It’s St. Patrick’s Day, the day we spend searching for shamrocks, celebrating our Irish heritage (however much or little it may be), and, of course, gulping down green beer. If you’re looking for some entertainment to get you revved for the revelry, then Green Beer Guzzler is just what the Leprechaun prescribed. Very much in keeping with all the jubilations and cheer, the game requires you to grab as much green beer as you can while avoiding the falling kegs. As you reach certain point levels, though, the game gets harder as mugs and pints fall faster, requiring you to guzzle with increasing gusto. Whether or not you actually have a green beer in hand, Green Beer Guzzler certainly channels tons of St. Patty’s Day fun — without the hangover.

Sometimes you just need a pick-me-up, and Float is the perfect game for the job. With cheerful balloons that you tap, bobble, and bump to prevent from popping on the spikes, you are transported to a realm where life is easy, colors are bright, and you’re floating along just like the balloons. Float has been praised by many for its intuitive nature, pleasant graphics, fun premise, and addicting gameplay. And, with multiple game modes, retina graphics, Facebook and OpenFeint connectivity and leaderboards, ample achievements to unlock, and other cool features, Float will certainly never get old. The next time you need an escape to a happy place, or even if you’re simply looking for a diversion from the real world, relish the childhood enjoyment of balloons and let the fun of Float whisk you away.

While many apps are dedicated to the addicting art of sudoku, they primarily feature one-player options. Social Sudoku takes the best of both worlds, integrating with Apple’s Game Center to bring you not only tantalizing single-player set-ups, but also the ability to compete in multiplayer modes. How does this work? — you may ask, considering sudoku puzzles are traditionally solved solo. Well, Social Sudoku enables you to play live against others by presenting all parties with the same puzzle. Each person tries to fill in as many empty spots as they can, scoring points and locking in each correct number. However, if you enter a wrong number, you are sent to the Sin Bin for 10 seconds while the others continue to play. Once the grid is complete, the scores are tallied, and you can, once and for all, decide who really is the sudoku master.

Remember the wonderful, addicting frustrations of Bop It!? Well, even if you don’t, you can now harness all the excitement and fun of it on your iPhone. Just over a week ago, Electronic Arts released Bop It! for the iPhone, iPad, and iPod Touch, so you can bop it, twist it, flick it, pull it and more anywhere you go. Just like the original Hasbro game, you wait to hear the commands and react as fast as you can before the time runs out or you make a wrong move. Unlike the original, however, you can unlock additional “bopjects” (like spin it!) exclusively available for the app, choose from 4 solo and 4 multiplayer modes, utilize multi-touch display controls or move with the accelerometer, and update your scores to your Facebook, challenging all your friends to a bop off. Whether you want to cure a bad case of boredom, relive some childhood memories, or engage in a fun game, Bop It! is bopping awesome.

One app that is toppling the competition stems from one of my (and many others’) favorite childhood games. Jenga has brought its blocks to the iPhone sphere, and ever since its introduction to the App Store has received top remarks. As the official virtual rendition of the live version, Jenga not only involves realistic physics with its 3D imagery for a lifelike experience (you can view the block tower from all angles, as if its right there with you), but it also takes complete advantage of the power of touch — all you need to do is tap and drag to remove the blocks, and the tower responds with all the appropriate wobbles. What’s more, the graphics make it seem almost tangible! Even though the app is designed to enable Jenga to be enjoyed when alone, everyone knows that Jenga is best played in the company of others, and the app certainly encourages this social element. There are many multiplayer options, including pass ‘n play for up to 4 players and the ability to challenge players from all around the world to a friendly (or not) game. Furthermore, the app version of Jenga introduces a new element to the game — Arcade mode — where you can race against time to match block colors and earn multipliers and bonus points. Even though live Jenga is a classic to its core, the app certainly does it justice, and makes the possibilities of where, whom, and how to join in the Jenga fun endless.

Although 2010 has seen the rise of many notable apps, I have to give the ultimate prize to Angry Birds. While I hate to praise a game, given the existence of more meaningful or productive apps, Angry Birds certainly deserves it. Even though it was technically released late in 2009, the past year has seen the cute little avengers take the App Store by storm, launching their way consistently into the top spots. The ratings alone are an indicator of Angry Birds’ greatness, with 7000 5-star ratings and a 4.5 star average rating across tallies from 9000 reviewers — and that’s just on the iPhone platform. Angry Birds has seen paralleled success from other devices, like the Droid, and seems to be taking over the smartphone sphere. Furthermore, there are numerous apps devoted to playing and praising Angry Birds, not to mention all the Angry Birds seasonal variations. Every person I know (myself included) who has tried Angry Birds simply cannot put it down, forming an obsession with launching the birds at the precisely right angles and make them do their tricks at the exact right moments in order to kill the evil pig monsters and capture back the eggs. Finally, I think it’s safe to say that no other app has spawned potential movie deals — yes some apps stemmed from or were based on movies, but there are talks of Angry Birds becoming one. In short, no app has made an entrance like Angry Birds, with the flawless functionality, superbly addicting gameplay, unique graphics, and smart story-line to get the players properly hooked. I would go so far as to say that Angry Birds is not just a kickass game, it’s a revolution. Here’s to Angry Birds, the best app to surface in 2010.

If you grew up in the 90s, then you certainly experienced the playground phenomenon that was pogs. Well, while our little wooden and plastic friends may have become obsolete, their memory lives on, and the game continues to leave a legacy — especially now that iPogs! has been released for the iPhone. While it certainly does have a different feel than the original game, iPogs! ensures all the same entertainment as you battle your way through the virtual world of Poglandia, helping Cal to defeat bullies, collect rare pogs, and slam his way to victory. With tons of new slammers and techniques, the game will never get old (then again, how could it?), and while the interface is as easy to learn as the original, it always guarantees a challenge. What’s more is the game includes Facebook and OpenFeint integration so you can continue to share the wonder of pogs with friends and engage in friendly competition. So whether you’re re-living the days of your youth or getting acquainted with a classic game, iPogs! is worth slamming into, and is bound to give you the fun, entertainment, challenge, and 90s nostalgia you seek.