I was so pleased to find that the core experience of the game is still there, big heads and all.

If you’re a fan of city building games, then you will love this. If your not a fan of city building games, then you’ll love it more. It is the perfect game to spend any train journeys playing, it fills you with a real sense of accomplishment and does tedious activities like collecting revenue from shops automatically. Your focus is very much on what do I build next, how do I increase my revenue and keep my city safe.

With lots to do, plenty of unlockables, and tons of explosive destruction, Smash Bandits represents the fundamental reasons why gamers love games. It’s an incredibly solid driver with spot-on physics, flawless controls, and the exhilaration that comes with outrageous destruction.

Rocket Bunnies is never dull, and never lets you lower your guard for a second – but by the same token, it never makes playing a painful process, either. The ability to strike such a balance shouldn't be underestimated, and Rocket Bunnies is a game most certainly worth having on rotation.

As it stands, this is the ideal game to take with you on a plane ride, or curl up with on a weekend, but I can’t see myself returning for the sake of pursuing arbitrary goals.

If you’ve been itching for something like Clash of Clans. but with a little more meat on its bones, this is it.

Not only would I recommend this game, it’s one that’ll be staying on my phone for future playing. Mastering the game is not simple, and I need to crack the ‘Hard’ level before I can feel like I’ve achieved something!

Feeling suitably like a proper premium release, Kalimba is a delight through and through — and that’s just on the iPhone. On the iPad, you have the benefit of same device co-op which makes it all the more satisfying, while also potentially testing a few friendships too. Stick with those occasionally infuriating moments though, and you’ll be richly rewarded by an incredibly charming crossover of quick reflexes and lateral thinking.

Card City Nights isn’t concerned with being unique; it knows it is. The way it plays shows some resemblance to other personalities, but the game wears it with reverence and confidence (even while it tries its best at irreverence). Its most original features are plastic and surface-level, but they hide a deeper personality that isn’t quite like what we’ve seen before.

It’s astonishing fun: I actually find myself wishing it had upped the ante on the Salon tool set so I could give it a perfect score with a clear conscience.

PinOut is an exceptional pinball experience that will appeal to wizards and novices alike. Take advantage of the free download, enjoy the fresh jams and flip away. And when you quickly find yourself wanting to continue from your last checkpoint, know that your small monetary investment costs far less than an evening at the arcade but will be just as entertaining — and for a lot longer.

In conclusion, I had a blast playing Sympathy Kiss, and I can’t wait to dive back in to reach other endings. This Otome game has given me yet another fictional man to love, and for that, I highly recommend it.

If you're the type of person for whom the types of games mentioned above are torture, Oh! Cube isn't for you. If you're a fan of puzzle titles, though, with even a little bit of interest in gridlocked brain-bending, give (puzzle) piece a chance.

If you’ve made it through Justice and Wright’s previous misadventures you’ve likely already learned to cope. If not, this probably isn’t the best place to start anyway, as it really helps to know the characters ahead of time. If you’re one of the former, however, this is an excellent new addition to the franchise, and perhaps the best version of the game so far.

That payoff is the same as any great Rusty Lake game: the ability to lose yourself in the strange and disturbing events unfolding before you. An empathy for and understanding of even characters that don’t speak a word. A frustration and then exhilaration at solving brain-burning puzzles. And an increased appreciation, love, and fear of Rusty Lake and its shadowy, timeless inhabitants. Roots just happens to have all of this in an even larger, longer package; with more lives on the line; and more reasons to book your stay.

For those of you who enjoy racing games, I can’t recommend AG Drive enough to you. While being limited to three vehicles may seem a bit lame, they each have their own special ability and handle differently each time you upgrade them, so you get plenty to tweak as you progress through the game’s levels.

But despite the minor hiccups along the way, for a free-to-play Diablo-like experience on a mobile device, you really can’t go wrong with Second Chance Heroes.

Big Fish Casino is a good casino sim on Facebook and an excellent one on iOS devices. Whether our friends across the pond take to it for real money gaming or not, it's going to have plenty of people in the US and elsewhere playing for free before too long.

One of Off the Record’s many strengths is its ability to keep you curious without sending you to a walkthrough. The puzzles, the mini-games, the hidden object scenes, all are perfectly tuned to be challenging but not frustrating, even on the harder difficulty levels. The story keeps enough twists and turns coming your way so you don’t glaze over every time there’s a conversation or a cutscene. It tells a surprisingly captivating tale without resorting to dark portals or evil sorcerers, just a good old fashioned story of detective versus master thief.

Ski Safari 2 is a great game to pick up for your mobile device. It’s fun, has lots to accomplish and unlock, it’s bright and silly — it’s basically everything you love about traditional mobile gaming distilled into a single title.

All in all, Monster Life might not revolutionize monster farming, but it definitely doesn't do anything wrong, either. The new elements, while welcome, might not make the game as deep as you'd think, but the gorgeous display makes it a must-have for established fans of the genre.

I enjoyed my time with Bullet Boy and I really found nothing to dislike about the game. The game isn’t offering up much variety in terms of mechanics though, so if you think you’ll be bored of shooting a child from numerous cannon barrels, then you won’t get much mileage out of Bullet Boy.

While the gross-out concept and humor might not be for everyone, there’s still no denying how much fun and rewarding the actual gameplay is, for gamers and real-live surgeons alike. And if you happen to have a friend or family member who’s been impaled by something lately, don’t hesitate to give me a call – I’ve been trying to boost up my field experience lately.

Dan The Man is old-fashioned beat ’em up fun of the purest kind, blended with classic platforming and sprinkled with a sense of humor. If no part of that formula interests you, it’s possible you might be new to video games altogether — in which case this would still be a nice entry point for you, so dive in anyway.

Whether you enjoyed Super Hexagon or not, Boson X is a game that needs, nay, requires a place on your mobile device. Its manic split-second gameplay will reel you in, while the thought of someday topping the leaderboards will keep you coming back time and time again.

This is the first gamebook I’ve played where I was completely disinterested in the hardcore mode, which offers the toughest challenge. Instead I spent all my time with it in cheat mode, bypassing those annoying RPG elements, flicking back and forth through the book and just soaking up the humour. As an actual gamebook, its value is limited. But if you like cheap jokes, this is an app that keeps on giving.

As a fan of battling card games like Magic: The Gathering and Shadow Era, Kard Combat scratched my card-fighting itch sublimely. The game is simple enough that anyone can pick it up, yet deep enough that a tougher opponent can really test your skills.

The combat is massively satisfying, the visual storytelling and details are consistently delightful – Dusk is an almost perfect first person shooter and this is a perfect port.

Even though the game is a little bit too easy for my taste, Cut the Rope: Time Travel is still the perfect follow-up to Cut the Rope and Cut the Rope: Experiments, and a real lesson in how to make a sequel and how to make it right.

Asides from how Tiny Guardians looks, I can honestly say that I’ve never played a game quite like this before. I can’t recommend it strongly enough. It’s a unique spin on tower defense that’s easily worth the price of admission.

An excellent follow-up to an already-great game. It's incredibly fun and goofy, the new gameplay modes add a lot of extra enjoyment, and things are even more stylish than before. If there were an online multiplayer mode this would pretty much be perfect, but even without it, this game is still totally worth owning.

As with 1Button’s physics puzzler Super Sharp, Trilogic pushes you to consider positive and negative space in a new way as you overlay each progressive element. In a chess-like fashion, you’ll need to plan several moves in advance to accomplish your goal of clearing the board, which results in truly satisfying solutions. Trilogic is an ideal game for people who like to work on puzzles at their own pace and who enjoy gameplay sessions that can be short or long, depending on their window of time to play. But, considering how enjoyable Trilogic is, we suspect your windows for gameplay will get longer and longer.

Puckerz! isn't exactly the deepest of games, but that's more of a strength than a weakness. It's a fun, fast-paced, and always seems to stay challenging enough to keep players enthralled. This is a perfect example of just how brilliant basic can be.

Mystery Case Files: Key to Ravenhearst keeps the series running with an all-around great hidden object experience. It’s suitably dark and dreary with just the right balance of difficulty and ease of gameplay. Come for the continuation of the Ravenhearst story, but stay to see what’s inside that enigma box.

I highly recommend Enigmatis: The Ghosts of Maple Creek. The length of the game is excellent and, while the bonus chapter isn't particularly long, it adds enough to the story to make it worth the Collector's Edition price.

Alba: A Wildlife Adventure ultimately feels like a great fit for the Switch, and runs perfectly in handheld and docked modes. If you’ve not experienced it via Apple Arcade then make sure you don’t miss it this time round.

Make no mistake, VOEZ is a rhythm game that’s well worth playing. It’s clever, fun, challenging (even if it can be a bit too challenging at times), and is oddly pretty in its simplicity – and what little illustration artwork there is looks great.

Fruit Ninja 2 doesn’t reinvent the apple-slicing wheel, but what did you expect? It does everything you want it to do and a little bit more. This is pretty much the perfect mobile arcade experience.

Overall Card Fighters’ Clash holds up very well to modern scrutiny – like most of the top tier NGPC titles – and this sensibly priced port is a must play for anyone with even a passing interest in the card battler genre.

DragonVale is a game about raising and collecting a huge number of different types of dragons, and in that it succeeds. Where you like your dragons cute and cuddly or large and ferocious, DragonVale has something to offer.

Overall though there’s actually very little to criticise about The Skywalker Saga. It’s a perfectly constructed love letter to a series of films that will appeal to young and old alike. The force is strong in this one.

Still, Lost Yeti deserves a lot of credit for drawing so affectionately upon the games of the past and effectively recreating their magic.

Stretch Dungeon showcases everything that’s good about mobile gaming – bright and breezy, challenging and confident, and perfectly designed for either quick-snatch single goes or much deeper play sessions. This is one that you definitely need to stick on your phone or tablet at your earliest convenience.

Stardash will be staying on my phone for a good, long time.

The Room Three is exactly what fans have been hoping for, and more.

World of Tanks Generals is a great card game for casual players and card game enthusiasts alike - but for the more casual player, it might take a little longer to play than what the're used to on mobile devices.

The final result is a game that, even 20 years after its initial release, still stands strong in the genre.

Mystery Case Files: Ravenhearst Unlocked is an excellent continuation of the long-running series and proves there’s always a new mystery to uncover. The asylum slant steps out of the usual horror setting and makes you question what’s real and what’s a hallucination, even when you break out and explore the countryside. Keep your wits about you, as this is one of the creepiest MCF games to date.

When you do eventually reach its conclusion, you’re going to feel a little bittersweet about the whole thing. Fortunately, Sorcery! 4 offers more than enough different paths to pursue, giving you plenty of reason to start over again. There’s also that delightful sense of satisfaction in knowing that you’ve played through one of the finest narrative experiences of gaming in recent years. And I don’t just mean mobile gaming, either.

In a landscape full of racers trying to be either the mobile equivalent of Mario Kart or Gran Turismo, this self-styled “journey through modern art” exudes an endearing weirdness that sets it apart and nestles it in your brain.

Centipede Origins is true to the arcade classic in pretty much every way that one could want, while adding enough features to keep a new generation of gamer interested.

It’s the perfect way to while away the hours during seasonal family visits.

With the few small issues aside, perhaps what’s most notable is that Suicide Squad: Special Ops is completely free. There are no energy systems, no gates aside from level progression, and not a single IAP to be had anywhere in the game. You can play for as long as you can survive, or as long as you’re willing to start over. Suicide Squad delivers a powerful hit, and you don’t have to drop a dime to get in on the action.

Starting with 80 levels (and the promise of more to come), Where's My Perry? is a triumph in every sense of the word. It tactfully weaves the humor and appeal of the show into the Where's My Water? formula, all the while providing content that won't have fans of the first game crying copycat. Developers tasked with creating tie-in games, take note: This is how it's done.

Radiant Defense is still a tower defense game, but it's a really good one. Your iOS device is no doubt already packed with games in this genre, but you'll start clearing them out once you have this title.

Great Big War Game is also fairly unstable, which is never a good thing. Playing on a first generation iPad, it crashed dozens of times. Fortunately a reliable autosave system meant I never lost any progress. Still, this instability is an unnecessary hassle.

Hunter Island isn't a Pokémon substitute, but it doesn't try to be. It's just a very decent RPG that provides hours of battling fun. It is, quite simply, its own monster.

If you love Stardew Valley, Sun Haven, and the earlier Harvest Moon games, you are sure to find yourself enjoying your time in Fae Farm. While there were some concerns about the pricing, it’s easy to say that it’s worth it. Fae Farm has hours of content to play through and it’s clear to see the amount of love that went into it during development. The attention to detail is amazing, and it certainly sets a new standard for the genre.

Perhaps the highest compliment that could be paid to Legend of Solgard is that it’s not what you assume it might be just from hearing the genre in which you’d place it. It’s got something to offer all kinds of mobile gamers, from the very casual to the much more serious, and should expand the definition of a King title beyond what we’ve all known it to be for years now.

Follow the Rabbit is one of the best physics puzzler games I've played in a good long time and, as a fan of the genre, it hit pretty much every note I could want it to. The catharsis that comes with finishing that last puzzle is palpable, and the means that lead to that end are a whole lot of fun. Just try not to drive yourself crazy in an effort to nab every single coin.

Beyond the discomfort of playing it for too long, and looking silly while playing it, Caliber Club is a great little shooter that has some cool party tricks.

9th Dawn is not only an exceptional RPG from start to finish, but a shockingly detailed and expansive one for its launch platforms.

Still, if the only complaint I have about SPACEPLAN is that there isn’t more of it, that’s a pretty good problem to have. If you’re leery about spending money to buy a premium idle clicker, I get it — but you should really get over that hesitation. SPACEPLAN is about as clever and enjoyable as clickers get. It’s salty like french fries, but in all the right ways.

If you’re an adventure game fan and you haven’t played Agency of Anomalies: Mind Invasion yet, rectify that with a visit to the asylum. Just don’t let anyone holding a syringe get too close to you.

It’s extremely difficult to be all things to all people, even if we’re only talking about one relatively narrow genre of gaming, but Solstice Arena does the best job yet of pulling it off. If you’ve never played a MOBA but always wanted to give it a try, this one is an excellent way to take that first step.

Lords of Waterdeep remains a stellar translation of beginners’ board game mechanics with hardcore appeal.

If you're a fan of both puzzle and word games, there's a whole lot to like about Puzzlejuice. It takes two well-known styles of gameplay and combines them into something new. And it even manages to wrap the whole thing up in an incredibly stylish package, including one of the best iOS soundtracks we've come across so far.

RoboHero is great, no question about it. It manages to get just about everything right, which is no easy feat considering that the gameplay feels incredibly fresh for the iOS platform, and the interface is so well-done.

Raft Pirates is a clever game that offers lots to do. Go on and whip the waters into a bloody froth, robo-matey.

Granted, a hardcore baseball sim is a niche product, but it's hard to see iOOTP 12 having any real challengers in its corner of the mobile gaming world. Fans of the grand old game are going to want this on their iPhones or iPads for all those times they can't be at the ballpark.

This is one of those rare times when a game simply wouldn’t work on any platform other than mobile. Gorogoa is a tactile experience, one that demands to be poked and explored. And you’re going to have a brilliant time doing just that.

All together, Cosmic Express is the perfect combination of interesting puzzle mechanics, challenging-but-manageable stages, and lovable characters that keeps us coming back for more. There are some levels (we’re looking at you, Andromeda 14) that we’ve spent hours trying to figure out, yet we never grow tired of. This is thanks to the fact that there is no undo pressure to complete a specific stage, endless freedom to try as many combinations of track layouts as we like, and adorable aliens waiting along with us the entire time.

Overall Islets is a brilliant take on the Metroidvania genre though. The fast paced gameplay, brilliant boss battles, and interesting characters, all add up to it being a beautiful and unique take on the genre.

But even in its current shorter, simpler form, Odd Bot Out is a rare treat.

While I didn’t time my playtime, it certainly felt like episode 3 was the longest episode yet. I am not sure if that is because it actually clocks in as the longest, or if there was so much going on it simply felt like I had been playing for awhile. Regardless, for as long as the game felt, I was never bored at any point during my playthrough.

But it does what it does with such skill and enthusiasm that it'd be churlish of me to criticise it too much. Give children the chance to become robot engineers in the Toca Labs, and see what they create.

It won’t be for everyone, but Thank Goodness You’re Here offers up such a bravely unique vision it’s hard not to be impressed.

It’s worth mentioning that this is not a game for younger kids, as enticing as it might be, as it does have plenty of violence, some semi-questionable language, and some implied sexuality. For everyone else with even the slightest manga/anime leanings, you’ll want to give One Piece Treasure Cruise a shot.

Easily the best game that SquareEnix has released for the App Store. If you're a huge Final Fantasy fan, or if you just happen to love old-school RPGs, then it's easily worth price of admission.

Puzzle Agent 2 delivers everything fans of the original were looking for – more puzzles, more Scoggins strangeness, and some proper answers to a mystery that was only half solved in the first game.

With the ability to upgrade your weapons, collect pets, and increase your stats, there’s a constant sense of progression in WitchSpring R. It’s one of the best things about it, and makes it an essential purchase for RPG fans.

Sure some elements, like the happy-go-lucky soundtrack that sounds like C&C Music Factory for Kids, feel a little dated – but Sonic CD delivers everywhere that it counts. If you're a fan of the Hedgehog from way back, but have had your heart broken by other mobile ports, fret not – Sonic CD is the game you've been waiting for.

Once upon a time, you might have thought this concept was utterly absurd. You’d have been right — but it’s the kind of absurd that’s immediately loveable.

Provides kids with superb opportunities to create and experiment with environments and then explore them. Accessible and very appealing to use. Lots of scope for emergent and collaborative play.

Small World is the near perfect example of how board games can be a compelling experience on the iPad.

If you’re looking for an RPG with several quirks, you can’t go wrong here.

My Friend Pedro: Ripe for Revenge is a wonderfully ridiculous shooter that manages to turn bullet-time slaughter into a simple but effective artform. There’s so much fun to be had here that you’d really be pretty foolish if you didn’t pick it up and give it a go.

It lacks the immediate pull of a great puzzle game, but if you enjoy them, Halcyon is not to be missed. It's nice to see a simple, clean title appear as a good palette cleanser to some of the more complex games out these days.

Thanks to some super-challenging puzzles, unique presentation elements, and the tease of a possible prize for those who see all 60 levels through to the end, The Heist manages to take a number of old elements and turn them into something compelling.

Egglia: Legend of the Redcap is a stellar adventure from start to open-ended finish. Its strategy RPG dice system and wide variety of equippable spirits allow for different experiences each time you explore a location. Its large cast of characters is filled with personality and humor, and each resident you recruit is lovable in their own way. The little touches sprinkled throughout highlight the sincere attention to detail put into the game by its team and the influences of the Mana series itself: the world is alive, from butterflies and birds flitting around town to Chabo’s ears twitching during conversations; the furniture residents request is actually added to their homes once delivered; the diverse cast of races and characters all have their own histories, dialects, interests. Quests do emphasize item fetching over anything else, but to the end of building relationships, your town, and the very kingdom itself. Watching your efforts turn into a living, breathing world is a fantastic experience, but the real reward is embarking on this journey with your new neighbors and friends.

Poker Pals is more than just a great new spin on poker – it's a great step forward for the world of freemium asynchronous play.

If Zen Bound held any kind of appeal to you (and it should have), then Shadowmatic is the game you’ve been waiting for.

This isn’t a game that challenges your reflexes or coordination, it’s one that’s proud to go to task on your grey matter. And it doesn’t let up.

A blast. Literally. The gameplay is fun and challenging, the graphics and sound are totally charming, and the overall experience is utterly addictive. Pick this one up – you won't be sorry you did.

There are some fairly fetch quests involved, but also a range of interesting mini-games and environmental puzzles – everything meshes up incredibly well. Add in the beautiful hand drawn visuals and animation and you have a title that is an almost essential experience for all ages.

Now I know Otome games can get steamy sometimes, but some of the dialogue and art for Tengoku Struggle Strayside had me giggling and kicking my legs like a teenager. That’s a good thing, trust me.

Perhaps it’s slightly overpriced for what is ultimately a 5-6 hour experience, but this is still a very unique release and one worth supporting for anyone with even the slightest interest in gaming history.

Spin Up takes that standard formula and adds in a unique take and control scheme, making the entire concept feel totally fresh once again.