No-one predicted the meteoric rise of gaming on iOS, and were not sure anyone knew what the iPad was for at all when it first appeared.


However, Apples tablet has become a very able gaming platform. With more screen space than the iPhone, games have the means to be more immersive; the iPads therefore a perfect platform for adventure games, strategy titles and puzzlers.

But, just like the iPhone, there are so many iPad games that its tough to unearth the gems and avoid the dross. Thats our mission here - to bring you 50 of the very best iPad games, mixing traditional fare with titles that could only have appeared on a capable and modern multitouch device.

1. Asphalt 8: Airborne

At some point, a total buffoon decreed that racing games should be dull and grey, on grey tracks, with grey controls. Gamelofts Asphalt series dispenses with such foolish notions, along with quite a bit of reality. Here, in Asphalt 8, you zoom along at ludicrous speeds, drifting for miles through exciting city courses, occasionally being hurled into the air to perform stunts that absolutely arent acceptable according to the car manufacturers warrantee.

2. Badland ($3.99/£2.49) 

This darkly humorous title at its core echoes copter-style games, in you prodding the screen to make your avatar fly. But the hazards and traps are devious and plentiful, imaginative and deadly contraptions in silhouette, ready to eliminate any passing creature. Your retaliation comes in cloning your flying monster, and figuring out how to manipulate the environment to bring as many clones home as possible.

3. Bejeweled HD (free)

Weve lost count of how many gem-swappers exist for iOS, but PopCaps Bejeweled has a long history, maturity reflected in this iPad release. Along with a polished standard mode, where you match three or more gems with each swap, theres Diamond Mine (dig into the ground), Butterflies (save insects from spider-ronch doom), and Poker (make hands of gems).

4. Beyond Ynth HD ($2.99/£1.99)

This fantastic platform puzzler stars a bug whos oddly averse to flying. Instead, he gets about 2D levels by rolling around in boxes full of platforms. Beyond Ynth HD hangs on a quest, but each level forms a devious test, where you must figure out precisely how to reach the end via careful use of boxes, switches and even environmental hazards.

5. Bit Pilot ($1.99/£1.49)

A pilot finds himself trapped inside a tiny area of space frequented by an alarming number of deadly asteroids. You must stave off death for as long as possible. Bit Pilot is the best of the iOS avoid em ups, with precise one- and two-thumb controls guiding your tiny ship, effortlessly dodging between rocky foes — until the inevitable collision.

6. Blackbar ($2.99/£1.99)

As much a warning about digital surveillance as a word-based puzzler, Blackbar is a unique and compelling iOS classic. The game comprises single screens of communications, many involving your friend whos gone to work in the city within what you soon learn is a worryingly oppressive society. You literally fill in the blanks, while becoming immersed in a stark dystopian reality thats fortunately still peppered with warmth, humour and humanity.

7. Boson X ($1.99/£1.49)

In what we assume is a totally accurate representation of what boffins in Geneva get up to, Boson X finds scientists sprinting inside colliders, running over energy panels and then discovering particles by leaping into the abyss. Its equal parts Super Hexagon, Tempest and Canabalt, and its very addictive indeed.

8. CRUSH! ($0.99/69p)

CRUSH! is deceptive. At first, it appears to be little more than a collapse game, where you prod a coloured tile, only for the rest to collapse into the now empty space. But subtle changes to the formula elevate this title to greatness: the tiles wrap around, and each removal sees your pile jump towards a line of death. So even when tiles are moving at speed, you must carefully consider each tap.

9. Device 6 ($3.99/£2.49)

Device 6 is first and foremost a story — a mystery into which protagonist Anna finds herself propelled. She awakes on an island, but where is she? How did she get there? Why cant she remember anything? The game fuses literature with adventuring, the very words forming corridors you travel along, integrated puzzles being dotted about for you to investigate. Its a truly inspiring experience, an imaginative, ambitious and brilliantly realised creation that showcases how iOS can be the home for something unique and wonderful.

10. Death Ray Manta ($0.99/69p)

Akin to what Robotron might have looked like had its developer managed to recreate a 24-hour sherbet binge on-screen, Death Ray Manta is a wonderful, eye-searing twin-stick shooter. But whereas you initially think KILL ALL THE THINGS, each level contains a collectable tiffin. Death Ray Manta therefore becomes both shooter and puzzler as you attempt to score the maximum 64 — and youve got only one life.

11. Eliss Infinity ($2.99/£1.99)

Eliss was the first game to truly take advantage of iOSs multitouch capabilities, with you combining and tearing apart planets to fling into like-coloured and suitably-sized wormholes. This semi-sequel brings the originals levels into glorious Retina and adds a totally bonkers endless mode. Unique, challenging and fun, this is a game that defines the platform.

12. Magnetic Billiards (free)

A game that could have been called Reverse Pool For Show-Offs, Magnetic Billiards lacks pockets. Instead, the aim is to join like-coloured balls that cling together on colliding. Along the way, you get more points for trick shots and buzzing other balls that must otherwise be avoided. 20 diverse tables are provided for free, and many more can be unlocked for $1.99/£1.49.

13. Hero Academy (free)

Theres a point in chess where you sometimes wish your knight would just give your opponents bishop a thoroughly good trampling. Sadly, few chess games do such things (the ancient Battlechess being an exception), but Hero Academy takes the idea and runs with it. On specially designed boards, wizards attack knights, and demons defend their turf against samurais. Its an engaging turn-based effort with plenty of depth.

14. Frisbee Forever 2 (free)

As noted elsewhere in this list, we love Frisbee Forever. This sequel is essentially more of the same: fling your plastic disc away, guide it through hoops, collect stars, and make it to the finish line. What makes Frisbee Forever 2 really stand out is the lush locations you get to fly through, including ancient ruins and beautiful snowy hillsides.

15. Hundreds ($4.99/£2.99)

Stark and minimal, Hundreds is both playful and brutal at its core. The aim is to inflate discs until the magic 100 figure is reached, but any collisions while a disc is inflating (and a volatile red) spell the immediate end of your go. Initially simple, Hundreds rapidly throws hazards into the mix, forcing deep thinking and quick fingers.

16. Icebreaker: A Viking Voyage HD ($2.99/£1.99)

There are more famous swiping games on iOS — Cut the Rope and Fruit Ninja spring to mind — but Icebreaker has oodles more charm, loads more character and, importantly, better puzzles. The animated, cartoon-like world feels alive under your fingers as you cut ice blocks, rope, slime and more to return helmeted chums to a waiting boat.

17. Impossible Road ($1.99/£1.49)

A roller-coaster ribbon of road winds through space, and your only aim is to stay on it and reach the highest-numbered gate. But Impossible Road is sneaky: the winding track is one you can leave and rejoin, if youve enough skill, cheating your way to higher scores. Its like the distillation of Super Monkey Ball, Rainbow Road and queue-skipping, all bundled up in a stark, razor-sharp package.

18. Joining Hands 2 ($2.99/£1.99)

Theres a child-like innocence at the heart of this sweet-natured puzzler. The critters that inhabit the games world just want to hold hands. They live on a hexagonal grid, and its your job to move them into position, whereupon they whoop with glee when all linked. Bright, bold and addictive, Joining Hands 2 is also a very child-friendly game — although whether kids will be able to master the tougher levels is another matter!

19. Limbo ($4.99/£2.99)

A boy awakens in hell, and must work his way through a deadly forest. Gruesome deaths and trial and error gradually lead to progress, as he forces his way deeper into the gloom and greater mystery. Originating on the Xbox, this Limbo fares surprisingly well on iOS, with smartly designed controls; and its eerie beauty and intriguing environments remain hypnotic.

20. Minotron: 2112 ($1.99/£1.49)

Jeff Minters gaming pedigree is very long indeed, and he went all out on this update of his own Llamatron, which itself was a tribute to Robotron, the original twin-stick blaster. In Minotron, the levels are populated by all manner of oddball foes, and the action comes thick and fast. A smart scoring system enables you to tackle the game in pure fashion or pick up from your best score at any level previously reached.

21. Need For Speed Most Wanted ($6.99/£2.99)

Racing games are all very well, but too many aim for simulation rather than evoking the glorious feeling of speeding along like a maniac. Most Wanted absolutely nails the fun side of arcade racing, and is reminiscent of classic console title OutRun 2 in enabling you to drift effortlessly for miles. Add to that varied city streets on which to best rivals and avoid (or smash) the cops, and youve a tremendous iOS racer.

22. Osmos HD ($4.99/£2.99)

This superb arcade puzzler is at times microscopic and at others galactic in nature, as you use the power of physics and time to move your mote about. Some levels in Osmos are primordial soup, the mote propelled by ejecting bits of itself, all the while aiming to absorb everything around it; elsewhere, motes circle sun-like Attractors, and your challenge becomes one of understanding the intersecting trajectories of orbital paths.

23. Pinball Arcade ($0.99/69p)

The iPhones a bit small for pinball, but the larger iPad screen is perfect for a bit of ball-spanging. Pinball Arcade is the go-to app for realistic pinball, because it lovingly and accurately recreates a huge number of classic tables. Tales of the Arabian Nights is bundled for free, and the likes of Twilight Zone, Black Knight, Bride of PinBot and Star Trek: The Next Generation are available via IAP.

24. PUK ($1.99/£1.49)

PUK reminds us of what someone with a minimalism fetish might make of Angry Birds, before speeding everything up to manic levels. Here, each level lasts mere seconds, as you frantically fling discs at portals; and then just as youve got into the groove, deadly black levels aim to throw you off balance. There are no cartoon squawks here — just pure, adrenaline-fuelled arcade action.

25. Plague Inc ($0.99/99p)

Having no truck with saving the world, Plague Inc. instead has you methodically and purposefully ruin it, bringing about the end of humanity through a global plague. Puny humans fight back as the infection adapts and grows. Its lots of fun right up until you chance upon an article about antibiotic resistance…

26. Plants vs Zombies HD ($0.99/69p)

Yes, we know theres a Plants vs. Zombies 2, but some dolt infected that with a pointless time-travel gimmick and a freemium business model. The charming, amusing, silly and sweet original remains where its at. For the uninitiated, in Plants vs Zombies you repel zombies with the power of hostile plants. Countless other defence titles exist for iOS, but PopCaps classic is still the best.

27. Pocket Planes (free)

The Tiny Tower devs take to the air in game form, with Pocket Planes. In this management sim, you take command of a fleet of planes, aiming to not entirely annoy people as you ferry them around the world. Like Tiny Tower, this ones a touch grindy, but its a similarly amusing time-waster.

28. Slydris ($1.99/£1.49)

This sort-of-Tetris has you drop sets of coloured blocks into a well. Tactics are of paramount importance, since you can move only one block for each new line of junk thats introduced. Slydris therefore becomes an ongoing challenge, a deceptively deep slice of strategy, gravity, block management and combos.

29. SpellTower ($1.99/£1.49)

This fantastic word game starts off easy. You get a grid of letters and remove them by dragging out words. Your only foe in SpellTower is gravity, letters falling into empty space as completed words disappear. But then come new modes, with ferocious timers and numbered letters that wont vanish unless you craft long enough words. And there always seem to be too many Vs!

30. Splice: Tree of Life ($3.99/£2.49)

A regimented game set in a world of microbes, Splice is all about arranging said microbes to fit within predefined outlines. Restrictions abound, based on binary trees, forcing you to think ahead regarding where to drop your microbes and when to splice them. Grasp the basic mechanics and the game opens up, but it never relinquishes its devious edge, later introducing freeform microbes, and those that grow and vaporise.

31. Super Hexagon ($2.99/£1.99)

Ah, Super Hexagon. We remember that first game, which must have lasted all of three seconds. Much like the next — and the next. But then we recognised patterns in the walls that closed in on our tiny ship, and learned to react and dodge. Then you threw increasingly tough difficulty levels at us, and weve been smitten ever since.

32. Super Monsters Ate My Condo (free)

The original Monsters Ate My Condo was like Jenga and a match-three game shoved into a blender with a massive dollop of crazy. Super Monsters Ate My Condo is a semi-sequel which takes a time-attack approach, shoe-horning the bizarre tower-building/floor-matching/monster-feeding into a tiny amount of time, breaking your brain in the process.

33. QatQi (free)

QatQi starts off a bit like Scrabble in the dark, until you figure out that youre really immersed in a kind of Roguelike mash-up. So although the aim is to make crosswords from a selection of letters, youre also tasked with exploring dungeons to find score-boosting stars and special tiles.

34. Super Stickman Golf 2 ($0.99/69p)

If youve often thought golf would be much better if it was played on Mars, or in a giant castle, or in dank caverns with glue-like surfaces, Super Stickman Golf 2 is the game for you. Its side-on charms echo Angry Birds in its artillery core, but this is a far smarter and more polished game. It also boasts two equally brilliant but different multiplayer modes: one-on-one asynchronous play and frantic multiplayer racing.

35. Superbrothers: Sword and Sworcery EP ($4.99/£2.99)

Apples mobile platform has become an unlikely home for traditional point-and-click adventures. Sword & Sworcery has long been a favourite, with its sense of mystery, palpable atmosphere, gorgeous pixel art and an evocative soundtrack. Exploratory in nature, this is a true adventure in the real sense of the word, and its not to be missed.

36. The Room ($0.99/69p)

Theres something wonderfully old-school about The Room, in its Myst-like exploration and sense of mystery. But this is a truly touchscreen experience, with you investigating inexplicable boxes with seemingly infinite nooks and crannies, which unlock to present yet more secrets and routes to explore. An obscure narrative is woven throughout, along with plenty of scares. Devour it greedily, preferably at night, in a dark room, and then take on its more expansive sequel.

37. Royal Revolt (free)

In Royal Revolt, the king is dead and his siblings have stolen his kingdom while the prince was at school. Unfortunately for them, he was studying magic and is now out for revenge. The game itself is a real-time-strategy effort with some seriously cute and well-animated graphics.

38. Threes! ($1.99/£1.49)

Threes! is all about matching numbered cards. 1s and 2s merge to make 3s, and then pairs of identical cards can subsequently be merged, doubling their face value. With each swipe, a new card enters the tiny grid, forcing you to carefully manage your growing collection and think many moves ahead. The ingenious mix of risk and reward makes it hugely frustrating when youre a fraction from an elusive 1536 card, but so addictive youll immediately want another go.

39. Trainyard ($2.99/£1.99)

Trainyard is another devious puzzler that at first seems a cinch. Initially, you merely drag tracks to lead trains between stations of the same colour. But then rocks enter the fray, along with colour-mixing and train-splitting. Before you know it, youve 14 stations, seven trains, hazards aplenty and an aching brain from figuring out how to get all the trains home safely.

40. Ticket To Ride ($6.99/$4.99)

The iPad screens just about big enough to cater for traditional board games, and Ticket to Ride is an excellent example. The game involves claiming routes across the USA, cunningly blocking opponents via the use of little plastic (virtual) trains. Theres pass-and-play to compete with friends, or a four-level AI to pit your wits against.

41. Tiny Wings HD ($2.99/£1.99)

This sweet, endless title stars a bird who loves to fly but doesnt have the wings for it. Instead, she uses gravity, sliding down hills and then propelling herself into the air from the top of adjacent slopes. Meanwhile, in another mode, her offspring are happily racing, bounding over lakes, eager to earn the biggest fish from their mother. Whichever route you take, Tiny Wings is a vibrant, warm and friendly experience.

42. Touchgrind Skate 2 ($4.99/£2.99)

You can almost see the development process behind this one: "Hey, fingers look a bit like legs, so if we put a skateboard underneath…" And so arrived one of the finest iOS sports titles, with you using your fingers to roam urban locations and perform gnarly stunts. Admittedly, this game is tricky to master, but its hugely rewarding when you do so, and video highlights can be shared with your friends. The games also a great example of touchscreen-oriented innovation — Touchgrind Skate just wouldnt be the same with a traditional controller.

43. Triple Town (free)

In Triple Town, you have to think many moves ahead to succeed. Its a match game where trios of things combine to make other things, thereby giving you more space on the board to evolve your town. At times surreal, Triple Town is also brain-bending and thoroughly addictive. Free moves slowly replenish, and you can also unlock unlimited moves via IAP.

44. Walking Dead (free)

We do like a good zombie yarn, as long as were not the subject matter, having just had our brains eaten. Walking Dead successfully jumped from comic to TV screen, and its just as good in its interactive incarnation. The first part of the story is free, and you can then buy new episodes; if you survive, season 2 is also available.

45. World of Goo HD ($4.99/£2.99)

It didnt begin life on the iPad, but World of Goo certainly makes sense on it. A bewitching game of physics puzzles and bridge building, the title also has real heart at its core. Through powerful imagery, haunting audio and the odd moment of poignancy, you find yourself actually caring about little blobs of goo, rather than merely storming through the games many levels.

46. XCOM ($19.99/£13.99)

This game feels almost like a brazen slap in the face to iPad detractors who claim Apples tablet cant handle AAA titles. Showing up only eight months after its release on high-powered consoles, the iOS version of XCOM loses little of the originals brilliance. Earth has been invaded, and troops under your command must fight back, in tense turn-based battles. Tough, terrifying and suitably deep, this smart, sophisticated title feels perfectly at home on an iPad, despite its console origins.

47. Year Walk ($3.99/£2.49)

Year Walk preceded the same developers iOS masterpiece Device 6, but is equally daring. Its a first-person adventure of sorts, with more than a nod towards horror literature and, frankly, the just plain weird. Its unsettling, clever, distinctive and beautifully crafted — another unmissable and original touchscreen creation.

48. Zen Pinball (free)

More pinball! This ones a bit less realistic than Gameproms efforts, but Zen Pinball is very pretty, with a bright and exciting free table, Sorcerers Lair. Further tables are available via IAP, including some Marvel-themed and surprisingly great Star Wars efforts, but the sole freebie should have pinball addicts happily sated for a while.

49. Letterpress (free)

Who knew you could have such fun with a five-by-five grid of letters? In Letterpress, you play friends via Game Center, making words to colour lettered squares. Surround any and theyre out of reach from your friends tally. Cue: word-tug-o-war, last-minute reversals of fortune, and arguments about whether qat is a real word or not (it is).

50. Gridrunner Free (free)

Gridrunner Free has the look of a lost 1980s arcade game, with hints of Caterpillar and Space Invaders. But this is really a thoroughly modern affair, with perfect touch controls and bullet-hell-style gameplay, albeit bullet-hell in the video game equivalent of a shoebox. Oh, and you get only one life in survival mode, making every game a frantic bid to stay alive (more modes can be unlocked via the 69p In-App Purchase).

If you are the lucky owner of a Samsung GALAXY Note II then you need to check out our video guide to the best apps to make the most of Samsungs innovative pressure sensitive S Pen.


The real beauty of the Samsung GALAXY Note II is the fact that it opens up a whole new world of apps that work even better with the S Pen. Check out the video above for a run through of our current favourite apps on the Google Play store that make the most of the S Pen.

LayerPaint

£1.99
If you want to create something really spectacular on your Note II, then an arty app is a good place to start. LayerPaint makes the creative process even easier by allowing you to work with different layers.

There are loads of handy tools available to help perfect your masterpiece, including brushes, bucket tool, gradation and hand tool.

Once youre happy with your creation, you can even export your work as a Photoshop file to pick up where you left off on your laptop or desktop computer.

Touch ReTouch HD

£0.62
An app thats essential for any keen photographers out there is Touch ReTouch. Using your S Pen, you can tweak and edit your GALAXY Note II photos in great detail quickly and easily. You can remove shadows, ghosts and flare, touch-up facial tone and even remove whole bridges and buildings from a background.

Then if youre unsure of the changes, theres an unlimited undo/redo feature and you always keep the original image resolution.

Maze Racer

Free
Maze Racer is hand drawn and looks beautiful. It was originally created for a Best S Pen app competition, so is perfect for the S Pen.

The aim is to draw a line from the word start to the word finish, with lots of obstacles getting in your way.

Youre even encouraged to draw your own levels and send them in – which is made infinitely better using the S Pen

Its all very exciting having the latest version of Android install itself on your mobile, but what happens when it makes changes you dont actually like?


Thats the situation owners of phones like the Nexus 4 and Nexus 5 found themselves in recently, as Googles exciting new Android 4.4 KitKat release arrived – and forced upgraders to use Googles own Hangouts app as the default SMS app.

Aside from no one really liking being told what software they have to use, the change was also a bit unsettling. The SMS tool is one of the most basic, reliable and unchanged features of any phone, with even the most backward of tech users usually able to work out how to send a simple text message.

But in Hangouts? Even experienced smartphone users struggled to work out how to send a simple text. Not only that, the term hangout is a dreary, predictable piece of brainstorming nonsense.

So if you fancy rebelling against Googles forced use of the Hangouts app and going your own way, here are five alternative SMS apps to install and bring texting back to basics on Android.

1. Hello SMS

Plenty of customisation options await in this Android SMS app, with Hello SMS letting users choose if they want a standard notification or the entire screen to light up when messages arrive. Plus theres a night mode layout option with a dark background to supposedly save your eyes and battery when texting late.

The design is pretty jazzy, with a list of SMS threads down the left, plus a wider layout when viewing your texts in landscape mode.

Replies are threaded, albeit in a subtle, bolded highlight way, and its a fast, simple app to open and use. A long-press on the message icon lets you delete an entire conversation, while the attachment option is a swish combined gallery and camera app, splitting the screen between existing shots and a viewfinder for capturing and attaching live shots.

View this app on the Play Store

2. Handcent SMS

Handcents been around for a long time on Android, and it shows. The designs not particularly thrilling, offering a white and blue colour scheme that looks like its been ported from iPhone.

Still, beneath the clunky layout there are absolutely stacks of features in Handcent, with this texting app letting users add doodles to messages as image files, attach screen captures of the phones display, spellcheck messages before sending and, if you have a clear non-regional accent, input text via Googles speech-to-text tools.

The sending of messages can even be scheduled, if you need to establish a watertight alibi. Its a proper hardcore texting app for people who use their 3,000 SMS allowance each month.

View this app on the Play Store

3. EvolveSMS

EvolveSMS goes all-out on design, with a stylish layout that incorporates a swish landscape option, multiple font and text size options, Emojis and more.

A nice pop-up reply box makes responding simple, plus theres a pattern lock and the ability to set some conversations to private while leaving others unrestricted, and a choice of Home screen widgets.

You can also snooze incoming text message notifications for a set period of time, in the unlikely event youve got something better to do than look at your portable telephone.

And as nice as it looks, the appearance can further be amended by installing themes and other customisation packs.

View this app on the Play Store

4. Textra SMS

Textra bravely claims its a "beautiful" texting app, and, if you like Androids old grey, boxy layout, it probably is.

To make it less pretty theres a custom Textra Emoji plugin that can be downloaded for free, if you like expressing yourself via silly emoticons, plus theres a built-in audio recording tool, for sending people clips of you speaking when typings too much of a chore.

In terms of customisation, theres much to play with. It supports pop-up message notifications, the changing of the notification LED colour (if your phone supports it), with users also able to customise the pulsing of the notification vibration – for the ultimate in stealth text alerts.

View this app on the Play Store

5. TextSecure

TextSecure has a bigger selling point than the rest: security.

On a basic level it restricts Android from taking screengrabs of messages, plus, if you demand more control and reassurance that the wife/government isnt reading everything you say, theres the option of locking the app down with a passphrase. And, for yet more protection, conversations between two users can be kept private with end to end encryption.

In terms of customisation, TextSecure delivers some fun consumer toys, with SMS delivery report tools, LED colour and blink pattern toggles for at-a-glance notifications, enter key modification and more.

Every year the technology is getting better and better. And the evolution of smartphones is moving so fast. Heres the lists of best smartphones that you sure want to get in your hand this 2014.TOP 1: Samsung Galaxy S5

No doubt that Samsung Galaxy S5 will be the best smartphone this 2014. It has a 5.1” FHD Super AMOLED (1920 x 1080), 432 ppi display. With the 16MP (1/2.6”, Phase Detection AF) main camera.

Check out these cool features:

TOP 2: Sony Xperia Z2Sony Xperia Z2 was also the talk of Mobile World Congress. It has 5.2-inches and it gets itself a 2.3GHz quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 801 processor and 3GB of RAM. We could say that this is the faster phones for today.

The front-facing speakers will definitely boost the sound quality, enough to rock your favorite music. It has more features compared to Sony Xperia Z1 and theres a 4K video, as well as stabilisation.