While there is no shortage of card games for the iPhone, Lost Token's Durak [$0.99] seems to have distinguished itself over time, generating a loyal following along with a couple of glowing (one, two) TouchArcade user reviews.

Durak is a popular Russian card game typically played between two to six people (two to four in the iPhone version). Each player receives six cards and the objective is to get rid of all your cards. The game is a trump-card based game where players take turns being on the attack. Attacking involves placed a card down face up. The defending player must place a card of higher value with the same suit or a trump card. Attacks can continue if you have additional cards in your hand whose face values that match any of the cards in play. If the defender can't defend, then they must take all the cards into their own hand. If the defender does successfully defend the attacks, all the cards get swept into the "graveyard" and remain out of play. The goal is to get rid of all your cards.

The iPhone implementation of Lost Token's Durak really is top notch, with a natural touch interface, as well as clear efforts to make the game accessible to new players. At any time during a game you can tap on a help icon to tell what you are supposed to do. Durak also offers local multiplayer over Wi-Fi, 3 levels of difficulty, and customizable cards based on your photo library.

In fact, there really only has been one thing that has held us back from really diving into Durak. Like most multiplayer card games, the real fun and challenge tends to come in playing against other people. While Durak does offer local Wi-Fi play, if you don't happen to have iPhone wielding friends nearby willing to play against you, you are left playing against the computer.

Lost Token has let us know they are about to address this and open the game up to worldwide players with an imminent online multiplayer update. The update will feature both online and Bluetooth multiplayer, Facebook integration, buddy lists, and push notifications. Here's a teaser video showing the online feature:

And in anticipation of the release, they've dropped the price of Durak from $2.99 to $0.99.

So, if you're looking for a great card game that's well implemented on the iPhone, Durak is a safe bet, and the upcoming online multiplayer update should guarantee long term replayability.

App Store Link: Durak, $0.99 (On sale)

Everyone loves a freebie! If you don't already own these four games, their respective developers recently released lite versions for you to whet your appetite before jumping in to the full version:

Lion Pride Lite, Free (Lion Pride, 99¢) – A neat spin on line drawing games, Lion Pride has you taking control of lions and chowing down on the various prey of the African wild. Utilizing a Draw Race-like system where the speed of the line you're drawing determines how fast you move, Lion Pride is a great addition to the somewhat crowded line drawing genre. We enjoyed the full game in our review, and Lion Pride Lite is really worth checking out.

Uno Free, Free (Uno, $4.99) – What even needs to be said about this? If you've ever played the XBOX Live Arcade version of the game, the iPhone version is very similar. If you haven't, just imagine the classic game of Uno playable against AI opponents as well as friends or complete strangers online, all without needing to carry around a deck of Uno cards.

Dungeon Defense Lite, Free (Dungeon Defense, 99¢) – Dungeon Defense is similar to a tower defense game, except instead of building towers you position guards in a number of predetermined points on the map. You have a variety of units that can be placed such as swordsmen, archers, or axemen, and you need to fend off waves of attackers. The lite is worth checking out if you're a fan of the tower defense genre.

NFL 2010 Free, Free (NFL 2010, $2.99) – If you're looking to find out how a full-on football game works on the iPhone, give NFL 2010 Lite a try. We thought NFL 2010 was impressive in our review, but since then, Madden NFL 10 has also been released. Gameloft has attempted to make the decision between which game to get a little easier, recently dropping the price of the full version to $2.99.

Gameloft has provided a gameplay video for their new Uno title we reported the other day.

Overall, the iPhone version of Uno is relatively well implemented, but one of its most compelling features is Online Multi-player play. This means that aside from playing over local Wi-Fi, you can reach out to play others on the internet. (Because, let's be realistic, how many of you are sitting out there playing iPhone games with others in the same room.)

There were no players available when we tested this on the first day of its release, but just today were able to play a few games with some random internet players. Note that you must be on a Wi-Fi connection to play online.

App Store Link: UNO, $7.99

Gameloft has just released UNO [App Store] through the iTunes App Store, an iPhone adaptation of Mattel's highly popular Crazy Eights-style card game.

Play the classic card game that's #1 for fun with friends and family. In single or multiplayer, playing UNO has never been so fun and easy, thanks to a brand new gameplay system! Simply drag & drop cards using your finger on the screen for intuitive control, and be the first to get rid of all your cards.

• All your favorite Action Cards are here: Wild, Reverse, Draw 2 and more!
• Customize your game with 9 different rules including 7-0 and Jump-in.
• Play against the AI or your friends: use only one iPhone or play with multiple devices through a WiFi connection
• Take on increasingly hard challenges in Tournament Mode.

App Store Link: UNO, $7.99

Freeverse, one of our sponsors, has provided us with gameplay video for their newly released Burning Monkey Casino [App Store].

The $0.99 game offers seven different casino games in one package:

App Store Link: Burning Monkey Casino, $0.99

Freeverse has released their latest iPhone and iPod touch game called Burning Monkey Casino [App Store].

This $0.99 game brings seven different casino games in one stylish package:

• Slots
• Blackjack
• Video Poker
• Money Wheel
• Pachinko
• Scratch-N-Win Lotto
• 3 Card Monty

Additional Screenshots:

App Store Link: Burning Monkey Casino, $0.99

MotionX has dropped the price of their popular dice poker game from $4.99 to $0.99 [App Store].

Motion-X Poker was one of the early standout iPhone applications from the July 11th launch of the App Store. We reviewed the game and found it to be surprisingly addictive.

MotionX Poker is a dice poker game based on FullPower technology which is a motion recognition technology platform. For this iPhone game, it provides realistic dice rolling physics to provide an impressive package.

The game itself is easy to pick up and play at any time and easily worth $0.99.

Here's the video of the game in action from our original review:

For those who are just interested in the dice-rolling technology from Motion-X, they do offer a free dice application called Motion-X Dice [App Store].

If you recently watched 21 (Movie) and became interested in the game of Blackjack or just want to learn how to play a little better before your next casino trip, Avalinx's 21 Pro: Blackjack provides a great iPhone tool for you.

21 Pro: Blackjack is a remarkably well implemented version of Blackjack that takes the game quite seriously. It provides an excellent tool for casual Blackjack play that could also translate into improved casino performance. With plenty of documentation, dealer tips, card counting stats, and numerous gameplay options, 21 Pro: Blackjack truly is well-suited for both beginners and experts.

The game of Blackjack is a traditional casino game in which you are initially dealt two cards by the dealer. The basic gameplay involves deciding whether or not to "hit" (get dealt another card) or "stand" (end your turn). The goal is to get closest to a total value of 21 without "busting" (going over). While the basic game is well known by most as early as grade school, there are a number of added intricacies when playing in a casino environment.

The game provides the following features which are very helpful when perfecting your Blackjack game:

Card counting instructions and optional real-time stats

Basic strategy card, and on-demand dealer recommendations

Explanation of rules, terminology and game variations

Customize the number of decks in the shoe

The game comes in both a free ad-sponsored version [App Store] and a $4.99 pay version [App Store]. But the ads in the ad-sponsored version are relatively unintrusive, so I'm not sure if there's much incentive to upgrade.

Game Details Name: 21 Pro: Blackjack (v1.0.1) Price: Free [Get] or $4.99 [Buy] Developer: Avalinx Size: 5.0 MB In Brief: A remarkably good version of Blackjack for the iPhone that offers plenty of documentation, dealer tips, card counting stats and gameplay options. With a free ad-sponsored version available, there's no reason not to try this game if you have any interest in Blackjack.

For those of you still deciding on which solitaire game to buy in the App Store, Ambrosia Software has released a slimmed down version of their Mondo Solitaire ($9.99) game called Mondo Top 5 Solitaire [App Store] for $2.99.

The new "Top 5" version of Mondo offers users the five most popular variations of Solitaire in a cheaper package:

mondo Top 5 Solitaire takes the five most popular solitaire games from our massive "mondo Solitaire" game for the iPhone, and makes them available to you at a very affordable price! mondo Top 5 Solitaire uses the fantastic solitaire gaming engine in "mondo Solitaire" to bring you FreeCell, Golf, Klondike, Pyramid, and Spider.

The full version of Mondo Solitaire was one of the top solitaire picks in a recent roundup and contains over 100 different games.

The following video shows the full $9.99 version in action, but the "Top 5" version should play the same but with only 5 game choices:

The folks over at iLounge have taken on the daunting task of reviewing every Solitaire game on the App Store to come up with the following list.

There are 19 games of solitaire in the App Store from 12 different developers. Apps prices link to the App Store:

• Acid Solitaire Collection ($9.99, B-) – 3 games, good gameplay
• Cookie Bonus Solitaire ($2.99, B-) – cutesy interface, online mode
• Cookie Bonus Solitaire – Free (Free, B+) – same game but ad supported
• Demon Solitaire ($0.99, D) – very plain
• Las Vegas Solitaire ($2.99, D) – very plain
• MobilityWare Freecell ($1.99, D) – mediocre, limited single game
• MobilityWare Pyramid ($0.99, D) – mediocre, limited single game
• MobilityWare Solitaire ($1.99, D) – mediocre, limited single game
• Mondo Solitaire ($9.99, B+) – one of the best, over 100 types of solitaire, lots of play
• Platinum Solitaire ($3.99, B) – interface and depth are only so-so compared to others
• Pyramid Solitaire ($4.99, C) – simple pyramid solitaire game
• Pyramid Solitaire Lite (Free, D) – a few less options
• Solebon Solitaire ($9.99, C-) – 20 games, limited audio
• Wee Spider Solitaire ($4.99, C-) – 7 games
• Sol Free Solitaire (Free, B) – 3 games, very nice for free game
• Solitaire CAO ($4.99, D) – Klondike, demo-quality
• Solitaire City ($9.99, B) – impressive, online leaderboard, 13 games
• Solitaire Forever ($5.99, A-) – slick, 3D engine, over 150 games
• Solitaire Top 3 ($3.99, D-) – 3 games, simple

iLounge picks Mondo Solitaire ($9.99) and Solitaire Forever ($5.99, pictured above) as their top paid picks and Cookie Bonus Solitaire – Free (Free) and Sol Free Solitaire (Free) as their top free picks.

Solitaire City ($9.99) should get an honorable mention, however, due to its unique inclusion of an online leaderboard.

iLounge gets into far more detail and provides screenshots of every game in their extensive roundup.