Despite a bland single-player experience, Dead on Arrival 2's multiplayer is just enough to make it worth a look.

An average slingshot physics game spoiled by a pitiful fantasy veneer and an irritating freemium payment structure

A Link Between worlds is old fashioned Zelda fun with some clever new gimmicks, but it's too easy, straightforward, and familiar for a full recommendation.

There's a solid touchscreen shooter here, but Epoch 2 doesn't quite hit the right marks.

By sticking to its core dot-dodging components while simultaneously refreshing its riotous arsenal, Tilt to Live 2: Redonkulous proves a fine complement to the original

The beautiful, adventurous, and lengthy Oceanhorn is a strong stand-in for The Legend of Zelda on iOS, but don't expect it to top the real deal in any respect.

Lego The Lord of the Rings for iOS costs a fraction of its home console counterpart, and it's a fraction of the game, but it's a decent single-player introduction to the Lego franchise.

A great iOS port of a brilliant platform-puzzler, Stealth Inc is well worth your attention.

Astro Boy Dash is a sub-par endless running game that does a disservice to one of manga's most beloved heroes.

Like Sudoku with pretty pictures, Paint it Back turns logic puzzles into works of art.

Muramasa Rebirth is gorgeous, action packed, and regularly delightful, but its charm cannot entirely compensate for its repetitive nature.

A bit of good fun that's let down by its ambition for innovation. Still, it's worthwhile if you're a fan of the series, but it's probably best enjoyed with the 3D off.

A grindy single-player experience, Meltdown really comes to life if you play it with other people.

NinJump Rooftops literally takes over where NinJump leaves off, and it's an equally fun, if familiar, experience.

Symmetrain is an efficient and novel casual puzzler, but the going is a little slow and the scenery is a little repetitive.

Drei is a clever take on an old formula - assuming you can find someone to play it with, that is.

A consummately executed physics racer with a chunky Minecraft aesthetic and an irresistible just-one-more-go factor, Blocky Roads provides quite a ride.

Spirit Stones is a solid puzzle-battle game, but progression is difficult if you don't want to spend money on new cards and stamina refills.

A rip-off of Plants vs. Zombies which boasts new ideas but sadly lacks the conviction to employ them effectively, Asterix: Total Annihilation fails to do justice to the long-running character.

An excellent choice for gamers wanting a new Metroidvania on their Vita, this adventure with the Caped Crusader comes close to being a classic.

Humdrum presentation mingles with a bare minimum of gameplay to spawn a unique experiment, but little else.

More frustrating than the first chapter, Sorcery! 2 still spins a compelling yarn. Here's hoping chapter three isn't another six months off.

Though its core systems are pretty much identical, Sid Meier’s Ace Patrol: Pacific Skies’s shift to a more technologically advanced conflict and thoughtful enhancements make it every bit the worthy sequel.

A clever and well-put together-homage, Ittle Dew is let down slightly by some control issues, but it's still an entertainingly retro romp.

A well-put-together endless-runner, Miner Problem is as generic as they come.

A novel abstract strategy game that checks all the boxes for a fantastic digital experience and is charming enough, despite occasional accessibility issues, to win over abstract cynics like me.

Grind-filled hands-off gameplay plus a licence with barely any traction in English speaking countries does not a good card battler make.

Presenting colourful soccer action in a pleasingly strategic way, Soccer Moves just lacks a little of the fluidity and expansiveness of the great game.

A clever blending of two licences, Star Wars: Tiny Death Star does exactly what you'd expect it to.

Rayman Fiesta Run is another giddy and breathless mix of memory and reflexes. It's not much different from its prequel, but the added challenge is welcome.

With the new scavenger hunt mode included, the Vita version of Proteus has something to offer that the PC version didn't, but it's still a polarising experience.

Chippy is a charming and addictive time-management game, but a few issues hold it back from being a must-have.

Bland and tedious, Naught 2 offers a gentler challenge than the frustrating original, but little else of note.

There's fun to be had here. But while Vlad's strengths are many, its weaknesses stick their heads up a little too often.

It'll likely find a sizeable audience, but there are problems with Axes & Allies that keep it from greatness.

Mixing elements from Angry Birds, Swords and Soldiers, and the best tower-defence games, CastleStorm is the real deal for PS Vita.

Quick to pick up but difficult to master, Hometown Story's a tough sell but will yield an investment of enjoyable, quick play sessions if you're patient.

As lunk-headed and clumsy as a drunken Viking, Thor takes a hammer to the action-RPG genre with its clunky controls and cynical IAP system.

The first non-linear Layton game turns out to be one of the best. Professor Layton and the Azran Legacy is a selection of stories and puzzles well worth your time.

A brilliantly realised audio adventure, Papa Sangre II is a creepy masterpiece.

Compelling enough at first, this sports management sim doesn't have the hook(shot) required to keep you invested it in for the season.

Rally done right: WRC 4 is an excellent racing game and should be a instant buy for any self-respecting Vita owner with a thing for speed.

A gorgeous, massive tower offence game, Anomaly 2 is good fun, but it's more of the same.

Pocket God: Ooga Jump is a reasonably competent take on Doodle Jump, but flat gameplay and a remarkably stingy currency system limit its already modest potential.

It may look sweet and innocent, but this match-three puzzler is anything but when it comes to IAPs. The tactless begging for cash results in a product that's very poor value for money.

There's a great puzzle game here, but Fright Heights loses itself too often in difficulty spikes and cruelty.

It may be more of the same, but that's alright by us. CSR Classics is another quality round of car collecting, upgrading, and drag racing.

There are a few enjoyable moments, but Oil Rush doesn't manage to thread them together into an entertaining whole.

It's not big, clever, or immediately thrilling, but Constructor Simulator 2014's real-world toy set is undeniably fun to operate - at least on iPad.

A compelling catastrophe simulator masquerading as a strategy title, Empire is an entertaining game of endings.

A fast-playing, multi-faceted strategy game that works well on mobile, but which deserves more flourish and less bugs than it gets in this workmanlike conversion.

Dream Chamber's great noir-style setting is wasted on annoying mini-games, illogical puzzles, poor writing, and a story that goes absolutely nowhere.

Strike Wing: Raptor Rising has the core of a great 3D space shooter, but it's lack of a proper structure and misjudged IAP system torpedo its chances.

A wonderful addition to Star Wars Pinball that changes up the pace of play with smart missions and mini-games, while packing it with plenty of references that every Star Wars fan will enjoy.

A solid twin-stick shooter with an interesting evolutionary twist, but the execution doesn't quite match up to the concept.

Though the game has some issues that make it unnecessarily frustrating, Mimpi is worth taking for a walk.

Even Up isn't the most exciting puzzler on the App Store, and it arguably suffers for its lack of penalties and rewards, but it's a decent replacement for Sudoku all the same.

Reaper’s main adventure can use a little more meat, but cutting up enemies should keep you busy regardless.

A dull and uninspired mess of a physics puzzler, Rabbids Big Bang is one to avoid.

A well put together and entertaining brawler, Echo Prime is a slow burn, but it's worth the effor.

The carnage is satisfying and the violence is meaty. Dead Trigger 2 might not be fresh, but it's solid, dependable fun.

Indigo Lake surprises by being a genuinely scary and atmospheric adventure-puzzler, as well as by incorporating effective first-person controls.

Caught in a zombie apocalypse? Escape From Zombie City can set you straight, with plenty of neat twists on the saturated genre.

Dual Destinies is disappointing. In general it's more of the same Phoenix Wright we've come to know and love, but the stories and characters are horribly weak.

Happy Hills 2: Bombs Away! is slower-paced and more frustrating than many other physics puzzlers, but its addictive qualities can’t be denied.

Temperamental controls and B-grade visuals aside, this is a lovely little downloadable racer with a surprisingly compulsive time trial format.

A cool, responsive and remarkably stressful arcade tapping game that only really has one nerve-shredding trick - but it plays it well.

A nice blend of styles and ideas, Pocket Titans isn't perfect, but it is a lot of good-natured fun.

Excellent controls and great graphics don't make this endless-runner feel like anything more than a routine jog.

If you can find three friends who are also willing to fork out the entry fee, you're laughing. Otherwise, Atomic Ninjas is a fairly good (but utterly dead) online battler.

Though Shadow Vamp controls like a slippery little monster at times, there's a clever and original puzzle experience at the (black, unbeating) heart of this game.

If your favourite take on Batman is the 'biff-bang-pow' kind rather than the 'world's greatest detective' kind, then you'll find plenty to like in this straight-forward button-mashing brawler.

Running about smashing things with your creature is fun for a bit, and the experience grind loop is certainly powerful here, but otherwise it's a pretty standard dungeon-crawler.

Small World 2 is a quality update to a classic iPad boardgame. Minor AI and auto-match niggles don't detract from the fun of asynchronous play with friends.

You've played this game before, albeit with a more barbaric theme, though that shouldn't stop you giving it a go if you're after more strategy-management action.

Carps and Dragons is a fairly entertaining fish-'em-up, but the messy controls put a dampener on an already-water-filled experience.

I never thought I'd type these words into a video game website, but here goes... Sonic Lost World is a very good 3D Sonic game and you should buy it immediately.

An interesting idea that falls a little flat, Mega Dead Pixel doesn't have enough going for it to really recommend.

It's beautifully put together and full of laughs, but the violence in Fist of Awesome gets old a little too quickly.

In turning a text adventure into a world map, Simogo has resurrected a long-dead genre with style and confidence. Great presentation and brilliant puzzles complete a stellar package.

Rakoo's Adventure is a bright and fresh casual auto-runner, though the gameplay can't quite live up to the standards set by the stellar cartoony visuals.

A smooth and soothing puzzler, Kami still offers a decent challenge to anyone who wants to go for a perfect score.

An interesting amalgam of tower defence and castle defence, Steampunk Tower seizes up a little with its monotonous mechanics.

Takes what was once a wonderful experience and makes so many development mistakes that even Myst's wonderful story and puzzles can't fix it. Not even the Myst faithful should pick this up.

Instantly accessible and enjoyable in short bursts, F1 Challenge doesn't offer the complexity of its home console parent but will nevertheless please fans of the sport.

There are a few niggles here and there, but as a package Rollabear offers a decent few hours of quick-fire fun.

With Nascar: Redline, Eutechnyx reduces high-octane wheel-to-wheel motorsport to a rather uninspiring series of mini-game events sprinkled rather sparsely over a dull race management simulation.

A strong and compelling RPG hidden under mountains of fan service. Marvelous AQL should seriously reconsider bringing sexy back if there's a sequel.

A harsh and unforgiving game, Duet rewards those who put the work in.

Dead Man's Draw is a superb card game with excellent production values and an intriguing level of depth.

AdvenChewers is a surprisingly open and adventurous casual platformer built from otherwise familiar components.

Beautiful and flawed in equal measure, Snailboy has its charms, but its slime trail can't be ignored.

Random Runners adds nothing new to the auto-runner genre, except frustration, unfair design, and grinding for currency.

Were you expecting anything less from a movie-game cash-in? Turbo: Super Stunt Squad is a whole bag of meh, with racing action that is below-par in every way.

A sticky toffee pudding of a game, Costume Quest is warm, sweet, and satisfying.

You've trodden on this battlefield before, but Puzzle Trooper is undeniably fun.

There's still plenty of room for improvement with patches and bug fixes, but NBA 2K14 shows signs of improvement.

While it starts off brightly, Ring Run Circus quickly loses its sheen and descends into mediocrity.