You've just bought or been given a Sphero, whizzed it around your living room for 10 minutes and are now wondering what else it does. Thankfully, seeing a life-span beyond crashing into the dog or your sofa, Orbotix, Sphero's creator, has come up with an SDK for app developers to have fun with the remote-controlled ball themselves.

But with more than 20 apps to chose from, which should you start with and which should you download on to your phone or tablet straight away? We've been playing to find out.

Sphero

It goes without saying that you need to download the main Sphero controller for your phone to get the most out of Sphero - unless you want an expensive-looking paperweight on your desk.

The app lets you control Sphero either via a shifting d-pad, your camera, or a number of pre-set commands such as boost, draw a square, strobe effect that cycles through several colour lights, and the speed of your little ball.

Draw & Drive

Once you've mastered the rather basic app - it's easy but it will be your skills you'll have to work on to control the movement - you can look at downloading further apps to enjoy.

A fun one is Draw & Drive which, as you might have guessed, is an app that lets you draw the movement you want Sphero to take. It's basic but lets you have some fun with the app, allowing you to change colour before you draw it. It's also a lot easier to plot a desired course.

SpheroGolf

The ultimate executive toy would seem a bit lost without a golf app and the Sphero has that too. SpheroGolf lets you treat the Sphero as a golf ball with the accompanying app on your phone or tablet acting as the club.

Here you can choose between a Putter, Iron, or Driver and then the power, the speed and direction you want to shoot. The idea is that you aim the Sphero into a cup and keep track of the score to play against your mates.

Sharky the beaver

Adding a bit of Augmented Reality into the mix, the Sharky the beaver app turns the little white Sphero ball into a cartoon beaver that you can throw cupcakes at and then control the Sphero to collect them before the time runs out.

It's cute and good fun, although until you've mastered controlling Sphero not one to dive straight into.

Nyan Cat - Space Party

Sphero Nyan Cat SpaceParty is an app in which players fly Nyan Cat through various galaxies, while collecting lollipops and shooting bacon to destroy enemies.

Instead of your using the iPhone or your Android smartphone to control the Sphero, Nyan Cat - Space Party lets you control the app with the Sphero. If you haven't worked it out already you get to play Nyan Cat, that popular YouTube meme. This time, instead of just watching you get to control the crazy cat as it dashes across the screen in all it's multi-coloured randomness.

The control method is pretty easy, and it’s a great way to show your mates that the Sphero is useful for something more than rolling around your living room floor.

You

What's your favourite Sphero app? Let us know in the comments below.