Rolando

Stop the presses, we had no idea that iPhone was capable of running games this amazing. Rolando ($9.99, available here) is a stunner, and is certainly the best game we've seen yet for the iPhone. Everything about it-from the gorgeous, friendly animations, to the jazzy score, to the intuitive yet challenging gameplay-leaves us wanting to play more and more.

In Rolando, you need to pilot a group of round and eager "Rolandos" through a series of levels. There are obstacles to block your path and many clever ways around them. As "finger," the Rolando's off-screen guide, you help them bounce up steps, twist through gears, and ride up elevators.

The levels aren't long, but doing them in time while grabbing scattered diamonds takes practice. The game offers 36 levels that take you through 4 varied worlds.

If you're open to paying $10 for a game, this is the best we've found. Watch out Nintendo DS, great games are coming to the iPhone.

Crazy Penguin Catapult Lite

Looking for some cheap excitement? It's doesn't come cheaper than this free app, which challenges you to catapult penguins to take down some bothersome polar bears.

There are two parts to the game, one where you need to successfully launch your penguins (many of ours didn't make it past the catapult area) and a second where you plan their aerial assault, dropping them down on the bears. We especially like the power-ups, like one that lets you catapult flaming penguins.

Crazy Penguin Catapult Lite, available here, is the perfect snack-sized game: it's easy to get into, the animations are cute, and the gameplay is just challenging enough to keep you hooked. This version includes 6 levels, but if you like it as much as we did, there's a full version for $4.99 that includes 30 levels.

Things

For reasons only known to Cupertino insiders, Apple has launched two versions of the iPhone but still hasn't released a robust calendar/to-do/memo app that syncs with the desktop. That strange void has left the field open to tools like Things ($9.99, available here), the best iPhone to-do manager we've seen yet.

We love that it includes multiple areas, so that you can store scheduled or unscheduled to-dos. You can also store items to be done "someday," perfect for items you want to remember, but don't have the time to do now.

Things will wirelessly sync with the Mac desktop version (available for $49.95 from culturedcode.com), although both programs need to be running on the same local network for that to happen.

ManGo

Looking for a bite? Or to do a little shopping? This tremendously useful location app (available here) lets you know exactly where to find over 240 national and regional chain stores. You can use it to grab a latte at a nearby Starbucks or find out if the town you're in has a Trader Joe's. ManGo lists restaurants, clothing stores, banks, and sporting goods stores (and more), so it's bound to have stores that you like.

Million Doll