The bottom line is that if you enjoyed Rome: Total War you should pick this up without hesitation. Whether you're interested in the new historical period or not, Barbarian Invasion provides a new scenario and a bunch more factions with which to play what was already a great game. If you haven't played Rome: Total War and enjoy this genre I whole heartedly recommend Barbarian Invasion to you as well. Few games combine strategy and tactics the way the Rome: Total War games do, and other than time-period preference there's no reason you have to play the original.

Euclidean Lands feels right at home on a touchscreen device. The ease of moving the environment about feels graceful and natural, and the smooth animations help to make the game feel satisfying to play, especially when the geometry expands out, showing more of the level hidden underneath. The art style invokes M.C Escher, and overall has a rich, warm tone that is pleasing on the eye. Playing at pace you will find around 3-4 hours worth of gameplay, but that could be bumped up if you struggle with some of the more complex stages.

There is plenty of challenge lurking behind Militia’s minimalist presentation. It is a rewarding experience that can also be frustrating at times.

Having not played Planescape: Torment before, it took a while for the game to really get its hooks into me. It all felt a bit too sprawling and slow moving, and the complicated interface did not help matters. Then you get into a fight and discover that watching the tiny, blurry characters take laboured swings at each other is hardly the stuff of legend. But keep playing and eventually something magical happens, as your character and supporting cast spring to life. My advice is to put aside any initial negative impressions and throw yourself into this engrossing story, with its excellent characters, strange happenings, intelligent plot twists and even a smattering of philosophical debate.

If you wanted to pick fault with this, it would be a lack of any kind of single-player campaign. But that's a nice to have, an extra feather in the hats of the creme de la creme of mobile adaptations like Galaxy Trucker. It isn't necessary in an economic game like this. And however you feel about economic games - and player interaction - this version of Race of the Galaxy is good enough to be worth your cosmic dollars.

Draknek's game is difficult but hospitable, obviously made with great joy and care. Cosmic Express is an elegant and wonderful chance for you to surprise yourself, to laugh at your foibles and cleverness in turn.

An obscure and dull system has drained this all-American pasttime of joy. If you are a devout fan of baseball, slavish repetition or Kairosoft's other works, try the game. Everyone else should stay away.

If you enjoy simulation games and the prison subject matter interests you, Prison Architect is certainly worth checking out. The depth of options and strength of the simulation will appeal to fans of the genre, though the constant "now this, now this" pressure can be a bit much. The game does a good job of capturing some of the moral questions around the for-profit penal system as well. Grab and it and see what you think, Prison Architect's awesome free-trial option leaves little risk in doing so.

Scoring this one is tough, especially since I have painted myself into a corner with my earlier Marmite comparison. Sensitive souls will be content to chill out and enjoy the story, maybe with a box of tissues close at hand. They will call the game’s detractors soulless wretches who are missing the point. So do we have a touching and emotive exploration of the human condition? Or is it an overly sentimental and mawkish cliché that doesn’t even qualify to be called a game? Personally, I'm certainly not the type of guy who thinks To The Moon is a pointless drivel, but neither am I convinced that it is the best thing since sliced bread - with or without marmite.

Let's hear it for truth in advertising - this is indeed an epic little war game. It is a perfectly intentionally generic take on the strategy game, and very well executed.

Age of Rivals starts off daunting but quickly unravels itself to become an addictive and strategic card game that stands up against the big boys.

The rogueish elements can't make up for shallow gameplay in the other parts of Dead Age. The combat is dull and long, the survival elements are simplistic, and the story is predictable. The gameplay often doesn't fit the theme, and it is poorly optimized, although occasionally beautiful.

There is certainly room on the market for a streamlined spaceship management game. Unfortunately, in the process of making a more approachable game, the developers have not only rationalised the idea but also oversimplified it. The result is a rather repetitive and directionless experience. It is sad that the legacy of Panthera Frontier’s initial freemium release is still present. The considerable expense of decent upgrades and the ability to cheat death feel unbalanced and make the game too much of a slog unless you are prepared to spend extra cash.

A Planet of Mine is a compellingly complex galactic empire builder for your phone, and you really ought to be playing it.

An accomplished multiplayer experience that feels a little directionless when playing alone.

If you enjoy playing well-made boardgames and solo play, Burgle Bros. is well worth your time and money. Now it all it needs is online multiplayer...

Minos Strategos rewards tactical play and quick thinking and will easily entertain for whatever span of time it is played.

Eight-Minute Empire may not be the kind of game that will absorb hours of your time. However, if you are looking for a fresh, quick-playing and easy to grasp empire building game then you really should give it a try.

For all the attention given to orders of battles and battlefield terrain, Peninsular War Battles remains a typical simplistic game. The recent Hold the Line shows Hexwar can do better. Thought should be given to upgrading their older games rather than just recycling them to different platforms.

There’s just enough free content to give you a taste of Mushroom Wars 2 on mobile, and it’s a beautiful-looking, fun little game that has a surprising amount of depth to it. The question is how you feel about the price tag, which is mighty steep for the mobile space. Where you find yourself on the cost versus value proposition will come down to personal preference, but Mushroom Wars 2 is certainly worth at least a look.

Seeing the end result of your work, particularly when you zoom out and see the entire network of tiny dots across your tangled mess of concrete, is oddly charming. There is a rough-and-ready crudeness about Freeways that has totally won me over. I’ve restarted maps countless times - even ones I’ve completed, because there’s always improvements that can be made to your mangled creations. Because of how fiddly it can get, I do wonder if it'll ever release onto phones as currently it's tablet only. However, for its price, if you’re even remotely curious I would say pick it up.

Smash Up is a mixed-bag success & lack-lustre design choices, but it has a promising future ahead.

The open-air theme will probably appeal to a larger audience, and being able to play solo or with as many as four players is a welcome addition. Patchwork wasn’t a hugely interactive game but there was a little more going on in that you could deny your opponent tiles and time your moves to grab the bonus patches. In contrast, pottering around in your garden feels very much like a solitary pass time. Cottage Garden is a stress-free, easygoing game with flowers and cats. Despite this, I still prefer the slightly more involved Patchwork, with its less cluttered screen, clever time management and button economy.

While other games like Tiller’s Overland Campaign are more detailed and accurate, games like Civil War 1864 fill two essential roles for the gaming industry. First, the seemingly simple nature of play serves as an introduction to new gamers by providing them with the feel of an era and giving them insight into the mechanics of a period’s combat. For all of its tap and go feel, this game does a fine representation of what went on during the most bloody summer of the American Civil War. Secondly, this game genre provides relief for veteran gamers from drawn-out and detail-heavy games. We need to get back once in a while to that just one more turn feel. Hexwar’s games does both of these tasks in very accessible fashion. No historical gamer should fall for the trap that, just because the mechanics are the same, every Hexwar game is the same. A look at their Civil War series shows that maps and objectives are sculpted to faithfully represent the situation for each year. Given the limitation of the engine, this approach represents an accomplishment we can all appreciate.

Great for dedicated fans of Demon's Rise & XCOM, Strike Team Hydra is an ambitious strategy title undermined by some arbitrary, sprawling design decisions.

Halcyon 6: Lightspeed Edition produces a nexus of meaningful, distinct strategic choices within a well-considered narrative and audiovisual package.

Sheltered will test your mettle and patience more than your wits, but has unique merits even when compared to other survival games.

Not many games leave you feeling like you have had a genuine insight into the subject matter, but Afghanistan ’11 left me feeling informed without patronising or preaching. Obviously, the approach to the whole issue is simplified and the solutions idealised, yet I still came away feeling I had a better understanding of the Afghanistan situation.