Minecraft – Pocket Edition

The PC version of Minecraft started out as a publicly released alpha. A couple of years down the line, it’s ratcheted up millions of downloads, much critical acclaim and – crucially – multiple new game modes.

This iOS version, alas, is akin to the original’s early iterations. You're only offered the sandbox creation mode, in which you potter about a vast landscape, placing blocks to build stuff. Recreate your own house; make a fairytale castle; spell out 'help, I'm bored' – the choice is yours. And that’s basically it.

While the original also boasted survival modes and limited resources, here the building is all there is. Imagine a copy of The Sims, with all the people stuff removed.

There is multiplayer, but only with others in the same Wi-Fi network. Also, it’s just more of the same: build together, or sabotage what other players are building. We’re not sure how long the novelty of that lasts. Maybe there'll be more interaction patched in later – and we really hope so – but right now there's limited fun to be had in this squared-off world.