If you’re like me and you love your android device with a passion then you’re probably also a little lost when it comes to finding the best games on the platform, with over 80,000 applications on the market it can be difficult to find a game let alone discover a gem for yourself. I’ve been scouring the market and internet for the best Android games I can fit in my pocket. I’ve tried to separate the wheat from the chaff and to bring you the very best (in my opinion) but if you have any games to add please feel free to comment.

These picks are based mainly on my own personal choice but I have tried to pick out what I think are the best in all categories based on presentation, enjoyment and longevity. In general I am recommending games that look good, play well and suit the mobile phone format, in particular I like to point out games that make use of tilt controls or make good use of touch screen. Also note the lack of 3D games, there may be some good 3D games out there but personally I’m not impressed with a lot of the 3D games as if I wanted 3D gaming I would use my PSP, I think android is best suited to 2D, for now. So read on for my top Android picks.

Labyrinth
The first purchase I ever made on the Android market and still one of my favourite games, the massive selection of levels and casual gameplay are great for those times when you’ve got a few minutes to spare here or there. You’re probably already familiar with Labyrinth but just in case you aren’t you have a wooden maze in front of you with lots of holes, your job is to avoid the holes and get to the finish. Use of the accelerometer in your phone makes this feel great, like tilting the maze in real life. As I mentioned before there are hundreds of user generated levels to pick from, some easy and some insanely hard but all very addictive.

Diner Dash
Already a hit on just about every other platform Diner Dash 2 is a great little time waster. You play the waitress in a diner who has to serve all of the customers. Enjoyment is derived from managing where all the customers go, getting their meals and cleaning up all as quickly and efficiently as possible. There are plenty of different diners to work in with different customers and quirks with each, not only does this add more challenge as you play through but it also gives you some variety. Graphics, whilst not mind blowing are neat and kind of retro. Controls are obviously touch based and work out pretty well. Another good point about Diner Dash is that you can pick it up and play a level whenever you have a few spare minutes then pick up where you left off another time.

Tiki Towers
I wasn’t too impressed when I saw screenshots of this game but it’s wormed it’s way into my favourites. If you have played world of goo on the PC this is basically the same game… With monkeys. You have to build a bamboo structure for the monkeys to pass across and pick up bananas on the way, easy to start with but gets more tricky as you play on. Tiki towers is well presented with some swish menus and well drawn sprites, sound is ok but nothing to write home about. I just love building those moneys a bamboo suspension bridge.

What the doodle?
What a great game, it’s just like playing Pictionary online right in the palm of your hand. 5 players are rounded up and you each take it in turns to draw. It’s a great little game to play when you have the time and you’ll probably end up playing it for some time after you pick it up. Not only is it fun to guess other people’s drawings but it’s also even more fun to laugh at how bad some people and maybe you are at drawing. Anything else you need to know about What the doodle you can find out here, I wrote a whole post on it.

Radiant
If you like scrolling shooters then chances are you’ll love radiant. You take the role of a little white ship who has set out to destroy this big red space invader… Or something along those lines. Basically you’re stuck to the bottom of the screen space invaders style and you can move left to right to shoot and avoid enemies, touch controls work really well here. The graphics and sounds are simple, retro and impressive. Lots of stuff on screen at once, lots of colours and lots of action make Radiant a really fun game to play. Different weapons and upgrades and bosses keep this game interesting throughout.

Doodle Jump
I’ve recently become quite addicted to this great little game, the simple premise is to get your little doodle character as high as possible jumping on platforms and dodging all the bad guys. The phone is played with tilt controls, tilting left or right moves the character and pressing the screen fires some kind of bogie bullet to kill enemies. The game is also improving over time with the developers adding more features and making it a little ore challenging. All in all the graphics have a lovely hand drawn style to them and the game is simple and addictive.

Sky Force
Another shooter this time, Sky Force has been out for some time now for a few different platforms, I played it first on my Nokia 6630 on Symbian and this is basically the same game. Controls are touch based and work ok but not ideal, plenty of times fingers will get in the way of enemies and ruin your day. That aside I still had a lot of fun getting through this game and got a lot further than I ever did on my Nokia. The graphics are pretty good but as this is an old game they have been up-scaled and do not look particularly good. The music for me makes the game, some brilliant thumping retro tunes accompany you through the levels.

Jewellust
Another old favourite of mine and my family, everyone knows the premise and everyone enjoys the game. This is basically Bejewelled but I think a much nicer, polished and complete experience. Swapping gems has never been so fun. Graphics are sharp and high resolution, control is spot on and sound is great too. Another minor advantage over Bejewelled is that you don’t have to wait for gems to finish dropping before you start your next move, a very minor but nice feature nonetheless. Anything else you need to know about Jewellust you can see in my old review here, note that back then, for whatever reason it was called Jewerlust.

Drop
There is not much to say about this game, but I think it just sneaks in to my top list due to it’s simple nature and it’s well put together gameplay. Drop is simple, you have to guide your red ball down through the gaps in endless platforms with the aid of your accelerometer, tilting your phone from side to side and making your balls bounce has never been such fun. Graphics and sound are nothing spectacular but are perfect for the job I think.