The mobile gaming revolution, as predicted a decade ago, failed to turn up, instead spawning half-hearted renditions of 80s arcade games and the odd over-engineered first person shooter. The arrival of iPhone changed all that, with its touchscreen interface and App Store, which lets you easily browse and rate software. These recent additions are well worth a look.
Mystery Mania
Tap the screen to direct a little robot towards various items of interest. Activate them in the right order to unlock the next room. Simple, offbeat and increasingly satisfying to solve its charmingly lightweight mysteries, each contained in a single screen. Mystery Mania is one of a kind. Electronic Arts Nederland BV, £1.19
Talking Carl
If you've got children or just visit any regularly, Talking Carl is likely to become your new best friend. Tickle, poke or squeeze him on the touchscreen and he'll respond; talk to him and he'll squawk your words back at you. Endless, entirely innocent entertainment ensues. Awyse, 59p
Angry Birds
A group of smiling green blobs steals the birds' eggs. You exact revenge by catapulting angry birds at the blobs, destroying the structures they inhabit as they plummet to the ground. The birds' irritable clucking sound effects are worth the price of admission alone. Clickgamer.com, 59p
Runway
Planes fly along the top of the screen; drag them to land, unload, then, if they need it, for repairs, food or fuel. Three perfectly judged difficulty levels, functional graphics and "cognitive panic" gameplay that's more addictive than nicotine. Red Watermelon, 59p
Doodle Bomb: Physics Puzzle With A Bang
Lob explosives at artfully arranged control panels, sentries and bomb-transporting wheels and tubes to secure escape from each level. Playful grenade-tossing soon gives way to wonderfully inventive and lengthy sequences that test timing, accuracy and eventually grey matter. Bottle Rocket, £1.19
Polyhedra
Touching the screen gradually blows up a bubble. Cover a certain percentage of the screen to win while avoiding bouncing enemies, which burst partially-inflated polyhedra. Try it with various different shapes to discover that they're equally limited in entertainment value.
Binary Hammer, 59p
The Treasures of Montezuma 2
Match rows or columns of three coloured blocks to make them disappear. Match the same colour set twice to trigger a power-up, earn gold to buy more elaborate power-ups, and that's how Treasures 2 gently reels you into its Aztec-themed garden of delights. Alawar Entertainment, Inc, £1.19
Collapse! – New
Another game where you have to match three or more coloured blocks to make them vanish, only this time you can't move anything, you just have to spot and poke them. It's less paltry than it sounds and rich in its diversity of modes, from timer-free puzzle to frantic strategy levels. Highly competent, but never likely to supplant Bejewelled 2. RealArcade, 59p
