Munich, January 2:

Mobile phone users are no longer content simply to make calls or send text messages, and manufacturers are responding by offering other functions, in particular games.

The mobile is turned into a miniature games console. There are simple games that help to pass the time while waiting for the bus, and more complicated ones, right up to the strategic kind that can take days or longer to finish.

Cellular operators and television broadcasts have introduced games for mobile phones, and personal computer makers, along with games console developers, are constantly bringing new games.

“The games are being brought out in a variety of versions to ensure compatibility with many of the mobile phones on the market,” says Uwe Baltner, who works for telecommunications portal xonio.com in Munich.

“The classic is Snake from Nokia. In this game you have to collect blocks in a labyrinth in order to make the snake grow longer.” Among the newcomers there are often complex, sometimes three-dimensional, versions of games originally designed for personal computers or various games consoles, Baltner says.

Electronic Arts for example now has mobile versions of “FIFA 06” and “Need for Speed Most Wanted”. There are also games that have been specifically designed for mobile phones, such as the ambitious strategic game “Townsmen” by HandyGames. The third part has just come onto the market. Naturally, mobile phone users can play games with or against each other. “Two mobiles are connected via Bluetooth,” says Baltner.

Markus Kassulke of HandyGames in the Bavarian town of Giebelstadt says some of the games have become very popular, such as “Bowling”, which can be played with standard keys.

Often the games are played by means of a small joystick attached to the mobile. “These have attained the quality of a C64 joystick,” Kassulke says. The displays have also become larger and the colours better.

Some simpler games are now being included as standard when the phone is sold, Baltner says, but most are downloaded from the Internet from providers. “This works without any difficulty, and the games are priced at around 5 euros ($6) each,” he says.

Tech watchers believe there is still some way to go, but add that there are limits. “The graphics and sound will continue to see improvements,” Baltner says.

Florian Stein, editor of the Stuttgart magazine Connect, says, “The market significance of mobile applications — including games — will almost certainly rise.” But Stein said the 5-euro games would, for most users, represent a kind of “sound barrier” for the foreseeable future.

“I do not believe that playing games on mobile phones will take off as a market segment all on its own,” the dedicated tech watcher says.

Games fans after all have other means of making their hobby portable, such as consoles like Playstation Portable (PSP) and Nintendos DS.