Games To Go

CELL-PHONE GAMES GIVE CHEAP THRILLS a good name. Costing about five bucks a pop, interactive games via mobile phones are booming, with U.S. consumers shelling out an estimated $250 million for them in 2004, according to research firm Zelos Group. Verizon alone offers more than 350 titles. Old favorites like Pac-Man and Tetris have been redesigned for smaller cell-phone screens. They rank among current best sellers, along with card games like blackjack and poker. But there are also plenty of sports and action games out for this fall. The newest trend is multiplayer titles like Family Feud, which let you compete against hundreds of other gamers in real time and see top scores–though often the graphics aren’t anything to write home about.

To get started, you’ll need a mobile handset with a good color screen, preferably one that came out within the past year. The larger your screen, the easier it will be to see and play the game. You also need to be connected to your cellular service to download games, but you can usually play even if you don’t have a clear signal to place a call.

Here are our top picks for games you can find on the nation’s largest carriers: AT&T, Cingular, Nextel, Sprint, TMobile and Verizon. To find out about the latest additions, check your provider’s website because new titles are always being rolled out. Then get ready for some fingertip fun!

Action

TOM CLANCY’S SPLINTER CELL PANDORA TOMORROW

You’re a secret agent on a mission that begins in the East Timor jungle. As you run through swamps, dodge land mines and avoid surveillance spotlights, you must elude–or kill–terrorist guards to stay alive. You can jump, crouch, climb and shoot your pistol. Stay in the shadows to avoid detection. Elegant graphics and exciting game play make it a winner.

MAKER: Gameloft AVAILABLE: All but Nextel PRICE: $2.49 per month; $4.99 to $5.99 for unlimited use

DRIV3R

As an undercover officer in the Miami police department, your job is to track down an international gang of car thieves. First you need to learn to steer straight (not as easy as it sounds), then to smash into other vehicles without destroying your own. As you move through the game’s 16 levels, you’ll travel to Istanbul and Nice in trucks, motorcycles and sports cars. It’s a tough assignment but well worth the ride.

MAKER: Sorrent AVAILABLE: All major carriers PRICE: About $3 to $6

CALL OF DUTY

In this World War II fighting game, the secret to success lies in strategy and planning. Choose your three-person squad from a variety of troop types ranging from sniper to engineer. Then blast your way through doors, blow up tankers and scramble across open fields. You decide when to fire machine guns, throw grenades or sneak past the enemy. This intense, action-packed game will give you a very sore trigger finger.

MAKER: Mforma AVAILABLE: All but Nextel PRICE: About $5 to $6

Sports

POOL

No need to worry about elbow room with this slickly designed game. Simply rotate the pool cue onscreen using the left and right directional buttons above your number keys. Once you have lined up the perfect shot (a marker onscreen shows you where your ball should go), select the power level from an onscreen meter and watch the balls roll. Play eight- or nine-ball against the “computer,” a surprisingly skilled opponent.

MAKER: Jamdat AVAILABLE: AT&T Wireless and Cingular PRICE: $4.99

BASSMASTER LEGENDARY LUNKERS

Even if you’ve never held a fishing rod in your life, it’s easy to get hooked on this game. First choose a lake, learn about the fish there and select a lure. Since each species of fish behaves differently, you need to learn the proper technique to reel them in. The game uses data including weather and time of day from real-world locations to determine fishing conditions. All fishing is catch and release, but you can save digital snaps to show your friends.

MAKER: Dwango AVAILABLE: Nextel and Verizon PRICE: $5.99

FOX SPORTS FOOTBALL ’05

Need a dose of interactive football while you’re on the road? This version will do. With large, onscreen characters and fluid graphics, Fox’s football game stands out from the small-screen pack. On offense, pick your play from several diagrammed choices, then hit the 1, 2 or 3 button to pass at just the right moment. The ball shoots flames when you throw it, so it’s easy to follow. On defense, simply run and tackle. (The phone vibrates when you succeed.) Special maneuvers include a dive tackle and speed burst.

MAKER: Sorrent AVAILABLE: All but Cingular PRICE: About $3 to $6

Puzzles

BLOCK BREAKER DELUXE

This is an updated variation of the Atari classic Breakout. Your goal: break all the multicolored bricks using a ball and paddle onscreen. Unlike many games, Block Breaker Deluxe is simple to get the hang of and has no elaborate key configurations to memorize. Just push 4 to move your paddle to the left and 6 to go right. You can get very involved as you try to demolish increasingly elaborate block configurations. Your reward as you conquer Block Breaker’s 50 levels? Brilliant special effects and some cute surprises.

MAKER: Gameloft AVAILABLE: All carriers PRICE: $1.99 per month; $3.99 to $5.99 for unlimited use

BEJEWELED

It seems so straightforward: rearrange a group of three or more jewels located near one another on a checkerboard-like grid so that they line up in a row or column. You can reposition a jewel (ruby, sapphire, diamond or emerald) onscreen by clicking on it once, then clicking the square where you want to place it. The tough part is identifying the matches. Once you have formed a string of jewels, they disappear and a random assortment of new gems takes their place. Race against the clock or another player to see who makes the most matches first. You can also post your scores for other players to see.

MAKER: Jamdat AVAILABLE: All carriers; multiplayer version on Sprint and Verizon only PRICE: $2 to $3 per month; $5 to $7 for unlimited use

FAMILY FEUD

Anyone who grew up watching the TV quiz show Family Feud in the 1970s and ’80s will love this cell-phone remake in which you compete against hundreds of other gamers in real time. The goal is to pick the top three answers as quickly as possible from a list of choices presented onscreen. Wait too long and a buzzer sounds to disqualify you. Recent questions include “Name a place where you hear applause” (top answer: theater) and “Name a gauge on your speedometer” (top answer: gas). Richard Dawson not included.

MAKER: Mobliss AVAILABLE: AT&T, Cingular, Sprint and Verizon PRICE: About $3 per month