20 best Android apps this week

It's time for our weekly roundup of new and notable Android apps – those released for the first time this week, or which have been newly ported from smartphones to tablets (or vice versa).
The roundup includes apps and games, and the pricing in brackets relates to the initial download – some apps listed as free may include in-app purchases. The iOS roundup will follow later in the day.
Here's this week's pick of the Google Play store:

BBC Sport (Free)

The Beeb has ported its iOS sports app to Android smartphones and tablets, promising news, live text commentary, fixtures and tables, and a mixture of live and on-demand video and audio from a range of events. The BBC is promising more features to be added in the coming months, including team customisation and homescreen widgets.

Pocket Stables (£2.99)

I can't over-stress how obsessed I get with every new simulation game from Japanese developer KairoSoft, even though they all use a pretty similar formula. Here, you're managing a racehorse ranch, training up horses to win prizes, while breeding new colts. Looks like a real battery-chewer (the game, not the horses – that wouldn't be healthy).

Hotel Tonight (Free)

HotelTonight's same-day hotel bookings app has been available on Android smartphones for a while, but it's now been redesigned for Google-powered tablets. Supporting cities in the US and abroad – 16 in Europe including London, Dublin, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Liverpool, Manchester and Birmingham – it puts the emphasis on photography of hotels, and promises bookings in less than eight seconds when time's a pressure.

Newscover (Free)

Flipboard, News360, Zite... Android is spoilt for choice when it comes to news aggregation/discovery apps. Newscover is the latest, promising to learn your interests as you read news stories, then serve up more articles it thinks you'll like. It's available in Spanish and English versions, with the option to log in using Twitter and Facebook for further personalisation.

Mokriya Craigslist (Free)

This app isn't from listings website Craigslist itself, but it IS "officially licensed" by the company. What's more, it's very slickly designed – more so than the site by a long chalk. The app helps you browse listings, including by location, while setting alerts and push notifications for specific kinds. You can also post your own listings from within the app.

Snapdragon BatteryGuru (Free)

If your Android smartphone has one of Qualcomm's Snapdragon processors inside, this new (beta) app aims to eke out more battery time and optimise the device – simply by running in the background and adapting to usage. Very useful, although I wonder how many people who could benefit won't, because they don't know what chips are inside their phone.

Alien Breed (£2.99)

Retro treat of the week comes from Team 17 with an Android remake of its top-down shooter Alien Breed, which came out in 1991 originally. The game offers a choice of classic and enhanced modes – beefier graphics and sound in the latter, as well as touch-tweaked controls – as well as four new levels, and social leaderboards.

Sidebar Pro (£1.28)

There's some very good buzz around Sidebar, an app to help Android users multi-task with a sidebar of their most frequently-used apps. "Simply swipe in from the edge of the screen to gain instant access to the apps you use most," as the Google Play listing puts it.

The Sandbox (Free)

The Sandbox is one of a clutch of pixel-art creation-games to have appeared in recent months, inspired by Minecraft but with an emphasis on 2D worlds rather than 3D. The game offers 71 levels to work through, as you trigger chemical reactions, generate lifeforms and try to build the Pyramids. Wonderful stuff.

Moment.me (Free)

Moment.me is one of the apps trying to aggregate people's social posts around specific events and locations. Which sounds like tech-pseudy rubbish, I know, but there's something to it: the app gathers photos, tweets and videos from an event and sorts them into collections, with the ability to cluster friends for this purpose too.

Hexen GLES (£1.31)

Another famous game comes to Android: a 3D hardware-accelerated port of first-person title Hexen, released by developer Kokak. And while it's probably something for more technical users comfortable with downloading IWAD files, it's still good to see.

B&Q Club (Free)

British retailer B&Q has worked with Grapple Mobile on this app for its loyalty club, serving up offers and discounts to members, while letting newcomers sign up from their phones. Competitions and local store details are also included.

Sporos (Free)

Puzzle game Sporos wants to stretch your brain, as you light up cells in patterns using a "sporos" seed, dragging pieces around the screen to the strains of "soothing electronic music". Hundreds of levels should provide a decent challenge.

Flashout 3D (£1.29)

Android isn't just about retro games this week. Flashout 3D is new, albeit clearly influenced by Wipeout. It's a futuristic racing game with lots of ships, tracks and upgrades to explore, and an intriguing-sounding "interactive equalizer" feature that matches the in-game music to the on-track visuals.

BB - Trouble with Chores (£1.93)

Available globally but possibly of most interest to Americans who grew up with the Berenstain Bears books, this is a storybook app for children that sees Papa Bear and his cubs trying to get out of helping Mama Bear with the housework. Expect voice narration, word-highlighting to help young readers, and (possibly) less rampantly-sexist 4-8 year-olds as a result.

Manos: The Hands of Fate (£1.60)

Okay, Android is quite a lot about retro games this week. Manos: The Hands of Fate is a new title that looks like an old one: "An homage to the great games you remember from your childhood... When the streets were filled with bats, ghosts and Frankenstein monsters".

What a Bad Dream (£0.64)

Another famous American storybook series – Little Critter – is being digitised for smartphones and tablets by publisher Oceanhouse Media. This latest app sees him having a bad dream, with similar voice narration and reading features to the Berenstain Bears app. This time, the target audience is 2-5 year-olds.

Greenify *ROOT* (Free)

As the name makes clear, this is an app for rooted Android devices only (if you're not aware of the phenomenon, Wikipedia is your friend, by the way). Greenify promises to keep your smartphone running smoothly, including booting "bad behaving apps into hibernation" if they're sucking up battery life or hogging the memory.

Perfect365 (Free)

Who needs physical cosmetic surgery, when digital face-tweaking is now A Thing? That's the idea behind Perfect365, in a way: a way to "apply a natural touch-up or a sizzling makeover" to facial photos on an Android device, removing blemishes, whitening teeth and even enhancing noses and lifting cheeks. The results can be shared on social networks, for friends to stare quizzically at.

Bankers Ville: Tower Defense (Free)

"First they (bankers) took everything and now they want more," explains the Google Play listing for this topical tower defence game. Not just ordinary bankers, of course: zombie bankers. Developer La Factoria d'Imatges says it'll donate a portion of its profits to charity, too.
That's this week's selection, but what apps are you enjoying on Android this week? Make your recommendations or comment on the apps listed above in the Comments section.

The 25 Best Android Games

Angry Birds Space

$0.99
Angry Birds Space adds a new spin to your favorite guilty pleasure: gravitational pull. Set against a backdrop of meteors, planets, and stars, this is the best spin-off from the original Angry Birds app. Angry Birds Space adds new levels, bonus levels, and innovative gameplay using your favorite Angry Birds.

Avatar Fight

Free
This simple MMORPG is a fighting game where your strength depends on you joining forces with other players with complementary skills. If you like simple action games, simple graphics, and a layered, sophisticated plotline, you'll be hooked on Avatar Fight.

Cesto 2: Party Time

Free
Duke it out in this fun and lighthearted multiplayer game in which you use marbles to knock out your opponents on a board filled with holes. You can customize your marble avatars—that's a phrase you don't hear too often—and match up against random players or friends.'Party Time' has different game modes and customizations to create very addictive gameplay.

Cut the Rope

Free
Cut the Rope is one of the few games that has been on the best-of list of Android games since the very early days. This addictive casual, physics game has players solve dynamic puzzles that sometimes feel more like obstacle courses. It's a family-friendly game, the kind you definitely want to have preloaded on your phone if you have boisterous kids who miraculously become quiet when engrossed in a good challenge.

Extreme Droid Jump

Free
Sure it's a shamless ripoff of the brainless cult iPhone game, Doodle Jump!, but instead of a doodle you're a cute little Android bug. For the uninitiated, Extreme Droid Jump involves you tilting your device, which controls where a jumping bug lands as he bounces from one platform up the next, snatching donuts, gingerbread, and other tasty Android treats along the way to increase your score.

Fruit Ninja Free

Free
Having a tough day? Take out your anger on pieces of fruit. Seriously. There is something deeply satisfying about slicing explosive, sparkly, and glowing watermelons and bananas with samurai swords. Fruit Ninja Free combines gorgeous graphics, kitschy sound effects, and enough gameplay modes to suit your mood.

Pinball Arcade

Free
Pinball Arcade is an addictive game that exquisitely recreates the look and to a certain extent, feel, of classic, trademarked pinball tables. The thoughtful detail in each leader board is really impressive. Connect online to play in tournaments or go head-to-head with your friends.

Sleepy Jack

$0.99
This is casual gaming at its best: simple, fluid, gorgeous. In Sleepy Jack, you play a young boy flying through trippy dream sequences. Collect charms, shoot nightmarish villains, and dodge obstacles along the way to improve Jack's sleep. With 40 levels, this will keep you awake for hours (ha ha).

Stand O'Food 3

$2.49
Stand O'Food 3 is an addictive, if slightly bizarre, timed game that puts you in the role of a Japanese fast food burger chain employee (looks like Moss Burger to me). Slap together burgers while cooking up new ingredients, and beware competitors trying to undermine your business. The more levels you cruise through, the more money you can earn to upgrade your condiments and equipment. It's free for the first few rounds and $2.49 to unlock more.

Temple Run

Free
Temple Run couples great graphics with a very simple, arcade-like premise. In Temple Run, you play an Indiana Jones doppelganger clutching a golden icon, and your goal is to run away from evil eagle-gorilla monsters by tilting and swiping your way through obstacles in your path. The first Android release from March 28 was too buggy for prime time.

Asphalt 6: Adrenaline

99 cents
The racing game Asphalt 6: Adrenaline requires you to download a ridiculously large 600MB file to start, but hear me out on why it's worth it. In return for draining your battery and storage, Asphalt 6 gives you super sharp graphics, excellent sound effects, 42 cars and bikes (including Lamborghinis and Ferraris), and beautifully-designed tracks through major cities rendered in HD. Gameplay is slightly buggy, but forgivably so. You can race against up to six friends or play alone. It's no Need for Speed, but Asphalt is perhaps the highest-quality racing game available on Android.

Final Freeway 2R

99 cents
Final Freeway 2R is a throwback to the arcade racing game, OutRun, equipped with the 16-bit graphics and a 1980's pop soundtrack. You can pair three manga-like characters with different cars as you race your way through numerous tracks. Game controls are sensitive and work well on newer Android devices; even better on tablets. This is a rare winner among the abundance of Android driving games.

Draw Something

Free
Draw Something, the latest app craze, pits iOS and Android users in simple gesture-based drawing competitions. Pick a word from a list of three, draw it on your screen with your finger using a variety of colors and brushes, and then send it to your friend to guess what you've drawn. You win coins if your friend guesses correctly. It's very simple and, like Words With Friends, the addiction lies in the robust social aspect.

Hanging With Friends

Free
Hanging With Friends is like Hangman, but more fun. The premise is the same—you have a limited number of chances to correctly guess words determined by your opponent. However, Hanging With Friends adds twists like different avatars, quirky sound effects, and upgrades to increase your lifeline.

Scramble With Friends Free

Free
Of all the "With Friends" word games from developer Zynga, Scramble With Friends Free is my favorite. The goal is to find as many words as possible in a jumbled grid, while your opponent does the same. Whoever scores the most points, wins. The game is enhanced with Power Ups, Freeze Times, and other little ways to give yourself the upper hand.

Words With Friends

Free
Words With Friends was the original "With Friends" app, and it's still one of the best. In this multiplayer game you build words on a Scrabble-like board, where certain tiles earn you more points. A built-in chat feature is handy for smack talk. Words With Friends is cross-platform and you can play with users of iOS, Nook, Kindle, and Facebook.

WordzUp

Free
Love Scramble With Friends but hate waiting for your friends to take their turn? Go solo with WordzUp, a scramble word game where the object is to find as many words on board as possible. Your only goal is to beat your own score. Pretty simple stuff, but if you want something more cerebral than Angry Birds, give this one a shot.

Bejeweled 2

$2.99
Bejeweled 2 is a high-quality recreation of the classic match-three computer game, Bejeweled. The premise is very simple: match gems on a grid to get rid of them before they overwhelm your screen and you lose. It's highly addictive. The Android app incorporates crisp audio and visuals.

Bubble Wars

Free
Bubble Wars is a fresh twist on bubble-shooting games, which rely on the premise that you shoot bubbles at other bubbles of the same colored to get rid of them. In Bubble Wars, the obstacle is a hexagon in the center of your screen, and it spins based on the weight of the bubbles you shoot at it. It's ridiculously addictive. I really liked the two game modes, Defense and Attack, which reverse the goal of the game.

Everlands

$1.99
Everlands is a challenging strategy-based game disguised in a world of cute cartoon animals. Your goal is to arrange your "good" animals, all with different strengths and weaknesses, in a way that defeats enemy animals. I highly recommend walking through the tutorial to master this deceptively complex game. The HD version has been optimized for high-end Android devices; if you're on a low-end one, check out the original Everlands for the same price.

Minecraft

$6.99
Minecraft appeals to both the creative and systematic sides of the brain. Quite simply, the point of the game is to build things from your arsenal of 36 different kinds of blocks. It also has some built-in social features to make construction work more fun.

Cartoon Wars: Gunner+

Free
In this unique twist on tower defense games, you manage an army of scrappy black and white stick figures trying to overthrow your enslavers, who appear in color. Historical symbolism aside, Gunner+'s quick, smooth gameplay will engross you for hours, even if the graphics and sound are nothing to brag about.

FieldRunners HD

$2.99
If you liked Plants vs. Zombies, FieldRunners HD will wow you. In this gorgeously designed tower defense game, your goal is to arrange your weapons in patterns that block the evil Fieldrunners from overtaking your tower. After you fly through the first few easy levels, the game becomes tough as new enemies and variables are introduced. There are literally hundreds of waves to overcome, so I guarantee tower defense addicts will keep this in their app drawer for a while.

Jelly Defense

$2.99
Behind the cutesy jelly monsters and upbeat, Passion Pit-like soundtrack lies a masterful, sophisticated tower defense game, that will appeal to probably everyone. The goal is to place jelly forts strategically in order to prevent jelly monsters from robbing your treasure. Your stash of forts is finite and time-sensitive. Developed by official “Top Developer” Infinite Dreams, Jelly Defense is a masterpiece and worth your money.

ZombieSmash

Free
In Zynga's ZombieSmash, you play a lonely survivor of the zombie apocalypse. You have to destroy zombies who want to EAT YOUR BRAINS by dragging and flicking them—some are more resilient than others. True to genre, Zynga's zombies move slowly, but they creep up on you from all corners to present an engaging challenge. Collect stars as you kill zombies to buy upgrades later.