6 Great Mobile Games for Family Fun

Chess Time brings the classic game of chess to your mobile device.

Chess Time

Not a lot of bells and whistles in this mobile take on the classic strategy game, Chess Time features handsome, clean layouts, easy controls and all the match-making features you need to take on all comers. There's some visual variety — changing chess sets and board color — but the emphasis here is on at-a-glance clarity. You and your opponents can set up free accounts for head-to-head play, or you can take on a random opponent. Enter moves quickly if you like, or take your time and have the game notify the players when moves are made. The game keeps a record of your moves, in case you want to gloat afterward (or figure out where you went wrong). Like many of these multiplayer mobile games, you can chat with your opponents during the game.

Super Stickman Golf takes the game of golf to a whole new level with its interesting environments.

Super Stickman Golf

This highly addictive little game features a cute stick-figure player hitting a ball with a club, but it's a lot less like standard golf and more like a head-scratching physics-based obstacle course. You'll face 280 absurd environments, above and beyond the traps and water hazards you would find on a real-world layout. Be prepared to figure out how to climb up the screen to the hole, navigate mazes or deal with an on-course conveyor belt. Fortunately, you pick up bizarre "power-ups" along the way to help in your quest, including sticky balls that attach to walls and a super-power shot.

It's not immediately obvious how to get into multiplayer mode when you download the game. The secret is touching the green "feint" button on the opening screen, which takes you to the OpenFeint game-matching service. You'll need to create a free account, at which point you can tackle Super Stickman Golf with up to four players. Unlike golf, you're not counting strokes when you compete in multiplayer mode — it's a race to the finish line! The game is available on both Android and iPhone — the Android version is free but lacks the multiplayer feature, while the Apple version has multiplayer but will run you 99 cents.

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