If you’re not familiar with Crystal War, the original, here’s the breakdown: Humans and goblins are in direct (and I mean direct) competition over “crystals,” apparently the most critical natural resource in this particular universe. Mining crystal has become an act of war, practically speaking. So what are you going to do? Mine crystal, of course.

I can’t say it’s classy, but Fantasy Defense has a fun personality and it’s unashamed to show it. File it in the guilty pleasure category, I guess. $2.99 in the app store gains you entrance to this awesome time sink, and I highly suggest you check it out. It’s not 3D, it’s not the newest thing on the block, but it’s solid, fun, and addictive.

My Town 2 is fun, but slower paced, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing—most of us could slow things down a bit. The inherent power of deciding what happens in your world is the same trap in the game as in real life; once you have the power, you are at the mercy of your kingdom. To advance quickly will require frequent attention to the game—collect your taxes because they don’t just keep stacking up; check in on your businesses or they don’t improve; keep building or your town doesn’t grow and prosper (welcome to your kingdom, now get to work!).

If you like a game where you can spend a lot of time doing reconnaissance and constantly being careful about how you move, then have fun with Arch Fiery. This game will require some patience, and reminded me of the little BB in the maze game. Unfortunately, I never really got into those either.

Tiny Token Empire is a strategy game along the lines of Civilization, only Tiny. There are the usual conquer and build objectives along with some go-find-this-nifty-item quests. For an empire or civilization building game, Tiny Token Empire is pretty basic. But Planc is mildly entertaining; even more entertaining when you fool around and get a little verbal abuse.

If ever a game made absolutely no sense, it’s Dark Meadow. I guess you have to expect that from pretty much any game that finds your character suddenly awakening in a derelict hospital with no memory of who he is or why he’s there but with a keen knowledge of sword combat. The hospital is haunted, of course, and you have to fight numerous monsters along your way with weapons you buy from…someone…with gold that just happens to be lying around in bags.

It’s been a long time coming. I’ve been waiting for a good-old third-person shooter for iPad, and thankfully, Madfinger delivers with Shadowgun. Mind you, they offer nothing new here—just your tried and tested formula for an entertaining, blast-your-way-through-to-the-end type of game. And yet, Shadowgun is a solid universal iOS game that is sure to delight action gamers.

I’m not sure “idyllic” is a word that should ever be followed with an exclamation mark. Is it possible to get that excited about something that’s, by definition, “peaceful and picturesque?” But the developers of Idyllic! for iOS have given us an exclamation mark nonetheless. Good thing the game itself is worth some excitement.

If there’s one classic arcade fighting game that every gamer—hard-core or casual—knows, it’s Street Fighter. At some point in your gaming life, I know you’ve played at least one iteration of this game, be it in the arcade, on your home console or portablet gaming device. Want to relive the classic Street Fighter II game, this time on your iPhone? This collection will help you reminisce your younger gaming days of yore.

How do you improve on an already great iOS game? Provide the feature fans are craving: multiplayer online gaming. Being an obedient game developer, that’s what Capcom just did, and the result is Street Fighter IV Volt for our iPhone, iPod touch and iPad (it’s not a universal app, though, and scaling on the iPad is simply not that stunning).