iPhone Steps Up Its Game

Apple would love you to believe that the iPhone really has the capabilities to challenge the Nintendo DS and Sony PSP in the portable gaming arena, but is it true? Over the last few months, a rash of big-budget games have appeared in the iTunes App Store, and some of them indeed offer gaming experiences very close to those you might expect from a dedicated device. Best of all, they're all available for download around the $10 mark. Check out some of the best sellers.

Note: App links require iTunes installed.

SimCity

Marking its twentieth anniversary in 2009, Sim City is one of gaming's most venerable and white-haired franchises. Fortunately, the just-released iPhone version is entirely up to date, including many of the improvements developer Maxis made to the basic city-management concept over the decades. The visuals are sharp, the controls are refreshingly uncomplicated, and the depth is immense. It's the best handheld Sim City experience thus far.

Sally's Salon

Are you a fan of time-management games like Diner Dash? Yeah, us too. Sally's Salon is familiar territory to any genre fan: you must keep a flood of customers happy as they pour through the doors of your budding cosmetology business. What's missing? Nothing, essentially. Despite all the alpha-male-appropriate entertainment on the device, picking new nail polish for grannies in Sally's Salon is rapidly becoming our favorite iPhone timewaster. Don't tell anyone we said that.

Spore Origins

EA's 2008 best-seller Spore spawned this smaller spin-off, which brings the PC game's microscopic first stage to the diminutive iPhone. Spore fans will find the quality production values well in line with the PC version but might find the gameplay a little basic, and it's a shame there's no interactivity with the PC game. On the other hand, as a low-stress and easy to control gobble-em-up arcade game with a few neat evolutionary twists, it's likeable and sound value.

Rolando

Don't let the bizarre appearance of this puzzle-platformer put you off. Rolando's colorful graphics hide head-scratching conundrums that'll have you tilting, tapping and tumbling your way through level after level in an unlikely blend of the PSP hit LocoRoco and the classic Lemmings. While the rest of the games on this list are "heavily inspired" by games on other platforms, this is an iPhone experience through and through. It's a real gem.

I Love Katamari

Quirky, cute, and unmistakably Japanese, I Love Katamari's roll-stuff-up-into-a-great-big-ball concept fits neatly with the iPhone's tilt-sensing hardware. Issues with graphical lag and confusing controls led to bad initial impressions from many iPhone gamers, but thanks to a much-needed patch it's now in fine shape, boasting an experience that's little different than its cousins on "real" gaming platforms. If you were put off at first, time to reconsider.

Amateur Surgeon

Amateur filmmaking? Lovely. Amateur photography? You bet. Amateur surgery? Not so much. What's undoubtedly a terrible idea in real life is a great idea on the iPhone, courtesy of the ever-controversial Adult Swim network. You'll slice open folks with a pizza cutter, sew them up again with a stapler, and cauterize their wounds with a zippo. It's just like Nintendo DS hit Trauma Center, except funny. Beware the 17+ age rating, though.

Hero of Sparta

Bringing all the platforming action of the Sony PSP series God of War to the iPhone, Hero of Sparta uses a nifty on-screen joystick to mimic the controls of dedicated gaming systems. On the whole, it works beautifully, and this polished, graphically impressive hack-and-slash adventure is sure to please anyone looking for a good, old-fashioned action romp on their phone.

Tap Tap Dance

Looking for that Guitar Hero or Dance Dance Revolution fix? Tap Tap Dance might be the answer. Sporting a soundtrack from some of the best-known artists in electronic music (including Daft Punk, the Chemical Brothers, and Basement Jaxx), it'll have your fingers dancing around the screen in no time. The clear-yet-lively visuals will keep your eyes smiling, but ramp up the difficulty and you'll find it just as challenging as its cousins on larger game platforms, while hitting many of the same addictive notes.

Super Monkey Ball

Sega's Super Monkey Ball was one of the first iPhone games Apple demoed, and it remains one of the most graphically impressive titles on the platform. As for the game itself, well, it's a bit of an acquired taste. Those tilt controls sure are easy to use, but you might struggle to achieve the kind of precision the game demands. At worst, it's a great way to get a taste of the iPhone's hardware; at best, it's a slick conversion of this addictive long-time favorite.

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