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Top Trumps was probably one of the first collectible card games many people played.  I have fond memories of the ‘Spacecraft’ and ‘Sports Cars’ editions occupying my time on long car journeys when I was younger, before experimenting with Magic: The Gathering later in life, which led to a hopeless addiction for several years.

I’ve been clean for a while, but was reminded of those times with the announcement that Top Trumps has hit the App Store over the weekend.  The one and only deck currently available is Ben 10 (iTunes link), so it’s aimed more at kids than nostalgic 30-somethings, but now the structure is there, we can assume other decks will become available in time.  Both single and Bluetooth multi-player modes are available, although a copy each will be needed to play, and there are 10 levels to beat.

If Top Trumps proves successful, will this open the doors for other collectible card games to receive the iPhone treatment?  Perhaps more complex games such as Magic: The Gathering or Yu-Gi-Oh will get fully-fledged official apps too?

While it’s great to see Top Trumps in the App Store, we can’t help but think that it was the collecting and actually holding the cards in your hand which was half the fun – something entirely removed from a digital version.  What do any card game enthusiasts out there think?  Would an iPhone version of your favourite CCG be the end of the ‘card’ game, or a new beginning?

Ben 10 appears to be only available in the UK App Store at the moment, with a price tag of £1.79.