STARFRONT: COLLISION

Call the exterminator; this one's got bugs!

Gameloft's slick-looking real-time strategy game Starfront: Collision sure was a hit in the iOS App Store—the majority of user reviews are for the full five stars. But when we played the Mac App Store port, it was full of bugs and hampered by a weak Al, though the solid multiplayer mode redeems it at least a little.

FORTIX 2

Turns tower defense on its head

You, Sir Fortix, the lone knight of the kingdom, are called upon to save the land of Artalom from the clutches of the evil mage Xitrof—alone. Without any help whatsoever. That's the gist of Fortix 2, an unexpectedly nifty puzzle title—think of it as a "reverse tower defense" game. You have to control all the units on the map (gates, keys, towers, power-ups, catapults, and so on) by boxing off terrain, which captures anything within it. What's more, you have to box off the units without disrupting the lines you're creating—any interruptions will immediately kill your character.

SHADOW CITIES/virtual turf war

Part RPG, part location-based team strategy game, and all-addictive time sink. Shadow Cities throws you into sorcerous showdowns that put your surroundings in a different light—the light of magic! You'll join one of two academies fighting to control your city, neighborhood by neighborhood. Brief missions gradually teach you the game; most involve snaring computer-controlled earth, fire, and water spirits (the game's wandering monsters) to gain experience you can use to improve your abilities.

Tank Battles

Tank Battles is an addictive game recently added to the Mac App Store. It's a top-down combat game in which you control a yellow World War II tank in battles against three rivals - red, blue and green.