10 essential iPhone games of the summer

Real Racing (Firemint, £5.99) Astonishingly playable driving sim, with slick 3D visuals and wonderfully accurate touchscreen steering. There's a lengthy single player Career mode to scorch through or you can race friends via wireless connection and compete in online leagues. A benchmark title in several areas Photograph: PR

Sims 3 (EA, £5.99) Brilliantly minaturised version of the virtual soap opera series, providing a full sandbox experience as you feed, dress and socially educate your sim. The 3D visuals are mostly smooth and impressively detailed, and it's as horribly addictive as the PC titles ever were Photograph: PR

Turbo Subs (I-Play, 59p) A fresh addition to the weirdly popular time-management genre, epitomised by the likes of Diner Dash and Hospital Havoc. You run a sandwich shop and must process orders for as many customers as possible, before the sheer weight of demand short-circuits your multitasking abilities. Nice cartoon visuals and great implementation of the touchscreen controls Photograph: PR

The Secret of Monkey Island: Special Edition (LucasArts, £4.99) This lovingly restored version of the legendary point-and-click pirate adventure has been garnering breathlessly positive reviews. It's a must for fans of the original PC title, but newcomers, too, will love the hilarious narrative and fiendishly lateral puzzles Photograph: PR

Go! Go! Rescue Squad (Connect2media, 59p) A cute, clever platform puzzler which recalls the heady days of Lemmings; you control a team of firemen who must clear victims from a series of buildings, while avoiding traps and raging infernos. Neat, funny and genuinely challenging Photograph: PR

Karuki (Portable Zoo, 99p) Physics-based puzzlers are all the rage at the moment, and this loveable take on the genre is an absolute steal. Your aim is to guide a blue blob around a chalkboard, by drawing angled lines on which he can bounce to new areas. So simple, but utterly captivating Photograph: PR

KenKen: Train Your Brain (Capcom, £2.99) Well-presented iPhone version of this compelling sudoku rival in which different sums are used to come up with the required numbers. Contains 250 puzzles, apparently devised by creator Tetsuya Miyamoto's puzzle team. There's a useful tutorial for beginners too Photograph: PR

Peggle (Popcap, £2.99) Popcap is the new master of the casual game and this pinball-like puzzler is one of the company's biggest successes. Even if you already own it on every other format, grab the iPhone version too – it's beautifully implemented and will engage you for hours Photograph: PR

Space Invaders Infinity Gene (Taito, £2.99) A hugely stylish, iPhone 3.0 compatible take on the classic shooter, in which the visuals slowly evolve as you progress, beginning with the original 70s graphics, then freaking out with transmogrifying vector-based space aliens. Just lovely Photograph: PR

Star Ride (Andrea Mazzini, 59p) A gently soothing oddity which requires you to propel a hand-drawn character into the night sky by leaping from star to star. The synth-laden music and twinkling sound effects lull you into an almost hypnotic state. Perfect for stressful commutes Photograph: PR