Mobile Games Roundup Review

How many gaming platforms do you have in your life? Two? Five? How about 15? Because that's how many some of us here at EG have to pay attention to in order to filter out the most interesting nuggets for your delectation.

But that's the nature of the increasingly fragmented market these days. No sooner have you caught up on the latest additions to PSN, WiiWare, DSiWare, Xbox Live Indie and Steam than a barrel-load of hot new Android, iPhone, iPad and Windows Phone 7 titles have hit the virtual stores. And that's before you've even taken into account the new boxed releases, or wistfully gazed at the retro scene.

And then someone comes along and asks you about reviewing Facebook apps, so you step on a pressure plate and an anvil crushes you to a squishy pulp. Problem solved. It's official: you can have too many games.

Capcom Arcade

• iPhone - free (in-app purchases £0.59, or £1.79 per game)

How to make arcade games even less fun, part 49.

Few publishers display such determination to tug on the flaccid teat of retro gaming as Capcom, so it's about as surprising as a grey day in London to see an arcade portal app shuffling into view.

Cunningly, you're coaxed into its alluringly scented web of nostalgia by virtue of it being free. Granted three free tokens per day, you can have a quick blast of Ghosts 'n' Goblins , Commando, 1942, or Street Fighter II: World Warrior, and see how you get on.

The problem is, obviously, that all of these titles demand insanely precise controls, coupled with superhuman twitch gaming abilities and a mastery of pattern recognition. You'd have an equal amount of success playing them with your ears.

Still, if you're determined to prove that virtual joysticks work just fine, then you'll also have to battle against poor optimisation and frame rate issues. That's fine if you never intend to pay for the thing, but not so dandy when owning each game outright sets you back £1.79.

You can also shell out for a somewhat dubious selection of in-app purchases, such as extra lives, stronger magic, or extra armour, but at 59 pence a pop, you might reasonably decide that Capcom can think again. There are many ways of sampling ancient retro classics, but sadly this is only worth looking at to point and laugh.

4/10

Evac HD

• Android, iPad, iPhone - £0.59

As Pac-Man Championship Edition proved so triumphantly a few years back, it's still completely feasible to make an entertaining dot-munching maze game in these more demanding times.

Hexage proves much the same thing with the neon-drenched Evac, but does so by pursuing a more stealth-oriented, slower-paced take on the formula.

The aim remains to clear all the dots from the maze, but with a few crucial tweaks and changes, the process becomes much less about screeching around the maze at full tilt, and more about strategic choices. Just like Pac-Man, patrolling ghosts roam the tunnels, but unlike Namco's old favourite, they don't simply chase after you from the moment you appear.

Run for your life.

Pressure pads set off alarms that send ghosts chasing after you, so choosing when best to trigger them becomes all part of the fun. Luring them to a nearby power-up and turning the tables on them in quick succession is not only hugely satisfying, but helps you rack up a fearsome score into the bargain.

As the levels progress, though, you'll have much more to worry about, with spikes to crush you and blocks to shift to clear a path to the exit. But with patience, timing, and mastery of the simple four-way arrow controls, Evac's difficulty curve proves satisfying rather than spiteful.

24 levels might not sound like a lot, but this isn't a game you'll breeze through without concerted effort. And with its adorable aesthetic sealing the deal, it's another 59p well spent.

8/10

Phoenix

• iPhone - £0.59

Bullet the blue sky.

If you're one of those maniacs who can unblinkingly romp through crazed Cave shmups like they're idly texting a filthy message, then Phoenix wants your love.

There's no pretence of a gentle introduction. No small talk, just straight to the point, down and dirty in the grimacing alleyway of bullet hell. Played out like one continuous mini-boss battle, Phoenix presents you with an endless procession of menacing, violent, laser-spewing foes.

The genius behind Firi Games' procedurally-generated vertical blaster is that the better you are at Phoenix, the harder it gets. With difficulty kicking off at one star, the longer you survive without taking a hit the more brutal the challenge becomes and the more points you rack up. Take damage and the game's 'AI director' dials down the heat to accommodate your misfortune (though you do have the option to lock the difficulty down, should you prefer).

But such generosity is only a fleeting respite, and it's unlikely that you'll be able to last more than a few minutes in Phoenix's intense company. If you do, then regional score-based glory awaits thanks to Game Center's curious ability to break your performance right down to your specific area. Being the fifth best in Brent on your first go's not terrible, right?

Correction: Firi Games has been in touch to let us know that this feature isn't part of Game Center, but a service it designed and implemented itself. Credit where it's due - it's a very cool feature. -Ed.

Without wanting to sound like a broken record, 59p is exceptionally good value for a death-dodger with as much replay value as Phoenix. Go forth and fill the spare time void.

8/10

Ragdoll Blaster 2 HD

• iPad - £2.99
• iPhone - £0.59

We all know how much the world enjoys flinging things with abandon in the wild hope that everything will come crashing down around our ears. Perhaps the mood of the economic meltdown has lured us into a microcosm of destruction.

More likely is that physics-based smash-ups strike that fine balance between challenging and rewarding, and Backflip Studio's take is even more hopelessly addictive than the mighty Angry Birds.

Part of its instant appeal is the way Ragdoll Blaster 2 takes a less finicky approach to the business of destruction, allowing you to fling as many ragdolls as it takes to hit your elusive target.

Master blaster.

Clearly, the challenge is to reach the target using as few throws as possible, but it doesn't force you to start all over again as soon as you've run out of 'ammo', instead letting you keep on chucking for as long as it takes you to succeed. This simple decision alone makes it more appealing, while the ability to skip a problematic puzzle means that you'll get the chance to see the whole game rather than hit a brick wall and give up.

With the solution often more complex than it appears, finding the right angle and appropriate force to set off the required chain reaction takes tenacity and determination. And with each bite-sized challenge so perfectly set up, it feels like the sort of game you'll happily keep stored to fill those inevitable moments of boredom.

At 59p on iPhone (or for £2.99 if you fancy the deluxe iPad version), it's not hard to see why Ragdoll Blaster 2 is one of the most admired apps out there.

8/10

Return To Mysterious Island - Deluxe Edition

• iPad - £2.99
• iPhone - £1.79

I myst again.

For the love of God, never get washed up on a desert island. The chances are you'll spend endless hours fashioning possibly useful items out of random tat while muttering to yourself about why it didn't work out.

As a social experiment, Anumen's latest PC to iPad port provides fascinating insight into the madness of the adventure gamer and how prepared we are to invest vast amounts of time doing incomprehensible things. We'll delight in endlessly combing areas for objects, before combining our growing pile of crap in obscure fashion in the name of entertainment.

If you've already surrendered yourself to this oddball past time, then there's no denying that the iPad provides an ideal retirement home for PC games past their prime. But while the process of trawling for items in crisp, detailed environments suits the iPad more than the iPhone, this is still a survivor from the dark past of adventure gaming that was overlooked in 2004 for good reason.

With its insistence on convoluted item combinations comprising most of the 'game', it's hardly surprising that a step-by-step playing guide is provided. Without it, RTMI would be even more tedious than it already is. One that only die-hard adventure completists will eke any dregs of satisfaction from.

4/10