“The best interplanetary gardening game in the App Store” sounds like faint praise, but don’t be put off — Waking Mars is one of the finest titles released for Apple devices this year. And yes, it’s about gardening. On Mars. Trapped underground, you must breed new animal and vegetable life in the caverns that are your home. As you cross-breed plants and aliens while fending off predators, new areas of the caves become habitable — and you start to uncover hints of a secret hidden deep inside the red planet. It all works beautifully on the touchscreen — especially on the big-screen iPad — and an atmospheric electronic soundtrack sets off the gameplay perfectly.
£2.99. Age 9. Buy here