Tidewardens

Tidewardens asks you to manage a string of island settlements while storms, raiders and shifting trade routes keep knocking your plans sideways. It's a slower, more thoughtful strategy title that rewards planning a few turns ahead rather than reacting.

The clever bit is the weather system. Tides change which routes are open, so a defence that worked last season can leave you exposed the next. We lost our first two games badly and loved it — the learning curve is the point. By the third run things clicked.

Touch controls on a strategy game are always a risk, but Tidewardens keeps the map readable and the menus shallow. It plays better on a tablet, though a phone works fine once you're used to the zoom.

What we liked

• Weather that genuinely changes tactics
• Readable map on small screens
• Satisfying learning curve