Small quibbles aside, Mage Gauntlet proves itself to be a charming, action-packed, ultra-addictive title that should satisfy any 16-bit gamer. With 42 levels to complete, and then a Master Mode after that, this is a game that will keep you busy for quite some time. Luckily, thanks to some smart design choices, you're never more than a tap away from the action.

From little considerations like the squish that plays proxy for haptic feedback whenever your tap, to key decisions like the game’s nostalgia-inducing voxel aesthetic, Crossy Road oozes arcade charm.

It comes down to the classic gaming questions: do you have the proper equipment, and do you have the wherewithal to invest the time.

Four Letters has no levels, and no hints on what you ought to spell next. It has no themes, no trips around the world that challenge you to solve word puzzles related to the Eiffel Tower or Mount Rushmore. But its simplicity makes it fresh, clean, and worthy of replaying over and over again.

If you're looking for extra motivation to exercise, I recommend you run, don't walk to your iPhone (the Android version should arrive by June), and download Zombies, Run! And remember – in the zombie apocalypse, you don't have to be the fastest runner, you just can't be the slowest!

Wipeout also tries to get you to pony up for premium currency, but it's not a free game to begin with. Most of the game is open to you regardless, but panhandling in a paid app is always a little off-putting.

And that’s what keeps you coming back to Hop Swap – its simple yet beguiling platforming. Nitrome has always been great at offering logical in-app purchases and it’s a similar case here. You don’t have to spend real money if you don’t want to, and you’ll still get the full experience. That experience being a platformer that reminds you of how great touch screen gaming can be when implemented correctly.

Eventually, you figure the match-3 machine is going to run out of steam. But so far enough developers have been able to find new ways to present it that it hasn’t given up the ghost, and it helps when they can hook specific audiences. For comic fans, Marvel Puzzle Quest: Dark Reign can definitely do that. Just don’t tell the heroes they can trade their powered armor and web-shooters for iPads, okay?

While Swap Heroes’ shortcomings are a bit frustrating and may cause you to lose a match once in a blue moon, the overall experience is a good one. There’s an interesting puzzle game here that drives you to try over and over.

Temple Run: Oz is just as good as Temple Run 2, but Temple Run 2 is free. Even if this is your first sprint with the series, you may as well get the entry you don’t have to pay for.

Add in a good number of different arenas as well as a solid mix of power-ups and you have a title that’s well worth trying out at your next games night. It’s just a shame there’s no online play.

The only glaring omission from Beach Buggy Racing is multiplayer, as this is a game that would be an aboslute blast to play against five other humans, or even just against friends with a few AI drivers thrown in.

If you're a match-3 fanatic with an iPad and want to make your fingers tango all over the screen, consider 7 Elements a must play.

It would be interesting to see how multiplayer works, but that mode is apparently on hold until a future update. Even without it, I, Gladiator strikes you as a game that is very much in line with the conventions of its genre while having just enough tweaks to give it some some identity of its own.

It's fun, and EA built a great game on a proven formula. The game simply doesn't feel as earnest and honest as the original Flight Control, but hey. That's progress for ya.

Ms. Splosion Man is a great game somewhat diminished by an imperfect port. If you can swallow the business model and shrug off a few deaths that weren’t your fault, you’re in for a humorous, challenging, and rewarding time. That being said, Ms. Splosion Man is still best played with a controller, and best purchased for a single amount.

Need for Speed: No Limits is a faithful mobile rendition of the long-running franchise. There are a few issues that prevented me from fulling enjoying the title, especially with the controls. However, for those searching for a way to take racing on the go, this title might just be the one you’ve been looking for.

If you’re in the mood to run with zombies, Infectonator: Hot Chase will scratch your leprotic itch. All you need to do is tear yourself away from the original Infectonator long enough to play it.

One especially great part of RollerCoaster Tycoon Classic is how it can introduce younger gamers to the series, and indeed, both my kids were clamoring for some time with it over their holiday break. Think of it as something of a combination love letter to the originals and apology note for the series’ previous foray into mobile, one that proves successful on both fronts.

This is exactly the sort of experience that video games are best placed to provide, and if you have any interest in the medium as something other than a distraction, then you owe it to yourself and the creators to pick this one up.

As a game that favors timing, patience, and well-placed attention over button-mashing controls and bull-headed behaviour, Fight Night Champion manages to deliver a knockout performance for gamers who'd rather polish their skills than throw fireballs and do crazy spin-kicks through the air.

In the grand scheme of things, Spellstorm isn’t all that difficult to figure out. At least it has an in-game help menu. And besides, once all the important stuff is covered there’s plenty of enjoyment to be had through questing, fighting, and upgrading. And it’s so, so pretty.

With a little more detective work and a little less store-bought justice, Another Case Solved would truly be the cat’s pajamas.

Mini Golf MatchUp is a fantastic little game that will easily scratch that turn-based itch that so many gamers seem to have developed.

In taking a classic concept and packing it to the brim with personality and playability, Spilt Milk Studios has developed an absolute winner through and through. If you've ever enjoyed Snake, TRON, or talking lines, make this one your next purchase.

Is Extreme Road Trip a fairly simple offering? Sure. Kind of a one trick pony? Probably. But the one trick Extreme Road Trip pulls off is an incredibly satisfying one.

Nitro is good at providing plenty of simple, no-frills fun. That also means it’s not exactly an incredibly deep experience, but it doesn’t need to be. It’s fun, silly, and full of upgradeable cars.

A deceptively simple game that can be enjoyed endlessly, yet it's smartly designed to be consumed in only the smallest of doses.