When you combine the large amount of depth on the gameplay side with a good narrative tale and a fairly decent control scheme, Time of Heroes is well worth a recommendation for any fan of strategic turn-based games.

Sure, Triple Town is just another matching game, but it's deep and surprisingly strategic.

For pure entertainment dollar by dollar, I'll take Caylus over most board games in the App Store. It's an obscenely good game, which makes its flaws all the more frustrating.

With a great selection of music, simple but well-executed gameplay, and a good, clean overall presentation, Cytus is well worth a recommendation for anyone interested in rhythm games.

I've enjoyed and savored Numberlys, but like any film, I probably won't watch it again for a while, but it could be a recurring treat for a young child.

With its complete lack of narrative, boring mission structure, antiquated visuals, spotty controls and monotonous gameplay, I don't know who would want to play this, much less eventually spend money within it.

The over-the-top silliness and the bright, colorful graphics feel reminiscent of an old Saturday morning cartoon. The game's just difficult enough to make it challenging and simple enough to engage in without requiring too much of a forethought.

You'd have to be a diehard fan of Breakout-styled games in order to check out Transformoid.

Snoticles is a good game. It's a fun physics puzzler that provides a mid-tier challenge. But there are so many similar games out there, and this one doesn't do much at all to set itself apart.

It would be more satisfying if the various characters, means of transport, and weapons were unlocked along the way, rather than all provided from the start. Overall, a good game, but just for a couple of days or for the kids.

Hero Academy is a simple game, and it does what it's built to do very, very well.

It's the type of game a nine-year-old on a Surge bender would design, but Thunderbow is vivid, imaginative, and well-executed, even if its conceits are well-established by now. It's simultaneously childish and childlike, but it's so pure in its vision that I couldn't help but enjoy it.

It's strange how liberating working through the puzzles feels. Over time, I've grown accustomed to looking things up when I can't quite figure out a puzzle in a game.

If you want to test your sense of direction, it's a fantastic game to mess around with. But to commit to? It's not quite there.

Only you can know if you can be satisfied by such a brief encounter. If you can, Windosill is fantastic. It's gorgeous, playful and feels like it was born to be played on a touch screen. But I wouldn't blame you if the brevity is just too much.

Multiplayer is just icing on an otherwise excellent cake.

Lunar Racer is already a fun title which I'll be playing for a while, but it feels like it could be much more. Here's hoping for more levels coming, an extra game mode planned & the possibility of online multiplayer mode.

Letris 2 uses what might be the worst dictionary I've had the pleasure of bashing my head against.

I'm surprised by how much I dig the virtual controls; Halfbot and Vlambeer did a heck of a job translating the action to the touchscreen and then making it feel as natural, and as split-second responsive as the game's PC and Mac counterparts.

Although the three "worlds" each add new gameplay elements, they all use exactly the same snowy setting and music, so they don't really feel like different "worlds" so much as just more levels. It would also be interesting if they threw a hungry polar bear into the mix.

I want to recommend Wizard Ops for its gameplay, but I can't ignore the severe lack of content.

A sweet gaming experience that I think other shooter fans would enjoy. I loved the change in perspective from average shooters and the Pixar look of the game's characters and settings.

Folks that don't like tilt-based games may be turned off by Crazy Hedgy's control scheme, but I implore you to put those feelings aside and check this game out.

Though the game grows more difficult over the course of its 16 levels, its formula never really grows. You may encounter a few tricky gates, or clever platformy sections, but what works in the first level will work in the 16th. Similarly, the music and aesthetic never much change or grow. What's terribly sweet for the first few levels grows cloying without variety.

If you're looking for a puzzler with some bite and don't mind the cartoony visuals or occasional control issues, I'd recommend checking out SubTub for a quick fix.

While Kaptain Brawe may not be the perfect intro to the genre due to its difficulty levels, it does offer an excellent story and clever writing that ought to draw longtime fans of adventure games into its clutches quickly.

If you don't mind dropping a dollar to see what it's all about, Summer Sports Simulator offers a deceptive amount of depth and playability. It won't be everyone's cup of tea, but if it clicks for you then you likely won't hesitate in dropping an extra couple of dollars to unlock all the events.

It's bland, SimCity type of stuff with Kairosoft's characteristic wrapper.

Stay Alive does offer enough in terms of fast-paced gameplay and replayability to warrant checking out.

A fun take on the runner genre. For about a buck, you get pretty much endless entertainment, especially since you can pick your favorite puppy out of eight to customize the playing experience.

In the end, your likelihood of having a great time with Frontline Commando is directly proportional to your opinion of freemium elements in action games. There's nothing inherently wrong with Frontline; it's just that games based on free-to-play economies tend to become long and drawn out (if you don't pay).

A fantastic package. It's a game that made me take notice, that made a well-trod genre seem a bit fresher and more interesting than it's been in a while.

A solid buy and one that will keep you smiling at your phone or iPad for hours.

Lost Winds is such a delightful game in all other regards that I'm still enjoying it, but the controls have tested my patience.

Though it can be extremely frustrating, it rewards the player who pushes through the painful parts. Each time you replay a level you'll learn more, memorize more, become better at the game. The rush you'll get when you finally reach the end of a challenging level is worth the trouble, every time.

I don't think it's as fun as other iOS laserdisc ports like Road Blaster [$4.99/HD] and Cobra Command [$6.99], but Mad Dog McCree does a solid job at translating the gunslinging action of the arcade original to the touchscreen of iOS. If you're a fan of the source material, then you should be pretty satisfied with this port.

In the end, Ice Rage really is a game about tempered expectations. If you go into it expecting any kind of depth, prepare to be disappointed, as that's not the intent of this title. However, if you go into it knowing that it's a simple arcade hockey game, you should have a good time, particularly with its multiplayer.

Here's the rub: simoleons and lifestyle points are expensive. The smallest simoleon packs you can buy are $4.99, and give you about enough cash to buy one shop in town. You can do it all yourself instead, but it's going to be a long grind to buy homes to unlock all 16 Sims, open all the shops and build all the workplaces.

Sin or Win has its ups and downs. The OK core play, however, and the flat-out ingenuity on display helps makes the "downs" a little easier on the soul.

I love Mini Motor Racing and feel that it's a worthy candidate for being one of the better arcade racers currently on the App Store. Not only are the gameplay elements sound, there's tons of worthy maps and content that'll keep you coming back. Furthermore, recent updates to the game show that the developers are willing to put the effort necessary to smooth out any issues.

After beating it once, I feel little imperative to do so again, an odd turn of circumstances given that War on Terror was derived from a board game.

On the whole, though, Crazy Bomber is a decent game, and it will be much better if online multiplayer is added. If you're craving Bomberman-style play, you won't go wrong picking it up.

I think MinoMonsters has the potential to become a pretty big deal. It's in a hell of a package, and it's clear that the developers want to continue expanding the world and building upon what they have.

Offers yet another stellar entry in CAVE's series of iOS shooters. It's probably the most straight forward and least complex out of them all, which makes it a great starting point for bullet hell newbies, but it does have its share of depth for those looking to master its strategies.

Containment: The Zombie Puzzler shakes the dust off matching-style games, using soulless corpses, terrified humans and boss fights to bring this great-looking action puzzler to life.

A rare treat: a puzzle game filled with variety, but trusting in its players enough to get out of their way.

If multiplayer was working properly, Tank Riders probably would have been a game worth checking out. The controls, while annoying, were workable, and the different types of weapons offered some variety in taking out opponents. Unfortunately, without multiplayer, all you're left with is the too-short single player campaign which can be completed in a few hours and simply doesn't have enough content to carry the whole game.

The puzzles are interesting and varied, rather than intellectually complex, and the various soundtracks sound good without feeling repetitive. You'll get a few hours entertainment for a dollar, with more levels promised in the future, making this an easy game to recommend.

Most of the parts of the original game, which worked for kids apparently, is fairly well translated in this version. And even though it lacks 1:1 body-to-game interaction, I think a solid connection can still be formed between digital cat and real, whiny "Give Me A Pet" kid.

Needless to say, the game part feels good as always, and the new aspects Blitz brings out in Bejeweled are solid and good, too.

This is a game you flat out need to buy if you even vaguely consider yourself an iOS gamer. Not only because it's such an impeccable port of an important piece of gaming history, but because we need to vote with our wallets to tell Sega (and anyone else who might be watching) that this is the quality we demand out of retro games brought to the App Store.

Sometimes, a laborious dance worthy of the grandmasters of chess and sometimes, a mad rush for control, Cabals is easy to grasp and surprisingly deep for something that can, at times, feel like a distilled version of the genre.

If you're a fan of competitive leaderboards, and you're looking for a casual title to offer a few minutes of high intensive gameplay (or if you liked any of the Mr. titles), check out Mr. Oops!! as it certainly hits all the elements of a successful casual title.

A genuinely engaging card game with a surprising depth of strategy. Hopefully Ubisoft will be prompt in fixing the bugs, but the core game is intact in the meantime. Just go easy on the IAP.

The developers promise us new levels in the future (called "Courses, heh), and I have to say I am looking forward to the chance to spend more time with this unique title.

Even if you're on the fence, you should at least check out the lite version and see if the tower offense pieces suit your fancy. Either way, it's nice to see advancements made in the area of TD games, and I hope this is a sign of more innovation to come.

If you want a comparable experience to the console titles that you can carry around in your pocket, then you will probably end up disappointed in this effort. If you want a gorgeous looking Batman title filled with all sorts of nice fan service and simple combat that won't bust your brain with strategic depth, then Arkham City Lockdown delivers this really well.

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

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

Freemium done well, offering more entertainment for your download than most of its competition.

If you care more about story and overall presentation, then Bard's humorous story, great voice acting, and decent graphics should leave you highly satisfied.

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.

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.

From presentation to gameplay to overall fun factor, Don't Run With a Plasma Sword simply shines. It's got distinctive character and a great sense of humor.

But... as far as fundamentals go, the fact that Judge Dredd vs. Zombies's combat rocks is a pretty big boon to what is otherwise a fairly competent, yet occasionally annoying game. The bad parts, and particularly the greedy free-to-play hooks and the barrage of Dredd-isms, are the big stains.

It's rare to find a puzzle game that feels so fresh but also so obvious. I've never played a game about bagging groceries before, but why not?

World at War Zombies was simply revolutionary for its time and, while Black Ops Zombies certainly improves on nearly every aspect of its predecessor, our expectations of what makes a great game have certainly changed. It's not enough to simply add a new map and a better visual paintjob and call it a day.

I just really wish that ideas like the random potentially timer resetting events and the energy 'gameplay' mechanic didn't make the choice harder than it already had to be.

It's a lovely game, and for the most part it works quite well. I consider my time with it well spent, even if a few tweaks could have made These Robotic Hearts of Mine much more atmospheric.

We put incredibly powerful devices in our pockets and on our laps daily, but rarely do we see games that utterly embrace this like Infinity Blade has. It's a showcase piece; a technically and visually gifted game that consistently delivers eye-popping stuff.

The controls are mostly swipe-based and work fine.

The joy of taxonomy may fade in time, but you'll always have the knowledge that you were the one to identify the humble Lob-hog-bit, and that's a memory that will last.

Ultimately, if you love Superman and you miss the days when arcade games didn't bother with all that story nonsense and just let you get straight to beating stuff up, you might get something out of this game.

The game has a cheery feel and the art style is perky, with wide eyed dragon babies blinking innocently while they wait for you to save their lives.

The interface is painfully clumsy.

Rebuild probably won't satisfy fans of intensely deep strategy, but for anyone interested in a few hours of light strategy fun, it's quite the catch.

A great game worthy of a play through. If you have any interest in top down shooters, and you're a fan of extensive unlockables, check it out.

Simply put, Bullet Time gets a lot of things right when it comes to dual stick shooters. The controls, presentation, customization and replayability are all well done.

Friendly, straightforward and furiously adorable, Clay's Reverie is a lot of fun.

Saving Yello successfully wraps quality graphics and sound, interesting gameplay, varied power-ups, decent game physics and a cute fish into this entertaining fish-flinging game.

A neat variant on jumping games, which I'm throughly enjoying despite the jumping genre being so saturated.

A complete package, brought together by Gage's trademark use of cheerful colors, simple patterns and elegant typography.

The unlimited lives option is great, as it's still a challenge to complete the levels, but you can keep re-trying and your weapon power-up's don't reset when you die.

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.

If Snoopy's Street Fair is a game for nostalgic adults, it's not interesting enough to hold any attention. If it's a game for children, the aggressive focus on IAP is distasteful.

Rio's improvements to the core gameplay system, combined with better visuals and good music make this game the best yet in the series. However, much like the previous iterations, there are a few issues that prevent the game from living up to its full potential.

Homerun Battle 2 has all the elements that made the original such a hit and more. It's fun, it's easy to learn and it'd keep you occupied for a considerable amount of time. Unfortunately, it also exemplifies everything that I dislike about this type of pay model.

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.

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.

Thoroughly impressive. The art is cute and welcoming and the games are fun, with quite a range of difficulty levels. The music that is included is, of course, great.

Minecraft: Pocket Edition could potentially be an awesome thing someday. Until that day comes, though, it is best purchased by the curious, the affluent and the hardcore fan.

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.

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.

Regardless of the relative lack of content, I still think Ninja Throw tosses out enough interesting ideas to be worth a playthrough, even with the current oversaturation of physics-based puzzlers. However, don't expect much of a challenge for the most part.

It's a brainless sort of fun, the kind you can easily waste many unsuspecting hours on. So, if you've been aiming for something new to keep you occupied during a particularly laborious stretch of the day or during your daily pilgramage to the Porcelain God, you should really give Major Mayhem a shot.

The heart of Corpse Granny is trial and error, and it works as long as you like to play in bite -sized bits and puzzle your way through how to solve each level. This game is chock-full of personality, and it also uses OpenFeint to track scores and such so you can compete with your friends.

I seriously couldn't be happier. Witching Hour's maiden project Ravenmark: Scourge of Estellion is almost everything this iPhone-touting strategy game aficionado could ask for, and as long as you're a fan of its somewhat hardcore nature, I will eat my fuzzy hat if you don't find yourself thinking the same.

Unfortunately, the lack of anything to differentiate itself from the rest of the dual-stick shooters means that there's a good chance that you won't bother with unlocking all the content.