Charadium II is fun in the right hands. At worst, it can be difficult to draw, but the overall concept is as simple and solid as it was in the original.

Trundling along in The Quest Keeper and bumbling into treasure chests for rewards is fun. If you dig Crossy Road’s chunky pixels but find the gameplay a bit shallow, consider leveling up to become a hero.

An absolutely adorable, albeit frustrating physics-based game for the mobile platform.

At times, there’s the odd moment where you’ll wonder if your finger slipped too far away from the button/general area and you’ve failed at gliding, but Cat Bird! is mostly pretty well constructed. It’s completely free too, albeit backed up with many ads, unless you choose to pay up to remove them. That gives you the ideal opportunity to try out Cat Bird! and see if it’s for you.

Nightgate is an pretty cool mixture of laid back and frantic; plain and pretty; varied and repetitive. It might not be action-y enough for some, or relaxing enough for others, but I think it’s worth checking out regardless. It’s a fun, sort of unique mash-up of puzzles and survival, set in a post-apocalyptic computer world. And it’s pretty!

Ultimately, The Witness is a solid mobile adaptation of a really enjoyable puzzle game. It’s every bit as clever and compelling as it is on PC and consoles. The main thing that sucks (see what I did there?) is how little of it you’ll be able to play without either keeping your phone plugged in or having a backup charger handy.

Perhaps not quite as pure and joyful an experience as Grapple Dog, Grapple Dogs is still a hugely impressive and playable platformer.

Fiz takes an unusual setting for a sim or RPG, mixes in some wit and whimsy and blends it into something that will make you feel like you can actually take on the King of Beers with your own homebrew. And if that’s not living the dream for some of you out there, I don’t know what is.

The pleasure here doesn’t derive from banging your head against a wall trying to fetch an arbitrary item to solve a puzzle, but rather from losing yourself in a spooky, interactive Saturday morning cartoon – complete with clever and colourful dialogue, and highly engaging voice acting.

Overall, Toon Blast is a great game, particularly for young players. The only thing holding it back? A revenue generation model that isn’t quite compatible with its core audience. It’s possible that the developers didn’t foresee that Toon Blast would be presented as a ‘kids game’, but positioned alongside the likes of Toy Blast, it’s hard to imagine that this isn’t their main demographic.

If you’ve conquered Gardenscapes and are looking for a new version of roughly the same experience, Homescapes is a must-play. But newcomers to the series should stick to Gardenscapes for now, at least until Homescapes catches up to all the updates and enhancements of the original.

So long as you aren’t expecting anything new with the Kami formula, Kami 2 is definitely worth a look. Heck, the user-made levels (and the option to make your own, of course) alone make it well worth checking out. This is one of those instances where more actually is better, rather than simply being more.

Severed Steel is ultimately still well worth a look for first person shooter fans seeking something a little more experimental.

As short as it is though, Pulse is an absolute treat for the ears.

Jewel Quest for Cash gets that, and it raises the stakes beyond bragging rights. More than that though, it’s a reminder of a time when match-3 games used to get your heart pumping.

Overall, Snipers vs Thieves might not rock your world. It will, however, provide you with a few hours of fun, particularly if you’re looking for something a little bit different to do with your friends who wouldn’t call themselves gamers.

Sadly, Gemini’s resplendent power is occasionally undermined by its own design. With a few key user experience modifications, such as controllable zoom, clear milestones, and optional hints or tips added to the HUD, the gameplay would be elevated. Aesthetically, however, the game is sublime.

If there’s any big drawback, it’s that the first episode feels like what it is: an introduction to a much larger saga. Not only does it end on a cliffhanger, but it’s quite short. I was able to breeze through it in about two hours, and I was taking notes and screenshots along the way. This isn’t a new consideration for Telltale Games titles by any means, but the value proposition is … let’s call it “interesting” for a mobile game.

To wrap up, I enjoyed my time with EvoCreo2. It’s a game any fan of Pokémon could enjoy, without the £60 price tag. I liked the Creo designs, main story, side quests, interactions, and world layout. Particularly, the Creo upgrades are more in-depth than just evolution. They had customisable moves, passives, and traits to help them prestige. I also loved the evolution animations and how they were unique for each elemental type. Other animations, such as attack and sprite movements, were also lively. My personal favourite is the Bug Bite move attack animation with its snarly fangs and fluid blood movement.

Off the Record: The Art of Deception does a great job taking the gimmicks out of the hidden object genre and providing an honestly entertaining game. It comes across as a little basic, maybe even barebones, but as soon as the story tickles your intrigue you’ll be happy to keep solving puzzles until the very last mystery is resolved.

ReRunners: Race for the World is eventually the kind of game you can dip in or out of (and believe me, you will), but to get the most, you’re going to have to dedicate some time early on to truly ‘get’ it. That’s a slight misstep for a game that should be all about accessibility. Stick with it though, and you’ll love the sense of achievement every time you win a race.

If you've only dabbled in the series many recent spin-offs, this is an excellent introduction to a piece of gaming history. Just be prepared to deal with those issues that come with playing old games, and the new ones that come with playing them on touch devices.

Heidelberg 1693 is a great 2D platformer. Its occasionally frustrating gameplay is still hugely rewarding, and it’s a title that difficult to put down once you get a hang of the controls and combat. Just make sure you’re up for the challenge.

Zzed is a fantastic arcade/puzzle/action game that's really a blast to play. It's definitely worth the download, and shows some great creativity from another independent developer.

The Curse is a great game, but again, it's out to taunt and torment you into spending your money to be able to lock The Mannequin away once again. It's just a darn shame we kind of want him to stick around, which seems to work against the entire premise.

With combat that places a high-emphasis on battle formations and rapid-fire decision making, players are going to find Wonder Tactics to be a surprisingly captivating experience.

It’s a twist on the usual type of asymmetric online gameplay that makes even the most introverted smartphone gamer want to interact with other players, and deftly expands Socioball from a great puzzle game into a connected community of players.

The Switch is probably not the best place to experience the game – this was originally a PC title – but playing it handheld on the touchscreen is easy enough, and this is well worth investigating for those looking for something a little different.

There are a ton of match-three games out there in the App store, but Zookeeper DX manages to stand head and shoulders above nearly all of its competition. It's goofy and fun and –above all- insanely addictive.

The pacing of Five Nights at Freddy’s 2 can use some fine-tuning, as things just get frustratingly crowded in the later nights. That being said, it is certainly a must-play for fans of the first game. Newcomers may want to start their adventures with Freddy’s at the old location first, but both Five Nights at Freddy’s games are worth pulling a double shift for.

It pushes the boundaries of what a ball-breaking game is, and is absolutely worth your time, effort and money.

There's nothing revolutionary enough in Heroes in Time to think it will become an all-time classic RPG, but it's a very good addition to the genre, even without considering the limitations of the iOS platform or its low price tag. Don't be hesitant to put on your rose-colored glasses and try out this particular throwback.

Sentinel 4: Dark Star is a beefy game, making tower defense as dense as possible. While the Sentinel is unique to this series, the game doesn’t otherwise muck around too much with tower defense conventions – it’s just got a lot to it.

There’s little to complain about with Gold Diggers, and little touches like your hit points being communicated by the number of cars left on your drilling machine, or the perturbed facial expression of your anime-esque character when you run directly into a wall will charm you for the duration. None of the limitations with the genre are solved here, but you’ll still strike some gold with your time.

There's an awful lot to like about Toca Band. The wonderment and joy evoked when kids and adults alike encounter the possibilities of the app for the first time is truly something to behold. And when that glow has worn off there's still plenty of band combinations to try out and soloist capabilities to explore.

The designation of "World" in its title just goes to show how large the scope of Chop Chop Ninja World truly is: from sidescrolling stages, to kingdom building, to competing in challenges with friends, fans of the series will find much to love here.

Island of the Lizard King was originally written in 1984, and it shows. By the standards of modern fantasy, it can sometimes seem clumsy and crude. But besides being a great nostalgia trip, it reminds us of the simple excitement that sophisticated fantasy has lost. Sometimes those primal thrills of adventure and exploration get buried in the desire to justify and explain everything. Besides, any book that lets you fight a lizardman riding a styracosaurus gets two thumbs up from me.

Although for our money it’s not as engrossing or as immediately entertaining as Shovel Knight’s usual adventures this is still a well put together title that has very few faults when viewed purely as a roguelite.

Quite cute and charming in its way, it might be lightweight in tone — but there’s plenty of depth within this prison sandbox strategy game. Control issues let it down a little, but it’s still a rather fine mobile adaptation.

TypeShift is the type of challenging, mind-bending and vocabulary expanding word game that helps demonstrate why Gage has developed a reputation as one of the strongest mobile game developers around. Likely to captivate both word puzzle connoisseurs and crossword fans alike, TypeShift is one of the best twists on the word game genre in recent years.

MotoHeroz does a few things wrong, but it does a lot right, too. It's a lot of fun to race against randomly-selected online ghosts, and spitting in the face of gravity will grant you an undeniable rush of joy. Just be prepared for some repetition, though there are worse experiences to repeat than bouncing along rough terrain in a monster truck.

MacGuffin's Curse is a great, meaty puzzler that will really get your brain cogs whirring. With so much content, the formula was bound to feel a little samey eventually, but by the time that feeling sets in you'll have more than gotten your money's worth.

If you're looking for a fun, spicy puzzler with some serious kick, head to the App Store for Mexiball. The gameplay is simple but deep, with loads of replay value and variety. It's worth the trip south of the border.

Neo Angle is the kind of puzzle game you’re going to want to clear an hour of your Thursday night for, but don’t be surprised if you find yourself hooked for the weekend.

A clever and generous puzzler that excels in gameplay far beyond where it fails in presentation. Open it up anytime you’d like a cool, refreshing Ahhh followed by an inevitable brain freeze.

Despite the interface annoyances and rather tacky monetization, Lawless still makes for a shockingly good time – especially for arcade shooter fans. It can get a tad repetitive at times, but it’s easy enough to switch to playing something else for a little while.

Though I do wonder how much longevity a puzzle game that’s meant to be a promotional tie-in to a console game will have. Still, it’s certainly worth checking out regardless of whether or not you own Uncharted 4.

Problems aside, series fans should enjoy Bloons TD Battles, especially since the Assault Mode adds an extra layer of strategy. Get back to monkeying around. It’s your duty.

They’re certainly not enough for me not to recommend World of Warriors. Yes, we probably can’t call it WoW without confusing the heck out of some people, but this is one game that shouldn’t need a catchy abbreviation to earn some fans.

Koa and The Five Pirates of Mara is perhaps a little twee for older gamers, but anyone that’s after a fast paced platformer should check this out.

Aside from the pachinko machine, there's nothing inherently unique about Samurai vs Zombies Defense. The game is everything you'd expect from a castle defense game that just happens to focus around the struggle between two unlikely enemies. While it's not necessarily anything new, it's definitely one of the better titles in this genre that we've seen.

It’s not quite the same as being on the open road, but if you’re in the market for a spot of gentle drama and some pleasingly sensible driving, Truck Simulation 19 is worth taking for a spin.

Small Town Terrors has a lot of classic adventure style puzzles that are straightforward but always fun to complete. If you find a bucket you know you’ll need to fill it with water. Because obviously, right? These flow well with the often abstract solutions that need a little trial and error to solve. They’re also helped along by a few small extras such as the morphing crystal ball objects hidden in every scene. While the story of Galdor’s Bluff will draw you in (everybody loves magician drama!), the off-beat puzzles and approachable mini-games will keep you coming back for more. Just remember that these are professional tricksters you’re dealing with. Nothing is ever as it seems.

Sky Tourist requires an unexpected amount of patience, but brings an unexpected offering of creativity and visual charm in trade. If you’re looking for something that isn’t another endless runner, animal-flinger, or puzzle solver, and you’re ready to play nice with a demanding control scheme, this skycation is for you.

Between these two interlocking gameplay hemispheres, Star Trek: Fleet Command has a huge amount to offer. Fans of the series should enjoy the game’s sense of exploration and its idiosyncratic cast of characters, while fans of strategy-MMORPGs in general should appreciate this novel take on the genre. If you choose to boldly go, you won’t be disappointed.

It might not go down as the best Harry Potter video game ever, but it offers some stretches of fun that you won’t find anywhere else, and the guess here is that Jam City will be dreaming up more to throw into its world for some time to come.

Tap and fling gameplay is nothing new on mobile devices, sitting at the root of a little game by the name of Angry Birds. But PUK manages to distill that style of play to its most essential bits, while bringing in a deviously clever timer to keep the action moving. The result is a game that could quickly become a new mobile obsession.

Unless there's some grim subtext I've not managed to pick up on, that is. I guess you could say this whole situation is... puzzling. To add to the mystery, "Ichi" is the word for "one" in Japanese, and the game is very much a one-button affair. Could that be the link? I leave that mystery to you.

Though some may be turned off by the premise, most players will be delighted by Gesundheit!. It's a fun game that offers something different – and not just the gross-out content. Gesundheit! is definitely worth the tissue.

The Marbians is a wonderful little title for the iPhone. It's full of charm and fun, and the puzzles is delightfully challenging. Not only that, but it's incredibly easy to get into and then put down.

Teaming up NaturalMotion with the NFL was a stroke of genius. This is a developer with a proven track record for football fun, so it's really a win-win scenario for everyone involved.

Final Fantasy VI on mobile is a lackluster port of a great game – but thankfully, not even a "blah" remake can bring down this classic.

Even though Rival Kingdoms borrows a lot from Clash of Clans and the games which have followed suit, it brings to the table it’s own rich story that is good enough to warrant the slightly repetitive build-attack-wait gameplay that has become a genre of its own.

It’s a colorful and easily digestible collection of engaging character-swapping puzzles with heart, and if you’re looking for a few hours of fun on the go, you can’t go wrong here.

Ben 10 Slammers is good enough to appeal beyond fans of the TV series. There are some minor issues: I found one nasty, game-ending bug and there should be an option to speed up animations. And while it’s impressively varied, those simple mechanics will wear thin eventually. But there’s lots of fun to be had before that happens, and such a parent-friendly app deserves support in a world of rip-off freemium titles targeted at unwary children.

Rail Rush is a blast to play, and the first endless runner that has threatened Temple Run's placement in my favorite games folder. The winner? I'll let the evil monkeys and giant spiders battle it out; I'm too busy playing.

Despite the colourful and generally chill aesthetics, Promenade is certainly not a game to be trifled with. This only made us enjoy the game all the more though. What could have been another bland indie platformer is something much more interesting. So if you’re looking for a new platforming challenge, we’d highly recommend Promenade. It’s charming, well designed, and has a few interesting new ideas of its own.

A really fun, challenging game that appeals to the kid in all of us.

While there’s little realism here other than basing the planes on the actual plane models, War Wings is a blast. It has that arcade style feeling to it while not being too cheap. You’ll still be able to achieve a fair bit in short bursts, or you can invest yourself fully into being the flying ace of the world. It’s a good mix of keeping you hooked but not requiring a significant commitment, unless you choose to.

With over 200 nodes to battle through and 30 levels of player progression, Robotek HD packs a ton of game into a free base package.

Infestor is built on a good, solid foundation. Hopefully we'll see future updates that add new levels, more puzzle variety, and maybe some additional challenges and/or surprises. Don't be afraid to give it a whirl right now, though. Infestor is one pile of biohazardous lime Jell-O who's worth knowing.

If you're looking for a great board game to play with the kids, or even just a simple pass'n'play game to keep your co-workers entertained at lunch, Hey, That's My Fish! HD is well worth the price of admission.

When the worst that can be said about the game is that the hint screens look a little weird, it’s safe to say that Grand Prix Story 2 is well worth your time and energy.

If you're a fan of tower defense games but have grown tired of the same ol' TD experience, Tiny Heroes delivers that something special you've been holding out for.

Super Cyclone is by no means an epic adventure, but for a buck it's an excellent arcade-style shooter.

Narita Boy has style and substance in equal measure, and is a massively impressive first game from Studio Koba.

Dofus: Battles 2 might not bring anything revolutionary to the table, but it is a refreshing twist on the tower defense/attack genre that benefits from being set in an established fantasy world. It's not a game for the quick-twitch crowd, but if you're looking for something that rewards quick thinking and clever strategies, this is probably right up your alley.

I can see Yokai Dungeon being a superb game after an update or two, but unfortunately, that’s not how reviews work. As of right now, the game needs to change its controls, perhaps to a one-touch method mentioned earlier. Also, the game needs to reduce how many adverts it shows and make sure gameplay stops if it runs an advert mid-way through a go (which no game should do).

About exactly what you'd expect from a mobile version of Pet Society. It offers up the same great gameplay and charming sense of style, only on a smaller scale. But while the game overall feels very familiar, the new scuba diving mode and tropical theme help to give it a personality of its own.

While there are plenty of cute mogas to collect and a number of islands to explore, the simplified combat and linear progression mean that it's a game that doesn't offer as much depth as Pokemon. But, at the same time, it provides a rich and colorful world to explore and plenty of moga to collect, which is all any budding monster trainer can really ask for.

With any luck, a future update will help Dr. Lord Evilstein find some tolerance for your mistakes, and Castle Doombad will go on being a lively and fun tower defense game that contributes some interesting ideas to the genre.

Star Wars: Assault Team is a pretty neat little digital card game that’s only slightly impacted by some inherent clunkiness and monetization techniques.

Evil Factory looks great, sounds great and plays great. It’s certainly an above average game that many players will take the time (and spend the money) to race right through. Like the feeling you get after binge-watching the latest series of a great show, completing the initial story arc will leave you wanting more.

While Ragdoll Blaster 3 doesn't really break the mold when it comes to the physics puzzler genre, it's certainly cute and clever. Aside from the fact that hard physics aren't always on speaking terms with the gameplay, this is a very fun little game.

While Allied Star Police lasts, it's a lot of crazy, fast, fun. Unfortunately, it's not nearly as long as it could be, though there's something to be said for a game that keeps players begging for more rather than giving them too much content to play through. But, more importantly, this is one of those games that will make anybody who plays it feel good.

The game is also simply beautiful to look at: while there’s no shortage of Solitaire options on the App Store, many default to the classic green background and bland cards we’ve seen time and again since Windows 3.0. Flipflop Solitaire is fresh, both visually and thanks to its invigorating gameplay twist that’s given us a new reason to play an old standby.

Given the scope of SAO in general, it only makes sense for Sword Art Online: Memory Defrag to be a sprawling, almost intimidating affair, but happily, it’s fun enough to be enjoyable even if the story makes your head hurt a little.

The classic board game makes a great transition to iPad.

An impressive iOS fighter despite its simplicity. In fact, that simplicity is part of the reason it works so well. Rather than force a bunch of complex control systems into a platform that honestly couldn’t handle it, they went with a much simpler and more accessible method that plays to the device’s strengths.

Perhaps best of all, there’s no energy system or other restriction on how much you can play at one time. That might be the ticket to figuring all of Earthcore out, sifting through the different layers of strategy and getting a handle on all the cards available.

If you’re looking for a new endless game and think that going up sounds like a nice change from going right to left, you won’t be disappointed with Flyro. What the game lacks in style, it makes up for in stuff, and good old-fashioned fun gameplay.

Halfbrick is one of only a handful of developers that seem to impress with every release on the App Store, and Jetpack Joyride is no exception. Is it yet another endless survival game on the App Store? Sure. But it's one that's brimming with personality, challenge, and a machine gun that you wear on your back to fly. If that doesn't say second amendment, I don't know what does.

A great mobile game, and boasts a shining production value that most developers could only dream about.

Still, as with the earlier releases it shows plenty of reverence for the movies, and is easily the best mobile LEGO game I’ve played to date. I think those who’ve yet to play any version before will definitely find a lot to like (or even love) here.

Like Bob munching diligently away at his fruit, this is a game best consumed in small doses – a level or two at a time, reveling in the challenge and complexity of each stage.

Badland is a frequently clever and always gorgeous side-scroller for iOS. It has some issues in level pacing, and the physics simulation has that inherent quirk of sometimes acting in unexpected ways, but they are issues quickly forgiven in the moments when Badland truly soars.

Cryptract isn’t particularly original, but it’s a well-constructed SRPG with a fair gacha system and tons of content. But it’s the game’s strong sense of narrative momentum that distinguishes it from its genre stablemates.

But even though Dark Manor suffers from some needless online restrictions and early connectivity issues, once you’re actually able to get going on your hunt and start building up your haunted mansion, then the game becomes an absolute blast.