A mobile game is a video or word game played on a mobile device, such as a cell phone, smart phone (especially the iPhone), Portable Digital Assistant (PDA), handheld computer, portable media players such as iPods or Zen, or video game systems such as PlayStation Portable (PSP) or Nintendo DS.

Playing mobile games may be fun, a casual diversion, an intense preoccupation, a competitive event or a waste of time--depending on your point of view. Think what you will, sales of mobile games neared $5 billion in 2008 and are expected to double in the next few years. A significant impetus for mobile gaming came from Apple’s iPhone and other similar touch phones. Their crisp graphics, ease of use and the ready availability of a variety of games makes them an attractive gaming platform. Some games for the iPhone take advantage of the built-in accelerometer, which is used to shake dice or steer a race car. You can use the GPS capabilities of GPS-enabled smart phones to play a hi-tech version of hide and seek.

The top five gaming categories include Puzzle/Strategy, Action/Adventure, Sports/Racing, Card/Casino and Trivia/Word; the top five mobile games are Tetris, Bejeweled, Guitar Hero III, Wheel of Fortune and PAC-MAN. Games for cell phones are usually downloaded from the cell phone’s carrier, using their wireless network. Some games can be loaded from a cable connected to a PC or by inserting a memory card containing the game. Many games are phone or carrier specific, but some have versions that can run on a variety of platforms.

Hundreds of games are available, so you are sure to find one that could get you addicted. The most popular game of all time is Tetris, which recently celebrated its 25^th birthday. Playing Tetris is simple: on a grid you manipulate sets of falling blocks so they form complete horizontal rows with any blocks they fall on. A completed row disappears and any spare blocks fall into place. The game is available for a wide variety of platforms, including mobile platforms, and 70 million copies have been sold worldwide. The game has taken on an icon status with the largest implementation of Tetris, according to the Guinness Book of Records, was using windows in a 15 story building as the playing grid and lighted windows representing the playing tiles (done by electrical engineering college students, of course). The cleverest implementation was using people wearing colored T-shirts as playing tiles moving in seats in an auditorium. Another puzzle game that features simple game play is Bejeweled. This game is very colorful and has you swapping adjacent colored jewels, attempting to match adjacent jewels. Matched jewels disappear and you continue until all are gone. Bejeweled is number two in popularity behind Tetris.

Another simple to play game available for multiple mobile platforms is Frogger. Your mission in this game is to guide the frog across a busy highway, across a biking path and finally across a river to his safe little cave without running into trucks or bicyclers or missing a log crossing the river. You control side-to-side position of the frog and tell the frog when to jump. You have to plan ahead, since part of the path crosses a multiple lane highway, and you might have the frog jump across a clear lane right into the path of a car. Crossing the river is equally challenging, since the logs are floating in different directions. Frogger is another of the classic games that have sustained popularity for more than 20 years.

Games such as Brain Challenge provide a bit more interest and stimulation by using a series of mini-quizzes to test your artistic ability, math skills, general knowledge, spacial sense and such. The game Wheel of Fortune taps into the popularity of the TV show of the same name and uses game play similar to what is on the TV show.

Simulation games are also available for the mobile platform. The iPhone has a limited version of Sims3, the society building program so popular for the PC. Using this program, you start with a person and add other people, a neighborhood, work environment and eventually a whole city, directing the actions of the people in your simulation. Another simulation game has you managing a nuclear power plant, trying to balance output against a variety of other factors.

Mobile racing games are usually full of action, especially on the smart phones and iPhone platforms. You control racing cars, boats, skate borders and such, all the while trying to avoid other racers and various obstacles in your path.

Guitar Hero III is now available for the mobile platform. This game has been incredibly popular for Playstation 3 and brings that popularity with it to mobile platforms, with sales increasing each month. For game play, you press the number keys on your phone to match the "notes" scrolling down the guitar neck. Points are gained or lost, and it’s usually played to heavy rock music. Kids love it.

Now are you interested in using your cell phone for more than just phone calls?