Iron Tide Command

Iron Tide Command asks you to think a few moves ahead, and it doesn't hold your hand while you learn. You manage a growing fleet, control territory, and juggle resources against opponents who genuinely react to your plans. The early hours are a bit of a difficulty wall, but push through and it clicks.

On a phone, the pinch-to-zoom map works better than we expected, and unit orders are given with clear taps rather than fiddly gestures. There's an offline skirmish mode we ended up preferring, since it lets you take your time without pressure.

Be warned: it's a battery-hungry game once the map gets busy, so plan for a charger on long sessions. But if you enjoy stroking your chin over a plan, this scratches that itch nicely.

What we liked

• Smart, reactive opponents
• Readable map controls
• Solid offline mode