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.

Rather than simply porting the classics of their catalogue, Fantasy Flight Games has paired a new print release with a great digital version that should have no problem moving boxed copies of their latest game. It's a far lengthier experience than most mobile gamers will be used to in a single session, but after spending an hour in the world of Elder Sign: Omens, you'll begin to wonder how the world could survive without you.

Asides from the occasional turn-based gem, great multiplayer mobile games are few and far between on the App Store. Assassin's Creed Rearmed is easily one of the best we've seen. It's totally unique, and a great mobile extension of an already stellar franchise.

Dawn of Magic is a competent yet forgettable RPG. The game's main selling point is that it's free. At that price, it's a worthwhile adventure to noodle around with while sitting in a doctor's office or waiting for a train to work. The characters are mildly endearing in spite of the Engrish translation, and the RPG gameplay is completely functional.

A well-implemented game that's entertaining for about 20 or 30 minutes. After that, most players are going to figure out how to rapidly make matches without thinking too hard about the math involved.

There are a lot of reasons not to like Dark Fury, from its shoddy production values to its crummy advertising to its underwhelming automatic gameplay. But the worst thing about the game is how it takes such a promising premise -of seeing an RPG from the villainous army's perspective- and utterly wastes it.

An unfortunately mixed bag. It looks and sounds great, but the writing seems haphazard, the gameplay feels clunky at best (and buggy at worst) and its online reliability is sporadic.

But in the mobile space (no matter the platform) we need to be able to save and quit in a heartbeat. Maybe we're grabbing a fast turn while waiting in line for coffee, or staving off a few minutes of boredom on our lunch breaks. We game on a micro-level on these devices, and the games need to understand and respect that. It's unforgivable to expect us to have the time or where-with-all to find the stupid save point just so we can hit "home" and get on with our lives.

The controls are simple and anyone can pick up and play the game without getting frustrated. Moreover, it is gratifying without requiring a significant time investment. With its slew of weaponry to unlock, along with co-op play, it's an app that offers several hours of potential play time.

It looks pleasant enough, and has a surprisingly beautiful soundtrack, but the game itself is one you've seen many times before, only with new features that aren't all that compelling.

Zombie Cookin' had a lot of promise, it's just unfortunate that it fell into the same old traps and mistakes a lot of games like it make. If you want to make dishes on your iPhone or iPad, may I suggest Cooking Mama instead?

For a budget price, existing Weebl fans will find more than enough to love in Russian Dancing Men. With uninspired yet surprisingly demanding gameplay though, it might be a tough sell for anyone else. Do yourself a favour and enjoy Weebl's animated goodness for free on weebls-stuff.com before investing in the app. If you have a finer appreciation for his work, it'll make what's on offer here much more palatable.

In a sense, Bike Baron lacks originality. But when it comes to the outstanding level design, high visual polish, and uniqueness in being the only great game of its kind on the App Store, it's hard to criticize the developers for being influenced by some great games and wanting to perfect that formula for a different platform.

Even if FakePup reneges on their promise for an extra mode, it wouldn't be that big of a travesty because what is currently on offer is so great. The smooth controls, fantastic pacing and the thrill of beating you and your friend's high score make this a game that you simply should not pass up.

Santa's Village has some plusses, but its core play is something that has been done to death time and time again. It is nice to build a village in a new artistic style (made even better by the 3D), but the expiration of toys when players don't return in time is a significant negative.

Presentation-wise, Majesty: The Fantasy Kingdom is decent, but it feels a little dated in terms of its art style. Nevertheless, it will still appeal to many players and does have a bit of a nostalgic feel to it. Even so, it far from makes up for the poor usability and lack of control granted to the player over their armies.

It can never just get out in front of the very things it's poking fun at, and just ends up getting mired in it. It's fun, but it's a limited kind of enjoyment. Once finished, you'll have no reason to ever go back.

Worms Crazy Golf is, literally, a blast. It's a great spin (pun intended) on both artillery and golf titles, blending both genres together to create something that's new and different.

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.

As a fan of Metroidvania style gaming, it was hard not to get excited at the thought of what Dark Incursion could potentially offer. And with so much of the package being exactly what it needed to be, the poor controls only sting that much more. Dark Incursion is a great, great game – but it's one with a serious flaw that ultimately hampers the experience too much. Be sure to keep an eye out for this one, but only after its version number moves past 1.0.

Hamster Cannon looks and sounds pretty cute, but it doesn't really break the mold. The hamsters are lovely, with cartoon-like appearances and ridiculous one-liners. But aside from the hamsters, the graphics are kind of generic, with plain backgrounds and unremarkable environmental objects.

The best way to describe In Time on the iPhone is that it's like using a treadmill after being a trail runner. It's decent and serviceable, but it's nothing memorable, and there are a lot more enjoyable alternatives out there.

Robot5 HD certainly doesn't have any substantial shortcomings, and is indeed a challenging, polished product that almost feels like it could be a home console game.

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

All in all, there is literally nothing to complain about with Zombie Parkour Runner. The gameplay is tremendously gratifying despite its general control simplicity, and the overall presentation and animations are phenomenal. A game that seems like it will initially be like any other automatic side-scroller, Zombie Parkour Runner is one heck of a pleasant surprise.

On the one hand, I'm a little disappointed to see that not every mode from Fruit Ninja has made its way into Fruit Ninja: Puss in Boots. On the other, though, there's a part of me that would have happily paid for Bandito mode as a standalone game. It's just that much fun.

Keeping in mind that Pirates of the Caribbean: Master of the Seas is free, it's a great companion to the recent DVD release. The "quests" are bit dull, but the mixture of duels, island building, and leveling up make for a pleasing time waster. It's an app worthy of anyone's mobile device, but Pirates fans should be especially pleased.

At its core, there is not a whole lot on offer gameplay wise. You're essentially playing slots over top of some basic RPG elements. That being said, there are much worst things to spend your money on. If you're looking for a unique way to waste a couple minutes at a time, King Cashing will do just fine.