iTunes movies may be getting a lot of attention right now, but Apple on Tuesday also addressed a genre that was also rumor mill grist: iPod games. Nine of them are available now, and Macworld's Peter Cohen gave all of them a try, concluding that the games are worthwhile, but the platform needs more original development to really shine.

iPod games work with all video-capable iPods -- older ones simply need a firmware update that iTunes now handles internally. Mr. Cohen noted that the line-up "is bound to deflate the expectations of 'hardcore' gamers, but it's a robust collection of casual games, puzzle titles, and tried-and-true classics that should appeal to a wide swath of iPod users."

He tested the games on an original 5G iPod, discovering that "the processing and disk access needed to keep up with the games is probably pretty taxing on the iPod's battery. I heartily anticipate that brand new iPods have better results." Mr. Cohen had a little trouble using the click wheel for some of the games, but noted that each title is "simple enough in its control scheme that the limited input the click wheel allows works well enough."

He concluded: "Time will tell whether iPod games are enough of a success to merit further expansion and development of the platform for gaming--I'm willing to bet that other games are on the way, for sure ... I hope Apple will ultimately let the developers that have supported the Mac for so long in on the game, because they have some great ideas on how to make iPod gaming fun. And more importantly, I hope Apple will actively foster the development of original gaming titles that help the iPod shine in its own right as a game system."