Tiger Woods 12 1.3.0.0 - app

Tiger Woods 12 is a realistic golf game for Windows Phone that challenges you to become the best on the PGA Tour

All the fun of the golf course

There's a bunch of different game modes to play in Tiger Woods 12. As with the console version, of course, the main focus is the PGA Tour. You play out a full season of events, winning money to exchange for points and equipment to better you as a player.

Other game modes in Tiger Woods 12 include the Tiger Challenge, which consists of a series of quicker mini games with money at stake. The Play Now menu allows you to play a single round, whether it be stroke play, match play, skins, stapleford, etc. You can play multiplayer rounds locally over WiFi too, which is fun.

Tiger Woods 12 features eight different real life courses and eight professionals from the Tour. You can create your own golfer too, using the easy-to-use editor.

Master your swing

In terms of its gameplay Tiger Woods 12 is excellent. The swipe to swing system works very well, as does the way you can spin the ball while it's in flight. Sure, hitting the ball sweetly isn't easy to master but with enough practice and upgrading your skills you'll appreciate the benefit of having such a precise control system.

Putting in Tiger Woods 12 is tricky to get right. You are guided by gridlines which show you the lay of the land, and a caddy tip explains how far to the side, or how long or short a putt should be. It's still very difficult to judge on long putts though, but then this is realistic in a way.

Well turned-out

As you'd expect, graphically, Tiger Woods 12 is impeccable. From the in-game menusto the on-course action, the visuals in Tiger Woods 12 are gleaming. It's such a shame then that the in-game commentary is so poor. Commentary pops up very infrequently and when it does it's not particularly insightful.

When testing Tiger Woods 12 (version 1.3.0.0) the game did freeze up on us a couple of times, and looking at user comments in the Windows Phone Marketplace, it seems others have had problems with this too. Hopefully, these such bugs will be addressed in a future release.

The verdict

Tiger Woods PGA Tour 12 is a highly enjoyable sports sim, and a must-have for any Windows Phone gamer who likes golf.

Chrome 33.0.1750.135 - app

Enjoy simple and quick web browsing with Chrome for Android 4.0.

While there are many web browsers for Android, the beta of Chrome is easily the fastest. Much like its partner for desktops, Chrome is dedicated to loading websites and allowing you to browse quickly.

If you have used Chrome before, Chrome on Android will be familiar. The interface is optimized for small screens and most websites load in their native versions, meaning you are not going to be looking at mobile versions of sites.

Tango 3.5.76671 - app

Tango allows you to make voice and video calls for free on your Android phone. You can also use the app to send instant messages, share photos, play games, and even listen to music.

Hang out with your buddies

Tango allows you to connect to your friends face-to-face. You can make calls to your buddies on Tango regardless of whether they use iOS, Android, Windows Phone, or PC; using WiFi, 3G or 4G to connect.

As well as letting you make voice and video calls, Tango allows you to play games and send animations while you're chatting to someone. This is great for killing some time with a buddy who is far away, or just to liven up a dull conversation!

Text chatting with Tango is great fun, too. Besides just sending typed messages, you can add fun animated emoticons, record and share voice and video, and even search for and share music, which you can then listen to together via Spotify. The app supports group chatting with up-to 50 different people, and includes support for SMS messaging.

Tango is good for meeting new people too. The app includes a 'People you May Know' and 'People Nearby' section, where you can hook up with people who you might be interested in hanging out on Tango with. On the flip side, this means that you can be contacted by random people, and there doesn't appear to be any option to make your profile private - or many privacy settings at all in terms of who can see what.

How to chat with Tango

The setup process for Tango is painless enough. You just need to your name, phone number and email address to get started (no verification code is required like with WhatsApp or Viber, for example). Tango automatically adds contacts from your phone who have the app installed, so you can get chatting to these right away. Connect up to Facebook with Tango and you'll be able to see all of your Facebook friends who use the service in your Tango contacts, too.

The menu for the Android version of Tango is easy enough to get around, and the user interface is smartly designed. The various features of the app are well labeled in the top menu bar, and there's a Facebook-style news feed where you can see all your friends and photos together.

In general, call quality through Tango is good, and rivals that of most other video chat apps for Android.

The verdict

Tango makes it fun, easy and free to chat with your friends. It boasts decent call quality and more features than you'll see in most mobile VOIP and messaging apps.

Camera360 Ultimate 5.0beta2 - app

Camera360 Ultimate has been tested by Softonic, but it still doesn't have a review in English.

Pet Rescue Saga 1.13.3 - app

From the creators of the popular Candy Crash Saga, Pet Rescue Saga has arrived on Android. Colorful and appealing, the goal is to rescue kittens and other animals by clearing the display boxes.

282 levels and big, puppy dog eyes

Pet Rescue Saga has nearly 300 levels. Each level represents different animals, from dogs and cats, to rabbits, and even pigs.

While the game mechanics are very similar at all levels, the game does incorporate new elements and surprises as you progress, even from the very beginning.

The game utilizes a system of in-app purchases that you can disable if the free options are enough to keep you playing the game. 

Quick and addictive

The mechanics of the game are very simple. Like other games in the genre, you have to bring the animals to the bottom of the screen by destroying the colored boxes, grouping them together by color to make them disappear quicker. 

Colorful puzzles

Despite being a puzzle, Pet Rescue Saga takes pays particular attention to its colorful graphics. The movements are very fluid and it's a very quick game.

Like a cat to a cardboard box

Pet Rescue Saga is an addictive game that includes an ever-popular element: cats.

If you've already used the PC version or you like the idea of seeing nice pets on your screen, then Pet Rescue Saga is a recommended download.

Download Pet Rescue Saga 1.13.3

Pou 1.4.28 - app

Pou is a virtual pet app for Android. Pou is a strange alien creature who you must feed, clean, and play with to raise strong and healthy.

A modern day Tamagotchi

Pou starts his life as a small blob. When you run your finger over the screen, Pou will follow it with his eyes. At the bottom of the screen you'll see your various inventory objects, and at the top, the statistics.

The first and most important thing to do is feed Pou. You simple drag food into his mouth to satisfy his hunger. You'll notice that this will improve his mood and reduce his appetite. However, at the same time it will get him dirty. To solve this problem you'll need to start visiting the rooms of the house.

House, you say? Yes, Pou lives in a house complete with kitchen, laboratory, games room, and a bedroom. In the kitchen, Pou gets his food; in the bedroom he sleeps; and the games room he plays, obviously. But what about the laboratory? Well, here is where you can clean Pou and make him better.

You can personalize Pou's appearance to suit your tastes, which requires you to buy objects from the store within the app. Some items cost more than others. You can accumulate game currency over time, but if you run out of patience you can buy stuff with real money.

After a few hours of playing, Pou will have passed its set level of development and will stop being a kid anymore. If you want to take a photo of him you can - or you can choose to send your Pou to visit your friends' Pous.

Owning a pet is never easy

One of the reasons for the huge success of Pou is its simplicity. The creature doesn't move and his eyes follow your finger around the screen. Washing, dressing and feeding Pou is simply a matter of dragging objects onto him.

The indicators help you to not lose sight of your pet's needs, and the two slide-out menus allow you to quickly change the wallpaper of a room or change the selected object.

In the mini games within Pou the controls are just as simple: sliding rows of colored Pous, jumping platforms, or collecting falling food just requires you to slide your finger in one direction or another.

If you haven't got the time to spend with Pou 24/7 don't worry because the app will display plenty of alerts in your Android notification bar. Pou will keep asking you for food, company, or to be cleaned.

Simple, small, and adorable

The first impression you get when you play Pou will probably be underwhelming, due to its basic colors and simple animations. It's fair to say that graphics aren't its strong point. 

After some minutes, however, it's easy to get used to the simple, almost Nintendo-like feel of Pou. In fact, the initial ugliness actually encourages to get to work on personalizing your virtual pet. 

In terms of sounds, Pou's "No" is becoming quite a catchphrase, and his chewing noises is catchy too. The developers searched for an endearing effect from the beginning - and they found one. Pou can repeat anything you say in a funny voice, just like you can do with apps like Talking Tom Cat.

The verdict

Like it or not, the success of Pou as a virtual pet is now rivalling that of the Tamagotchi. As with any real life pet, the novelty of playing with Pou wears off after a while but this Android game is adorable while it lasts.

Download Pou 1.4.28

Max Axe 1.4 - app

Fight monsters, rescue damsels, and have a laugh in this comical endless runner for Android.

This is the story of Max

Max is a red-bearded warrior with an axe to grind. Unlike other endless runners, Max doesn't run from his enemies, instead he charges headfirst into "Loot Forest" throwing axes at monsters along the way. The point of Max Axe is to throw his weapon at monsters, complete missions, and get experience points for collecting gems and coins. The missions themselves are fairly standard fare (e.g. kill x number of monsters, collect x number of items) but they never feel too boring.

As Max levels up, he gets more access to upgrades for his items. These upgrades in Max Axe are significant as they affect critical aspects of Max such as weapon damage, health, and weapon distance. The design of the gear itself is also pretty funny: pasta strainers work as helmets, latex airport security gloves double as gauntlets, and hipster calculator watches are wristbands.

An important part of the game is stringing combos of gold, gems, or monsters for bonuses. For example, collecting at least 8 gold coins in one axe throw leads to a shower of coins on screen. However things get a bit a bit chaotic when all these bonuses are coming into effect because it gets a bit cluttered with falling gems, coins, and words like "RADICAL" filling up the top part of the screen.

A refreshing part of Max Axe is that you don't need to make inapp purchases or deal with waiting times between rounds. Plenty of time can be spent playing the game, leveling up, and completing missions without any sort of holdups.

Hacking made easy

Place your finger on Max and swipe in the direction you want to throw the axe. The game gives plenty of freedom in regards to how the axe can fly; it can circle around Max, fly forwards, and or mimic the motion of a boomerang. A white dotted line appears on screen as you trace the path of the axe which makes it helpful to judge angles as well as distance.

As more enemies flood the screen, you have to alternate between long throws that take out projectile-spitting enemies and short tosses to take out large, swarming crowds. One of the more difficult parts of Max Axe is remembering to begin your swipes on the warrior. If you continually miss tapping Max, you'll be promoted by annoying notifications reminding you of the game controls.

Get lost in the forest

The game has colorful graphics that look especially crisp on high-quality (lookin' at you retina) screens. The animations are also incredibly fluid and the game (surprisingly) doesn't slow down when there's lots of action on screen. There isn't much variety in terms of music in the game: it's a hybrid of 8-bit chirping and deep synth tones. There's a variety of silly sound effects in Max Axe including the gross squelch of a slime being slain and booming voice that shouts "RIDONKULOUS" after combos.

This game kicks axe

Max Axe is a fantastic endless runner with a clever sense of humor that's well worth a download.