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Apple's new Apps Store launched last week with more than 500 programs available for free or paid download. And while it may have been a little naive to assume I'd be able to try them all (I had more than 100 loaded on the iPhone at once and every time I plugged it into iTunes, it would try to synchronize everything) here's our recommendation of what's worth a try.

PAID APPS — BEST SO FAR

Texas Hold'em ($4.99)
This is video poker with high production values. The computer opponents are characters played by actors, captured on video. Each character has a distinct look and personality, and a unique "tell" that helps you know whether or not to bet. Multiplayer mode offers local network play with other iPhone or iPod touch owners. Beware: this is a time sinkhole.

Chimps Ahoy ($9.99)
Monkey, ninjas and pirates — this game has it all. Chimps Ahoy is a charming version of Breakout, written for iPhone. It has fantastic original artwork and great music that should appeal to all ages. Fast and fun — recommended.

Band ($9.99)
Tap the touchscreen to play real musical notes on piano, guitar, bass or drums. The clever layout of on-screen controls makes it easy to produce real music in just a few minutes. The blues guitar level alone is worth the price of admission. You can even record your session then play it back as you try another instrument.

This was the "wow" demo at Apple's developer conference; a game that shows the potential available for game developers who think outside the box.

Things ($9.99)
A simple but powerful task manager based on the Getting Things Done (GTD) system, Things plugs a hole in the iPhone's feature set — the lack of a synchronized To Do list application. The developer hints at a higher price tag down the line, which would be too bad; the "introductory price" seems like a lot to pay, but this is definitely the best of the "To Do" apps.

Guitar Toolkit ($9.99)
Many musicians would pay ten bucks to have an electronic tuner in their pocket. Guitar toolkit includes a chromatic guitar tuner, audible metronome, and reference library of more than 260 guitar chords. Sold This is one of the more useful apps available from the App Store.

Enigmo ($9.99)
The object of this 3D puzzle game is to direct streams of liquid — water, oil, lava — into a target container. Place a bumper, for example, to deflect the stream at a 45 degree angle. The puzzles are clever and production values are high.

Like many other titles in the Apps Store (e.g. Bejeweled, Pac-Man, Scrabble, Tetris, etc.) Enigmo is a classic game that's looking for a new audience.

Crash Bandicoot Nitro Kart ($9.99)
The App Store has several driving games that use the iPhone as the steering wheel. This is the best of the bunch so far. Like other games of this genre — especially Nintendo's Mario Kart — the object here is to cross the finish line first. Special items and weapons found on the track can boost your performance or lay traps for other drivers.

Like many of the early iPhone games "ported" from other game systems, Crash Bandicoot is a kids game. I hope we'll see something like Burnout for iPhone soon.

PAID APPS — HONOURABLE MENTION:

Air Hockey Fingertip Sports ($2.99)
A simple, inexpensive air hockey game — face-to-face fun for two players on a single iPhone. Not to be confused with the 99 cent game Air Hockey, which focuses on single player mode (and the puck sometimes gets stuck in the corners).

Finger Scan ($2.99)
This fake security app pretends to be a fingerprint scanner but it's really just a trick. Suitable for winning a bar bet or cementing your reputation as a self-important poser.

Moto Racer ($9.99)
It's not the best racing game in the App Store, but motorcycle jumps are definitely more thrilling than taking little hops in Crash Bandicoot's kart racer.

Super Monkey Ball ($9.99)
First and best of the arcade games that have been "ported" to iPhone from another platform, Super Monkey Ball is fun for all ages. The object of the game is to steer a monkey through a maze. The challenge is that the monkey is inside a ball that rolls and jumps.

MLB.com At Bat ($4.99)
For baseball fanatics only. Instant access to stats of current game, plus video clips of games under way. Value depends on your access to a TV, your interest in the current game(s), and the number of highlights MLB makes available for your game.

FREE APPS — BEST SO FAR

PhoneSaber (free)
This is, by far, the most ridiculous (and the most fun) free app available for the iPhone. PhoneSaber plays Star Wars lightsabre sounds in response to the movement of the iPhone. Slice your imaginary sabre through the air to hear the familiar hum and clash sound effects. Better yet, find another iPhone owner and stage a mock battle. (Be careful not to fling your iPhone across the room by accident.)

Remote (free)
This app, from Apple, makes it possible to play music from the iTunes music library from any computer on your local network. No need to download all your tunes and carry them around on the iPhone if you can quickly and easily access your computer's iTunes library with this app.

Facebook (free)
This free app from Facebook provides quick, iPhone-customized access to the most frequently used Facebook actions. Update your status, check for messages, write on your friend's wall or start a chat. It's a smart and efficient little program.

Tap Tap Revenge (free)
It's Guitar Hero or Dance Dance Revolution for your fingers. Tap the screen as the notes pass the finish line to score points. Comes with very few songs, but they're good songs, and the price is right. Watch for a paid version from Tapulous, the developer.

Last.fm (free)
Turn it on and enter a song name or an artist name and last.fm will create a live radio station based on similar music. Similar to the web service Pandora.com, which is no longer available in Canada due to copyright restrictions.

Tomatoes (free) This is a slick version of the Rotten Tomatoes website, customized for iPhone. Enter a movie name to see the full text of reviews from many major movie critics.

eReader (free)
One of the most popular platforms for electronic books is now available for iPhone and iPod touch. Presentation is great; flipping from page to page feels natural.

FREE APPS — HONOURABLE MENTION

Weatherbug (free)
This provides more details than the iPhone's built-in Yahoo weather widget, but it costs the same.

Advent (free)
A free version of the original text adventure game Colossal Cave. If you hate typing on the iPhone screen this is not for you. (Remember you can type "n" instead of "go north.")

Aurora Feint The Beginning (free)
This is a series of mini-games designed to introduce potential customers to "an epic fantasy world" that will be used in future paid games. Nice graphics and sound.

Light (free)
This app does just one thing: displays bright white light on the screen so you can use your iPhone as a flashlight. Beware of other apps that charge money for this simple feature.

iPint (free)
This is silly and fun. It starts with a simple game: slide a pint of beer across a virtual table top without spilling. If you accomplish this, the screen of your iPhone will fill with very real looking beer that sloshes around when you move the phone. Tip the iPhone screen near your mouth and it looks like you're drinking from the virtual glass.