With the exception of infrequent trips to the Roadshow, there's none of the cool historical information that gives the television show its redeeming qualities. Throw in the painfully repetitive tapping, the abysmally unresponsive nature of all iOS hidden-item touchscreen inputs, the irritatingly unfair dust-on-the-screen mechanic, and a dash of insultingly simple mini-games and there's just no excuse.

You won't do anything wildly new in Tower of the Elephant, but what you can do is enjoy some good old fashioned gameplay where you kick butt and take names, enjoy quests, and rack up achievements for it.

A game with well-done visuals and a system in place that at least keeps you coming back.

Cave Mice does most other things very well. I adore the art - even the menu is great, and Theseus's animations as he peers around the cave are charming. And the physics of the gondola feel quite natural, swinging as you tilt just as you'd expect – until, of course, you brush against a platform and it goes flying off like a bomb exploded.

Cryptic Keep is good, but not great. For adventure fans looking for a fix, it may provide some entertainment, but there's something about it that feels a bit generic.

Roping Rob is a simple game, with basic yet strangely appealing graphics. There's a fair amount of entertainment provided, with replay value if you choose to better your own level completion times.

If you're looking to try out a platform runner, there are far better alternatives out in the App Store. In fact, the only folks that I think would bother checking out Darkness Escape Deluxe are the genre obsessives that would probably enjoy any playable platform runner.

Remarkable in its ability to match its core conceit to both its mechanics and interface, and then to mix, match, recontextualize, and refine as needed. It's finely crafted, well presented, and precisely executed.

DooWaru is very simple, but what it does, it does very well.

Despite the relatively light amount of content, I still think FlyBoy does a pretty good job creating a well-rounded 'quickie' game. There's enough strategy within each of the levels in order to keep you coming back, as well as all the usual competitive features to make sure that you aren't simply playing against yourself.

The difficulty levels are amateur and professional, although let's get serious, there's no professionals; surely no-one is getting paid to chain surf out there! (…Are they?) Although, next time you see a chain fence, I bet some of you will be tempted.

While there aren't a ton of bells and whistles in Brain in Jar, what it does do it does extremely well, almost better than any of my other favorite running games.

Pocket Warriors has some lovely atmospherics which make the game pleasing to play. Some backdrops include the plains, wilderness, forest, and a lost temple, each with quality sound effects, such as birds, sheep and frog noises in the background.

With over 100 puzzles to work through, Spellsquares offers the word-puzzle fan a lengthy and entertaining experience. It won't last forever, but its well-crafted puzzles are a joy to work through once.

In the interests of masochistic science, I attempted to hit the IAP to unlock the three remaining schools only to get an error every time.

While I did enjoy Say What?!, it's a game of limited appeal and limited content.

It should be clear this is a game with a concentration is on the multiplayer dynamic. Where other games might add it in, or worry about it in updates, S.U.B. is preoccupied with the idea that a submarine game can be fun for multiple people at once.

A remarkably successful combination of logic puzzle and explosive violence.

Although it has its flaws, it still offers a huge world to explore and plenty of solid (if not terribly innovative) gameplay.

SnakeRace is a game between you and the environment. There are no enemies, weapons, or any sort of action-oriented gameplay. As such, not everyone will be interested in taking it for a spin. However, if you're looking for a simple, fast-paced game that doesn't pretend to be more than what it is, I'd recommend checking out SnakeRace.

At first blush, Tero seems entirely unremarkable in a sea of iOS platformers, a first impression bolstered by the sketchy controls. But, under the right circumstances, Tero synthesizes the visuals of Super Mario World, the physics of Yoshi's Island, and the death-cult gameplay of games like Mega Man and Super Meat Boy into a game that strikes the nice balance between tension and release, between frustration and delight.

It's a should-buy for fans of the original, and a must-buy for iCade owners looking to add a strong title to a small library.

The happy music and precious hand drawn look of the game make it a pleasure to play, and excellent level design really rounds it all out.

In the end, what matters most is whether that feeling of tension and enjoyment exists when you're playing against another person. I'd have to say that yes, Battle Planes does just hit that horizon.

Really, I think all the problems of Fractal Combat can be boiled down to two words: safe and uninspired.

But as a ridiculously cute time waster with a stupidly catchy soundtrack, Baby Monkey knows what it's doing. Dynamically generated levels and a challenging difficulty curve will keep you entertained while you drive your friends insane playing the song on loop.

Bizango strikes me as a game that needed more time in the oven. When it works, it's satisfying and scratches a new itch that I never knew I had, but the times when everything clicks are rare.

I can't really think of any better options if you're looking for a Mario Bros. type of game on the App Store. Bonkheads HD has nice high resolution graphics, good controls, tons of levels, and OpenFeint achievements and leaderboards, though sadly no Game Center currently.

One of the goals of Pachinko is to feed the addiction of possible reward by playing a game based mostly on random chance. If you're looking for a time-waster that accomplishes that, or you're a fan of Pachinko, you can't go wrong with Pachinko Frenzy. However, don't think you're going to be unlocking new boards any time soon, unless you put in a good deal of time or money (once IAP goes live).

Its super simple and inarguably flawed, but its persistent upgrade system is a great carrot-on-the-stick and its modern war trappings do set Dawn of War apart.

Whether you've played a Glass Tower game before or are new to the series and looking for a new puzzler, Glass Tower 3 should be a title worth looking into. It's taken the success from earlier games, incorporated a ton of requested features, and then fleshed it out with enough new levels to keep you busy for quite some time.

This game is perfect for Scrabble lovers, who enjoy competition and want to add combat to the mix.

The Minecraft oriented theme, gracious lack of user-generated phallic sculptures, and chilled-out crafting action may be right up your alley. Personally, I'd rather punch a tree.

Vermes on Mars constantly switches from "calmly patrolling the area" to being attacked, which provides a great feeling of tension and release, as you're constantly anticipating the worms– Things become even more exciting when multiple worms or larger worms attack simultaneously which makes for a surprisingly fun gameplay experience.

Even through the moments of frustration, fans of early RPGs will find a lot to love in Guardian Saga. It's a solid homage to everything that made the NES and DOS eras influential and interesting.

While the experience lasts it's well worth the price of admission.

I wouldn't write Pollen Count off as nothing more than a clone. It makes great use of an established mechanic, and I'd have a hard time holding that against it.

Pixel Ghost has five worlds, with five levels in each, making 25 levels in total. I've finished exactly three levels, which is probably embarrassingly poor performance, but I'd like to see how World 2 is different, which probably means reduced sleep tonight. If you pride yourself on collecting the weird things the App Store has to offer, don't miss Pixel Ghost.

Panda Picnic is pretty cute, and I admit I did enjoy the gameplay. Ultimately, however, I would wander away from it because it took so long for people to make moves.

Glider is just a great little game with a lot of personality.

Escape the Ape has been interesting to play over the past couple of days, and the game trailer (above) is quite amusing, so I've definitely got my 99 cents worth of entertainment, but the novelty of swiping trampolines every couple of seconds is wearing off, especially given the large gaps between upgrades.

Tiny Farm doesn't do a thing to break the mold here, but what it does do, it executes expertly.

Orbit1 is a cleverly designed ice-breaker, a minimalistic but social time killer. It pulls you into the fun with such conviction that you'll be hard pressed to find people who can resist.

My Horse is a wonderful game for horse-lovers and is worth a free download just to check out the realistic horse. But if you're planning on playing this game for a long time, be prepared to spend some real money on gems, or accept that you probably won't be able to buy the best looking equipment, no matter how many coins you earn.

As an inexpensive way to entertain yourself while chatting with a friend, Word Chat will more than do the job.

It's simply an entertaining game that manages to test both your reflexes and strategy IQ and offers enough diversity to distinguish itself from the pack.

There's not a lot of variety in the levels in terms of game-play, but it's a relaxing way to pass a few brainless minutes.

The look and feel of it screams cheap Flash game, but something about it makes it difficult to walk away from it.

Fruity Jelly is a solid puzzle-platformer that utilizes its mechanic to great effect creating a challenging game that's easy to pick up. It could have stood to have slightly tighter controls, but its easy to ignore for a bulk of the game.

I like how simple Gum Drop! is.

Despite the periodic time-suck doldrums, I found myself playing the game much longer than I ever expected.

Regardless of these gripes, Pod Odyssey is a solid arcade-style maze crawler that gets a lot of the basics correct. If you're looking for a challenging (but short) game to test your precise reflexes, and you don't mind putting the accelerometer in your iPad to good use, give Pod Odyssey a try.

I can only imagine what people will start creating once people with actual musical talent grab hold of the app.

I found myself fascinated at first and impressed with the level of depth the game offered. However, the lack of combat challenge wore on me, and I disliked having to relearn all the menus whenever I had to put the game down for a while.

The only real negative to speak of is the virtual D-pad, which is hard to get around in retro titles such as this, but it's been implemented here as well as anywhere.

There's something about Food Chain that's a little rough around the edges, but that doesn't keep it from being fun.

These design issues are really a shame, considering how much potential the underlying game actually has. Unfortunately, in its current state, I can't recommend BridgeTheGap for anyone other than the most diehard of puzzle fans that are willing to look past all the problems. For everyone else, it's best you steer clear.

When Punch a Hole is bad, it's boring. But when it's good, it's frustrating in the best possible way.

If you're a fan of puzzle games in the third dimension and willing to endure a small learning curve, Demolition Master 3D may be worth a try.

There's much to like about MixZle, and at a buck for a heaping biggie-sized helping of levels, the value proposition cannot be denied. It's not going to set the world on fire, but it's a smartly executed twist on a well-worn genre.

The whole thing will get a lot more addicting when I can rank on Game Center with the first update, but even as it stands now, Space Junk is a highly enjoyable space shooter well worth a look.

The controls work well once you've mastered them and it's a blast to swipe a variety of shots, making the opponent run around the screen, just like I used to on the Xbox.

Enjoy this gift horse thoroughly.

It's a charming "feel-good" game and an interesting experience, almost like visiting a game museum. However, it's also extremely basic and repetitive game-play which may not hold your attention for long once the initial novelty wears off.

3D Pixel Racing is a winner in the categories of graphical creativity and delivery of plenty of game modes, but it comes last for user-interface design due to cluttered menus and buttons which make it unpleasant to navigate.

It's a top-down dog-fighting game where you play a pilot with the Allies, fighting against the Axis powers, to protect the United Kingdom. But the cool twist is that it's also turn-based.

Doesn't deliver many levels, but the ones provided have varied backgrounds, a decent range of enemies of various sizes, boss battles, and entertaining full-screen bullet-and-lazer-hell action. It may be criticized for borrowing too much from Ikaruga, but it's certainly fun to play.

For fans of the original, Miner 2049er is an instant grab. But, then, it's free -- so it can't hurt to check it out if you're remotely intrigued. As mentioned, some things about the game are a bit shaky right now, but I feel that they will be worked out in short order, based largely on how responsive the folks at Magmic have been to my inquiries.

If you're a fan of word games or logic problems, this is well worth the download, and the fact that it has a well-developed multiplayer system really puts it over-the-top. Serendipitous endeavors, friends!

It's huge, varied, and lots of fun. If you have ever had a hankering for the high seas, this is a good place to start. Anchors aweigh!

The awkward depth perception and control issues, as well as the overall brevity of the game, aren't enough to completely mar the experience of Helium Boy, and it can actually be pretty fun as long as you have a bit of patience and aren't expecting too much from it.

Starbase Orion has an "epic-feeling" as you strive to expand your empire across the galaxy. There's several facets to this game, as described above, but the interface pulls it all together nicely, so everything is easy to find.

King Cashing certainly isn't for everyone, particularly if you're not a fan of RPGs or the slot-machine mechanic. However, for anyone that's remotely interested, you owe it to yourself to check it out.

The location-based MMO is a genre still growing into its own. Location-based anything is still quite new -- only since we've had GPS technology in our phones has it really caught on. Please Stay Calm is a fun example of where the genre is today, but ultimately it feels like a novelty.

It's great fun, but without proper multiplayer integration it's probably not worth the higher asking price.

The Badge of Carnage series has been good throughout, and Beyond Reasonable Doom is no exception.

Mostly, it could do with more content.

I've never played anything like it. In some ways a successful loop feels like a Rube Goldberg machine, where the momentum from one clip launches the next, over and over ad infinitum.

Casual gamers looking for a well-done take on the strategic line-drawing game should definitely check out Rescue City – especially since the first fifteen missions are free.

Putter King Adventure Golf does a great job of capturing the spirit of miniature golf, bringing back memories of playing this as a child against my father.

It combines a simple, yet enjoyable gameplay experience with longevity features such as achievements, Game Center and OpenFeint support, and a fair amount of difficulties and game modes. Sure, the gameplay is a bit basic, but what it does offer is executed well.

It's not the most challenging platform game, with chibs generally being plentiful and easy to locate, but it's fun to play, making this a casual but solid platforming experience.

In general, DynaStunts still manages to be a solid experience. It's casual enough that most people should be able to pick it up, but it's also packed with enough content that those who want to can explore it further.

It's fun and challenging without any of the dangers associated with real mining (except perhaps mesothelioma, though I'm not sure there's a connection between it and Peak Gold).

While Saving Moo's core gameplay certainly borrows some of its elements from previous successful titles, its light hearted foundation and overall wacky presentation puts it above the rest of the pack.

Sad Robot is truly an example of the sum of its parts being greater than each element taken separately.

Flick Home Run is a simple concept which is well-executed by Infinity Pocket. It's already provided days of entertainment, which is a dollar well spent. With so many excellent games available, I'm a little surprised this is in the very top rankings, but this baseball interpretation is certainly worth buying.

The levels get downright mind-bending, which seems at odds with the delicate look of the game. But Little Lambs is a bit of a wolf in sheep's clothing, charming to look at, but with a lot of bite.

The multiple layers of platform provide a depth that's missing from many other single-layer running games. It's just a shame more people aren't playing the multiplayer mode, although that's a problem faced by many good, but lesser known games.

A simple game. It's a fun way to test your reaction speed, and it does a great job of motivating players to keep pushing their high scores forward. But the slick interface, colorful art and cheerful soundtrack boost it beyond the confines of its gameplay, making it a great choice to pull out whenever you have a good 90 seconds to kill.

Chickon is an oddball game with a lot of oddball character, and if it feels too much like a cash-in at times it's still not without intriguing features.

AC/DC Pinball Rocks HD is a fun table that definitely feels like Gameprom pinball. I won't call it my favorite of their offerings, but it's certainly worth its space on the iOS devices of any pinball fan out there.

The interface is painfully clumsy.

The controls are mostly swipe-based and work fine.

In the end Mad Chef lives or dies on the joy of tapping. It does a great job with its simple mechanic, veering away from simple spamming to something that takes a lot of thought and attention. And, you know, crazy-fast tapping.

The gameplay, music, robot hardware upgrades, power-ups and touch controls are all good and destroying the city is fun, especially with a faster robot. However, the graphics are just okay and the tilt controls are not recommended.

The 2D and 3D table graphics and animations look great, and the super-hero themes are a real draw-card.

The pacing is just right, and the controls are more or less perfect.