Yes, Capcom Mobile and Discovery Communications have teamed up to bring Cash Cab to the iPhone. Players take a simulated taxi ride, answering increasingly difficult questions on their way to their destination, with three strikes getting you kicked out of the backseat, hopefully in a nice neighborhood. The game features pictures of the actual show's host, comedian turned cab driver Ben Bailey, heightening the sensation of playing a game set inside a taxi.

Seriously, this show has been running for four years now, and has won an Emmy award, and despite my scorn, whenever I catch a glimpse of it while sifting through my channels I have to sit and watch, and god help me if there's a marathon on. I can't explain it. Maybe I'm waiting for someone to get knifed.

Cash Cab is now on sale in the iTunes App Store for $4.99.

Released this June, the iPhone 3GS added a magnetic compass, video capture capabilities, more built-in memory and a faster processor when it hit.

But it hasn't been until recently that games designed specifically to take advantage of the new guts have started hitting iTunes.

Gameloft's Asphalt 5 is one of those games. While the racing title will play on an iPod Touch or any model iPhone, it plays best on the 3GS when it hits later this year.

That's because when the game first runs the software detects which hardware it has been installed on and launches the appropriate software. The game pack includes different files to load depending on which handset runs it, a Gameloft told Kotaku.

It's a clever way to hide the fact that the iPhone is starting to nose its way into the sticky issue of having a potentially fragmented audience, something that could have serious implications for developers and gamers alike.

The new game has you controlling the laser cannon with your finger, breaking it free from its fixed horizontal path to let you sweep the thing around the screen. While auto-fire is the default, you can set it to allow you to start and stop the cannon's shots.

With the promise of evolution both in the title and the design, can this latest Space Invaders drum up the attention that the original failed to achieve?

Loved
Space Invaders Reimagined: On some level I hold games like Space Invaders sacrosanct. Space Invaders, Asteroids, Pac-Man, they're all proto-games representative of a genre they either created or popularized. Trying to reimagine them makes no sense because countless other titles have already done that in the evolution of the genre they represent. These new versions are often pointless and annoying to retro-fans like myself. But there are times when it works. Space Invaders Infinity Gene is one of those moments.

Infinity Gene works because, while it stays anchored in the aesthetic of the original Space Invaders, it ditches just about everything else, turning the heartbeat pace of the steady shoot-em up into something frantic and ever evolving. While the game's enemies include a wide range of shapes and ships, the familiar iconic space invaders always loom, slipping in and out of the background in pulsing lines. The weapons too evolve from a single horizontal dash to energy waves, twin guns, gravity bombs and curving lock-on rays.

Infinite Space Invaders: The game initially comes at you in a series of increasingly long levels, 19 of them in total. But as you play you unlock evolutions which give you new weapons, new music, new art, and a few new levels. The really amazing thing about Space Invaders Infinity Gene, though, is its ability to draw inspiration from your iPod Touch or iPhone's music library and create new levels. I tried this a half dozen times so far, playing through Johnny Cash's "Ring of Fire," Vampire Weekend's "A-Punk" and Jimi Hendrix's "Once I Had a Woman," to name a few. Each level was different enough to convince me that something new was going on, that the levels really were born of a Hendrix guitar solo and Cash's gravely voice.

Hated
Nonsensical Evolutionary Tree: There's a lot going for Space Invaders Infinity Gene, but the game's namesake evolution tree isn't one of them. On paper it sounds like you'll be choosing evolution paths, like in a role-playing game, as you progress through the levels. That's not really the case. Really the tree is just a handy way to show you all of the stuff you've unlocked, none of it really building on each other to create re-playability or different paths.

There are few games worthy of a permanent spot on my iPhone's increasingly bloated screens, Space Invaders Infinity Gene is one of them. It's not just because I have an affinity for Space Invaders, it's because I feel that the ability to play unique levels based on whatever I happen to be listening to at the time will keep this game from ever feeling dated.

Space Invaders Infinity Gene was developed and published by Taito for the iPhone and iPod Touch on July 27. Retails for $4.99 USD. Played all game types in both single player mode and multiple music-created levels.

Confused by our reviews? Read our review FAQ.

The 42.0 station, the frequency itself a reference to marijuana, is called "Legalize It. "It's one of four radio stations of original music in the game, which models its story of Latino L.A. street crime off of the storytelling and gameplay style of the GTA games. (Here is Kotaku's preview of Gangstar: West Coast Hustle.)

A quick pot reference — not even, as far as I could see, any hint of pot use— might go unremarked in other forms of entertainment. Plenty of Hollywood actors, athletes rock stars and musicians have discussed their pot use and their desire for the drug to be legalized in the United States. It's not rare to see a character in a film casually discuss smoking pot or advocate for its use.

Drug use is less common in games, and any expression supporting drug use is virtually absent. Take gaming's most notorious series, Grand Theft Auto. In GTA: San Andreas, the pot-farmer voiced by Peter Fonda, a guy who goes by the name of The Truth, offers the game's protagonist, C.J., some pot. C.J., who, with the aid of the player has shown little hesitation to kill cops and even, late in the game, try to blow up the equivalent of Hoover Dam, turns him down. It's a line the game won't cross. In the most recent GTA, Chinatown Wars, the player can deal pot and other drugs referred to by their real name, but, as with the rest, marijuana is treated as nothing other than a money-making commodity used by characters not worthy of starring in a game.

As is the case for all the games on Apple's iPhone and iPod touch platforms, Gangstar: West Coast Hustle, won't be rated by the Entertainment Software Ratings Board. According to a publicist at its publisher/development studio Gameloft, it will be rated for 16 and up. The game is slated for an August release.

Word first leaked about Gangstar: West Coast Hustle earlier this month. It's another GTA-like game coming to a platform that Rockstar Games hasn't yet graced its presence with.

I played Gangstar yesterday at the New York offices of the game's publisher and developer, Gameloft. And I even found a few ways it's different than GTA.

What Is It?
Gangstar is an approximation of Grand Theft Auto game design that puts the player in the shoes of Pedro, a man recently returned from Mexico and caught up in the violence of the game's primary locale, Los Angeles. The core car-jacking and and cop-shooting elements from the 3D GTAs are in the game; sleeping with prostitutes, I was told, is not.

What We Saw
I played the game's intro missions and tried a flashback set in a prison yard. In my first mission in L.A. I had to find a pay phone, where I needed to beat up a gang member who said that my guy wasn't wearing the right colors to use a phone marked in blue. Then I jacked a couple of cars, learned to shoot at people, bought some armor at a shop called Bullet Time and ran afoul of the law. Later, I drove a limousine while a couple made love in the back (The game will be rated 16 and up, but it's violent, not risque).

How Far Along Is It?
Gangstar is set for August release, but given that it is a downloadable iPhone/iPod Touch game, that should leave plenty of time for tweaks.

What Needs Improvement?
How It's Cruder Than GTA: Sure, the game looks like GTA, but possibly due to the horsepower of Gangstar's platform, some things aren't quite as you'd expect. For example, I could drive through trees as if they weren't there. I saw a pedestrian who should have been dashing down the street. Instead, she was snagged on a park bench, running in place as if she was at a nightclub in the 90s. Any bit of polish on this kind of stuff would be great.

The Police System: Do bad things and the cops will come after you, as represented by an increasing number of badges displayed in the upper right corner of the screen. These badges would go away if I hid or if I ran/drove through the game world, picking up badges strewn across the landscape. Not bad, in theory, but in my effort to evade the cops and drive to a badge marked on my mini-map, I invariably got spotted by the cops again. I couldn't shake these guys.

What Should Stay The Same?
The Controls: This game was comfortable and easy to control. It is played with the iPhone (or iPod Touch) held horizontally. The player's left thumb controls a virtual analog stick. The right thumb can tap an action icon which will make Pedro punch, kick, shoot or whatever else suits what he's armed with. Tapping the weapons icon changes weapons. Tapping the game's mini-map enlarges it. Tapping on an enemy will lock on to them so you can attack. Driving options are varied, allowing for a virtual steering wheel under your left thumb, pedals under your right — or accelerometer-based driving if you want to tilt your phone. For the most part, these controls worked very well. I was stymied only by a third steering option involving a control stick.

How It's Different From GTA: The game's got a few things that GTA doesn't have, and more of that is to be encouraged. What gamer just wants to play a clone? As mentioned above, there is a playable flashback set in a prison, so we're experiencing a narrative told out of standard chronological order. Possibly more troubling for some people is the game's non-GTA-like rewarding of cash to players for every kill they make. It's not just that some downed enemies drop money, as in Rockstar's series. Nope. In this game, killing a cop or running over a civilian makes the player money.

How It's Similar To GTA: The fact that a game made in the style of a 3D Grand Theft Auto can run on an iPhone or iPod touch is impressive. It shows just how capable Apple's hardware is. As a test case or proof of processing prowess, it's a positive development. Musically, the game also draws inspiration from GTA, offering four in-game radio stations or — for those with 3.0 firmware — integrating music on your phone/iPod into the game.

Final Thoughts
I'm always a bit uncomfortable playing a game that so slavishly imitates another, but without having played all of Gangstar, I can't say that that is all this game is. And, if that is all it is, it's still an achievement that will probably please many who own Apple's handheld.

Is this really what Rockstar would do on an iPhone? It's hard to imagine that. But it certainly has been made to play a lot like what Rockstar has done elsewhere. A GTA wannabe on an Apple handheld. Interested?

You could even say we get too many games, because it's been revealed that there are now over 13,000 games on the App Store. 13,000?!?! It's like a gold rush, only there's more money to be had, and people have better teeth.

For reference, in March, there were only 6000 games. What, is somebody feeding these things after midnight?

Over 13,000 iPhone games on App Store [GI.biz]

Loved
Controls: In Edge, you control a block that moves about its gridded environment by "rolling" on its edges in the four cardinal directions. Picking up multicolored prisms increases your rolling pace. You can hang on the edges of your environment by rolling partly up and then holding your position, rocking back and fourth. The time you spend "on the edge" is subtracted from your level time. You accomplish this by means of three controls - with a finger-drag motion that's a little difficult to pick up at first, by tilting the iPhone, or by touching an onscreen directional pad. Touch-dragging is the default mode, and you'll probably want a protective screen (mine developed a split and a bubble before Edge arrived, and so I removed it). With oily fingers and a smudgy screen, the touch-drag-hold control can be slow to respond. The accelerometer would be the most difficult option. It does have a calibration and sensitivity feature, but as is the problem with most iPhone games, you're still moving the screen. But for those who want to see every level through to the end, regardless of the time or score they earn (some can take 10 minutes) the touch pad is there. And with 40 levels, it is a long lasting experience regardless of how you approach it.

Cubism: Those who loved Crystal Castles and Marble Madness will adore Edge's high-contrast geometric plane of existence. It's one of the best imagined games for this new platform, and would still be outstanding in a straight port to a larger console. The levels you play are so deep and enriching you forget they are formed of, literally, building blocks. One early stage, "Metro" really got my attention for how well it interpreted a subway stop at night.

Soundtrack: So excellent it deserves its own specific mention. This is the best soundtrack of any iPhone game, period. The electronica mix is pensive, soothing, energetic, mysterious - in short, perfectly matched to the tone of your current soundings. The chiptones for the level "8-Bit", in particular, will bring a smile to your face. I even found myself, before going to bed, just starting up Edge and listening to its opening-screen music. You can download the entire 19 track score for free from Mobigame (donation suggested), but it really should be experienced inside the game.

My only disappointment is that, for gamers less skilled with the accelerometer or touch modes, the onscreen D-pad can feel like a cop-out. This is unfortunate but necessary because on some later levels (I played all 40) I simply couldn't see how they can be completed using touch or tilt. Granted, I was reviewing the game to its completion, and not taking my with it the way many casual gamers would.

Despite all that, Edge is a must have game, moreso than any racer or puzzler out there. So much of the iPhone's desirability is wrapped up in its design, and the simplicity and elegance of its interface. Likewise, Edge is a game with a very simple purpose, elegantly rendered, and altogether desirable.

Edge, for the iPhone and iPod Touch, was developed and published by Mobigame. Currently available from iTunes store for $4.99. Completed all 40 standard levels on iPhone (three more are unlockable) testing all methods of control.

Confused by our reviews? Read our review FAQ.

Loved
Challenge: Well, more like "seriously respected" the challenge. geoDefense can get downright frustrating at times, but tower defense, done well, is difficult. You won't be blowing through this in a matter of hours. For all the trouble it'll throw at you, it still teases you into picking it up and killing a good half-hour trying to figure out the level that's giving you trouble, and persistence will deliver the eureka moment where you figure out the winning build. That, or you just start frenetically throwing up gun towers to stanch the bleeding (which, surprisingly, works sometimes). On harder levels, the resource cost and availability is such that precision placement of the correct tower through the first three or four waves is the only way to win. That's not my cup of tea, but I respect the fact that it is for many fans of the genre. Still on top of all this is a hardcore mode that is way beyond my capabilities.

Presentation: Drawing heavily on the kind of visuals that made games like Geometry Wars so appealing, geoDefense is very well rendered and ladles you with eye candy. The sound for big weapons and major explosions will overwhelm your speaker (and framerate) at times, but that's the only drawback. Tower defense follows a well established gameplay, so it's left to graphics and sound to distinguish a first-rate game from others. Geo-Defense's vector-style graphics, pixel bursts, and warp effects more than set it apart from the crowd.

Hated:
Curse my Fat Fingers: There are still some minor quibbles worth pointing out. Anyone with large digits is going to have some difficulty making precision placements. geoDefense attempts to compensate for this by spreading out a range circle much larger than your finger tip, with X and Y axes highlighted, but even then the screen's sensitivity was such that some placements were incrementally off. Trying to aim a laser tower down odd angles is tough. Forget using your thumb for anything. Also, the pause button is in a bad location. You'll be pounding it like a TV remote with dying batteries trying to restart a level at first. Try aiming your finger tip off to the left of it. Last criticism - your high score registers only if you beat a level. Considering how downright unfair some of the later challenges are, it would be kind of the developer to at least allow me the partial victory of seeing a seven-figure score on the level that has been kicking my ass for the past six days.

geoDefense is easily recommendable for tower defense enthusiasts. Those looking for an introduction should know they are getting a serious challenge after about five levels. Still, for both types of gamers, geoDefense supplies enough to keep you coming back - for how long depends on your competitiveness and commitment. After finishing a draft of this critique, I went back and attacked the last level giving me trouble, and figured it out. While I immediately put it down to savor my victory - quit while I'm ahead - I'll start on the next level sooner or later.

geoDefense, for the iPhone and iPod Touch, was developed and published by Critical Thought Games. Currently available from iTunes store for introductory price of $0.99. Full price will be $3.99. Played all 30 levels on iPhone on standard difficulty.

Confused by our reviews? Read our review FAQ.

For you, then, in the absence of help, comes information: the game will be out on Apple's App Store next week, March 18 March 19, and will cost you $10.

'Metal Gear Solid Touch' Releasing on March 18 [G4]

UPDATE - Konami have contacted us to let us know that G4 were off by a day. The game will actually be released on March 19.

The site shows that there are currently 6,165 games available in the App Store. Of those 1,485 are free and the rest are for purchase.

Mobclix also has an interesting breakdown of categories within iGames, with puzzle titles making up more than 23 percent of the mix, and arcade in a distant second with 13 percent of the titles. It is heartening to see that educational and kids games tie board and strategy in the mix.

App Store [via 1Up]

Well, the Chicago-based developer/publisher is giving it a go, announcing a quintet of iPhone and iPod Touch-bound games for later this month. All five fall under the Touchmaster brand — this isn't Mortal Kombat Touch, folks, but pretty, colorful App Store appropriate fodder.

Prismatix, Dice King, Combo 11, Carpet and Spellwinder will hit the iTunes App Store by end of January, giving Touchmaster flashbacks to the regularly inebriated and lonely bar patron. Each is just 99 cents, with all five bundled for $3.99.

Say, you know what would be great? Hydro Thunder. On anything.

A 3rd Gen iPod, only a handful were ever made, and were handed out last year at the Nintendo World Store in NYC to winners of a Samba De Amigo comp held there during the game's launch.

The owner has left the iPod sealed, leaving the design on its back a mystery, but the front is subtle enough to make it worth looking into.

Samba de Amigo iPod Contest Prize [GameSniped]

Or at least that's what this scan, supposedly from the newest issue of Famitsu Weekly, indicates, a gesture based Metal Gear designed with the iPhone and iPod Touch's touchscreen controls in mind. From what we can gather from this heavily artifacted scan, it looks like it might be a spin-off of Metal Gear Solid 4, which may make it more action-oriented that the turn-based portable outing Metal Gear Ac!d.

Consider this a rumor for now, especially until we see something that looks more legit — and hopefully in higher resolution. If Metal Gear Solid Touch is what's planned and this is an authentic Famitsu scan, it wouldn't come as a surprise to many of us.

Famitsu 20081219 [Wii @ Everday]

UPDATE - Konami have since confirmed. The title will be called Metal Gear Solid Touch.

The new iPod Touch 2G runs at 532MHz as opposed to the 412MHz of earlier models - including the iPhone 3G (the G's mean something different, don't worry about it) and Handheld Games suspect there may be undocumented differences in the GPU speeds as well.

After some experimentation, the four iterations of the device are ranked as follows:

1. iPod Touch 2nd Generation
2. iPhone 3G
3. iPhone (original)
4. iPod Touch 1st Generation

This YouTube clip is meant to illustrate the difference in app loading speeds between the four models, although it would probably have been more visually effective if he has hit the icon on each at the exact same moment.

As it it, though, this is a bit like watching Rick Wakeman playing loads of keyboards at once.

2nd Generation iPod Touch Faster than iPhone [Touch Arcade]

"Everyone thinks we are a software company," said Bach. "That's true. But, we have been in the hardware market for 26 years now. Games and phones, we have only been in these markets for a short time but we are seeing great success."

Microsoft makes phones? Perhaps the great success lies in keeping me completely unaware of this! Bach spent some time during the conference talking up upcoming Zune features, such as the ability to play games, which I am almost positive will justify my Zune purchase whenever the choose to get around to adding that. Hey, did you hear the new models are hitting next week, allowing you to download songs directly from the Zune? Picking up the new iPod Touch instead? Just checking.

Game on, says computer giant [Alberni Valley Times]

Song Summoner uses a "tactics-based battle system" and is controlled via the iPod's click wheel. Your Tune Troopers allies can also be "powered up" by listing to the tracks used to create them. Sound cool? If your answer is "YES!", then make your way to the gallery and press release, both after the break.

SQUARE ENIX ANNOUNCES SONG SUMMONER: The Unsung Heroes, a Full-Scale Role-Playing Game for iPod, Now Available on iTunes

LOS ANGELES (July 7, 2008) – Square Enix, Inc., the publisher of Square Enix™ interactive entertainment products in North America, announced the release of SONG SUMMONER™:

The Unsung Heroes, on sale at the iTunes® Store worldwide (www.itunes.com) and available for play in English and Japanese on the iPod nano with video, iPod classic and fifth generation iPod.

SONG SUMMONER: The Unsung Heroes is a Role-Playing Game that transforms your iPod® songs into powerful "Tune Troopers" that you can control in battle! As the protagonist Ziggy, you will embark on an epic journey to rescue your brother from the clutches of the Mechanical Militia! Intriguing characters, an epic story and a tactics-based battle system combine for a rich RPG experience previously only available on home and handheld game consoles.

SONG SUMMONER: The Unsung Heroes
Publisher: Square Enix, Inc.
Platform: iPod nano with video, iPod classic and fifth generation iPod\
Genre: Role-Playing
Launch Date: July 8, 2008
Price: 4.99 USD (iTunes Store download)

Story
From the days of old, Melodica was a land of music, a land of freedom. The people sang, played and danced to the music they so cherished. Until one day, they came — the Mechanoids, who enhanced their bodies with machinery. Those who were tempted by greed and power willingly gave away their souls for bodies of steel, forsaking their humanity to become cold, emotionless automatons. Now, they seek to destroy all that do not embrace their way of life.

But there is hope on the horizon. There are those who are fated to stand against the tyranny of the machines — the Superstars, who can turn sound into lethal weapons, and the Conductor, also known as the Song Summoner, who can summon powerful warriors born of music.

In their most desperate hour, Melodica awaits the arrival of their new Song Summoner...

Game Features
- Transform your iPod songs into "Tune Troopers" to combat the evil Mechanical Militia.
- Tune Trooper types and abilities are determined by the songs used to create them.
- Your Tune Troopers can be powered up even outside of the game—just by listening to the songs you used to create them!
- Control Ziggy, a "Conductor" that creates warriors out of music, and guide him through his journey to save his brother Zero from the Mechanical Militia.
- Experience a turn-based tactics battle system, divided into player and enemy phases where each side takes turns maneuvering their forces.
- Deploy the right troopers at the right time, and use contraptions found on the map effectively to achieve victory in battle!
- iPod Click Wheel allows players to play the game as easily as selecting music.

About Square Enix Co., Ltd. and Square Enix, Inc.
Square Enix Co., Ltd. (Square Enix), with headquarters in Tokyo, Japan, develops, publishes and distributes entertainment content including interactive entertainment software and publications in Asia, North America and Europe. Square Enix brings two of Japan's best-selling franchises -

FINAL FANTASY®, which has sold over 85 million units worldwide, and DRAGON QUEST®, which has sold over 43 million units worldwide - under one roof. Square Enix is one of the most influential providers of digital entertainment content in the world and continues to push the boundaries of creativity and innovation.

Square Enix, Inc. is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Square Enix Co., Ltd. with offices in Los Angeles, California. It handles operations in North America, including development, localization, marketing, and publishing of Square Enix titles. More information on Square Enix can be found on the Internet at http://www.square-enix.com.

The game was originally unveiled in March with four complete stages, but the finished game contains 110 stages across five worlds, featuring all four classic monkeys, said the spokesperson. The first world, Monkey Island, was unveiled at the game's debut in March, and the fifth world, Space Case, was unveiled today.

Users can accelerate, decelerate and turn using the iPhone's accelerometer and tilt control, and Einhorn demonstrated; our neighbors at Gizmodo snapped this pic.

"For Sega, the App Store represents an amazing opportunity, because we can now be in the same place where people are buying music and movies, and they can take that content with them wherever they go," said Einhorn.

"We can't wait to see what's possible with our other market characters."

[Image Credit: Gizmodo's Liveblog]

"EA Mobile continues to create and distribute games that compel potential customers to download and play games on mobile devices," said Travis Boatman, Vice President of Worldwide Studios, EA Mobile. "The wide range of handsets, from everyday devices to sophisticated 3G phones, and the iPod, provide great platforms that foster and satisfy consumer demand for anytime entertainment."

Here's the full break-down:
The Sims 2 Castaway (mobile)
The Sims Pool (mobile)
Monopoly Here & Now (mobile)
Yahtzee Adventures (mobile)
Merv Griffin's Crosswords (mobile)
Scrabble (iPod)
Yahtzee (iPod)

Screw the iPod, where are my iPhone games? Hit the jump for the descriptions if you're all out-dated and boring and don't own an iPhone...loser.

Games for Mobile Phones
The Sims 2 Castaway
EA Mobile invites gamers to get lost on a remote island with The Sims Castaway as they create, customize and guide a Sim to explore, survive and thrive on an uncharted tropical paradise. Vividly rendered lagoons, jungles, beaches and hidden pirate treasures await fans. The goal: provide your Sim with food, make clothing and build shelter. The Sims 2 Castaway continues The Sims franchise tradition of community: avoid isolation and keep your Sim happy by communicating with other inhabitants. With easy, one-button controls to move your Sim and interact with others, The Sims 2 Castaway unveils rich worlds new to The Sims universe!

The Sims Pool
With The Sims Pool, you can customize your Sim characters, and then hit the pool hall to compete against other Sims in exciting 8 or 9-ball action. Pool fans and newcomers can perfect their skills and watch their popularity soar as they sink balls, execute impressive trick shots and pull off slick combos. Advanced pool physics and an easy one-button interface deliver exciting pool fun for everyone.

Monopoly Here & Now
Monopoly Here & Now, developed via the EA and Hasbro, Inc. alliance, updates the world popular board game with a modern twist, allowing players to buy and sell properties like Waikiki Beach, Fenway Park, and more. Using simple controls to roll the dice, move around the properties, and keep score, gamers can buy, sell, and trade as they strive to put the competition out of business to win it all. Offering solo competition against the phone or pass 'n play with friends, Monopoly Here & Now delivers great fun - anytime and anywhere.

Yahtzee Adventures
Tour the world with Yahtzee Adventures! Play this new version of the treasured Hasbro dice game on your phone. Travel the globe, meet new characters and challenge them to a game, roll the colorful dice and be the first to score a Yahtzee! Enjoy Classic, Duplicate, Rainbow and Battle modes. Pass 'n Play with your friends, or try your hand at a Yahtzee single-player adventure. Dynamic, exciting gameplay, easy controls, and automatic scorekeeping deliver terrific mobile entertainment for you, your friends and family.

Merv Griffin's Crosswords
Experience all of the fun and excitement of the popular TV show with Merv Griffin's Crosswords - now mobile. Players can customize an avatar and choose to play in Timed Mode or Casual Mode. In Timed Mode, it's a race against the clock to enter answers as fast as possible, with virtual cash and prizes at stake. Or play at leisure with no time limits or opponents in Casual Mode. Simple controls make it easy to buzz in to the board, answer the word hint and complete the Crossword. Merv Griffin's Crosswords is great fun for all ages and skill levels!

Games for the iPod
Scrabble
Scrabble, under license from Hasbro in North America only, spells major f-u-n on your iPod! It includes flexible difficulty levels, a built-in word list, dynamic animations, scrolling and full-board views. Use the click-wheel to play alone, challenge the computer in your iPod, or enjoy pass n' play with a friend. The game offers tips, like the "Best Word" feature which suggests the optimal word that can be formed with your tiles. Scrabble on the iPod is great fun for all - from wordplay mavens to new Scrabble players.

Yahtzee
Let the good times roll with Yahtzee on iPod! Vivid dice animations, easy score-keeping, multiple game modes, and simple click-wheel controls deliver classic Yahtzee fun. Fans can play solo, against a friend, or against the computer in their iPod. With unlockable difficulty levels, help menus and pop-up hints to explain the basics, Yahtzee on the iPod is perfect for novices as well as experienced players. Enjoy the iPod version of this wildly popular Hasbro family game!

The Sims 2 Castaway, The Sims Pool, Monopoly Here & Now and Yahtzee Adventures are now available on wireless carriers in North America. Merv Griffin's Crosswords has launched on Verizon Wireless, and is coming soon to other carriers. For more information on carrier availability and pricing, please visit www.eamobile.com.

Yahtzee is available worldwide through iTunes. Scrabble is available via iTunes in the United States and Canada only. All iPod games are available for the iPod nano, iPod classic and fifth-generation iPod and can be sent as a gift using the iTunes gifting feature (www.itunes.com).

But this mock-up? It's a miss. As much as we love the iPod's click wheel, a proper d-pad it is not. Oh, and where the hell are the analog sticks?

iPSP: If Apple had designed the Sony PSP [Spicu]

It's priced at $4.99 US, which should make many of us thankful for more reasonable prices on fully-featured games via Xbox Live and PSN. Sorry folks who don't have an iPod nano with video, iPod classic or fifth generation iPod, you're out of luck.