to recommend it over any other match-three game unless you're a dedicated Peanuts fan.

KeroBlaster's compelling retro-style graphics, sharp controls, intense shooting action, and charming character designs make it one of the best action games on mobile.

Maleficent Free Fall does present one interesting idea: Power-up fuel is drawn from a well of magic that replenishes after levels. Alas, spells require a great deal of magic to perform, and your resources refill slowly.

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.

Make it Rain: The Love of Money is shallow and repetitive, which, given the current explosion of tapping games, might be exactly what some players want.

The final decision of the third episode hints that that may be the case going forward, but we'll have to wait and see. With more independence and more influence her darker (or at least more mature) side can grow. Telltale just needs to be willing to let go.

If you've been looking for a game that runs up a bunch of numbers that you can shove in your friends' faces, you could do far worse.

Except for occasional crashes and the waiting you’ll need to do if you ever have all of your toys wiped out, there are few things not to like about Toy Rush.

Even with the occasional control issues and often times frustrating tendency for moves to miss entirely, it’s hard not to recommend Shadow Fight 2. Personally I think it’s worth checking out just for the animations themselves, but there’s also a reasonably entertaining fighter behind them. Just make sure to bring your Zen with you.

I enjoyed the Kiwanuka experience – it's so upbeat and sincere that I couldn't help but be charmed by it – but the game itself was a little too simple.

Not many video games, let alone mobile games, are challenging, thought-provoking and dripping with high production values, but République manages to pull off that hat trick again.

Nothing about Record Run is unforgivably broken, but nothing is spot-on, either. It’s like listening to a favorite song sung by a different artist in the wrong key; it’s familiar and almost enjoyable, but it never gets stuck in your head like the real thing.

That's not to say that Last Inua is incomplete, just unfulfilled: The story is engaging and the presentation outstanding, but the game itself is repetitive and uninspired - a great, stormy mass of potential that just isn't quite met.

If you've been curious about the fuss behind collectable card / battle games but aren't interested in match-three puzzle mechanics, Dragon Coins is a strong alternative.

2-Bit Cowboy is both accessible and fun, but the level of challenge offered by each level’s multiple goals means you’ll want to explore, and the more you explore the more chances you have to encounter death.

There’s nothing wrong with an homage as long as it’s a good one, and Blast Zone! resembles that description in just about every important way. Play it once and I almost guarantee you’ll be doing more bloodless bombing than you originally planned.

Overall, Bridge Constructor Medieval nails some neat new ideas onto the Bridge Constructor formula, but it's most likely to be enjoyed by lords and ladies that already cherish physics-based construction games.

This sandbox aspect will be a negative for players who prefer more guided gameplay, but a boon for those who appreciate nearly limitless replay value and opportunities for creativity. The few rules and features that do exist must be discovered on your own, and doing so can greatly change how you view past levels.

Tiny Dice Dungeon is still very much worth a roll if you're a fan of RPGs.

Dwarven Den is a free-to-play game, and its hard currency is difficult to come by if you don't want to buy it. When you die, you have the option of reviving on the spot for ten gems, which is a significant quantity. Otherwise, you're forced to start over again from square one. Oh, the agony of being a dwarf!

There's more to Leo's Fortune than just those good looks everyone's quick to point out, though they’re definitely the primary draw. Whether for the gameplay or the gorgeousness, this one definitely gets a recommendation.

Crazy Labs did a really nice job turning mahjong into something mobile gamers of all ages will want to try, but a really lousy job making it work as a free-to-play title with in-app purchases.

It’s the kind of game you’ll sit down to play one session of, and the next thing you know you’ve killed the battery on your phone.

Ultimately, though, there are enough of those great ideas - both artistically and mechanically - to ensure that Third Eye Crime stands out as a singular experience in its genre. Like one of Rothko’s capers, the game is not without its hitches, but Moonshot managed to handily steal my heart with their first mobile title nonetheless.

There seems like some nice extended play value, as there are villains beyond those starring in the movie, and arena mode and regular events.

It's a fashionable example of something that isn't very interesting. The Hitman license is used here to good, if slightly limited, effect. It's just not enough to make me like something that a lot of players like myself finds fundamentally frustrating, and, moreover, just boring.

It may be hard for Fable Age to jump out at gamers already worn on similar games, and if so, that would be a real shame. This is easily one of the better choices in the genre.

RollerCoaster Tycoon 4 Mobile does little to earn its name, or its price tag. Sad as it is to say, it's almost indistinguishable from any other free-to-play building game. Atari is obviously hoping to sell the game on its name alone. For that, somebody in charge needs to be forced to ride on the last car of a wooden roller coaster for a year straight. No bathroom breaks.

Casual farming is going to live on, but the days when it ruled the roost probably aren’t coming back.

Family Guy: The Quest for Stuffapes The Simpsons: Tapped Out without quite understanding why the latter has remained a hit. Some Family Guy fans may consider a temporary move to Quahog, but chances are good they'll go back home to Springfield before long.

I can’t help but find the game’s diversity to be endearing, but it’s also something of a weakness. Not all of these actions are up to snuff, and unfortunately the ones that are the weakest (namely hacking and base defense) are also the one’s you can’t really avoid. Even so, there’s quite a lot on offer here and most of it is pretty entertaining.