Amazing Alex (99 cents) for iPhone or Android is a physics game where you're challenged to create chain reactions with objects to complete objectives. Our hero, Amazing Alex, is a kid who's stuck cleaning his room and tries to get creative with organizing his belongings by building Rube Goldburg-like devices.… Read more

Last year, Andreas Illiger's Tiny Wings came out of nowhere to challenge the likes of Angry Birds and Fruit Ninja for App Store dominance.

Since then, legions of fans have been waiting for the inevitable sequel -- and their patience has finally paid off. Tiny Wings 2.0 ($0.99) has arrived, but it's not exactly a sequel. Instead, it's an expanded version of the original -- and a free update for those who already own it.

The core game remains the same. An adorable little bird slowly propels himself across the hills and valleys of the … Read more

Ski Safari (99 cents) challenges you to swoosh down a powdery mountain to avoid an avalanche, with animal friends and other vehicles along the way to help you with your escape. This distance game quickly became my go-to time-waster on both my iPhone and iPad, so when an update was announced last week, you can bet I was at the App Store immediately. The update adds a new mountain you can choose for your run, a new animal to help you along your way, and added achievements to keep you coming back for more.… Read more

If you somehow managed to avoid buying Angry Birds Seasons over the past 20 months, your patience has paid off.

Angry Birds Seasons and Angry Birds Seasons HD (for iPad) are the iTunes free apps of the week. They're normally priced at 99 cents and $1.99, respectively.

Apple's "week" began yesterday (Thursday), so you've got roughly six days to take advantage of this offer.

True to its name, Angry Birds Seasons is a theme-oriented spin-off of the original game -- that theme being, well, seasons. Thus you've got level collections ranging from summer and winter to St. Patrick's Day and Halloween.… Read more

I often write about action games in my collections, and it's no secret I'm a fan of the racing-game genre as well. But another genre I like to play while on my commute is mind-twisting puzzle games. A new game was released a few days ago that has jumped to the top of the charts at iTunes App Store and it has all the bells and whistles to remain a hit.

Though puzzle games come in a lot of different forms, one of my favorite types is those that use realistic physics. Some of the best I have come across use liquid physics and require you to experiment in order to solve each puzzle.… Read more

App developers know how to plan ahead. Just in time for "The Amazing Spider-Man," which swings into theaters July 3, Disney Publishing and Gameloft have released two very different, but equally great, movie tie-ins.

The Amazing Spider-Man (Android | iOS, $6.99) delivers an action-packed gaming experience, while the Spider-Man AR Book HD for iOS ($4.99) -- unappealing name notwithstanding -- gives kids an interactive storybook to read, hear, and play with.

Let's start with the game, which plays exactly like a Spider-Man adventure should, giving you an open city around which to crawl, swing, and battle.… Read more

An Xbox isn't just an Xbox. In other words, it's good for more than just playing games, though obviously it has considerable acumen in that department.

It also makes a great Windows Media Center extender, which is awesome if you've paired your PC with one of the CableCard tuners I've mentioned here in the past.

And don't forget streaming: the Xbox gets its Roku on by pulling down Netflix, HBO Go, Hulu Plus, and other popular services. (Alas, you need an Xbox Live Gold subscription, which annoys me to no end, but that also enables … Read more

I love a good game deal, and they don't come any, er, gooder than this.

Today only, Gamersgate has Just Cause 2 (Windows) for $3.74. No, there's not a number missing; that's 3 dollars and 74 cents.

In other words, for about the price of a cafe mocha, you can get one of the top-rated action games of 2010 and enjoy hours, days, even weeks of PC entertainment.

And just what the heck is Just Cause 2? Here's a telling excerpt from GameSpot's review of the game:

Just Cause 2 is ridiculous in the … Read more

Matching with Friends (2.99, full version - Free, ad-supported version) is another in a long line of Zynga apps that let you play turn-based games with a friend on mobile devices. But instead of playing word games loosely based on Hangman, Scrabble, or Boggle, this time you'll be strategically placing matching colored blocks on a gameboard, then sending your move to a friend.

Like other Zynga games, Matching with Friends makes getting connected with your friends easy. Upon launch you'll be asked to sign in through either your Facebook or Twitter account. Once logged in, you can search for other players from your friends list or get automatically matched with a random player.… Read more