The Friday £5 - SpaceChem, PES 2012

Sometimes we look upon the week's releases and wonder how we'll ever find time to play, review, and cover them all before the universe inevitably expands into a cold dead void, absolute zero is reached, and molecular motion ceases.

And other times we gaze upon the absolute dearth of exciting new games and do a little cry. This is one of those weeks.

So we're changing the formula a little. Welcome to The Friday £5, where each week Pocket Gamer's top brass will give me a fiver - straight out of the cash machine, all new and crinkly like - to spend on the App Store's latest goodies.

I've got to put that cash to the best possible use, finding titles that offer a lot of bang for their buck, or cheap games that don't stretch my meagre budget, or top-notch freemium games that you can try for nothing. Here goes.

SpaceChem Mobile
iPad - £3.99 - Zachtronics Industries

This week, I've spent just about every waking second playing SpaceChem. And in those few frustrating moments when I was forced to do something else - like sleeping, or firing words at this website - I've thought about SpaceChem.

Thought about potential strategies and new ways to re-route the tracks of my automated alchemy factory so carbon atoms could bind happily with oxygen atoms, while staying well away from the titanium molecules being methodically assembled elsewhere.

You see, for all that SpaceChem is about science - and it is, with its atoms, molecules, and pop-up periodic table - this tricky puzzler is more about programming.

And if you've ever had a tricky logic hurdle wedged in their brain and then solved it, minutes before falling asleep, you'll be well acquainted with the brain-sploding 'Eureka!' moment SpaceChem provides.

The 'wait, wait, I've got to get a notepad and figure this out' moments. The 'delete EVERYTHING. I've been thinking about this the wrong way all along' moments. The 'I'm the smartest person who's ever lived' moments.

Here's how it works. Two nanoscopic robots called waldos dutifully pootle along tracks you've laid out for them, obeying commands littered on their path. Scoop up an oxygen atom here, drop it between the hydrogen atoms there, bind them all together and then pick the resulting water compound up and deliver it to the output.

Things soon get very complicated. That efficient little water-producing machine you've so delicately constructed is now part of a bigger chemistry empire, composed of four or five machines.

Your water molecule needs another two oxygen atoms and a sulphur one - ripped out of some other compound - to make sulphuric acid. It's probably not very scientific, but it's one hell of a puzzle. The sort of overwhelming problem that will take hours to solve. Literally.

Luckily, the game's clever tutorials ease you in slowly, making sure you have a firm grasp of the game's ultra-smart concepts before throwing you to the lions.

SpaceChem is hard, but it's satisfying, and one of the most rewarding puzzle games out there. For £4 you're getting lots of levels and a serious challenge. For puzzle fans, this game is essential.

PES 2012 - Pro Evolution Soccer
Universal - Freemium - Konami

These days, it's no longer surprising to see a game go freemium. It's an obvious trend in this little industry and as we stagger into 2012 it's evident that more titles, from just about every genre, will go for this business model: a free up-front download and some cheap in-app purchases.

So it's with only a tiny, barely audible 'gasp' that we saw Konami ball-booter PES 2012 enter the pitch with no price tag, letting players sample the beautiful game for nowt. You'll get to see how the game plays, fiddle with its physics engine, and try a few modes before choosing to stump up the £3.99 for the rest.

PES 2012's take on freemium is a little more invasive than other games. Mid-way through a match - after a ruggid bout of back-and-forth, a red card, and an embarrasing 0-0 draw - the half-time screen pops up, letting you know you'll need to pay to play more. A little aggravating, we'll admit.

But with so many football games out there - FIFA 12 just came out, and X2's kickabout is still top notch - PES 2012 at least lets you try out the nitty gritty (like the physics and the overly-aggressive AI) before committing, and getting to see the game's other features.

Features like Super Challenge Mode, where you can compete against a friend's virtual team, and brag on Facebook when you beat them. You'll also need to build your own dream team of real-world footy players, by hiring and firing a band of turf-ruining millionaires.