Love Letter

Romance is complicated in the best of scenarios, but when you throw an entire kingdom into the mix, it can be maddening. Love Letter is a strategic card game (in app form) that can be too clever for its own good sometimes. The premise is a good one -- each card can be useful to defeat your opponent and accomplish your goals, and a misstep or wrong card played at the wrong time can be fatal -- but the execution isn't seemless. The game's tutorial isn't as clear as it could be on the rules. It takes actually playing a few rounds before you really start to grasp the strategic elements. And, despite the name, there aren't any real romantic elements to the game, which is surprising. 

Love Letter does offer an array of gameplay modes, though, letting you compete against AI, a friend in the room or a stranger online. (There's no chat function, so kids won't be exposed to inappropriate content.) The game rounds are fairly quick, too, so you won't sink an hour into a game before realizing you've been doing it wrong. It's not a game with which you'll fall in love, but it's certainly one you won't regret spending time with.