Clever, experimental, and a little bit special, The Big Big Castle! tempers its frustration with bouts of crashing masonry and moments of joy as your teetering creation stands up for long enough to finish a level.

An über-casual time-waster which - like a knight tethered to a peg - ultimately fails to go anywhere, no matter how hard it tries.

A fun, if simple, async RPG experience that makes you glad to have friends.

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

While the mini-games in the package really sparkle, Moops is let down by some below par three dimensional adventuring sections.

While it has occasional moments of excitement, SoulCraft is another freemium dungeon-crawler in an increasingly long line that get their balancing all wrong.

It's not the most original title you'll play all year, but it's well-made enough to constitute a decent but forgettable superhero movie tie-in.

An intense blast of hardcore shoot 'em up action packed full of delightful touches. The only problem with Metal Slug 3 on iOS is that it obviously wasn't designed with touch controls in mind.

An accessible and fun racing game that places you in the driver's seat as you build, customize, and race cars on the streets.

Tied down by its rigid adherence to the endless-running formula, TheEndApp isn't a bad example of the genre, but it's one you've played before.

While it was always going to get squashed under the weight of post-Angry Birds expectation, Amazing Alex does a decent job. It might not be Rovio's finest work, but it shows there's life in the company outside of pigs and disgruntled birds.

A fresh and well considered space-bound strategy experience like no other, Strikefleet Omega even manages to escape the IAP asteroid field relatively unscathed.

Boom Brigade 2 is a solid improvement over the original, with just enough tactical scope and level variety to keep you blasting.

If you've ever enjoyed the compositions found in the Final Fantasy series, then Theatrhythm is for you, as it's a decent music-based game with loads of extras for FF buffs to discover.

A solidly produced K-RPG that delivers an entertaining, if ultimately over-familiar, action-heavy adventure.

A great little strategy title that lets you test your mettle against players from around the globe and friends alike, Outwitters is entertaining and deep enough to have you coming back for more.

A clever little word game, Lumicon could do with a few more features, but it's still an entertaining way to tax your brain.

A tense and surprisingly strategic stealth puzzler that's only let down by awkward controls.

Despite some resolution issues, realMyst is a solid remake of a remake, improving slightly on a game that was itself a slight improvement on a game.

Call of Snakes sounds ridiculous but is actually quite fun. Good depth despite the overly-simplistic three-star level system.

A gloomy, intelligent platformer, Nihilumbra will keep you playing until the bitter end.

It might be just another freemium time sink, but Hay Day does everything right, and for that it deserves some praise.

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.

The Lego game series finds a new lease of life as Lego Batman 2 pushes the content ,quality, and quantity.

Light Byte is a fantastic colour-matching game that increases in complexity and fun as you play.

Colourful cards and serviceable social integration keep the fun alive for a short while, but a limited battle system quickly leaves you wanting more.

Frisbee Forever 2 is relaxing and satisfying, all in one free-to-play package. Comedy frisbees are surprisingly good motivation.

While it's reasonably entertaining in the easier levels, Unstoppable Fist is too quick to swamp you when you up the difficulty, and its control scheme just can't cope.

Whether you like pinball or not, there's no denying that Marvel Pinball 3D ticks numerous right boxes.

A movie tie-in that actually does some justice to its fun source material, this match-three puzzler is a retro delight.

An engrossing, if repetitive, tap-to-jump title that offers a wide variety of gameplay and challenge in a simple package.

While it's entertaining in small bursts, Suspect in Sight! stubbornly refuses to let go of its extra content, leaving you trapping the same criminals for far too long.

A standard dungeon-crawling JRPG, Cthulhu Saves the World is more of a cheeky love letter than a parody, and that makes it all the more enjoyable.

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

A series of decent - if overly-familiar - puzzles buried beneath a dreary, nonsensical narrative.

Perfect for Phineas and Ferb fans and Where's My Water? obsessives who crave new levels - but casual Swampy fans will find plenty to do in the original.

A superb strategy game that offers up a complete package of single-player and multiplayer card combat.

A brave and brilliant platform game, Astronot deserves to be played by as many people as possible.

Dead Trigger is totally braindead and quickly gets boring, but you'll find enough enjoyment for your 69p. In-app purchases and ill-thought-out controls can spoil the fun.

Not without its flaws, Band Together is strong enough to still be enjoyable in spite of them.

Every bit as enjoyable as its predecessor, Squids Wild West is a cleverly designed tactical RPG that anyone can play.

Very little has changed since the last instalment of Gameloft's arcade racing franchise, but Asphalt 7: Heat certainly isn't lacking when it comes to hot-rod action and stunning presentation.

Tough and brutal despite plentiful hints and in-depth tutorial, Le Havre is a faithful recreation of the award-winning boardgame.

It's repetitive, bland to look at, and the fighting's a bit rubbish, but the allure of grinding levels over and over to unlock skills just about remains appealing to warrant a look for a select few.

Metal Gear Solid: HD Collection contains two of the very best stealth games of the last decade, lavishly updated and jam-packed with extra content.

Mutant Mudds is a great slice of retro-styled platforming for the 3DS, which just falls at the last few hurdles.

Refreshingly original and hugely entertaining, Self Aware is unlike anything else we've seen on the App Store, and deserves a look - despite the fact that it holds little appeal once finished.

A familiar RPG premise given a refreshingly imaginative rock twist. Fun at first but the game's rigid structure struggles to remain engaging over time.

Human Defense would be a pretty bland tower defence game were it not for the addition of deeper strategy elements that make the title much more challenging and fun to play.

An awful lot of fun in small doses, Velocirapture is only let down by the fact it's a little bit too easy.

A commendable refresh of a classic from gaming's prehistory, Centipede: Origins expands on the core gameplay of the original to deliver a fun and addictive experience.

Yesterday is as dark as a summer's day and as funny as a kick in the teeth. The puzzles are poorly designed and the story barely even makes sense. Leave this one in the past.

With splintered gameplay, a poor plot, little direction, and some so-so presentation, this is one for JSRPG super fans only.

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

Too simple, a little rough around the edges, and lacking design nous, Split! never manages to make the most of the two genres it spans.

As mad as a barrel of frogs, Disco Kitten is an entertaining little game, and while there's not much to it, you'll still keep coming back for more.

Near console-standard footy on a phone, from a team who go from strength to strength.

A polished twin-stick shooter with bags of cartoony charm that just needs a little more variety to keep you blasting in longer bursts.

Mad Acorn may not be the most polished or generously equipped rhythm-action game, but it's charming, original, and works perfectly in all the ways that really matter.

Heroes of Ruin is a landmark 3DS release, providing true online gaming that will keep you entertained from start to finish.

The things that some people will find clever and immersive about Uplink, others are going to find strange and confusing, but if you fit into the first camp it's a blast of historical futuristic fun.

Whilst it has a few good ideas, Tiny Troopers isn't interesting enough to hold your attention for very long.

Too simple for its own good, Duckers just isn't exciting enough to become as addictive as it wants to be.

Don't think AR gaming can be enjoyable? Let PulzAR prove you wrong with its brilliant table-top puzzling.

It's cheap and easy to get into, but Table Top Tanks is just too shallow to really enjoy.

A finely-tuned port from Xbox to iPad, but Mutant Storm feels flat and unsatisfying in comparison to far better blasters on the App Store.

Pocket Plane is a perfect example of a freemium game done well, an addictive time sink that sucks you into its simple routines and refuses to let go.

A sublimely understated hidden object game that shows that, sometimes, subtle improvements to a strong foundation are all a sequel needs.

It certainly looks the part, but Catapult King's use of 3D makes it all too difficult to enjoy. Stick with those Angry Birds for your castle-toppling needs.

Very simple, not hugely original, but extremely compelling tower defence fare.

Interesting controls and sharp visuals belie one of the hardest platformers on iOS. Brutal.

A slick endless runner that borrows the best bits from its contemporaries but fails to inject any new life into its meticulously assembled corpse.

No Red T-Shirts's repetitive gameplay and overbearing in-app purchases (not to mention its unsettling subject matter) mean this app deserves a hefty fine.

Fun and occasionally frantic, Zombie Ace has enough intriguing tricks up its undead sleeve to keep you entertained for a few hours.

A great mix of card game and tactical tower defence, Alexandria Bloodshow picks up where its predecessor left off, and builds an entertaining, surprisingly deep experience.

There's a great game struggling to escape the apparent confines of the 3DS here, but weak visuals and terrible sound make it a purchase only for those that can't play it any other way.

It has a few nice ideas, but Expand it! is too happy to rest on its laurels rather than push on to greatness.

With a pace and style all of its own, Bridge Constructor is a great example of a bit of realism improving a game.

Ambitious but poorly designed tracks and immense frustration ultimately condemn this Trials-alike.

A slick adaption of a classic boardgame that's hampered by poor AI and dodgy online matchmaking, making it far too tough to enjoy with any consistency.

Sakura Slash is a slice of fun but throwaway screen-swiping nonsense.

Frantic, fast, and a little bit special, Ring Fling is a brilliant party game in your pocket.

Entertaining and well-made, Shoot The Zombirds might not be particularly original or innovative, but it's very good at what it does.

Full of charm and plenty of nice ideas, Bee Leader is a strange and alluring glimpse into the world of the honey bee.

This smart scrolling shooter is one that revels in its Japanese spiritual iconography and risk / reward systems of play, making for a delightful but tough minis release.

While it tries to tackle some of the problems inherent in the smartphone FPS, Razor: Salvation ends up feeling dull because of it.

Subway Surfers never jumps the tracks, but it never goes off the rails either.

Velocity is an intelligent shmup that takes its presentation notes from the past while looking forward for its systems of play.

Radiangames squeezes its frenzied twin-stick experience into a level-led maze game, and it's just as satisfying and addictive as the rest of the series.

Cheese Please is far smarter than it seems, but lacking in flair. An Edam, then, rather than a delicious Brie.

A half-decent Korean RPG with a weak interface that obscures some entertaining combat grind. Don't expect a good story or any interesting characters.

An entertaining, if underdeveloped, physics-based puzzler that's just far too shallow to sustain momentum.

Exponential Invasion is an inventive and solid maths puzzler that's just too short.

While it isn't the most innovative game in the world, Tiny Plane has enough interesting ideas to make repeatedly destroying a plane a decent way to waste some time.

Super Smash Bros in all but name, this basic fighter just doesn't do enough with its fighting engine or character-rich licence.

A bad case of identity crisis, Men in Black 3's lack of focus leads to an underwhelming experience on both the action and simulation fronts.

Not exactly original, but a well-made and lovely looking castle defence game.

A feature-packed RTS that's smart, intuitive, and has the gameplay chops to back up its gorgeous looks.