An ambitious game that for various big and small reasons fails to deliver on its considerable potential.

Spires wraps together high production values, a brilliant story and compelling gameplay to create a statisfying and challenging tactical experience.

Thanks to charming presentation, tight rhythmic gameplay, and keen replayability, Tiny Wings is well worth flapping onto the App Store for.

Although it's blessed with many of the positive attributes of its predecessor, Carnivores: Ice Age is also doesn't do enough to differentiate itself aside from the change of scenery.

Fans of Monster Hunter are in for a decent alternative to their favourite action RPG, but a lack of imagination traps Lords Of Arcana on a plane of relative mediocrity when compared to its bigger cousin.

The battle between flora and undead fauna remains as fun as ever in this accomplished iPhone and iPod touch version.

While it doesn't win any awards for originality, Pizza Boy is a well-executed, if too short, tribute to classic 2D platform gaming.

Part Mario, part Space Invaders, part every 2D game you can think of, Pix'n Love Rush's complex set-up will likely charm just as many players as it bamboozles.

Unassuming apart from its scale, Pinball HD nevertheless shows that pinball is enjoyable on iPad.

Neither a fun trashy experience or a enjoyable casual game, Pillowfight Girls is a failure on many levels.

A slight fudge on its predecessor, PES 2011 is made up of largely the same squad, but never reaches the same heights.

A consummate professional, PES 2010 proves just what we've been missing: a solid football sim with impressive AI, excellent controls, and a knack for the passing game.

This unique take on the racing genre owes a significant debt to Sega's Crazy Taxi and is a thoroughly enjoyable romp limited by the single map and noted repetition.

As expressive as its ninja's dashing eyebrows, Parachute Ninja is a great little game that builds on strong tactile physics gameplay with subtle level design.

Not without its quirks, many of which are part and parcel of a ten-year old game, but the abundance of style and busy streets make Driver a continued success.

While arguably an acquired taste, the awe-inspiring animated action boasted by Dragon's Lair is sure to charm you.

Makes useful and inventive use of multi-touch, twisting tangram into exciting and challenging new shapes - recommended.

An adorable prehistoric romp, Chop Chop Caveman has sharp, modern graphics and clunky, stone age controls.

Few games have managed to enhance their own reputation and addictiveness as admirably as Infinity Gene. It's the 1978 arcade classic happening all over again, now.

Doom Resurrection whets the appetite with hard-hitting action and pretty graphics, though is starved of any lasting value.

A snowboarding game like many others, made great by a judicious attention to detail and a permeating quality.

True to its DS roots, Wire Way is a big game, which while offering hours of alien-flicking fun, also suffers somewhat from its scale.

An interesting concept that sows plenty of ambitions, We Rule falls short of harvesting compelling gameplay.

Voice Fantasy is so shallow and lacking in gameplay, it's mystifying how it passes as a game.

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

Charming in both concept and appearance, but its brand of button-mashing action is simultaneously simplistic and unwieldy.

Showcases excellent visuals and engaging gameplay, but is shot down by frustrating and inaccurate controls.

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

With the right control setting, Vampire Origins is an exciting adventure that has the flavour of vampire folklore without getting bogged down in its mythos.

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

Trucker's Delight Episode 1 makes the most of its naughty music video source material, but doesn't really add up as a racing game.

TRON: Legacy fails to seize the potential of light cycle racing with bland game design and technical instability.

A clever strategy game that needs additional modes and factions to complement its accessibility with depth.

A nicely constructed, though often shallow tactical game that deserves attention for its quality portrayal of Transformers G1.

Trainyard is a quietly beguiling puzzler with an excellent tutorial and a generous supply of levels.

Offering five twists on its track-switching gameplay, Train Conductor 2: USA provides a quick and varied time management fix.

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.

Horrible controls scupper all hope of BattleNoidz being even slightly fun to play.

The finger-friendly gameplay of Viking Tales: Mystery of Black Rock makes for a compelling action game, even if there's little reason to return once you've seen its waters.

Though simplistic in nature, Buddy Rush is charming enough to fill a few moments with basic hack 'n' slash role-playing.

A game of superior quality that packs robust multiplayer and functional controls, Starfront: Collision establishes a new standard in portable real-time strategy.

A quicker, more hectic on-rails shooter than the original, Top Gun 2 just can't shake the annoying boss battles and hard to see enemy fire from its tailpipe.

Splinter Cell: Conviction's fiddly controls and technical quirks spoil an otherwise pacy and entertaining action-stealth game.

It may not have online multiplayer, yet Tom Clancy's H.A.W.X. clutches a superbly designed single-player campaign in its talons.

A stylish, well-intended hidden object game, Time Geeks: Find All! undercuts its attempt at innovation with fundamentally misguided design.

A mediocre shooter lacking basic options and gameplay fun enough to entice replay.

A shallow and fun arcade action game with plenty of attitude to fill in the gaps.

Tehra: Dark Warrior is a visual triumph, but the gameplay is as skimpy as the main character's clothing.

The flying pig motif is easy to get behind for a little while, but once it wears off there's nothing left but ground up snout and spare ribs.

In spite of the steep difficulty, Super QuickHook is a charming, fun aerial adventure.

Does little to peel away the flaws of the original, presenting new levels and mini-games with only incremental changes to its controls and options.

Super Monkey Ball 2: Sakura Edition has plenty of good gameplay waiting to be peeled back, but its raw controls need ripening before it's recommendable.

Immediate and fun but runs out of steam, becoming repetitive.

Wise to the ways of tight touch controls, Street Fighter IV knocks out impressive fighting without the features and modes of play to back it up.

Stoneship is an intriguing mix of memory gaming, high seas exploration and strategic planning, but its regularly frustrating nature and lack of replay value take the wind out of its sails.

The introduction of the undead gives Stenches an interesting change of pace, but more variety would have earned it a medal of distinction.

Strong writing and some fun scenarios save Back to the Future Ep1 HD from its control and performance issues.

Delivering in terms of looks, Chocolate Tycoon proves far less proficient when it comes to the actual process of making the sweet stuff.

StarDunk is a simple space-themed basketball game that quickly becomes addictive thanks to its short play sessions and competitive online 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.

More flawed than fun, Star Wars: Imperial Academy is a mess of a shooter that fails to do justice to ngmoco's FPS track record or the Star Wars universe.

A charming entry to the genre, but one which adds nothing new and whose difficulty is pitched too high for its intended market.

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

Star Battalion unsuccessfully tries to make up for mediocre gameplay with online co-operative multiplayer and high-definition graphics.

An attractive derivation on the well-established chain reaction concept, Splode plays well enough, but doesn't offer any new ideas.

New ideas and an attractive presentation enables Spirits to conjure the active puzzle play of Lemmings in a new form.

While the prospect of matching three of more balls isn't going to win any awards, Spinzizzle is delightfully original and represents an interesting, highly playable spin on the genre.

Ultimate Spider-Man: Total Mayhem is fantastic fun, offering the speed and variety of a top notch action game with the vibrant colour and characters of a great comic book.

Space Miner is sitting on a gold mine of charming gameplay, yet awkward controls and gameplay imbalances keep it from reaching its full potential.

Filled with as many fun moments as mediocre ones, Sonic The Hedgehog 4, Episode 1 is a good start to the revival of the series.

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

Fuzzy, outdated graphics appropriately reflect the worn and improperly tailored gameplay of SEED 2: Vortex of War.

A very good physics-based puzzler that's held back by a woolly scoring system.

Colourful and novel, Save Toshi is a fresh breath of anime-style gaming in the 3D physics puzzler genre.

Slow turn-based racing makes Disc Drivin' a mediocre game that lacks fun and excitement.

This updated version of Tactics Ogre ranks among the best tactical experiences on the PSP with features that make it easier for newer players yet don't dilute the challenges or rewards for veterans.

Great graphics aren't enough to save endless jumping game Volcano Escape from floaty controls.

A clever game lacking basic features and polish, Chicken Coup feels like a good game just waiting to be hatched.

Lil' Pirates stands head and shoulders above other freemium games by offering a compelling universe packed full of meaningful tasks without the pushy salesmanship.

Looking a whole lot better than it plays, OMG Pirates!'s Cartoon Network-esque visuals can't hide the fact that it's an uninspiring hack and slash game - entertaining for short periods but not worthy of much long-term attention.

Not as playable as Doodle Jump, controls provide Oddy Smog's Adventure with its biggest challenge.

Fairly uniform in nature but no less engaging for it, N.Y.Zombies is a nice living-dead shooting gallery that keeps you on the edge of your seat.

Not in either Doodle Jump or Bird Strike's league, Ninjatown: Trees of Doom! comes with a similar height-chasing set-up, but you could well get bored before it hits the top.

In many ways a very simple game, the tactile pleasure of flicking basketballs into a hoops makes NBA Hotshot a joyous experience.

A perfectly playable climbing game, A Moon For The Sky doesn't do enough to make itself stand out from the crowd.

This nitro boost has given the Monster Trucks Nitro series a kick up the exhaust after a lacklustre first outing, but this isn't robust enough to ensure it captures pole position.

Offers the pick-up-and-playability of the old skool shooter, combined with great graphics and surprising deep gameplay.

Max Adventure doesn't try to reinvent the twin-stick shooter, instead providing a delightful experience fit for all the family.

Master of Alchemy is a fine physics-based puzzler set in an entertaining universe, but it's contaminated by a few unnecessary embellishments.

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.

A blend of arcade pace and tactical nuance makes Linkoidz an innovative match-three puzzler, which is notable in and of itself.

So much bigger than the original, Labyrinth 2 brings a slickness and depth to play that lifts rather than overloads its puzzle core.

Slick, challenging, and that rarest of things: a spin-off project that manages to outstrip the original.

Kosmo Spin looks a treat and features a neat universe-spinning concept, unfortunately it can't back these up with sufficiently compelling gameplay.

Rich with layers of gameplay, but saddled with a less-than-intuitive interface, Kingdom Conquest nevertheless succeeds as a serious, in-depth freemium title.

Kick-Ass is the worst game on the App Store (twice).

Trial and error gameplay is a source of minor annoyance in Jet Car Stunts, though it's not enough to slow down this high-speed thrill ride.

Jenga replicates the look and feel of the old puzzling favourite handsomely, although snubbing gyroscopic control is a missed opportunity.