HOLIDAY GAMES FOR YOUR COMPUTER
As the holidays approach and go by, I find myself at the end of
this year's series of columns in which I suggest some of the best
technology gifts. But I would be remiss if I neglected to point out
three shareware entertainment products that will bring joy
throughout the year to most any computer user. All three of them are
only for the Macintosh OS X platform. Look, there are tons of
computer games out there for the Windows PC and they're easy to
find. But these particular games by comparison are somewhat obscure
and could easily be missed. And besides, I figure that Macintosh
owners deserve some holiday cheer as well.
Every copy of Windows includes the venerable and highly addictive
game of Solitaire. It's proven to be so popular that applications
have been written to remove it from company hard drives, as it has
been known to eat into employee productivity. Apple Computer owners
need not worry about that addiction since the only included game on
a Mac is Chess. Yet I recently stumbled upon a Solitaire game for
the Macintosh that is one of the most beautifully rendered pieces of
animated entertainment I have ever seen in a card game.
Entitled "Solitaire Forever," this collection delivers over one
hundred different versions of the game and displays each one of them
using a visually pleasing three dimensional presentation. After
choosing from solitaire versions such as Klondike, Seahaven Towers,
Yukon and Aces Up, you see a levitating, translucent pane of glass
on which the playing cards are displayed. The motion is liquid
smooth since its developer takes advantage of Apple's OpenGL
graphics engine. Click on any card and it flips over or glides onto
the proper location. The eye-candy factor is way up there and if
you've ever had a yearning to make your Windows-loving friends
jealous, this is the game you should be showing them.
You can download and play Solitaire Forever for free without
registering. This try before you buy policy lets you play four of
the games without limits. You can play any of the other games to try
them out, but they will time-out after 2 minutes. Buy it for $25 and
you'll be in Solitaire heaven forever.
www.solitaireforever.com
Recommendation number two is Absolute Backgammon. This Backgammon
game has evolved over the years into a nicely rendered game, skilful
playing abilities and most importantly, a great way to move the
pieces on the board. That last option has proven to be a killer on
other backgammon offerings I've played. This game lets you move the
pieces in a manner that doesn't try to mimic how a good Backgammon
player would move the pieces on an actual board. Most games force
you to click on and drag the pieces to the location. With Absolute
Backgammon, you simply click on the pip to where you want the
corresponding piece to go. This really lets you concentrate on the
game without the distraction of having to move the tiles using an
awkward mouse technique. The latest version offers spoken cues,
voice recognition, lets you set up the board situation, has computer
recommended moves and dozens of other features. And of course, the
doubling cube is there as well. Because after all, without a
doubling cube it absolutely isn't Backgammon. $25 will unlock the
game, otherwise you can only play each game on a limited time basis.
Which is more than enough time for you to know that you'll really
want to own this game.
www.bestbackgammon.com/absolute
Finally there's Mahjong. And while there are many different
offerings for this tile-matching game, none of them comes close to
the one from BoneHead Software entitled Mahjong Solitaire 2. This
too is a game that's beautifully rendered. You can select from the
traditional set of tiles or from several others including sets for
kids and playing cards. The action is smooth and you get a feeling
that you are playing with visually real and solid tiles. A 3D mode
lets you visually rotate the tiles so that you can get a better look
at each tile and its positional relationship to the other pieces.
You can play against the clock, turn on a variety of musical
selections to further enhance you gaming experience or just simply
play against the computer. Other variables you can play with include
different tile layouts, levels of difficulty, different backgrounds
and different playing options that allow for seasonal tiles. Many
claim that Mahjong keeps the mind sharp and improves your overall
well-being. While those claims may be hard to prove, I can say that
this game will make your Macintosh all that it can be. $12.50.
http://www.mahjongsolitaire2.com
May you all have the happiest of holidays and remember that
playing games will keep you young. |
