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.

It's the kind of thing you can lose hours to, but we never found ourselves excited or addicted.

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

Yes, it's maybe just a little on the shallow side, and it has this annoying stash of red power-ups that you have to avoid because they leave you decidedly worse off for a while, oh, and it features boss battles, too. We honestly don't mind too much, though, because of the non-stop rocket action.

At its best, the game resembles a side-on Zen Bound, but the gradual introduction of arcade elements ends up being a frustration, since your finger too often obscures the action.

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.

If you're the sort of person who stares at your open fridge for hours trying to find the butter, only to realise that it's slap bang in front of your nose, then you won't get on well with Stray Souls, since you find most of your objects by spotting them in a very detailed scene.

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

It's a pleasing game of cat and mouse, but despite some extra web-slicing tools, does feel a bit one-note. It's damn tricky, too – an early wrong move will leave you scuppered in a checkmate scenario. We told you they were evil.

The problem is, this task is all there is, and while you can fine-tune tactics to better your score, it's frustrating to have to wait until powers are unlocked every game.

Briefly diverting, but quickly becomes forgettable.

Squids merges the Angry Birds firing mechanism with top-down billiards-like physics, then welds the result to a cute, if short, role-playing adventure.

It all feels like a beautiful graphical demo where someone forgot to put a game in.

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

It's fun for a bit of casual play with chums and randoms, but nothing special, plus you'll tire of the single-player version (against THREE whole AI players!) in record time.

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.

Another slightly cynical but neatly executed take on the GTA format.

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

It might look a bit casual, but be warned: it doesn't take long to become very tricky indeed, which at least results in some top operatic comedy.

This iOS version, alas, is akin to the original's early iterations. You're only offered the sandbox creation mode, in which you potter about a vast landscape, placing blocks to build stuff. Recreate your own house; make a fairytale castle; spell out 'help, I'm bored' – the choice is yours. And that's basically it.

Where Skateboard was great, Snowboard is better. The graphics are sharper, the controls are tighter and the levels are more interesting, with more varied hazards. We initially had a snowy sense of déjà vu, but it disappeared, along with most of a day, as we strove to beat our high scores. Still, here's hoping Ratty's next outing is a little more innovative.

The obvious touchstone here is Angry Birds, but there's a neat element of strategy to each level that keeps everything from descending into a mere shoot-and-hope affair.

It is, however, a joy to look at and – in spite of its lows – highly replayable. Like guns, robots, and hiding behind walls? Then EPOCH.'s a no-brainer.

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.

Still, this is a solid title, with plenty of potential. In short bursts it's a lot of fun, and it can be genuinely tense when you're out of ammo and fleeing through a decaying prison while zombies go after your blood.

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.

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.

Come on Sesame Street, kids these days expect more – so where are your sharing options and monster games?