Games

Ancient Stones

This is an addictive game requiring instant pattern recognition and quick response time. Colored stones appear on screen in rapid succession, and players must click on combinations of three or more stones of the same color before any one column of stones reaches the other side. Random bombs are randomly interspersed to facilitate matters. The speed of play increases with each successive level, and the top ten high scores are recorded for posterity. The play is simple, but you must have your wits about you to avoid panic in crucial situations.

Hex-a-hop

This is an intriguing puzzle game. The player attempts to navigate a pattern of interconnected hexagonal stones—each with various different properties—to reach a given destination. This description sounds deceptively simple: in reality, each successive game reflects an increasing degree of difficulty that quickly becomes a real challenge. There are 100 games, of which I have only been able to solve 46. A nice diversion for children of all ages.

Laser Tank

You might think from the name of this program that it is just another shoot-'em-up game, but you would be wrong. It is an intriguing puzzle game that places a premium on planning and foresight. Players must navigate a maze of obstacles like brick walls, ice, thin ice, mirrors, tunnels, movable blocks, transparent blocks, conveyor belts, and enemy tanks in order to capture a flag in the minimum number of moves. You must plan ahead so that you do not mistakenly do something like destroy the only bridge needed to cross the final river. The most unique feature is the accompanying editor that allows players to devise their own diabolical puzzles: my two children each take great delight in trying to stymie the other.

PipeWalker

This logic game is for those of you who fancy yourselves as engineers. Players must construct a computer network by rotating computer monitors, pipes, pipe joints, and a parent server in such a way that all parts are utilized to form a single computer network with no parts left unused. My favorite son Wesley is the only one in our family to successfully complete even one network out of dozens of available configurations. Pipewalker is both challenging and absorbing.