Best mobile games for your travels

Holidays. Those few precious days of the year when obnoxiously loud shorts and breakfast gin and tonic become permissible. Yet journeying to your destination will invariably place you in an entertainment-free, confined space for hours at a time.

So before you board a highly powered steel tube for a distant land of sun and relaxation, be sure to download a couple of these mobile games to help you combat the inevitable cabin boredom.

Superbrothers: Sword & Sworcery EP

Forget Instagram, Sword & Sworcery EP (that's not a typo) is the prettiest thing you can do with your phone. A point and click adventure that lives up to the poetic pretences of its narrator, with brilliant puzzles, combat and beautiful forests to explore. The game even changes according to the lunar cycle - which caused us to pay more attention to the moon than we've ever done before. The soundtrack will move you to tears, so make sure you play it when everyone else on the plane is asleep.

Available on: iOS, £2.99; Android, £3.84

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Ridiculous Fishing

Stay with us on this one. You play a mysterious fisherman, trawling the ocean depths with an upgradable line and tackle. The aim of the game is to dodge fish, crabs and monsters as your lure descends, only to try and collect as many as possible once you run out of line/bump into one of the critters. When you've hauled your catch to the surface, the game transforms into a tap-to-shoot experience, as you attempt to blow your catch out of the sky. Heaps of upgrades, an incredible soundtrack and a murky back story involving your father make this an unmissable experience. It's like fishing. Except nothing like fishing.

Available on: iOS, £1.99

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Joe Danger

Shortly after the stabilisers came off our bike, we were launching ourselves off ramps with variable degrees of success and injury. Relive your childhood ambitions with irrepressible stuntman Joe Danger, in a side scrolling stunt/racing game. Swipe, flick and tap Joe and his bike over obstacles, ramps and shark infested waters in one of the most addictive experiences you can fit in your pocket. Warning: excessive use may have detrimental impact on your driving technique.

Available on: iOS, £1.99

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Infinity Blade II

When this pocket-dwelling swords-and-swipes epic was released in 2011, it hoovered up awards like a rampant cyclone. Action role-playing games of this scope and polish usually only exist on consoles: you explore a world "on-rails", gaining experience, gold and various pointy things as you progress. With this on your mobile, any delays you encounter on your journey will actually be a good thing.

Available on: iOS, £4.99

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Carcassonne

One for the board game brigade. An award winning German classic, inspired by the French walled city of the same name, Carcassonne is a tile-based strategy that's made a perfect transition onto mobile devices. Players take it in turns to draw and place tiles, construct cities and outscore their opponents. While the rest of your party are sipping cocktails on the beach, you could well find yourself back in the hotel engrossed in "just one more game".

Available on: iOS, £6.99 (also available on Android, but made by exozet games, £1.99)

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Rayman Jungle Run

Be warned, this one might have you throwing your mobile out of the window - even if you're at 30,000 feet. Controlling the limbless Rayman with one finger is brilliantly simple, flicking the little fellow over jumps and obstacles as he trundles along. However, the simplicity of the gameplay stands in stark contrast with the challenging timing required to master this classic. Heaps of levels, funky characters, hours of fun.

Available on: iOS, £1.99 ; Android, £2.29

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Horn

One for a long haul flight. Over 10 hours of story are packed into this Zelda-lite adventure game, packed with puzzles and monsters, all set in beautiful surroundings. There are occasional lagging problems, but the scope of this game makes them readily forgiven. If you're taking this on holiday with you, be sure to pack a charger.

Available on: iOS, £4.99; Android, £5.07

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Plants vs. Zombies

As quirky as its title suggests, don't let its cutesy design fool you into thinking Plants vs. Zombies is one for the kids. One of the most enjoyable and challenging strategy games for the mobile, your journey time will disappear with this one. Plant various combative plants as the waves of zombies shuffle closer and closer to your front door. Get your practice in before the sequel arrives in July.

Available on: iOS, £0.69; Android, £0.69

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New Star Soccer

This Bafta-winning title is unlike the average finger-football affair: just watch the video to see how firmly New Star Soccer's tongue is buried in its cheek. Offering a novel (and immensely fun) take on the footballing genre, the free-to-play version sees you attempt to score as many goals as possible in arcade challenges. Upgrading for 69p opens up an extensive career mode, letting you live the life of a footballer both on and off the pitch, spending your wages on new skills and items from mobile phones to booze. A bottomless pit of enjoyment, and the perfect cure for out-of-season blues.

Available on: iOS, Android - free, with various upgrades

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Plague Inc

For once, the aim of the game is to actually pass on an infection. Plague Inc sees you try to end humanity as you carefully nurture your science-defying infection through varying environments. Different to just about anything you've played before (when was the last time you had to construct the perfect pandemic?) and darkly humorous, Plague Inc is as close to being an evil genius as you're likely to come.

Available on: iOS, Android - free