Top 10 iPhone adventure games

If you ask me, and you really should, the iPhone (and, yes, the iPod also) truly is the perfect adventure gaming handheld device. Its large memory and excellent multi-touch screen, combined with them low game prices, should have helped adventures bloom. So far, unfortunately, this has not been the case, though admittedly more than a few excellent offerings have made it to the App Store. Here (in no particular order) are the 10 you really shouldn't miss:

Broken Sword: Director's Cut

This is the first of several classic adventures to make this list and rightly so, as Revolution software has gone beyond just touching up the graphics, interface and sounds. It has added extra scenes and new puzzles, and actually managed to add gaming value to an already excellent cartoon adventure. In case you were wondering it's a tale of mystery, Templars, conspiracies and lovely humorous touches, that sports some really good puzzles and a truly excellent interface.

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Beneath a Steel Sky: Remastered

Another adventure by Revolution that has been gloriously updated for the iOS point-and-click (or, well, touch) crowd and a rare game that sports the visual talent of Dave Gibbons of Watchmen fame. Beautiful graphics, a brilliant dystopian setting, funny dialog and some pretty original puzzles, should be all that you need to enjoy while waiting for that accursed bus.

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Superbrothers: Sword & Sworcery

And now for a brand new and highly innovative game. Shocked, are you? Well, you should be, for Sword & Sorcery is a rare game indeed, that effortlessly combines point-and-click gaming with combat and a ton of highly experimental ideas. It's artistically impressive too, what with its incredibly stylized visuals and downright brilliant soundtrack. 

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Gobliiins

A quirky and absolutely beautiful puzzle game, successfully impersonating an adventure for 15 years now. You get to simultaneously control three goblins (on a grand quest no less!) and solve screen after screen of devious puzzles while admiring the lovely, retro, cartoon-like SVGA graphics. A most excellent port indeed. 

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Monkey Island 2 Special Edition: LeChuck's Revenge

This, ladies and gentleman, is the best adventure game ever made and the magnum opus of legendary game designer Ron Gilbert. Then again, you do know just how beautiful, funny, dark, original, groundbreaking and good looking it has always been. Well, know it looks even better now, while also sporting a brand new UI that works like a dream. Oh, and the classic Monkey Island cast has provided it with an excellent voice-over, whereas Ron Gilbert, Tim Schafer and Dave Grossman offer an amazing dev-commentary.

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The Secret of Monkey Island: Special Edition

This, the prequel to Monkey Island 2, might not reach the lofty heights of LeChuck's Revenge, but it's an excellent game on its own right and a turning point in adventure gaming. It introduced both frustration-free adventuring and the darkly humorous story of not-so-mighty pirate Guybrush Threepwood. Obviously, Lucasarts created a great update of this classic too.

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HECTOR: Badge of Carnage Ep1

Quite possibly the most cynical and gritty adventure available on the App Store. It's funny, good looking and -shockingly to younger gamers- quite a bit difficult. 

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Simon the Sorcerer

Ah, proper British humour in the finest of Pythons' traditions combined with excellent adventure gaming in the finest of Lucasarts' traditions (only vastly more challenging). Guide Simon through a wardrobe and into a brilliantly humorous fantasy world, where lots and lots of pixel hunting awaits you. Capacity for lateral thinking is essential. 

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Puzzle Agent

Deeply atmospheric, beautiful in its rather unique way, wildly surreal, oddly funny and only sightly disturbing this is the Twin Peaks of iPhone gaming. Well, almost. Then again, Puzzle Agent is a great collection of puzzles with an excellent plot. 

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Flight of the Amazon Queen

An almost obscure, but actually great adventure game of the classic-era that happily found itself to your iPhone. It's sort of a Lucasarts-inspired point-and-click that subtly parodies Indiana Jones movies and games, while successfully creating its very own, interesting and believable game world. The VGA graphics are lovely, as are most of the puzzles on offer.  

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