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PlayShelf plays best with a game controller. Clip-on phone controllers and Bluetooth gamepads that work with your iPhone or iPad both work: pair a Bluetooth controller in Settings > Bluetooth, then press any button in PlayShelf. In cartridges with room for a friend, a second controller can join in too.

No controller? On-screen controls appear by themselves, showing just the buttons each cartridge uses. Each player can set how see-through they are on the pause menu's Controls page.

On Apple TV, the games need a game controller: pair any Bluetooth gamepad in Settings > Remotes and Devices > Bluetooth, then press any button in PlayShelf. No gamepad? Your iPhone or iPad can be the controller (see How do I play on Apple TV?).

They set how much help a player gets. Sprout (5 and under) gets the most: a slower game, extra hearts, picture menus and a friend who offers a hand after five tries at a tricky spot. Explorer (6 to 9) gets plenty of help, with the friend after ten tries. Ranger (10 to 14) gets a little help when it counts, and Pro (15 and up) plays the games as designed. Everyone plays the same levels.

A grown-up can change a player's tier, or fine-tune any assist for any cartridge, in Grown-ups.

Choose Grown-ups on the "Who's playing?" screen or on the shelf. Hold both on-screen pads (or L1 and R1 on a controller) for three seconds, then answer the sum. On Apple TV with just the Siri Remote, hold the clickpad down together with Play/Pause instead. Inside you'll find Profiles, Assists, Controls and About.

Two looks for every cartridge: the original pixel art (Retro) and a smooth, hand-drawn redraw (Modern). Switch from the pause menu's Look row any time, even mid-jump. A grown-up can set a look for each player in Grown-ups > Assists. The game plays exactly the same in both.

Up to six players per device, each with their own critter, tier and saves. Sprig and Nightvine have room for a second player (as Buzz the bumblebee or Lumen the moth), and Hole Sweet Hole and Ramp Rascals take up to four.

Players and their progress are kept on the device. They come along when you set up a new iPhone or iPad from an iCloud backup, or by transferring from your old device. Deleting PlayShelf deletes them from that device. Each device keeps its own players for now; keeping them in step across your iPhone, iPad and Apple TV is coming soon.

Yes. Turn it down or off for everyone in Grown-ups > Controls, or on the pause menu's Controls page.

No. PlayShelf is free, with no ads and no in-app purchases.

The games on Apple TV play with a game controller. Pair any Bluetooth gamepad in Settings > Remotes and Devices > Bluetooth, then press any button. In cartridges with room for a friend, a second controller can join in.

No gamepad? Use your iPhone or iPad. Open PlayShelf on the TV, then open PlayShelf on your phone on the same Wi-Fi and tap Controller for your TV. The first time, tap Look for my TV and say OK when it asks to find devices on your local network, so it can see the TV. The phone shows a d-pad and buttons, stays awake while you play, and taps under your thumb with every press.

The Siri Remote runs everything outside a game: choosing a player, the shelf, the pause menu and Grown-ups. Back opens the menu.

Coming soon: start a game on your iPhone and send it to the TV, and keep your players in step across your devices with iCloud.