Why are simple games so addictive?

Sit on a bus or a train and have a look around you for people playing on their phones. Chances are they have a smartphone and are willingly enthralled in a simple yet purely addictive game. Take games like Angry Birds, Splat 2D, Snake and Tetris that have taken in many gamers for hours on end due to their simple gameplay and easy-to-use features. These are the types of games that appeal to the masses and not only get them playing, but get them talking about it as well.

So with this in mind, we have come up with the top five games that are just too addictive, but are too good to put down.

1. Draw Something
   The game is classic Pictionary. A player is given a choice of words to draw – a mashup of bog standard vocabulary and pop culture icons – and doodles one for a friend. The latest app sensation was recently sold to Zynga in a deal worth more than $180 million (£113 million).
2. Rhino Ball
   Straight from Walt Disney Pictures animated comedy BOLT, Rhino the hamster is on a roll and trying to get to his favourite TV super dog as fast as he can. Tilt your iPhone forwards, backwards, left and right to guide Rhino through the city streets, avoiding cars and other obstacles on your way to the finish line. 
3. iBasketball
   From the makers of iBowl, one of the most popular games ever released for the iPhone and iPod touch, iBasketball lets you polish your game on the go. Perfect your swish, get on the court with other online players and play head-to-head in a timed shootout or with a game of Horse.
4. Touch Hockey
   If you enjoy a game of air hockey, you will love this simple yet effective game. You can play against your friends over Bluetooth and WiFi. Touch Hockey outclasses every air hockey game available on the iPhone and iPod touch with the fastest animations possible and it’s free to download.
5. TapDefense
   Nominated as one of the top free apps and top free games on the bestappever 2008 award, the aim of the game is to defend the Gates of Heaven from the enemies of Hell with an incredibly fun mobile tower defence game on your iPhone or iPod Touch.