A well put together, thematically intriguing digital boardgame, but it's not for anyone with a fear of chits.

Children of Mana brings intelligence and charm into the realm of dungeon-based button bashing.

Though dressed in full Lord of the Rings regalia, Middle-earth defense is an entry-level tower defence game that hits the basics, but doesn't reach any new heights.

Briefly entertaining, Daddy Was A Thief doesn't have enough going for it to be a great.

Shamefully enjoyable, and somewhat broken, Dynasty Warriors 8 doesn't disappoint.

We're positive you'll want to avoid MGS Portable Ops Plus: a lacklustre single-player mode, unfriendly interface, and minimal new content make it comprehensively inferior to its predecessor.

The Cave is a really disappointing adventure. It's not very funny, not very clever, and those finicky touchscreen controls are a regular source of frustration.

Spellfall is a pretty looking match-3 puzzler that's not without its charm, but its free to play elements get in the way much of the time.

The fundamentals of arrow-throwing are executed well enough, but the spirit of the sport in a larger sense isn't, making for a totally acceptable, but soulless game of darts.

Kind of like XCOM but with zombies instead of aliens, War of the Zombie is deep, rewarding, and massively challenging.

Sorcery Saga: Curse of the Great Curry God is equal parts fun and frustrating. The bright characters and fun world of Sorcery Saga make the remorseless autosaving of this hardcore dungeon-crawler easier to swallow.

While there's some fun to be had with No Gravity: The Plague of Mind, as space combat games go, it becomes repetitive and rather weightless.

Despite appearing to be a story-driven detective game, Mystery Case Files: MillionHeir is a simple puzzler that isn't interesting enough to hold anyone's attention.

Poor controls and inconsistent level design badly hamper MaXplosion in its attempt to replicate the 'Splosion Man formula on iPhone.

A considerable improvement on the first DS iteration, but still not the definitive Harvest Moon.

Another welcome addition to the eShop's already stellar line-up, The Rolling Western's unique spin on tower defence is as noteworthy as its flaws.

Built on a foundation of hack-n-slash action, Dynasty Warriors: Strikeforce brings new depth to the series thanks in the main to its multiplayer modes.

Violent and tough, Beatdown! won't be to everyone's tastes, but if you're a veteran of the 16bit era, it'll be right up your street.

Frustrating in places and sometimes lacking in polish, World War Z is still an entertaining movie tie-in.

Tomb Raider returns in a mobile form plus a more stylised look, with top-down action-adventure levels to beat, treasures to find, and grinding to do so that you can progress.

Not the cheap cash-in you might have feared and yet still a portable game that runs contrary to all the aims of the PC original.

Fast paced, gorgeous, and violent in all the right ways, Random Heroes deserves to be played by as many people as possible.

Operation: Vietnam doesn't win any bravery medals for its concept, but it's a well-trained, impressively executed idea that hits all the necessary targets.

Control issues and a general lack of cohesion prevent Sega Superstars Tennis from totally stealing the show on Centre Court, but it nevertheless remains a commendable purchase.

If you're aching for more SRPG action from the makers of Disgaea then this is a solid choice, but an eye rollingly bland plot and ironically.

Devil May Cry 4 refrain is too basic to be anything more than mildly enjoyable, its lack of depth, excitement, and polish preventing the delivery of a more satisfying experience.

Inotia 3: Children of Carnia is competent and unexciting, a by-the-numbers level-grinding game that lacks the polish and energy of its betters.

Twin Blades isn't revolutionary but its graphics and upgrading make it a decent side-scrolling action game.

With an over-reliance on what ultimately proves to be a gimmick, Piclings platform play is all looks and no substance.

A lack of content clips its wings, but Flapcraft is a real hoot while it lasts. Definitely a flight worth taking.

Wildlings is perfect for those who want a more active tower defence game without having to worry about too many variables, but others will find its lack of options frustrating.

A simple, one note space simulator that gets very old, very fast, and fails to save itself from the yawning oblivion of the cosmos.

It's about a million miles away from being the Citizen Kane of iOS game but whatever the hell Clear Vision is, it's kind of okay by us.

Kingdoms of Camelot: Battle for the North is a freemium city-builder with genuine slow-burn appeal and a nifty social element, but it may just too much of a slog for the average player.

Cosmic Bump is a decent casual puzzler with a fun pinball element, but its physics and reliance on luck don't quite do the rest of the game justice.

While it doesn't get the hidden object parts quite right, Hidden Runaway is still an interesting, if ultimately disappointing adventure.

While there might be flashes of a decent game, more often than not Last Knight is disappointing.

Smash the Office isn't a particularly deep game, and it comes with relatively few features, but what little it does it does well.

This entertaining retro RPG is perfect for those seeking a lighter take on old skool dungeon-crawling, but it's a little too repetitive and sluggish for its own good.

After a rocky start, Blitz Brigade has solidified into a fine online team-based shooter, albeit one with lingering connectivity issues and an OTT freemium economy.

The potential is there, but Bloody Vampire is just too rough to be fully appreciated.

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.

There are some signs of ingenuity and adventure in Abducted, but too often it gets lost in its own muddle of mechanics

It's what you'd expect from a free-to-play Pokémon clone, but Monster Legacy pushes enough of the right buttons to still be entertaining.

One-half Dynasty Warriors and one-half Hamtaro, Smash Cat Heroes delivers casual-friendly, button mashing fun in an adorable little package.

There's fun to be had with its sharp-edged bike blasting, but SXPD is a little on the small side.

A sharp, short arcade experience. Revolve may not stick in your head for long, but it's still good fun while it lasts.

Super Monkey Ball Bounce seems like an interesting spin on Popcap's well-loved franchise, but it doesn't take long for all that monetisation to get in the way of the fun.

An unflinchingly tough, sometimes frustrating experience, Futuridium EP Deluxe just about has the gameplay so you can see past its foibles.

Like most endless runners, your mileage will vary with Run Sackboy! Run! which, while impressively handsome, is a surprisingly limited example of its genre.

A competent freemium card-collecting RPG that lacks the spark or tactical depth to prompt you into exploring or spending further.

Shoot the zombies in the face and then get better guns and then shoot the zombies in the face again and so on and so forth.

A golf game that strips a lot of things away, but manages to still hold the basic essence of the game.

There's some fun to be had with Spelunker Party, but unfortunately there's also a lot of frustration as well.

Despite a couple of gripes, Octodad: Dadliest Catch suits the Switch well. Whether you're playing on your own or arguing with up to three other players with the drop-in co-op mode, you're bound to have a fair bit of fun with it.

The VideoKid is a mostly safe play on Paperboy that excels when going wild with its garish visuals and legally-questionable references.

Though suffering from weak visuals and slightly ponderous pace, Top Spin 3's tight controls and involving career mode see it challenging at the top of the DS tennis rankings.

A beautifully made attempt at an interactive narrative, The Act never quite manages to successfully blend its story and the player's inputs.

Mazes of Fate is a classic example of a lovingly crafted yet off-beat GBA title – it might smell a bit iffy but the gameplay can be truly intoxicating.

A fun, if curiously uninspired, entry in the Yoshi's Island series, featuring superb art and sound, but very few new gameplay ideas.

D-Day's strategic undertones are welcome, but overall the game is too drawn out and generally lacking in tension to truly captivate, other than in short sporadic bursts.

The basics are creatively executed, but, while enjoyable, the resultant experience falls far short of reinventing anything – let alone brilliance.

Resident Evil Revelations 2 may be a cut-down port, but if you can forgive its rough edges you're in for a treat.

Typically, Crayola Treasure Adventures is a far better colouring-book than it is a game. There's very little range, and the mini-games won't hold your kids' attention for long, but if you're sick of losing crayons down the back of the couch this may be for you.

Though it comes with a new subscription service, in truth Tetris is as addictive now as it ever was, and EA's latest manages to fuse old with new in what proves to be a welcome update.

Some nice ideas and a relatively fresh approach to the Bond franchise, but there are just too many rough edges to the core action to recommend a purchase.

A well-formed stealth game with a novel everyday setting, Level 22 is frequently frustrating but rarely dull.

Bereft of new content and lumbered with a seriously flawed save game system, it would be easy to dismiss Resident Evil: The Mercenaries 3D as a waste of plastic, but the action-packed, score-based gameplay is undeniably engaging.

Many will find M.A.C.H.'s fuselage a little thin and the solo flight briefer than it deserves to be. But if they get together, they'll also discover it offers some of the finest multiplayer gaming on PSP.

Underpowered in terms of excitement, but the ride you'll get from this solid, comprehensive package is never less than decent.

Admirable in its variety and scope but in terms of presentation and technical execution it's a bad beat.

A promisingly fresh arcade joust-'em-up that's knocked off its stride by a heavy-handed free-to-play upgrade system.

Like a sliding puzzle meshed with Rubik's Cube, Art Style: NEMREM is thought provoking but dull.

With an improved single-player campaign, online multiplayer and stacks of customisation options, Worms 2: Armageddon is a significant improvement over the original.

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

Star Wars: Uprising is a perfectly solid RPG, but it doesn't do much that we haven't all seen before.

Human: Fall Flat is a wobbly and aggravating physics-based game that, despite its shortcomings, is still a bucket-load of fun.

A reasonable conversion of the successful casual PC game, Diner Dash isn't sophisticated or filling enough to truly satisfy DS gourmands.

This single-finger speedster certainly offers a refreshing way to drive, but the lack of variety means there's not enough fuel in the tank to ensure it goes the full race distance.

Sub-par controls and uneven presentation keep 2K's NBA series from finding the net for another year.

Despite extensive character customisation options and an intuitive control system, Monkey Boxing lacks the depth to truly go the distance.

War of the Fallen is an entertaining card battler for people who like card battlers, but there's nothing new here for anyone who's sworn off the genre completely.

A badly dubbed point-and-click that at least packs the artwork to get you in the mood for the next Broken Sword - but it’s not the main event.

Fast paced and addictive, Gold Diggers is an arcade blast that ticks the right boxes.

Dull, repetitive, and packed with ads, The Maze Runner might keep you entertained during the movie's opening trailers, but not far beyond.

A relatively fresh but extremely punishing take on the endless climber.

Gear.Club Unlimited is a good racing game, but it seems to lack that sweet, satin finish on the Switch that's so apparent on mobile.

Poor design prevents the cool idea that is Star Wars: Battle for Hoth from becoming a great tower defence game.

It's certainly a looker, but Paper Titans is a little too shallow once you get past its gorgeous facade.

A mix of FarmVille, Clash of Clans, and any other popular freemium builder you care to mention released in the last couple of years, the only thing Epic can call its own is its licence.

Your standard Lego game, only without the big name licence to carry you through the dull bits. Kids will still enjoy the simple gameplay, but their parents? Not so much.

It's almost instantly forgettable, but Pokemon Quest is a charming and enjoyable way to fill the time before the bigger games land.

Phantasy Star Portable teeters on the edge of being too complicated but its innovative controls ensures the action RPG always stays playable.

Don't be fooled by the sickly sweet visuals – Roll in the Hole has a sadistic difficulty level which is amplified by awkward controls. It might exude a casual aura, but most players will end up as frustrated as a zoo keeper with a pair of endangered but romantically uninterested pandas.

Dark Knight is a pale imitation of the Arkham games, with boring combat, cheap presentation, and dull missions. It works, but it never thrills.

Although its appeal won't last forever, Assault Commando still offers some enjoyable shooting action and neatly invokes warm feelings of classics action games and movies.

Not without some slowdown issues on older models, Warheads nevertheless offers an explosive, enjoyable take on missile defence.

Repetitive action and a largely vacuous storyline do nothing to disguise the fact that DJ Rivals is essentially an advert for its Facebook-based big brother Nightclub City.