MiniSquadron (1.79 GBP)

It's time to showcase another frantic shoot em up for the iPhone, this time around the slightly cutesy MiniSquadron. Offering a slightly simpler control system to Cell War, with pure touch based controls; MiniSquadron offers a surprising level of depth thanks to the careful balance required when controlling your plane. You see as a twist to the usual 2D arena, you can fly upside down as well as fly so high that you stall. It takes a little adjustment to get used to but works well in the long run, and it's nice to see that enemy planes can suffer the same fate. Besides the interesting physics engine, MiniSquadron also features many, many different types of plane to collect to keep you hooked. The use of classical such as Ride of the Valkyries and The Nutcracker is an inspired touch as well. Crucially it's all about the simplicity of such a title and MiniSquadron really is just good old fashioned fun.

Ravensword (3.99 GBP)

Who'd have thought that the could produce an Oblivion clone? Well don't get your hopes up too much, Ravensword isn't quite an Oblivion clone as it's much, much shorter, but it certainly reminds you of the classic RPG. The ambition is immediately apparent just from the declaration on the App page that this is just the first title in the series and I sincerely hope that future titles continue to innovate in this way. Ravensword isn't currently perfect; it suffers from some limited character which is rather crucial to the way of doing things. However there are plenty of places to explore in the game despite a short storyline. The graphics are quite detailed for the small screen and the choice of first or third-person perspective is very welcome. It might not be the cheapest of titles on the App Store but the potential is strong and there are enough quests to warrant the cost. RPG fans should especially take note of this game as it's sure to keep them hooked to the end. Just a shame that the end is only 3-4 hours away.

RPG Quest - Minimae (1.79 GBP)

Showing that RPGs aren't all about graphical prowess, RPG Quest - Minimae is right at the other end of the spectrum when it comes to technological advances. It's old school and proud of it. 8 Bit gaming fans will feel particularly at home here with RPG Quest - Minimae offering both retro graphics and synthesised old school music. It even offers a fair amount of longevity with a surprisingly long storyline considering its file size is a mere 0.7Mb. With turn-based combat and random battles abound, RPG Quest - Minimae is perfect for those of you who adored the likes of the original titles on the NES.

The Settlers: (3.99 GBP)

Gameloft are quickly establishing themselves as a consistent iPhone developer with some great conversions and original titles. They've excelled themselves with The Settlers, which will be of particular interest to fans of the series. The Settlers has always been a fantastic building management game and it has been ably converted to the iPhone. The learning curve may be initially quite steep for newcomers to the series but not unforgivingly so. The user interface has been optimised for the iPhone making it simple to place buildings and units. With three different nations to control and plenty of missions, The Settlers really does offer a lot for such a relatively modest price.

Skater Nation (3.99 GBP)

To round off our monthly round up, we come to the most ambitious game of the selection: Skater Nation. When I first downloaded Skater Nation, I was suspicious of just how well it could work. It was the controls that I doubted most. I assumed Skater Nation would use the accelerometer making pinpoint accurate turns difficult to achieve, but instead it uses touch-based controls which work incredibly well. It takes a bit of practice to master, but with more than 30 tricks to learn, there's plenty of motivation to persevere. There's even a well rounded career mode besides the 10 different environments in which you can explore. It might lack the finesse of the Skate or Tony Hawks series but the sheer fact it can be compared to such great games is a true sign of just how much fun Skater Nation is. All in all, it's a great example of what the iPhone technology can really offer for the gaming world.

That's it for another month. Don't forget to let us know what you would recommend for November.

By Jennifer Allen