Great Classic Board Games on iPhone and iPod touch

Game developers have brought many beloved classic "cardboard and paper" games to the iPhone and iPod touch - refreshed versions that add animation, music and sound. Here are four games that are WoowooMac favorites.

UNO (from Gameloft)
Take the game of UNO wherever you go without having to worry about crimping the cards. Gameloft's adaption of UNO for iPhone is very well done, with nice additions like an icon representing each player and various playing field backgrounds. Play with rule set variants and in Tournament mode. Plus, play UNO with up to 3 friends (pass-and-play) or a mix of computer opponents.

Scrabble (from EA)
This classic is like comfort food for wordsmiths. EA has captured the game beautifully on the iPhone. Everything is there, and then some. Play the original game or variations: 75-point, 150-point, 8-round or 12-round. Plus, your can play with friends on Facebook or via Wi-Fi.

Catan - The First Island
(from Exozet Games)
Catan is a very good recreation of the original Settlers of Catan strategy board game. Earn victory points by using resources (wood, bricks, ore, sheep and grain) to build settlements, cities, roads and armies. Resources you receive depend on dice rolls matching numbers on tiles on which you have settlements or cities. Score ten victory points and you win. It might sound complicated, and it can be. However, the strategic gameplay is what has kept Catan a favorite through the years. Ezonet did a wonderful job of using the iPhone screen to accommodate the playing field. Fans of the game will enjoy Turbo Animations mode. It lets you play an entire game of Catan in about 15 minutes!

Fighting Fantasy: Warlock of Firetop Mountain
(from Big Blue Bubble)
Big Blue Bubble has taken the choose-your-own-adventure genre and made it even better. In the original paperback version of the game, you read an epic story as seen through the eyes of the hero (you). And points in the story you are presented different options. For example: "Do you exit the room? Or, try to steal the jewel out of the statue's eye?" Your choice takes you to a different page in the book where you read on to find out what happens next. As you might guess, Fighting Fantasy on iPhone does the page turning for you. It also helps you with stats-keeping and dice rolling aspects of the game while staying true to the novel-reading experience that made these kinds of games so endearing.

Fighting Fantasy ($2.99), Catan (4.99), UNO ($4.99) and Scrabble ($4.99) are available from the iTunes App Store.