Classics for Good Reason

Here are some of the most influential works created for portable platforms. Best of all, they're still available if you want to add a classic or two to your devices.

Breakout: Among the most important games ever created, this challenges users to clear a wall of blocks using a ball, paddle and the best angle to rebound the ball to damage the wall and clear the level.

Dope Wars: This morally challenged classic was originally developed for calculators and has spread to almost every mobile platform imaginable. You play an aspiring drug dealer who must sell stock to pay off a debt. You must work to stay alive, battle police, check local markets for favorable drug prices and save as much money as possible.

Tetris: Created in 1985, this became one of the most popular and recognizable games of all time. Centered on the idea of creating order from chaos, players shift, rotate and move falling random shapes into place to create solid lines. Once lines are complete, they disappear, earning points and advancing the player to the next level.

A combination of simple gameplay, increasingly frenetic pacing and terrific music matching the pace keeps players coming back for just one more turn.

Bejeweled: It was first released as a Web browser game in 2001 and has been translated to other platforms. Players clear a grid filled with jewels by rearranging them to create a line of three identical stones. Then the jewels disappear, earning points. A timer keeps players on their toes, and bonus points can be earned by arranging more complex combinations that clear four or five jewels.

Snake: Snake took over calculators in the '80s and grew from there. Available on almost any platform, the game is popular for play that takes only seconds to master.

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