We hugely enjoyed our time with Swampy. The game looks great - Swampy has plenty of character and the cut-scenes are a reminder of creator Disney's animation pedigree. It also controls well (bar an awkward, out-of-place scroll bar for navigating larger levels), especially on the iPad, which allows more precision (not least for younger players) due to its larger screen.

It's pretty much Ants vs Zombies, but Ant Raid's controls are more organic than those in PopCap's game, and the oddball sense of humour and design is, if anything, superior. Our only criticism, bar the game's slightly repetitive nature, is it falls between two camps: a bit lightweight for dedicated RTS fans and too tough for casual gamers. Otherwise, it's f-ant-astic. (Sorry.)

The range of scenarios that crop up is impressive, and the gameplay is complex and rewarding, but only if you can get past the fact that the lack of animation, multiple menus and statistics make for rather a dry experience.

If elaborate construction is what you had in mind, check out the more scholarly - not to mention free - Tinkerbox. But for when you want fun firing catapults at dolls to knock bowling balls onto see-saws, Casey's your man.

You have to admire Cave's audacity. It's basically saying that here is the greatest shooter to grace iOS – and that if you want it, you're really going to have to pay for it.

If you didn't like the original, this won't convert you – and we hope Chair doesn't soon roll out the next in an infinite number of Infinity Blade games merely with new Titans and metal hats. But if you enjoyed battling the God King, Infinity Blade II's a no-brainer purchase.

Our sole complaint is its baffling demand for an iPad 2; we honestly can't see what it's doing that needs the extra power. It spends quite a bit of time loading and there are lots of animated things going on, but nothing especially excessive that we'd expect to require an iPad 2. What do we know, though? If you have the technology, we strongly recommend it.

In short, MC3 is a game that, while slightly muscle-headed in its approach to character development, more than delivers when it comes to gripping, relentless and spectacular gameplay.

Authenticity was always FIFA's strong hand. Now that the gameplay is world class too, this is the most realistic footy sim available, by a mile.

We love it, especially on iPad, where the bigger screen affords you more precision, while a boat-hat-wearing mutant crab and mecha-driving giant dog aim to bring your tower down. Like we said: odd.

Few of these challenges are tough enough to rouse your ire or hold up progress – we happily powered through much of the game without resorting to the 'skip' button. Delivering your projectiles to their targets is still as satisfying as potting the black into the designated corner on your first go, though.

Sky Gamblers: Rise Of GloryThe infuriating thing about Sky Gamblers – Rise of Glory is that just as you're swearing blind that the controls are completely impossible and that there's no way on earth that you'll ever be comfortable with them, you find that the controls have clicked and you're mostly enjoying yourself.

The game works best when it's at its most absurd, and you can squeeze extra joy from some levels by being nutty. Sure, you could give someone a haircut using scissors, but a chainsaw is much more fun!

Sure, it's yet another tower defence game, but a surprisingly fresh and delightful one.

However closely you choose to follow the ravages of war, in the turn-based strategy genre Ravenmark reigns supreme. Boasting AI that can outflank you at 10 paces, and 15 varied campaign missions with the promise of more to come, at two quid it's a steal; with multiplayer, it'd be obscene.

It's challenging and entertaining, with courses that feel alive, and it has more than enough content to justify its price-tag.

It's brutally difficult. Also, it's utterly brilliant; ever since we started to get our heads round it we've been hooked by the concept and enthralled by the potential of its waldoes and reactors; part of the fun is seeing how other players have solved the level that you've just cracked, because you can guarantee that you'll discover an exciting new way of doing things.

Movement is done through swiping in your intended direction – it's nicely simple, but imprecise. Sometimes there are small monster-like creatures, which come out to play at night.

Super Crossfire eases you in gently - perhaps too gently, because most of the first 'chapter' of waves is a dull walkover. But subsequent chapters are more demanding, requiring quick thinking and rapid strategic adjustments. Additionally, the ferocious Dark mode and one of the finest power-up mechanisms we've seen ensures this game is one of the very best retro-oriented shoot 'em ups on the system.

The problem is that escaping death is eventually impossible. From a fun, challenging beginning, having you gleefully wrestle a bike to the end of madcap courses, Bike Baron descends into a gruelling, joyless battle of wills: you against a sadistic games designer who favours obscene precision over all else, and doesn't provide the tools (an on-screen speedo, say) that would enable you to succeed.

Chances are that it's not going to be up your street, but if you're gazing at the screenshots and drooling at the prospect of lightspeed arcade action then, well, step right up.

It looks lovely, and while you're on track it's all very – yes – nice, but it could have been something much more compelling.

Be mindful, though, that beyond the visuals, the game offers little new, so don't expect to still be playing it in a year's time.

In short, it's an RPG that anyone – fans, old gamers, youngsters and newcomers alike – can enjoy.

Whether you're a word-game dabbler or a recovering Tetris addict with a penchant for letters, SpellTower is essential.

And while the game looks pretty, it lacks the challenge of the similar LostPixels and the character of eBoy FixPix.

You get four visually stunning locations, driven by the alien's desire for different cuisines, and each level has plenty of potential for exploration and experimentation. Even some slightly iffy controls didn't dampen our hunger for this game.

Really, the game only catches on fire under scrutiny's magnifying glass when it comes to patrol path deletion, which occasionally lacks responsiveness. It's frustrating, but hardly a deal-breaker in an otherwise great game.