A digging game. A quiz game. And a game about shooting ragdolls out of cannons. It would be a challenge to find a more varied selection of iTunes App Store games. Unless one of them involved monkeys. Monkeys always win the randomness awards.

One of the darling developers on the iTunes App Store, NimbleBit, has released yet another simple but crazy fun game. Sometimes I wonder if those guys stay up at night thinking of ways to make me stare at my iPod for hours on end. Between Text/Fishtropolis and Dizzypad, I'm going to have a hard time putting that little device away for long periods of time...

HI. MY NAME IS AN INTRO PARAGRAPH. I hope you enjoy reading me, as I'm here to provide a fuzzy, comfortable buffer between the beginning of the article and the games below. Did you like it? I hope so, because you'll really like the games below. I know I do!

How's this for a theme: three games that make you scratch your head! Colorbind because you can't figure out how to do what's right in front of your face. Gravity because you can't figure out how to precisely set up a chain reaction to tap a little button. And NOBY NOBY BOY because you have no earthly idea what's going on (even though you love it).

Multiplayer games are a bit scant on the iTunes App Store. This week, we've got an excellent online-enabled title that serves as an example of how mobile devices can be used to bring people together for collective gaming experiences. Friendly game of Pictionary, anyone?

One secret fact about iPhone games is that they can make you do weird things. Tilting the device to steer a car, for example, seems innocent enough, but when you're operating a flying taxi cab or flinging enemies up into the virtual sky, it's easy to get carried away. But you know what? Who cares if you look like a weirdo. You're having fun, and that guy making fun of you is not.

Puzzles come in a variety of forms, from straightforward "here, solve this" to more convoluted riddles in story-driven games. The puzzles in this week's titles are wrapped in different cloths, but they all provide a great challenge no matter what your preference.

Tumbledrop! The most smilinglyest game ever made, with more grins per geometric shape than an LOLboxfactory, has made a surprise appearance on the iPhone. Quick! Must get star to platform!

We hereby declare this Mobile Monday "International Skip the Lite Version Edition"! We had such a great time with the games below, we're confident enough to suggest you just take the plunge and skip all that extra downloading and such. It's especially true for Sword & Poker, as if you try the lite version and fall in love with the game (which, you will), nabbing the full version will force you to start over again from the beginning. :-O And congratulations to our BLOCKOBAN giveaway winners!

It's time for free stuff! Accompanying this week's Mobile Monday feature, we've got a handful of unlock codes for last week's puzzle game (which is also a browser game, by the way), BLOCKOBAN. Want one? All you have to do is sign in with a Casual Gameplay account and leave a comment below. Winners will be chosen at random and announced on next week's Mobile Monday, so be sure and check back then to see if you've won!

Big games, small packages. Well, iPhone apps don't really have packages, but you get my point. Without losing their pick-up-and-play appeal, this week's games stuff a lot of content into your hands, offering weeks upon weeks of casual entertainment.

Hugely, hugely, hugely addictive games on this edition of Mobile Monday, apps we just couldn't keep our smudging little fingers off of for very long. Each should be familiar to anyone who follows the casual/indie gaming scene, but their transition to the mobile platform introduces new controls as well as our favorite hook: complete portability!

This week's Mobile Monday fell off the wacky train! Fortunately it hit a pack of wacky grass which cushioned its fall, but the train kept going to Wacky Town all the same. Now Mobile Monday has to hitchhike. The bus from Wackyville should come by soon, Tomena Sanner is driving today.

Ever wonder what it would be like if we lived underwater? Like, if it were normal that everything was surrounded by water and we could breathe with gills and stuff. I'm thinking ice cream would be an entirely different concept on that wet world...

What a lineup! The four games in this edition of Mobile Monday feature more addictiveness than a bag of Scrabble tiles containing only the letters S, N, A, E, T, I, V, C, and D!

I promised myself I wouldn't make this introduction all about the hyper-addictive sequel to the hyper-addictive loot gathering game I Dig It. But I did anyway. To be honest, when I made that promise, I secretly knew I was joking with myself.

Oh, happy day! It's a bunch of games I get to play! From bombs to swords to ghosts in a maze. Now its time to sit and be lazy. Laze. Lazey. Laz— oh, forget it.

This intro paragraph was written under duress. I, a lonely garden gnome, am being held inside the house against my gnome will. I am being forced to eat vegetables, exercise regularly, and weave baskets as a hobby. If you read this, please send help. And cookies.

Puzzle games YAY. I like puzzle games because they are puzzles. I also like them because you can play them really fast. I also like them because you do not have to play them a long time. I like puzzle games on the iPod Touch because I can play them laying down on my couch. I also like apple pie ice cream.

True to its mobile gaming promises, this week's Mobile Monday is filled with pick up and play, put down and go away titles ideally suited for gaming on the go. The only exception is Catan, a game you honestly won't be able to put down and walk away from for a while.

It's RPG madness on Mobile Monday! Ok, by "madness" I mean two role playing games. That's kinda mad, though, isn't it? It's like wow, geez, why not just throw a bajillion RPGs at us.

Oh, oh this is just... it's great! I mean, it's just astounding! Such a collection of awesome games! I mean, I just... I'm enthralled here! I can't believe they can actually co-exist in one article! Isn't there some rule against that in, I dunno, physics or something? Too much awesome in one space can't be good for... uh... something in the universe. Right?

Bit of an old-school throwback on this edition of Mobile Monday, showcasing the classic Wolfenstein franchise working in a new genre that's based on that genre the way it was back when Wolfenstein wasn't so classic. Did that make sense? Sure it did! Now go play Wolfenstein RPG!

Recognize any of the titles in this week's article? Two of the games below are follow-ups to existing iPhone releases, starting their own little series on the mobile platform. And the other two games? Well, one has bombs, the other numbers. That's neat in its own way, right?

I'm very proud to report no hobbits or halflings were harmed in the creation of this Mobile Monday. Technically, the two terms refer to the same thing, but one comes without the nutty aftertaste of lawyers. Also: no game in this week's article features halflings or hobbits.

Unify went up the hill to fetch a pail of water. Then Harbor Master saw it and was all "Nuh-UH" and pushed it back down. Covered in dirt but not dismayed, Unify called his pal Mr.AahH who suggested they go to the water fountain instead. They did, and they saw Squareball on the way there, and everybody lived happily ever after.

Just about every imaginable genre of video game has appeared on the iTunes App Store, from first person shooters to hidden object games and beyond. The kind of game I feel performs best on the system, though, are simple puzzle games, the kind you can pick up, play for a few minutes, then try it again later in the day. Want examples? I hereby order you to scroll down a bit!

Massive puzzle game overload! Gah, it hurts us, precious! From the unique and original Ynth to the physics-oriented Enigmo 2, there's something for every brainy gamer to enjoy. Unless you're really bitter and grumpy, in which case, I suggest eating an ice cream sandwich. No one can be grumpy while eating an ice cream sandwich.

An old Flash favorite hangs in balance while a few word games keep your iPhone fingers busy this week, along with most excellent Skabooki, a game that's eaten many hours of my life away with its simple but elegant construction. That darn voodoo doll is just so cute!

Aaaaand we're back! This edition of Mobile Monday teaches us that spiders eat bugs and spin webs, bell-bottoms are necessary to "ride grooves", and it's perfectly acceptable to swing around the city with an infinite supply of rope. Tell your parents, they'll be proud!

Our 3rd Casual Gameplay Design Competition received a ton of great submissions from a number of talented game designers. Taking first place in that competition was Wouter Visser's Gimme Friction Baby, a strikingly simple arcade-style game of skill involving a moving turret and expanding orbs. Now, just over two years later, Bitforge has come and updated the game for iPhone and iPod Touch users. Orbital is the new incarnation of Gimme Friction Baby, adding some slick visuals, tweaking the physics a bit, and adding a new gameplay mode along with multiplayer support!

So many games, so few breaks during the day to find an excuse to play them! The iTunes App Store is heating up with some of the best game offerings its ever had. First I Dig It stole my heart, now Space Invaders and Dungeon Scroll threaten to do the same!

We have three very strong iPhone games to showcase this week, and as you can see, I sort of went overboard describing one. :-) Some developers have really settled into this interesting new gaming platform, and each game below flaunts that in its own unique way.

OMG IT'S SPACE ACE! We've come a long way from starry-eyed kids standing in a sticky-floored mall arcade drooling over the beautiful images on the screen. And you could "play" the game! With just a quarter! Now a pile of those quarters will buy you the game outright, a portable version you can have and hold and cuddle all the day and night long. Sticky, candy-covered floor optional.

Some classic games from several platforms have made their way to the iPhone, making pull-out-of-your-pocket-and-play much easier than before (laptops aren't so pocket friendly). Vector Park has finally dabbled in the iTunes App Store, and a familiar Facebook game also makes its iPhone debut. OH! And there's Worms!

The iTunes App Store just turned one year old, bringing over 13,000 games to mobile players who like to keep their fingers busy smudging their handheld devices. Of course, not all of those games are worth your time and money, which is why Mobile Monday highlights the best of the best each week. We'll play the duds, you just go and have fun!

Paper, aliens, and scary things that jump out at you and go "BOO!! WAAA HAHAAA!" dominate this edition of Mobile Monday. Come to think of it, that sounds like the last family reunion I went to. Including games: Mystique. Chapter 1: Foetus, Paper Toss, and Evacuation.

A big bunch o' arcade games have been assembled for this week's Mobile Monday. It was actually really easy to gather them, too. All I had to do was put out a bit of arcade bait and they came a-runnin'...

An iPod full of diverse games on this week's Mobile Monday. My personal favorite happens to be TonePad. Mostly because I like messing around with sound without, you know, actually accomplishing anything or learning real musical skills.

While I'm a big fan of retro games, developers have yet to convince me that a touch screen is an adequate replacement for a physical controller. With a touch screen you get no tactile feedback, and I feel that ruins many iPhone games. This week we have several titles whose controls are better without d-pads and buttons. And believe me, that's a tough fact for me to admit!

Big game developers continue to flock to the iTunes App Store to offer portable versions of some of their best-known games. Electronic Arts is no stranger to any gaming platform, and some very recognizable titles can now have a home on your system. The prices aren't always as friendly as they could be, but sometimes it's worth a little extra cash to get the glitz and glamor a large studio can provide.

Musical games dominate this edition of Mobile Monday, with two of our four features emphasizing rhythm and reflexes over any other gameplay mechanic. Also weighing in is the hefty game Zenonia, an RPG that claims a full 40 hours of 16-bit-style role playing!

Ooh, now here's something special! Six independent iPhone developers have joined together to offer seven word games for just 99¢ each! From speed-based spelling games to quirky word/picture combinations, there's no shortage of iPhone wordery to be had. The sale lasts through May 31, so get grabbin' while the grabbin's cheap.

A few old games made new populate this edition of Mobile Monday. Namco is releasing a choice few of its classic arcade games on the iTunes App Store, one of which is Galaga! EA is also jumping on the retro bandwagon with Lemonade Tycoon, a mobile port of the original Shockwave game that made mixing lemonade the cool thing to do.

Monkeys with balloons, kids with slingshots fighting off zombies, an ultra-powerful hero who runs around blasting giant bugs and making dents in the earth, and, erm, a number-linking puzzle. This, ladies and gentlemen, is your typical Mobile Monday.

It's a huge dose of nostalgia this week on Mobile Monday. Developers have been porting classic games to the iPhone/iPod Touch for some months now, and two of the latest to hit — Myst and Wolfenstein 3D — practically gave birth to their respective genres. I remember when running either of these games required a top-of-the-line computer. Now my music player can run them!

Wanna know what I did this past week? I grew flowers. I slithered around tiny planetoids. And I hurt my head messing with number puzzles. Oh, and I made a pie, but that has nothing to do with the games below.

If you're a fan of strategy games, we've got a real treat for you this Monday. Both KDice Trainer and UniWar tackle the genre from different angles, the former adopting a casual-friendly stance while the latter isn't afraid to get serious with unit management and tactics.

Several major casual gaming franchises are still making their way to the iTunes App Store, including the fan-favorite Virtual Villagers series! I'm pleased to report the miniaturization has gone surprisingly well, so if you had a hard time tearing yourself away from Virtual Villagers before, good luck resisting the temptation to pull your iPhone out of your pocket...

We're back with more iTunes App Store gamery! Two of today's titles are iPhone ports of their bigger casual cousins, one a full-fledged downloadable game, and the other a browser-based adventure. Each one adapts extraordinarily well to the small screen and touch-only interface, and it's surprisingly handy to have them in portable form.

The 11th annual Independent Games Festival awards were announced just a few days ago, and you'll be happy to know the Mobile category was filled with excellent iPhone games. Even better, we've already featured most of them on previous Mobile Monday articles! Check out the iTunes IGF Mobile page to see where the spotlight is currently shining.

Pirates, crayons, galaxies and picross grids populate this edition of Mobile Monday! If only they were used together in a single game. A space-themed picross puzzle where you make pictures of pirates using a crayon? I'd play it, that's for sure...

A collection of simple but absolutely captivating games for this week's Mobile Monday. I've spent more time than I'd like to admit with each of these titles. Shouldn't I be off learning Japanese or trying to cure diseases or something? Maybe after just one more level...

Art meets history meets puzzles meets airports in this edition of Mobile Monday! We're still giving away iTunes gift certificates for the cost of every game featured in the current Mobile Monday article. Simply sign-in with a Casual Gameplay account, leave a comment giving feedback about one of the games, then check back the week after to see if you've won. Simple!

This week's Mobile Monday highlights one of the most disturbing trends of the 21st century: adding a lowercase "i" to the front of words. Our example: iDracula. Why on earth does the name Dracula need an "i" in front of it? Unfortunately, playing the game doesn't offer any clues, so I suppose we'll just have to deal with it. Or should that be, iSuppose?

A few seriously impressive games on this week's Mobile Monday, with Zombieville USA and Rolando delivering some high-quality visuals to brighten up that tiny screen. And just for contrast, we have Falling Balls... But who says black on white graphics aren't fun to look at?

Greetings! Your iTunes App Store-based lesson this week: "simple" doesn't necessarily mean "not fun". All of the games featured this week are rather simple, but thanks to some snazzy design choices, they're extraordinarily fun.

An impressive list of games to start of your iTunes gaming week, and each one does something special in the artwork category, giving you some gorgeous eye candy to stare at while you play. And don't forget: each week on Mobile Monday we offer you the chance to win an iTunes gift certificate that will cover the cost of every game featured in the article!

More games, yay! We're still touching and tapping our way through the iTunes App Store each week, digging up games that are worth getting into. This time around we have a port of a favorite Flash game along with some puzzle action, fast-reflex tilting, and an Egyptian-themed dice-based poker game! Be sure to comment and check back next week for a chance to win an iTunes gift certificate!

Another Monday, another wide range of iTunes App Store games for your amusement! From the frantic shooter to the calm and collected poker table with a little critter munching and physics toppling in-between, you won't have any trouble passing the time on train rides, car trips, or the annoying space in-between breakfast and lunch most people call the "workday". Check back weekly for a chance to win an iTunes gift certificate!

Greetings mobile gamers! Did last week's article help you sufficiently smudge your iPhone/iPod Touch? Good, because here are four more games to help rid your hands of that pesky finger grease. We also have a fun announcement to celebrate our new column: Each week we'll be giving away one iTunes gift certificate you can use to purchase every game on a Mobile Monday article! All you have to do is sign in with a Casual Gameplay account and leave a comment on the article telling us something you liked/disliked about one of the games. A random winner will be chosen and announced the following Mobile Monday, so be sure to check back to see if you scored some free games!

Welcome to a brand new feature here on JayIsGames: Mobile Monday! Since the launch of the iPhone and iPod Touch App Store this previous summer, mobile games have not only been easier to come by, but far more plentiful. An explosion of content has flooded our way, drenching us poor gamers in a cornucopia of gaming choices. So, rather than buying all 80 bajillion iPhone games yourself, we'll cover the biggest and the best releases so you can spend your gaming budget wisely.