Friday 20 May 2022 02:13 AM The phone power and the glory: PETER HOSKIN reviews Total War trends now
Total War: Medieval II (£11.99)
Rating: 
Alien: Isolation (iOS, Android, £12.99)
Rating: 
Rocket League Sideswipe (iOS, Android, free)
Rating:
Oregon Trail (iOS, included with Apple Arcade)
Rating: 
Gibbon: Beyond The Trees
Rating:
The average smartphone, we’re told, has many thousands of times more power than the guidance computer that sent Neil Armstrong and his fellow Apollonauts up to the moon.
But what if you’re not fussed about extraterrestrial travel? What if you just want to play the biggest games from several years ago while on the way to your very terrestrial job?
Thankfully, smartphones are well capable of that, too.
Total War: Medieval II, which used to melt my PC when it was first released in 2006, has recently been translated to Apple and Android devices. It’s wowing just seeing it functioning in my hand — and functioning so well.
All of the original game’s modes and qualities are here, from its tactical battles, in which you direct your archers and cavalry around some sodden field in Pomerania, to its detailed campaigns, in which you attempt to extend your influence throughout the Middle Ages. It adds up to dozens of hours of happy play.
The average smartphone, we’re told, has many thousands of times more power than the guidance computer that sent Neil Armstrong and his fellow Apollonauts up to the moon
Slight changes have been made to accommodate clumsy fingers on touchscreens, but — if your fingers are as clumsy as mine — you’ll still occasionally wish for the old-fashioned precision of a mouse and keyboard.
Until you remember the point: Medieval II on mobile isn’t meant to be deskbound. What do a few compromises matter when you can carry this classic around?
The same question might be asked of Alien: Isolation, except,
