9 Best iPhone/iPad games this week

Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas (£4.99)

The latest GTA game to be re-released for smartphones and tablets is San Andreas, which has been carefully ported to iOS. Developer Rockstar promises 70 hours of gameplay – if my memory's correct from the original console version, that's about right – with the usual gangster high-jinks in store. Good news if you have an Apple-approved controller too: the game works with those for physical-button fun.
iPhone / iPad

The Room Two (£2.99)

The original The Room was a huge hit on iPad, selling more than 1m copies by the start of this year – hugely impressive for a paid game given current App Store trends. This follow-up already has me tearing my hair out: more physics-based puzzles in a wonderfully-realised 3D environment, with a heavy emphasis on cryptic clues. Hence the hair-tearing.
iPad

Angry Birds Go! (Free)

The latest Angry Birds game is controversial for its enthusiastic adoption of pretty much every free-to-play gaming mechanic going, from timers that make you wait to play once you've had a few races through to coins, sponsored power-ups and a kart costing £34.99. However, underneath that is a genuinely impressive karting game with smooth handling, well-crafted tracks and a sense of fun.
iPhone / iPad

Ski Safari: Adventure Time (£0.69)

In theory, Adventure Time is a children's cartoon. In practice, there are a lot of parents enjoying it too, so this game could cross over to both age groups. It sees the stars of the Cartoon Network show sliding down hills on their bottoms to evade avalanches, pulling stunts as they go. It looks to have captured the quirky charms of the show perfectly.
iPhone / iPad

LEGO Star Wars: The Complete Saga (Free)

As the apps world gears up for Christmas, the big guns are rolling out onto the App Store. Lego Star Wars would in most weeks be the biggest new game on iOS, for example. It sees you exploring the Star Wars universe in blocky form, with the first episode available in the free download, but others then paid for by in-app purchases, as are characters.
iPhone / iPad

Sonic the Hedgehog 2 (£1.99)

Sega's Sonic the Hedgehog has suffered a few gaming indignities in recent years, but this latest iOS port of one of his classic games isn't one of them. It's a lovingly-remastered version of Sonic the Hedgehog 2 – the one with Tails the fox – complete with the famous Hidden Palace Zone that was left out of the original Mega Drive game.
iPhone / iPad

Star Trek Trexels (£1.99)

The recent Star Wars: Tiny Death Star was a revamped version of pixelly social game Tiny Tower, and very good it was too. Now Star Trek is getting a similar treatment: a game where you build a ship, recruit a crew then explore the Star Trek universe – complete with narration from actor George Takei. Although it's a paid download, in-app purchases are also used in the gameplay.
iPhone / iPad

The Walk - Fitness Tracker and Game

Developer Six to Start made the innovative Zombies, Run! fitness game, which got people jogging while pretending to be chased by zombies. This follow-up takes similar basic principles, but it's less athletic: using your walking steps as part of the gameplay rather than requiring you to run. That may also make it more mainstream, which the NHS – a partner – will be hoping for. The storyline involves walking the length of the UK with a package that "could save the world".
iPhone / iPad

Puzzler World (Free)

Finally, something distinctly non-hardcore: traditional puzzles. Released by publisher Puzzler Media, this offers crosswords, wordsearches, sudoku, spot the difference pics and a host of other brain-testers, starting with 40 for free, then selling more in packs via in-app purchase.
iPhone / iPad