Something for the Bank Holiday weekend
You don't want to be stuck putting shelves up…
We're not sure why bank workers get their own special holidays – hardly a tiring profession, is it? Steel worker's holiday or pit pony's holiday you could understand. Then again, maybe bank workers actually work all the other 360-odd days of the year? Although not in our local branch, judging from the queues.
Anyway, what Bank Holidays boil down to for most of us is three days of doing nothing. Or, worse, 'something' – something highly unlikely to be compatible with what we'd consider a holiday. Something like DIY. Or visiting the relations. Or spending more quality time with the dog. It's enough to drive you back to work – even if you work in a bank.
What you want is deep, absorbing gameplay that will occupy your every waking moment. Something like Advance Wars on the DS. Even if bank workers bagsed us all a week off, you could still play Advance Wars every day and struggle to conquer it by the following Monday.
There nearest thing on mobile is probably Ancient Empires, although it's a far simpler affair. It's a really good homage to Nintendo's title. We believe 'homage' means 'lawyer-proof'.
One game that has been swallowing up Bank Holiday weekends for decades is Monopoly. "We can't think of another mobile title we've spent as much time playing in one sitting," said our mobile editor Mike Abolins, although admittedly he does usually play his mobile games standing up. It's something to do with his SAS training. Best not to pry.
Despite its name, Game of Life is a relatively short affair, although an enjoyable one. If you've always wondered what would have happened had you become a teacher or a doctor, or based your life decisions on the spin of a wheel, this is the title for you.
Ultimately, mobile gamers are probably better off going back to those age-old 'minute to learn, lifetime to master' stalwarts like chess, mahjong or, erm, Leisure Suit Larrys Sexy Pinball.
A lifetime is also about how long you'll need to finish Monster Hunter Freedom on PSP. Don't forget your toothbrush!
(All the highlighted games are available now – so if you fancy something for the weekend, simply click on the game name to go to a no-fuss, no subscription game-buying page).