Today’s TiPb Top 5 will be directed towards our iPhone and iPod touch wielding readers who love puzzle games where the goal is to take similarly colored shapes or objects and get them into a group, causing them to be removed from play. Just like our other TiPb top 5 must-have posts, all of these applications are available in the App Store. I've always been quite fond (understatement!) of these types of games, and while the variety is endless, the top 5 I currently enjoy can be found after the break!

Bejeweled 2

I used to play Bejeweled on my PalmOS PDA and Bejeweled 2 was one of my first games I got on the iPhone. Simple and fun, it's a classic and the template for all gem switch games which have followed it. A set of jewels is placed in a grid and you can switch any two jewels horizontally or vertically. If you are able to make a group of three or more matching jewels then your set disappears and all the jewels are refilled from above. The level ends when you have completed your quota of chains or if the timer runs out.

Bejeweled 2 is available for $2.99 [iTunes Link]

Stoneloops! of Jurassica

[Note: Stoneloops was pulled from the iTunes App Store due to a copyright claim. Hopefully it will go through arbitration and be back in the store soon. It's included here because it was so much fun, and so many enjoyed it.]

In Stoneloops, you have a chain of colored stones which move along a track. The object of the game is to shoot additional colored stones into the chain to make a link of three or more. If you can make all of the colored stones disappear before the train gets to the end of the track then you get to go to the next level. There is also another type of play called, grab-n-shoot, where you can take a stone from the moving chain to then re-add it to another location, to make a colored chain.

After you complete a number of levels you are rewarded with an upgrade to your "home", which matches the theme of the levels. You couldn't really do anything with the home, and it didn't affect the game at all, but it was a nice trophy of sorts.

When I first played Stoneloops I played it for so long that I actually got iPhone burn on my index finger (don’t laught, I know there are others out there!). If and when we find out it is back up in the App Store we will let you know.

Trism

Trism was one of the first games made specifically for the iPhone to achieve a huge level of success. Gameplay is very similar to Bejeweled but instead of moving the pieces horizontally or vertically the pieces move on diagonals. If you make 3 or more similarly shaped pieces match they disappear and are replaced by other pieces. In a nice touch, the direction you tilt your iPhone is the direction the pieces slide. Trism also has the added feature of achievements that you gain if you have completed a particular challenge like removing a locked or explosive piece.

Trism is available for $2.99 [iTunes Link]

Jewel Quest 2-in-1 Treasure Pack

Jewel Quest 2-in-1 Treasure Pack, as the name suggests, is actually two games for the price of one -- Jewel Quest II and Jewel Quest Deluxe ! (It's also a great technicality that lets me get around the limit of only choosing 5 games!)

Jewel Quest takes the basic Bejeweled concept and adds a twist. Not only do you need to arrange similarly colored jewels but when you do the square beneath that jewels changes colors. You need to change the whole board to another color in order to pass the level.

In Jewel Quest II, you have to turn all the background playing field squared to gold and this occurs each time you make 4 or more of a kind. This increases the difficulty level of the game and makes you have to think ahead in your selections. The game becomes increasingly difficult with each level, introducing more gem types and board shapes. Some gems are even buried and force you to figure out, through trial and error, its matching partners.

Jewel Quest Deluxe is not quite as difficult as Jewel Quest II but has much more variety and more polished graphics. Each level asks you to complete a different task. It may be to collect a number of colored gems or make the whole board turn gold, it may also have you compete against a computer opponent.

Some games have found a way to interweave an interesting storyline into the game, one that not only relates to the puzzles but adds to the playing experience. Well, Jewel Quest is not one of them. The story in this game is pretty much a bunch of words that interrupts the flow of the game. I can however, overlook this small annoyance because the game is so very addicting!

Jewel Quest 2-in-1 Treasure Pack is currently available for a special price $0.99 [iTunes Link]

Puzzle Quest Chapters 1 & 2

While Puzzle Quest still uses a Bejeweled-type of game board, it's a bit different from the usual puzzle game as it merges RPG and puzzle elements. The story in the game surrounds your character and the puzzle game is the manner in which you battle your opponents. You also can choose different character classes and these will change the kind of powers you get to use in the game. Gold star, Puzzle Quest!

While this is one of my favorite puzzle gem/switch games, I should point out It's not the best port to the iPhone. It does have some spacing issues, and at times some users haves crashes but it's so much fun I keep coming back for more.

Puzzle Quest is available for $4.99 [iTunes Link]

Conclusion

There you have it, TiPb’s Top 5 Must-Have iPhone puzzle/gem switch games. Did we miss any of your favorites? Overlook any amazing gem-game gems? Drop us a comment and let us know your list!

One of TiPb's favorite iPhone games, indeed the game that cost some of us fingerprints on our index fingers, StoneLoops! of Jurassica has been pulled from the iTunes App Store following a copyright infringement complaint from Luxor-maker MumboJumbo. According to the developers' blog Casual Games Harmony:

About 3 weeks ago we have learned that MumboJumbo supplied Apple with a formal complaint and a request to remove StoneLoops! from the AppStore. The reason? Infringing Luxor copyright, confusing customers, stealing Luxor’s look & feel and even stealing their source code! This might sound absurd to anyone who knows both games but apparently Apple decided otherwise as we’ve been requested to prepare a formal response, which we did. We described how ungrounded each claim is and supplied various materials to back our claims.

The developers responded, denying all but one complaint (the word Luxor appeared in the text of a quoted review, which they offered to remove). Apple, it seems, removed StoneLoops of Jurassica anyway. This led to the developer further pondering that:

if Apple stands by its decision this will create a dangerous precedence. If you are a developer and have an application in the AppStore you should quickly request Apple to remove the apps of your competition, before someone else requests to remove you! I don’t believe this can get any more absurd, but this is exactly where this reasoning is getting us.

Copyright and infringement is a messy, litigious business, one which Apple puts itself squarely in the middle of by virtue of acting as sole App Store custodian. How can they determine merit all on their own, and avoid action by either affected party regardless of what they decide?

We love StoneLoops! We want it back immediately, but more than that -- we need a better way for these disputes to be handled. Is there one?

[via AppAdvice, thanks Tyler!]

Every week a few of us from team TiPb, bloggers and forum crew alike, will bring you our current favorite, funnest, most useful App Store apps, WebApps, jailbreak apps, even the occasional accessory, web site, or desktop app if the mood strikes us. As long as they're iPhone (or iPod touch) related, they're fair game.

So who's on deck this week and what are our picks? Find out after the break!

James' Pick: Nike+ (3GS version)

I am an avid runner and used and iPod Nano with Nike+. Nike+ tracks your runs and syncs with an online website/community. Now with the iPhone 3GS and Nike+ built it, I have one less item to carry around when I travel. [Built in]

Justin's Pick: SportsTap.

It's been an app I've used for a while, but now with push it's really useful. Makes it easy to follow the score of the Marlins. [Free - iTunes link]

Leanna's Pick: Stoneloops of Jurassica!

My hand cramped and I nearly got a callous on my finger from playing Stoneloops so much. Enough said. [$0.99 on sale - iTunes link]

Matt's Pick: Helios

For any cinematographer or photographer that does any serious work, this is a must. Helios helps you determine when and where the sun will be for any location on the Earth, as well as tell you the azimuth & the shadow length. Lastly, my favorite is the Inclinometer,which can be used to determine when the sun will come out from behind or go behind an object. The application has saved me a lot of time. And for more practical uses- you can use it (as I have) to find the parking space likely to have the most shade [$29.99 - iTunes link]

Rene's Pick: Stoneloops of Jurassica

Sigh. I love TiPb's community. I really do. But they recommend games that end up consuming vast portions of not only my life, but the lives of many staff members. Trails of gems snake their way towards a skeletal maw, and you fire more gems at them in an attempt to make matches, blow them up, and prevent them reaching their grim gateway. Combine 15 levels repeated, with additional colors each time, over several ecosystems (jungle, desert, glacier, etc.) and you have a lot of fun for your iPhone. Like the very best casual games, Stoneloops is quick, simple, and utterly addictive. And yeah, I totally got Leanna hooked too! [$0.99 on sale - iTunes link]

Your Pick?

You're part of team TiPb too, so what's your pick? What app was your absolute fav last week? Let us -- and everyone -- know in the comments!