Games To Go

CELL-PHONE GAMES GIVE CHEAP THRILLS a good name. Costing about five bucks a pop, interactive games via mobile phones are booming, with U.S. consumers shelling out an estimated $250 million for them in 2004, according to research firm Zelos Group. Verizon alone offers more than 350 titles. Old favorites like Pac-Man and Tetris have been redesigned for smaller cell-phone screens. They rank among current best sellers, along with card games like blackjack and poker. But there are also plenty of sports and action games out for this fall. The newest trend is multiplayer titles like Family Feud, which let you compete against hundreds of other gamers in real time and see top scores--though often the graphics aren't anything to write home about.

To get started, you'll need a mobile handset with a good color screen, preferably one that came out within the past year. The larger your screen, the easier it will be to see and play the game. You also need to be connected to your cellular service to download games, but you can usually play even if you don't have a clear signal to place a call.

Here are our top picks for games you can find on the nation's largest carriers: AT&T, Cingular, Nextel, Sprint, TMobile and Verizon. To find out about the latest additions, check your provider's website because new titles are always being rolled out. Then get ready for some fingertip fun!

Action

TOM CLANCY'S SPLINTER CELL PANDORA TOMORROW

You're a secret agent on a mission that begins in the East Timor jungle. As you run through swamps, dodge land mines and avoid surveillance spotlights, you must elude--or kill--terrorist guards to stay alive. You can jump, crouch, climb and shoot your pistol. Stay in the shadows to avoid detection. Elegant graphics and exciting game play make it a winner.

MAKER: Gameloft AVAILABLE: All but Nextel PRICE: $2.49 per month; $4.99 to $5.99 for unlimited use

DRIV3R

As an undercover officer in the Miami police department, your job is to track down an international gang of car thieves. First you need to learn to steer straight (not as easy as it sounds), then to smash into other vehicles without destroying your own. As you move through the game's 16 levels, you'll travel to Istanbul and Nice in trucks, motorcycles and sports cars. It's a tough assignment but well worth the ride.

MAKER: Sorrent AVAILABLE: All major carriers PRICE: About $3 to $6

CALL OF DUTY

In this World War II fighting game, the secret to success lies in strategy and planning. Choose your three-person squad from a variety of troop types ranging from sniper to engineer. Then blast your way through doors, blow up tankers and scramble across open fields. You decide when to fire machine guns, throw grenades or sneak past the enemy. This intense, action-packed game will give you a very sore trigger finger.

MAKER: Mforma AVAILABLE: All but Nextel PRICE: About $5 to $6

Sports

POOL