The latest hot games genre on iPhone and iPod touch? Mafia titles.

Social games firm SGN has launched its Mafia: Respect & Retaliation game, which will now go head-to-head with Addmired's iMob Online, Aftershock Innovations's Mafia LIVE! and PlayMesh's iMafia.

All three are massively multiplayer strategy games where players build an empire by carrying out criminal jobs, rubbing out rivals, and signing friends up to join their mobs.

SGN is touting location-based features and "Sin City-alike graphics" as the key selling points of its title. Jobs can be carried out in real-world locations, including The Empire State Building and Central Park Zoo in New York.
Mafia: Respect & Retaliation also has the multi-tiered pricing model seen in its rivals. There's a free version, but then a series of premium versions letting their characters start with more 'respect' - right up to a $99.99 Ultimate version.

There's also an accelerometer-powered shooting gallery mini-game, to further tempt players away from the rival games.

Which of the three will be more popular among iPhone gamers? It's too early to tell - their respective viral spreads will define this. But it's looking likely to be a bloody battle.