A poor relation of its bombastic console kin, Hell Yeah! Pocket Inferno is worthy of a minute or two of attention, but nothing more.

Babel Rising doesn't offer enough strategic options or in-game excitement to encourage prolonged play.

Planting role-playing elements in the original set up, Fruit Juice Tycoon 2 is a game that never truly works as one package.

PES 2012 serves up a decent game of football, but its lack of depth and control flaws mean that it's going to be a long, hard season.

Ecolibrium provides bite-size play that needs to be periodically checked up upon rather than taken in hour-long chunks. It's good fun, but unless you're packing a 3G PS Vita, it's not the best title for when you're out and about on the road.

Muscle Run is an adequate arcade racer-cum-endless runner that isn't quite slick or balanced enough to warrant repeat play.

Ignore the fact that this is attached to a licence, and look past the few faults it currently has, and you'll find that DuckTales: Scrooge's Loot is an excellent team-based multiplayer shooter, with solid controls and great visuals.

It might not be a challenge, but there's something eminently likeable about Globlins that manages to make it worthwhile.

Noblemen: 1896 tries its hand at something different, but in the end it's too muddled and clunky to enjoy.

Fallout Shelter on Switch is the same great game it's always been, but it's unclear why you'd jump from mobile to this version.

A beautiful on-rails shooter that delivers furious deep space combat on a presentational front. Sadly, its grasp for strategic action doesn't quite work and those underlying mechanics simply can't support its repetitive framework.

Perfectly playable, but gameplay and economic niggles make it far from essential.

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.

Not the best Star Wars game in the canon – weak mission design and targeting issues hold it back – but it's still a fun distraction for series aficionados and PSP action adventure fans alike.

Trolls vs Vikings features great visuals and it has heart, but its familiarity and panhandling for in-app purchases may cause you to balk.

About as mind-numbing as brain surgery, Lifesigns: Hospital Affairs concerns itself too much with gossip rather than gameplay. It's an utterly dull game that's better left on the operating table.

DevilDark: The Fallen Kingdom is a passable hack 'n' slash, RPG-esque romp that is worth the price if you're willing to put up with some heavy grinding and an imbalanced in-app purchase system.

If you liked the last Jewel Master game and want more, then you'll find Cradle of Egypt 2 a solid purchase.

A merely adequate Temple Run clone in pretty much every way, Run'n'Gun passes the time but fails to ignite.

Gangstar Vegas is a surprisingly unpleasant game that's a bit too broken and a bit too hollow to recommend.

Alluring black and white graphics meet colourless action in this underwhelming historical hack 'n' slash adventure.

Forget the freemium fluff: Real Football 2012's big problem is that its attempt to simulate the beautiful game is left sorely wanting, with jagged and jerky matches undermining all the social slop Gameloft's slapped on top.

With care and attention, Fun! Fun! Minigolf Touch! could have been great, but instead it feels restricted and poorly implemented.

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

A simple, occasionally enjoyable hack 'n' slasher, Bloody Harry doesn't have the weight to keep you interested for long.

A simple squad-based touchscreen shooter with the occasional nice touch, Elite Forces: Unit 77 provides a B movie experience.

Business as usual for the Jewel Master series, though the move to Nintendo's latest portable frankly seems pointless, such is Cradle of Rome 2's similarity to the last.

In Fear I Trust could have been a worthy entry to the creepy escape-the-room genre, but it's let down by poor controls, fumbled puzzles, and tired horror clichés.

The online mode shows promise, but cheap computer-controlled opponents and a curious lack of excitement make Protoxide one for dedicated combat racers only.

The Dark side of the Force unleashed: unresponsive controls, plain combat, and rudimentary graphics choke an electrifying story.

Rage of Bahamut, but with a Star Wars twist: if you're sworn off card battlers then there's nothing for you here, but Star Wars fans just might find their next unhealthy addiction.

With misplaced difficulty spikes and limited replay value, an otherwise solid puzzler is outshone by others in its genre.

The ability to play Arkanoid online is extremely welcome but ultimately this somewhat lightweight DS instalment fails to improve on previous versions of Taito's classic Breakout clone.

With a group of like-minded friends PictoImage is worth its weight in gold, but sadly the single player portion of the game is far less essential.

If you can see past StarDrone's awful Level Skipper DLC shenanigans, there's a decent little puzzler to spend an evening with.

While there are some standout moments in Cracking Sands, all too often it feels like it isn't quite finished.

A mostly predictable film licence that has its moments but will inevitably be remembered (or not) for its dreary, repetitive structure, shoddy presentation and palpable lack of ambition.

Brothers in Arms 3 is an enjoyable shooter with lots of content and smart controls, but its buried under so many IAPs it feels like a hilarious parody of free to play games.

The Dungeon Hunter series has always been a bit of a blunt object, and this third instalment is no different. In spite of its controversial move to a freemium model, Dungeon Hunter 3 is still an entertaining, violent romp.

Despite a few irritating stages, this remains a blisteringly fast and entertaining Sonic outing.

The Caligula Effect: Overdose has one good idea, and it squanders it with a bunch of other terrible choices.

Charming children's game with a decent turn-based battle system and some neat ideas. It's a little short-lived and environments aren't too large-scale but nothing that should trouble younger players or stop them enjoying the faerie fighting fun.

While not terrible, Zoo Tycoon 2 suffers from a lack of sheen that creeps like dry rot into the foundations of the game, dulling the whole experience.

Lack of challenge, cluttered screens, dumbed-down controls and repetitive gameplay make Guilty Gear Dust Strikers a brawler to avoid.

It's not that the Emperor has no clothes, but in Master of Disguise, Wario's garb looks distinctly threadbare, despite some cute ideas.

Great in theory, Assassin's Creed Rearmed is awkward and plodding in execution.

There are some nice ideas here, but especially in handheld mode, Payday 2 can be very frustrating.

SNK Heroines is all about the silly fanservice, but it's at the expense of having a satisfying combat system and any real depth.

If you're after an extreme and challenging golf simulator – and you're able to overlook some visual shortfalls – PSG is well above par.

Catacombs mixes classic hack 'n' slash gameplay with twin-stick shooter mechanics to pleasant effect, but it lacks the depth and variety necessary to fight its way to the top.

Zombie Wonderland has all the ingredients for a novel take on the zombie shooter, but repetitive gameplay and restricted movement mean the recipe isn't quite right.

Ultimately a little bit of a plain Jane, Hooga hits all the right notes, but doesn't necessarily play them in the right order.

With performance and control issues, Sonic The Hedgehog 2 is a sweet classic turned sour.

While solid and bracingly difficult, A Knights Dawn is a very average tower defence experience.

A casual puzzle game that's clinging so tightly onto the coattails of Angry Birds that it can't help but fall short.

A laudably fresh physics puzzler, albeit one with deep-rooted problems.

Brick People is high on repetition and noisy spectacle, low on meaningful depth or addictive elements. Kids will embrace it, but it's a shame the gameplay isn't as sticky as the product design. Instead of being a brick flung through the church window of mediocrity, it's just another brick in the wall.

An incredibly tough game when you don't throw cash at it, Judge Dredd vs Zombies isn't worth the amount of money you have to spend to even the playing field.

Unapologetically shallow, undeniably fun. A lightweight confection that's particularly tasty with two.

While it certainly looks the part and controls well enough, Violet Storm's lack of variety - not to mention challenge - puts it at the back of the iOS shooter pack.

Gorgeous graphics, easy to pick up gameplay, and a couple of flaws that are easy to look past mean that My Little Hero is definitely worth checking out.

A weird almost-adventure that's missing the wit and energy of its movie namesakes but almost makes up for it with a likeable enthusiasm of its own.

An undeniably good-looking and kid-friendly flight game, Crash Birds Islands stalls thanks to a miserly in-app payment system.

Gravity Duck is cute and clever, but never surprises and rarely poses a challenge. All in all, it's a bit of a lame duck.

A generic target shooter in funky retro clothing, Fist Face Fight talks the talk and dances around the ring well enough, but it lacks the killer punch to knock you for six.

A brief but exciting scramble up the side of a castle, Leaping Legend doesn't have the legs to be a classic, but it's fun all the same.

A well put-together game that offers some quick puzzling fun, Blitz Block Robo doesn't have enough fresh ideas to keep you playing for long.

A hollow experience that could be so much better, Angry Birds Go! never feels fair or fun.

Super light strategy leads to super accessibility but also super shallow gameplay.

A subtle reinvention of the Flappy Bird-like impossible flyer, 8bit Doves relies on charm and interesting controls to drag you through its simple gameplay.

There is some entertainment to be had with this year's NHL 2K, but it has more than its fair share of problems.

Slowdown, loading screens, and AI woes plague Tiny Troopers: Joint Ops all too often, leaving it a disjointed game at best.

A very simple slots game riddled with ads, Area 777 is easy on the eye, and even easier on the brain. While it won't convince naysayers, genre fans might want to give it a spin.

It might not be the most original game in the world, but Sonic Dash 2 is well-enough put together that you'll enjoy any time you spend with it.

Aralon: Forge and Flame suffers from the same issues as its predecessor, and it's a bit less forgivable five years later.

A kickabout in the park rather than a Wembley final, but a kickabout with compulsion loops designed to keep you playing until long after you've been called home for tea.

Rogue Trooper Redux is an odd one for sure. It's far from the classic Rebellion claims it is, but it's un undeniably charming and entertaining blast from the past nonetheless. It's the videogame equivalent of watching an 80s action movie and simultaneously laughing at how ridiculous it is, while also feeling misty-eyed nostalgia for the days of yore. So take from that what you will. It's ugly, not a good cover shooter by today's standards, and a lot of the time it doesn't even work properly. But it's very reminiscent of the period, and will provide fun for those who remember it.

An imaginative, lovely looking game that somehow conspires to render godhood dull and repetitive.

Combining a colourful cartoon world with the pinball table, Flipper Critters provides an interesting – if unspectacular – mixture of gameplay.

Look! Up there on the App Store! Is it a faithful movie tie-in? Is it a decent Infinity Blade rip-off? No, it's the rather mediocre Man of Steel.

A decent enough experience for younger players, the nine mini-games of EA Playground provide plenty of addictive – if not hugely challenging – fun.

Overall, I and Me has some good ideas but the gameplay dries up too quickly to warrant hours of play.

The licence promises so much but sadly Star Wars: Trench Run ends up clumsy, value-starved interpretation of one of cinema's most iconic scenes.

Pyramids is a clever puzzler at times, but more often than not it's too leaden to let you fully appreciating what it has to offer.

A fine idea, but technical flaws, uneven difficulty and an almost total absence of logic ruin what could have been a great strategy game.

Dracula: The Path of the Dragon strikes a supreme style, but doesn't stake claim to the depth of gameplay and satisfaction to support such an ambitious setting.

A disappointing entry that proves itself incapable of overcoming the issues of its forebears - Warriors Orochi 4 is, simply put, a relic.

It may be mildly diverting and moderately entertaining, but this latest entry in the Mystery Dungeon series sadly fails to improve on its already disappointing predecessor.

A conventional, by-the-numbers shooter that just about stands out for its enjoyable firefights, in both single and multiplayer, and for being the first handheld FPS to really work.

Claybook is gorgeous and playful, but its core gameplay focus simply isn't compelling.

Goes all-in with its action-packed shooter gameplay, but a short campaign, limited multiplayer support, and a stack of shortcomings call its bluff.

A polished tie-in for pre-teens but it's singularly lacking in ideas, imagination or depth.

Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Gates to Infinity is a great dungeon-crawler for kids, but the older generations will find it too watered down.

Some primping is all that's needed to make this inventive new approach to music gaming a gold hit.

An interesting mash of ideas that never quite gels together, Mind Zero rambles on too much for its own good.

Farming Simulator 2012 is slow, repetitive, ugly, and dull. But that doesn't mean it's not a relaxing and often addictive little diversion, too.

Chibi-Robo returns in his most predictable and forgettable adventure yet: a by-the-books collect-em-up romp.

Battlestone has polish to spare and is fun in small doses, but over time it becomes too much of a grind to maintain your interest.