A convoluted selection of puzzle mini-games with lots of surface variety, but not a lot of substance beneath

Docking Sequence is an odd sort of reactionary arcade game that's not without its charm.

The gems might not shine as brightly as you remember, but Namco Museum DS is a reasonable collection of bygone classics.

Squad Command strives to be as accessible as possible, and while the casual slant is clearly a great idea, a few basic issues prevent the game from being all it could be.

Though fans of the series may be able to excuse its technical issues, this isn't the top-end collection it could have been to attract new players to this classic series.

A fun feline firing fest, but lacking something special.

Fans of the show will enjoy the characters and humour, but everything else Phone Destroyer has to offer is done better elsewhere.

A good idea executed poorly, Capcom Arcade offers little worthwhile gameplay.

Monster Life is one of the prettiest and best constructed social freemium titles we've ever seen, but its core gameplay systems don't offer anything new or particularly interesting.

The core implementation of placing trampolines to bounce your pangolin up-screen is just a little too unwieldy to heartily recommend. Nevertheless, the art's great and the physics are spot on.

Supermarket Mania is a little tedious at first, but casual players will enjoy the fast-paced action on offer.

Armageddon is a straightforward castle vs. castle battler that opts for simplicity and a high level of difficulty over creativity and depth.

Heist is a great slice of first-person bank-robbing action for smartphones, but its very brief length is a sore point.

All the extra layers and shiny cartoon looks can't disguise the fact that Zombie Fish Tank is a small fish in a very big pond.

A dull, shockingly cynical waste of time, which is all about grinding for upgrades, and almost nothing about skill or strategy.

It's not perfect, and the controls in particular are annoying, but there's a decent management sim here all the same.

Dungeon Defenders never gets the opportunity to show off its creative gameplay due to a poorly designed interface.

With awful level design and just two hours of gameplay, Sonic Generations is not the return to form that we were hoping for.

A well-constructed social freemium game, but one that becomes more awkward and less appealing as the game progresses.

simian.interface is a stylish and mildly interesting game that will appeal to avant-garde gamers but probably won't satisfy anybody looking for a substantial puzzle game experience.

If a landslide of repetitive battles with cluttered combat is your thing, then this game fits the bill. At least you'll never be at a loss for laughs.

The definitive handheld version, Transformers DS boasts decent gameplay, good presentation and clever online features that go beyond traditional movie-licensed fare.

There's a lot to like in Gun Commando's retro remodelling of the FPS, but it's hampered somewhat by the clumsy nature of the touchscreen controls.

A simplistic, reasonably captivating blend of turn-based exploration and real-time combat that's disappointingly hollow without additional investment.

Initial perceptions of a rather clumsy Canabalt clone are wide of the mark, as Gravity Runner gradually blossoms into an addictive platform-puzzler.

A no-brainer if you're a fan of the series, but for anyone else it's really neither here nor there. If you like young girls with big guns and have a penchant for middle-of-the-road action-RPGs, this may well be for you.

Excellent presentation, and an enjoyable concept go a long way to concealing the fact that this is a pretty standard free-to-play management game.

Happy Home Designer is a nifty little game for creative souls, but it may not hold your attention for too long if home decor isn't your schtick.

Oceanhorn: Monster of Uncharted Seas is right at home on the Nintendo Switch, if only it implemented more of the console's features.

A fun, gorgeous, and well put-together space racer that, despite lacking features, is an absolute bargain for those who take to it.

Gamevil's deranged freebie aims for 'quirky', but hits 'annoying'. For nutters only.

Archangel is a well-crafted dungeon-crawler with a handful of nice touches, but it could use a little more spark and imagination in its world design and core gameplay.

An awfully simple screen masher, Mortal Kombat X looks the part, but it's all a bit flat

In spite of its lack of coherency, Payback 2 HD is still an immensely entertaining experience.

Vempire is a competent match-four game, but other than being a launch PSP Minis title, there's not much to get excited about.

Awkward controls spoil an original idea in a game that looks better than it plays.

A point-and-click detective adventure which is a touch too linear and not particularly daring with its plot or characters. That said, murder mystery fans will enjoy the gradual whittling down of suspects through evidence gathering and problem solving.

It's hard to recommend Civilization Revolution 2 to those who already played the original. But if this is your first dose of Civ, you're in for a treat.

Old skool as heck, Flick Champions HD is simple, fun, and addictive.

True dungeon crawling junkies may get a thrill out of the game, but if you’re not one of those people then this operation is best left to the professionals.

A welcome addition to the Dragon Ball Z franchise that's sure to have you screaming in anger and excitement.

Doki-Doki Universe is a feel-good video game. It isn't going to challenge you, and there are some technical issues, but it'll still give you a warm fuzzy feeling inside.

A strangely lovable if utterly shambolic mix of gorgeous visuals and tedious game mechanics.

Ultra Street Fighter II does a great job of providing the signature fighting experience on the go, but falls short of being a no-brainer due to iffy exclusive Switch content and a hefty price tag.

Though Ragnarok Odyssey is a dumbed-down RPG that won't please stat-fiends, it's still pretty great at what it does.

If it weren't for the controls, Cognition: Episode One would be a must-buy. But it's worth playing all the same.

There's a lot to like in Zodiac: Orcanon Odyssey, but there's a good chance you'll have seen a lot of it before.

Too short, but MechAssault Phantom War is an engaging robot combat game.

This compelling and appealingly hard-edged strategy is a few tactical adjustments away from achieving its goals. Worth a look.

The Sims gets a survival game. A neat package of exploration and item-finding, but one that does get a bit tedious for all but the keenest of collectors.

It's sure to be impenetrable to causal players, but Wave is the perfect tribute to old skool shooters: it boasts addictive gameplay, sterling presentation and is as tough as old boots.

A throwaway bit of fluff that nonetheless entertains for every minute you play it.

A cute tower-building game that does its best to hide its tedium under cute graphics and simple mini-games.

A wonderfully presented mash-up of game and book, Blood of the Zombies is every bit as entertaining as you'd expect.

An abstract, atmospheric exploration adventure near-ruined by a breathtakingly ill-conceived iOS port.

A gorgeous looking game that's never quite as good as you hoped it was going to be, Last Inua is engaging, but not always entertaining.

A shiny and well put together driving sim that captures F1 pretty damn perfectly.

Race among a selection of favoured Disney characters throughout their various worlds while hoping for more control in variety and on the touchscreen.

Dragon Quest Smash/Grow is a worthy idle RPG with some engaging elements. But its initial promise of exciting Survivors-like action quickly falls apart. However, if you approach it from the perspective of it being a regular growth-focused casual RPG with plenty of more hardcore elements, you'll have fun. And both the visuals and audio have that familiar, nostalgia-infused Dragon Quest flavour.

A superb action platform adventure that captures the exuberance of the film brilliantly.

A.D.D. lives up to its name as mediocre mini-game compilation that won't hold your attention for long.

A lovingly crafted selection of mini-games that will definitely put you in the mood for the real Olympics.

Red Star boasts astonishing production values and challenging gameplay, but the tacked-on touch controls and unforgiving difficulty are frustrating.

It might not have a solid single-player campaign, but Beejumbled's excellent multiplayer goes some way to fix that.

A big silly blockbuster of a game that wants desperately to be on something other than a touchscreen device. Godfire: Rise of Prometheus has a meaty bounce to it, but its lack of subtlety will likely be too much for some to take.

In spite of the frustrating combat, The Amazing Spider-Man still has more than enough going for it to recommend.

The race for the best driving game on mobile almost got interesting, but 2K Drive has too many technical issues to truly keep up with the very best in the field.

It's Angry Birds. If you care about that any more then you'll probably find something to enjoy. Just watch out for the timers.

While a generation of gamers dreams of better days, Sonic The Hedgehog 4: Episode II is an unpleasant reminder of how far the series has fallen since its glory days.

Off-putting, pseudo post-modern comedy nonsense aside, OEG is a slightly lacking shooter / platformer hybrid with wonderful aesthetic vision.

Despite a couple of interesting elements, Picdun 2: Witch's Curse is the very definition of an average dungeon-crawler.

Lacking much of the tone that made the movies great, Ghostbusters is about as fun as being forced to slowly trudge through slime, and being overcharged for the pleasure of doing so at a faster rate.

Civil War: 1863 is an entertaining turn-based strategy game once it gets going, but its best ideas are too rarely employed and its presentation too dry for the game to appeal to a wider audience.

Quest of Dungeons is a solid but unremarkable roguelike that'll keep you engaged for a few hours but not much more.

A silly shooter that doesn't quite distance itself far enough from the games it's mocking. Still pretty fun though.

A great boardgame that plays with all the pace of the best mobile titles.

It's a match-stuff puzzler. And that's sort of all there is to say about it.

The perfect game for waging adorable warfare while on the bus, on your sofa, or on your toilet.

Mr. Shifty is a fun, twitchy action game that fails to capitalise on what was so good about its primary influence.

Banana Splitz is a return to form for the Super Monkey Ball series, and well worth a roll.

Enjoyably distracting when played alone and hugely entertaining in company, Point Blank DS is ideal for five minutes of fun.

She's got a cute smile and there are some nice touches, but Izuna: Legend of the Unemployed Ninja doesn't help the inexperienced, and doesn't reward the skilled. Don't hire this dungeon-crawler.

Like a new lottery winner, Monopoly Millionaire makes a few immediately gratifying yet ultimately ill-advised changes to the way it does things.

Rogue Sky is arcade fun with a smooth, simple control scheme.

Bright, bold, and casual-friendly, Gamevil will have a tough time topping this outing next year.

A weak port of a reasonable port of a good game. Compared to the original, Ninja Gaiden Sigma 2 Plus is just too flawed to recommend.

Might not please established Wolfenstein fans, but Youngblood is still a great shooter on Switch.

F1 2011 is a great handheld addition to the franchise, although it could really do with an injection of personality.

With just over a dozen hours of clever and varied gameplay, Kingdom Hearts Re:coded will appeal to many an RPG fan, including those who are yet to experience the Kingdom Hearts world.

Angry Birds is a constantly changing beast, but most of the changes here are for the better.

Simultaneously brilliant yet deeply flawed, Heroes of Mana brings novelty to DS strategy gaming. If only the path-finding was up to the standard of the rest of the game, this would be essential.

While it's slickly presented, End Night HD lacks the same level of sophistication when it comes to its gameplay, with its unmoderated hack-fest becoming tired within minutes.

Gloomy Hollow manages to live up to its name, but not in a good way.

This footie sim's quirks and grind will ensure it remains a downloadable curio, but the presentation and humour is something to see.

Graphically gorgeous and showcasing remarkable depth, Ferrari Challenge is truly a thinking man's racing game. It's regrettable that online play wasn't incorporated, but then there's always the sequel.

Pretty but uncommonly difficult and trickier still to master, Rocket Racing will reward your dedication with an excellent example of momentum-based fun.

Customisable controls prevent this reloaded version of N.O.V.A. HD from shooting blanks but it could have been so much more.

A shallow and uninspiring multiplayer title, Angry Birds Friends doesn't have the spark that made the series so important in the first place.