Classics games find new life on iPhone

— -- Old games never die — they're simply reborn on the iPhone.

Dozens of once-popular console, computer and arcade games are now playable on Apple's trendy smart phone, and take advantage of the device's signature features: touch-screen display, built-in accelerometer (motion sensor) and online connectivity.

Examples of refreshed classics include Sega's Super Monkey Ball, PopCap's Bejeweled 2, EA's Tetris, Laminar's X-Plane and Namco's Pac-Man.

Now, Maxis' award-winning city-building simulation, SimCity, and Namco's quirky I Love Katamari game are both available in pocket-sized form on the iPhone or iPod Touch. Here's a closer look at each.

SimCity(Electronic Arts; $9.99; 3.5 stars out of 5)

One of the most beloved simulations on the personal computer has made its way to the iPhone.

Created by legendary game designer Will Wright (The Sims, Spore), SimCity lets you assume the role of a mayor of a thriving metropolis, tasked with building and maintaining three separate but mutually dependent sectors: residential, industrial and commercial.

The goal? To make money, of course, while keeping your digital denizens happy.

This iPhone version lets you design, build and manage using your fingertip rather than a computer mouse. Touch, drag, tap, flick and pinch to build roads and streets, zoom in or out, and handle issues including traffic, recycling, power grids and natural disasters, such as tornadoes (or unnatural ones, including a UFO invasion).

SimCity offers a tutorial, starter cities and three difficulty modes.

Be forewarned, however, that many players have complained about technical glitches that can result in game crashes, but EA says it's working on an update to remedy these issues.

I Love Katamari(Namco Networks; $7.99; 4 stars out of 5)

If you haven't yet played any of the Katamari games — such as 2004's Katamari Damacy or 2007's Beautiful Katamari (Microsoft Xbox 360) — these cult favorites star an inch-high alien, the prince, who is sent to Earth to collect stuff for his dad, the King of All Cosmos, by rolling items into a sticky clump, or katamari.

Your goal is to amass objects into a growing snowball-like katamari by first rolling over small items, such as thumbtacks, playing cards and erasers, and then larger ones, including pets, people and cars.

This faithful iPhone version takes place over five different environments — a home, backyard, park, town and island — and includes multiple game modes including the straightforward Story campaign, Time Attack mode (roll up as much as possible in the shortest amount of time), Exact Size Challenge (perfectly match a requested katamari size), and others.

Instead of using a game controller, you control the prince by tilting the iPhone right, left, front and back to roll the katamari around. Tap the screen to stop rolling the katamari or touch the "180 turn" icon to turn around on the spot.

Contact Saltzman at gnstech@gns.gannett.com.