These are good iPhone games that offer a fun, clever, elegant, or otherwise good experience. For Web games, see my other good games list. -mark
| Name | Price | Date Added | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Super Crate Box | Pick up a crate, get the weapon, then blast your way to the next crate. Difficulty is high, but the tight gameplay and overall elegance of the design make it worth trying out. | $1.99 | Feb 13, 2012 |
| Reflexions | Line up the mirrors to bounce the proton onto the target. Solidly designed puzzle game. (Tx, C.H.) | $1.99 | Jan 3, 2012 |
| Shredder Chess Lite | Nicely designed chess app. There is a full version for $8 but this lite version is plenty challenging for my (admittedly not very high) skill level. | Free | Dec 12, 2011 |
| Temple Run | Clever knockoff of Indiana Jones: as the hero runs through the temple from the bad guys, swipe to turn, jump, and duck to avoid obstacles. Surprisingly good for a free download. | Free | Dec 12, 2011 |
| Where's My Water? | This one's a winner: elegant, fun, unique. Remove obstacles for the water to flow to the friendly alligator's bath. | $0.99 | Dec 5, 2011 |
| Scribblenauts Remix | Solve each puzzle by typing the name of anything you need to solve it - a ladder, a pegasus, a giant yellow dog. Clever and imaginative for anyone, though more oriented toward younger players. Originally a very popular game on the Nintendo DS system, now on iPad and iPhone. | $4.99 | Oct 20, 2011 |
| Jetpack Joyride | Simple single-touch game of avoiding obstacles - tap & hold for up, let go for down. Addictive due to the many missions and badges. Quick fun for a minute or so each time. | $0.99 | Sep 27, 2011 |
| Otomata | A music maker. Not exactly a game, but a fun and easy toy to create minimalist masterpieces. (This is the iPhone/iPad version; there's also a free Web version.) | $0.99 | Aug 3, 2011 |
| Bumpy Road | Attractive visual design and comfortably simple game play in this cute, kid-friendly adventure. Tap the screen to make the car jump over streams and onto platforms. | $2.99 | Jul 27, 2011 |
| Dungeon Raid | A match-three game with a D&D theme. Really worth playing for the near-perfect blend of graphics, sound, and game play. As Andy Baio put it, "I hate Match Three games and RPGs, yet I can't stop playing it." | $2.99 | Jun 30, 2011 |
| Robot Wants Kitty | Run, jump, and upgrade the robot in order to retrieve the kitty. Fun, much like the original Web game that I reviewed on the Web list. | $0.99 | May 26, 2011 |
| Mozzle | A unique twist on jigsaw puzzles: here the pieces come from an on-screen animation. Drag them into the correct position to solve the "mozzle" (motion puzzle). | $0.99 | Apr 10, 2011 |
| iStunt 2 | Tilt the iPhone to land the big ski jumps. Nicely designed. (Reminds me of Line Rider, except you control the guy, rather than the lines.) | $0.99 | Mar 28, 2011 |
| Tiny Wings | Cute and addictive. Fly the little bird up and down hills before the sun sets. | $0.99 | Mar 8, 2011 |
| Solitaire | Nicely done port of the classic Solitaire game for Windows. I was inspired to try it out by this post by Matt Haughey, who praised the gameplay and Game Center achievements. (There's also a free iPhone version with ads.) | $0.99 | Feb 15, 2011 |
| Three Little Pigs and the Secrets of a Popup Book | Delightful. Telling the familiar story of the porcine trio, this virtual popup book lets you push, pull, and rotate elements just as you would in a physical book. The twist is the x-ray button, which shows the mechanical workings inside each page. Art direction, music, and mechanical engineering come together to create a uniquely good experience. (Looks best on iPad, though also works on the iPhone.) | $3.99 | Feb 15, 2011 |
| Carcassonne | Beautifully designed version of the popular board game (as recommended in past Uncle Mark guides) - especially nice on the iPad. Solitaire mode is nicely done. Only drawback: $10 feels a bit high. | $9.99 | Jan 21, 2011 |
| Infinity Blade | Cinematic and impressive, if a bit over-serious: swordfight many baddies and upgrade your skills and equipment. (Quicker and more elegant is Beast Boxing, which has a similar fighting mechanic without all the D&D baggage.) Same app works on both iPhone and iPad. | $5.99 | Dec 21, 2010 |
| Cut the Rope | Swipe to cut the rope to feed the monster. Nicely designed: elegant puzzles, cartoonish fun - similar feel to Angry Birds. | $0.99 | Nov 22, 2010 |
| Reckless Racing | Fun racer with an impressive choice of several control schemes. Worth it to try several ways of steering a car on the iPhone. | $0.99 | Nov 10, 2010 |
| The Incident | Jump higher and higher on the pile of items that continually fall around you. Weird inversion of Tetris. Works great on both iPhone and iPad. | $1.99 | Nov 1, 2010 |
| Beast Boxing | Nicely done boxing game, well suited to the iPhone. Tap to jab, swipe to hook or uppercut. There's also a free lite version. | $1.99 | Oct 28, 2010 |
| Cross Fingers | Drag the pieces into place to complete the puzzle. There's also an upgraded version for two bucks. | Free | Oct 19, 2010 |
| Memory Block | Press the musical buttons in the right order. Nicely designed homage to the 1980s game Simon. (An ad-free version is available for 99 cents.) | Free | Sep 8, 2010 |
| Osmos | Unique, fun, meditative. Grow your circle (is it a planet? a cell? a balloon?) by bumping into smaller circles. Great ambient soundtrack. (This is the iPhone version.) | $2.99 | Aug 26, 2010 |
| Solipskier | Fun skiing game - draw the slope to make big jumps. (Single purchase of the app gets iPhone and iPad versions - both nicely designed.) There's also a free Web version. | $2.99 | Aug 19, 2010 |
| Tilt to Live | A+ outstanding. Tilt the iPhone to outmaneuver and shoot the little red dots. | $1.99 | Jul 29, 2010 |
| Jungle Crash Land | Drop bombs to clear the runway before you land. Based on the Web version on the Web games list. | $0.99 | Jul 29, 2010 |
| eBoy FixPix | Tilt the device to align the layers of pixels to reveal the full picture. 100 fun, quick levels. | $1.99 | Jul 9, 2010 |
| Doodle Jump | Amusing, super-simple game. Just tilt the iPhone to keep the doodle-guy jumping up and up and up. | $0.99 | May 19, 2010 |
| Drop7 | Drop the numbered tiles to form chains. Connect Four meets Tetris, but better. (The Web version of the game is Chain Factor.) | $2.99 | May 19, 2010 |
| Eliss | Clever, fun, and abstract - bring the orbs into harmony. There's also a free lite version. | $4.99 | May 19, 2010 |
| Orbital Free | New game, well worth trying out. Bounce balls into the arena, then try to survive as they fill the space. (iPad users, don't miss 2-player mode in Orbital HD.) | Free | May 7, 2010 |
| Angry Birds | Slingshot birds to knock down structures. Similar to the Web game Crush the Castle, but cuter. Plays well on both iPhone and iPad. | $0.99 | May 5, 2010 |
| Colorbind | Run the ribbons to cover all the dots. Nicely designed. The full version costs two bucks. | Free | Mar 31, 2010 |
| Recommended kid games | List of iPhone apps to amuse small children, compiled by Metafilter founder Matt Haughey. | Free | Feb 24, 2010 |
| Plants vs. Zombies | Cute fun. Plants defend your house from intruders. Based on the original PC version. | $2.99 | Feb 18, 2010 |
| JellyCar | Navigate the hand-drawn jelly car through obstacle courses. Cute graphics and sounds. | Free | Jan 12, 2010 |
| Auditorium Lite | Direct the visual streams of music to create harmony. (There's also a full version, $2.) | Free | Dec 28, 2009 |
| Quordy | Nicely designed Boggle-like word game. Send challenges to friends. | $2.99 | Dec 15, 2009 |
| Catan | Faithful and playable re-creation of the popular "Settlers of Catan" board game. Pricey but worth it for fans of the game. | $4.99 | Dec 3, 2009 |
| Flight Control | Land planes on the correct runway by dragging flight paths. Elegantly designed. | $0.99 | Nov 20, 2009 |
