Smartphone games for Google Android users
Owners of Android-compatible phones such as the HTC magic and the T-Mobile G1 will be pleased as punch to learn that there are some great free games out there just waiting to be downloaded from the Android Market. Here are a few to try - and a few to avoid!
Mahjongg - This touch screen version of the classic Oriental game of pairs features pleasant enough visuals, but is too tricky to control to have any lasting appeal, unless you have very small fingers indeed.
mem - This simon-says game, in which you have to press an icon as soon as possible after its counterpart is displayed, features some pretty zany sound effects, and it works well with the touch screen, but the long term appeal is fairly limited.
Minspace War - A 2D shoot-em-up that uses the phones mini-keypad as a control surface. Although the graphics are good and you suspect it might play a lot better on a laptop or a dedicated games console, the controls are too fiddly to make it worth the time it takes to download.
MisMisMatch - A puzzle game in which you tap the boxes, using the touchscreen interface, that have images that are not matches in order to clear the board of unmatched pairs. This deceptively simple puzzler is great fun to play, and features difficulty settings and a handy tutorial.
Pac-Man by Namco - Help Pac Man in his quest for pills, oranges, and ghosts around the famous blue mazes of this arcade classic. This arcade perfect version of the old favourite, complete with the inter-level animations featured on the original coin-op machine. However, the lack of a joypad really lets this game down and prevents you from being able to get out of the tight spots as quickly as you often need to.
Pop Pop Popcorn - Heat popcorn arranged on a grid by holding your finger over it until it pops, but watching that you do not burn any surrounding popcorn while you are at it. Of all the games for the Android platform that use the touch screen as an input device, this is one of the best.
Santas War on Terror - Help Santa take on the forces of terror in this side scrolling platform game. Although the name might be the cause of some amusement, the fiddlesome controls, weak visuals and predictable gameplay mean that this game has little more than novelty appeal.
TxtSpeed - In this game, words scroll across the screen that you then have to type into the miniature keypad as quickly as possible. Great if you are trying to get to grips with typing on a miniature QWERTY keypad, but a little bit boring nonetheless.
Mahjongg - This touch screen version of the classic Oriental game of pairs features pleasant enough visuals, but is too tricky to control to have any lasting appeal, unless you have very small fingers indeed.
mem - This simon-says game, in which you have to press an icon as soon as possible after its counterpart is displayed, features some pretty zany sound effects, and it works well with the touch screen, but the long term appeal is fairly limited.
Minspace War - A 2D shoot-em-up that uses the phones mini-keypad as a control surface. Although the graphics are good and you suspect it might play a lot better on a laptop or a dedicated games console, the controls are too fiddly to make it worth the time it takes to download.
MisMisMatch - A puzzle game in which you tap the boxes, using the touchscreen interface, that have images that are not matches in order to clear the board of unmatched pairs. This deceptively simple puzzler is great fun to play, and features difficulty settings and a handy tutorial.
Pac-Man by Namco - Help Pac Man in his quest for pills, oranges, and ghosts around the famous blue mazes of this arcade classic. This arcade perfect version of the old favourite, complete with the inter-level animations featured on the original coin-op machine. However, the lack of a joypad really lets this game down and prevents you from being able to get out of the tight spots as quickly as you often need to.
Pop Pop Popcorn - Heat popcorn arranged on a grid by holding your finger over it until it pops, but watching that you do not burn any surrounding popcorn while you are at it. Of all the games for the Android platform that use the touch screen as an input device, this is one of the best.
Santas War on Terror - Help Santa take on the forces of terror in this side scrolling platform game. Although the name might be the cause of some amusement, the fiddlesome controls, weak visuals and predictable gameplay mean that this game has little more than novelty appeal.
TxtSpeed - In this game, words scroll across the screen that you then have to type into the miniature keypad as quickly as possible. Great if you are trying to get to grips with typing on a miniature QWERTY keypad, but a little bit boring nonetheless.