There are so many excellent games for the Pocket PC platform that it is difficult to know where to begin, so here are our top five picks to get you started (in alphabetical order):

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Chopper Alley
Amazing Games
$19

The screenshots make Chopper Alley look like a full-blown 3D helicopter simulator, but it's really just a basic arcade shoot-'em-up with beautiful graphics. The first release of the game was rather shallow, but the designers are steadily improving it, and it has shaped up to be a real blast. The registered version lets you fly six different helicopters and take out both air and ground targets across 25 missions. The game is also highly configurable, so no matter what Pocket PC you use, you should be able to get it running smoothly by disabling certain graphics options.

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PocketQuake
Various ports based on the original game from id
Free

That's right: all the carnage of Quake in the palm of your hand. This port of the PC original is more a technical feat than an immensely playable game, but it still offers a lot of thrills. It also has the virtue of being free, although you must own the registered version of the PC game if you want to play anything other than the shareware levels. If you want something that runs more smoothly but takes up less space and triggers the same amount of adrenaline, load up the Pocket PC port of Doom. The files you need are found at the Doom4CE site, and the game looks surprisingly good on a Pocket PC's tiny screen. Happy hunting!

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RocketElite
Douglas Beck
$19

Static screenshots simply can't do this game justice. In motion, it is a thing of beauty--one of those rare games that reward patient gamers willing to practice a Zen-like sense of accomplishment. RocketElite lets you guide a spaceship through caverns fraught with obstacles and use the thrusters to counter the effect of gravity and settle the craft down gently in a series of pinpoint landings. It doesn't make a lot of sense until you play it, but once it's loaded, we dare you to stop. RocketElite is perhaps the best Pocket PC game ever created, capitalizing on the strengths of the device and serving up oodles of polished gameplay. Its only drawback is that only iPAQ owners can currently run it.

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Turjah II
Jimmy Software
$25

Jimmy Software has a reputation for creating fast-paced action games with good special effects, and Turjah II cements that reputation. It's an old-school arcade shooter with a space theme in which you control a ship at the bottom of the screen and blast the hell out of baddies that appear at the top. The programmers used special techniques that allow for ultrasmooth scrolling of the background screen, even when tons of fireworks are going off in the foreground. Owners of the original Turjah are eligible for a discount, so what are you waiting for?

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ZIOGolf 2
ZIO Interactive
$30

This is arguably the best golf simulation available for Pocket PCs, with detailed color graphics that really provide a sense of being out on the links. Swinging the club is more an art than a science, just as it should be, and it is extremely satisfying to get a good hit in. The camera angle changes to provide the most dramatic views possible of the ball's flight, and there's a genuine sense of tension when the ball hits the green and you watch it roll toward the cup. ZIOGolf 2 improves upon the original in every way and has a believable physics engine that punishes mistakes and rewards practice. The company offers a number of course upgrades, including the Omni Tucson, Hiddenbrooke, the Lely Flamingo, and Bristol Harbor, but you'll have to shell out extra dough for the privilege of playing them.