25 of the best games apps

Draw Something

iOS (Free), Android (Free)
The craze surrounding Draw Something has cooled somewhat, and it suffers from too much repetition – but the game remains one of the few that successfully combines fun with creativity. It’s social too, especially if you’re the sort who feels the need to impress friends – or even strangers – with the quality of your drawings.

Amazing Alex

iOS (69p), Android (64p)
This physics puzzlers tasks you to use a variety of “everyday” objects to solve its tasks. Once you’ve placed the objects and started the screen, there’s no more input from your end – so the idea is to set everything up to start the perfect chain reaction, collect all the stars and move on to the next screen.

Elemental

iOS (Free), Android (Free)
This free grid-based puzzler is a little like Sudoku, but with the numbers replaced by earth, air, fire and water. Mixing these together creates element combinations that can clear the board, allowing you to move on to the next one.

Pinball Arcade

iOS (69p), Android (Free)
Pinball video games are nothing new, but Pinball Arcade is a true simulator in that it actually recreates real life tables made by Midway, Bally, Gottlieb and Stern – i.e. the kind you might find in the back corner of your local dive bar. Beautiful 3D graphics, authentic sound effects and accurate physics round off the package nicely.

Minecraft: Pocket Edition

iOS (£4.99), Android (£4.99)
The indie building game that’s taken the world by storm is now available on mobile, and while it’s a pared-down experience from the desktop version, it’s certainly no slouch. You can create worlds and structures on the go (alone or with friends over Wi-Fi), and play the zombie-infested survival mode if you want to feel a bit of danger while you build.

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