GlueFO

I did not know what to make of the title "GlueFO" at first. I closed my eyes and tried to come up with what "FO" might stand for. I Googled it and apparently it is a Wall Street abbreviation for Fortune Foods. Yet that just didn't seem to fit.

Then I realized that "GlueFO" is supposed to be a glue version of "UFO" or unidentified flying object. Now that makes sense. GlueFO is a game in which you have a spaceship covered in glue. Small meteors stick to your ship and you take these small meteoroids and shoot them at big meteors. After all the big ones are destroyed, you are allowed to move up to the next level.

Now the glue metaphor is not perfect. Yes, the small stones stick to your ship. But who ever heard of glue that turns from a sticky substance into something used for throwing. Yet, I bet both of us will remember the title "GlueFO" when we want to pull this game off the Internet and play a few rounds.

I like the way the instruction tutorial gets right into the game. It is only 45 seconds long, unlike some really dull game tutorials. It gives you the basics so that within one minute of finding this game online, you can be playing it.

The scripts are well written and the code is executed with precision. The game actually stands out among the better quick and easy free online games out there. Try a few rounds and see if the game "sticks" to you.

Same Color

So they could have been a bit more creative when they named "same color." But at the end of the day, this is just the kind of game you are looking for to play on a mobile device, so who cares if the name is a bit poor.

Not all games were made to be played on mobile devices. The designers have to understand that if they want people to play their game on a PDA, they need to build in a screen that is simple and won't get lost on the smaller visuals that most people are using. That means that you should not have such features as screen in screen or heads-up display.

Same Color does not rely on these gimmicks. Simply, you need to line all the circles up in the same color before they reach the bottom of the screen. There are many games that are similar, but if you are looking for one optimized for a mobile game, this may be your best bet.

The controls are simple. It won't be your fingers that trip you up, it will be your mind. You need to be thinking two steps ahead of every move to keep a good pace going. While the game is not hard at the beginning, the degree of difficulty quickly increases and you go up in levels.

I wouldn't give the game my highest rating. But it's not bad. It is certainly something you can enjoy killing time with for a few hours.

Don't Hold the Fun, Hold the Line

Since the advent of open source, free swap java game applications, we have seen a tremendous number of new games that can be played live on the Internet or downloaded to a cell phone or PDA. Not all these are great innovations however, since the technology is outpacing the minds of many self proclaimed game designers. Yet "Hold the Line" is the kind of non-pretentious, semi-serious game that has just the right balance of challenges and programming intricacies.

Hold the Line reminds me of a traditional double circuit racing game in which the subroutines allow you to control several variables seamlessly. You have a dynamic motion graphic set that really should be standard for all games today, even those given away for free. (Just because a game is free, does not mean it should be worthless.) The sound escapes most of the common pitfalls by modulating in tone depending on how far down the track you have gotten. At any rate, as a free mobile game, you are not going to have great sound anyway, so who cares.

The game is kept simple for a reason with arrow keys and space bar being your controls. Yes, you can change this, but what would be the point?

The playing experience is rich and it certainly stands up to a game that you can come back to without getting bored. My only beef is that it does seem to take a long time to load, which you can avoid by downloading instead of playing live.

Doom Will Keep You Glued to Your Phone

I remember playing "Doom" on my computer years ago. My husband and I were addicted to this game. We would play together. I was responsible for shooting, and he would move the Marine from place to place. At the time, which was over a dozen years ago, "Doom" was the most sophisticated game of its time. We were newly married and we liked playing games together. This was perfect. We would spend hours, because it took hours to complete a level and continue. Each level became more challenging as the monsters were more powerful. We had to struggle to find more "health" to regenerate and find more weapons to stock our arsenal. Also, each level had secret passageways and rooms where special armor or sophisticated weaponry was hidden.

Flash forward to 2008, and I am slowly catching up to the technology of the 2000s. I have a mobile phone with some games, but I was never interested in playing them.Well imagine my surprise when I saw that "Doom" can be downloaded to your mobile phone. It takes a lot of memory to have it on your phone, but it's well worth it. If you only have room for one mobile game, let it be "Doom." I promise you won't regret it. There are nine levels with intense action. You use the "number key" and the "star key" to move sideways. Lots of "bad guys" and interesting weapons to annihilate them all. It's a lot of fun, and I highly recommend it. I loved playing with my husband, but now I can play on my own if I'm bored!

Racing by the Beach

I admit I'm not the most technologically savvy person. I don't have an iPod or Blackberry, but I do rely on my cell phone. I had no idea there were extra features offered on every cell phone. In fact, it was my son who told me that I have "Games." Huh??? Why would I want games on my mobile phone? I have a cell phone to make phone calls, not to play games. Well it turns out that it's a very good thing. My generation grew up on Asteroids, Space Invaders and Pac Man. To play a game like that on one's cell phone was unbelievable to me. We had these bulky machines with game cartridges. Today you can go to a mobile games website and download hundreds of fun games to your phone. My son was actually patient enough to teach me how to do this. I'm sure the majority of today's generation master this before pre school! So let me tell you about my first download. It was "Beach Rally, " a car race along the beach which is a lot of fun. I like games involving the race against the clock or an opponent. It's very simply to play. You use the number 5 key to accelerate, number 4 to turn left and number 6 to right. Number 8 is for braking, but I doubt anyone uses it. You're supposed to be racing, not stopping. Anyway, I discovered these mobile phone games are a wonderful feature. I had the misfortune of spending my day waiting in various lines at the Department of Motor Vehicles recently. To stop from going insane, I played "Beach Rally" most of the day. I knocked my son off the highest score list! Not too bad for a 40 plus woman who grew up in the Stone Ages of video games, don't you think?

Quad Race

What is a quad? Better question. What does a quad have to do with a cell phone or PDA? Finally, what do these questions have to do with you?

Well, now that you asked, there are some important answers. A "quad" refers to a vehicle that is like a motorcycle with four wheels. Unlike a car, it is completely open. Yet with four extra wide tires, the quad can race up and down hills on all sorts of terrain. Sand, gravel, dirt - -all of these are what a quad is built for.

So what do these vehicle have to do with a cell phone? The answer is that you can now play quad race on your cell phone or PDA. You use the arrow keys to control a video representation of a quad around an interesting course filled with jumps and other obstacles. As you travel around, you can earn "turbo boosts" by touching stars that appear all over the course. Usually, you have to do something interesting like jump (space bar) for a star. The more you touch, the more turbo boosts you will have. You will need these for the really long jumps that occur more and more often the more you play.

So just download the game onto your mobile device and you are ready to play anytime and anywhere. The best thing is when you use a mobile device, no one can really see what you are doing. So even during those boring board meetings, just pretend that you are ay the beach racing a four-wheeled monster instead of looking at sales graphs and shipping costs. Go home and try and better your scores on your home computer. Since the game is online, it is always available whenever you want to play. Otherwise, just download it.

Uphill Rush

Uphill Rush is a good find. It is a free mobile game that is fun and challenging. In a world where most free games are worth what you pay for them, it is refreshing to play a game like this which you could easily see actually buying.

It is a motorcycle simulation game. You can play in two different modes. the first mode is time trail. You play against the clock and try and better your fastest score down a course. The second mode is a race against computer controlled motorcycles. Either way, the game is a hoot with multiple challenging levels.

The course is laid out with all sorts of jumps, dips, and obstacles. You control your bike with the keypad and spacebar. Just like with a real motorcycle, for every action, you must balance it with a counteraction to stay upright. If you need to lean backwards to raise the front wheel, at some point you will have to lean forward to get that wheel back on the ground. Every action requires an equal counter-action after the obstacle is managed.

On the time trial mode, you will see a shadow bike taking against you. This shadow bike is simply a representation of your fastest time. That way you know if you are near to setting a personal record for the course. Of course, when you have a high score you can submit it and then everyone in the universe will know that when it comes to video motorcycles, you are a real champion.

The game does not get boring and you can have lots of fun for a few hours. Now that it is a mobile game, you can play it anywhere on your cell phone of your PDA. "Down" time has never been so much fun.

Ghost Ball

I will be shocked if there is anyone out there who actually enjoys this game. It's not even worth the time to download it to your mobile device. With literally millions of games and fun applications out there, there is just no reason to play Ghost Ball. Let me tell you why: You control a white ball. You move it with the pad or arrows. Meanwhile, colored balls crash into you. You need to try and avoid them. If you hit them or one of the sides, you lose. That's it. You can hit "retry" all you want, but I highly doubt you will ever last more than ten seconds. The game may pretend to be based on skill, but it is really blind lick that controls how things operate. The speed is simply too fast for anyone to be able to control. Especially if you are playing on a mobile device, you will break your thumbs before you get beyond the first level. Why anyone would design such a game is really beyond me. It is just not fun and even though it doesn't take much time to play and lose (and believe me, you will lose), it is still a waste of time that you could be using to play something actually fun. I mean, why not play an online blackjack game or anything in which you can use your brain rather than you thumb to try and win. Blackjack can be won, Ghost Ball can only be played until crying in frustration, you turn off your mobile in disgust and actually go back to work (or whatever you needed to do).

Bandit Ludo

Let's be honest. Bandit Ludo is nothing more than a video version of Parcheesi. While it may come in handy to have Parcheesi on your mobile device, is that really necessary? I mean I have never fully understood the concept of turning all board games into video games. The reason board games tend to be fun is that they are played on a board with competitors gathered around. Taking that experience and putting it on a cell phone is something else. Parcheesi and cell phones just don't seem to go together.

But enough of my rant, on to the game. The game is played on a board that looks like your standard Parcheesi board with I guess what you would call a "Mexican" look. Yes, you guessed it. Sombreros and guitars dot the background and add, well I have to be honest, absolutely nothing to the game experience.

You roll an animated die and move your pawns around the board. If you land on an enemy pawn, that pawn goes back to his start. You need to roll a "star" to move out of your home, and the first one to move all his pawns to the home territory is the winner. Now, since you re playing against the computer, this just means that if you move your pawns before the computer does you win.

There are a lot of free mobile games out there, perhaps too many. I think that Bandit Ludo may prove that point. It backs the maxim: Just because a game is fun, it may not be fun as a mobile game. Sorry, but playing Parcheesi on a cell phone? I have better games to play (see my review of Absolute Zero for something more fun).

First Light

First Light is a clever game. I have to admit that much. It is a simple concept, but it is very fun and will keep you coming back for more. Unlike most games that record scores, your score rises when you do well, but sinks when you mess up. Keeping a high score requires constant effort.

How does it work? Simple. You control a large white ball. You use the arrow keys to navigate around the screen. You bounce off the walls that frame the playing area. Small white balls appear at random bouncing around with you. If you can hit a small white ball with your large one, you get one point.

At the same time, there are small black balls that are also bouncing around with you. If you hit a black one, you lose a point. The point total is always shown in the center of the screen. It can get real frustrating as you chase down the white balls only to run from the black ones.

In the beginning, there is only one black ball. But each time you hit a white one and get a point, another black ball rolls into the playing area. When you have more than ten points, the playing area is crowded with black balls and navigating to the one white one that can win you a point takes patience, skill, and a quick hand. One small slip, and your point total starts to fall.

In this game, within a few seconds you can go from a personal best record to almost nothing. That's why when you have a large total and you want to end the game and record your score, you press the space bar. Otherwise, the game will keep going forever.

Absolute Zero

Absolute Zero is a modern update of the classic game Asteroids that can be downloaded to a cell phone, PDA, or other mobile device. It is really fun and does what games like these are supposed to do: It makes time fly by. After all, the reason you are playing on a mobile device is that you have some "down" time during the day. Playing Absolute Zero makes this down time just fly by (pardon the expression, it is a flying game.)

What are the differences between Absolute Zero and Asteroids. Well, first the graphics are nicer. In Asteroids, you just have three crude lines forming a triangle. This is supposed to be your spaceship. In Absolute Zero, your spaceship actually looks like a spaceship. You don't have to try that hard to imagine your ship flying through space blasting at asteroids.

Also, you have a double gun which gives you a slight edge in shooting. What is really different however is that the asteroids are no longer the main target. You have other ships going around trying to take shots at you. If you get hit you lose health. As you fire, you also lose ammo. Unlike Asteroids, there is no unlimited ammo available. Luckily, you can replenish both your health and your ammo.

To move your spaceship, just use the arrow-keys and watch your ship zip through space. The "Z" key turns on the tractor beam to pick up astronauts. The spacebar is what you need to press continuously to fire on enemies and asteroids. Asteroids will sometimes be hiding health packs or ammo. Run them over with your ship and you can reload and bring yourself back from near dead.

The gaming experience is both fun and challenging. Look, it's been thirty years since Asteroids was released. A new design every thirty years isn't so bad when you think of it.

Ocean Catch Match

Ocean Catch Match is a fun, aquatic version of the game concentration. It is easy to learn and keeps your mind focused when you are trying to kill some time. It is great to play on a cell phone or PDA since you can play anywhere and everywhere. Just download it and roll.

The main character in the game is the guy referred to as "Crazy Uncle Ned." Now, Ned is a rare enough name so they probably didn't offend anyone by using it. Still, using "Ned" actually takes away from the game. You don't need to know that the symbols you are trying to match represent his collection from the ocean. It is simply extra, non-essential information that game designers these days feel compelled to add to every game.

Anyway, once you get past Uncle Ned, your job is to match all the odd symbols representing creatures and items from the deep. Of course, there are the usual sea shells and shark cards. Yet there are also some neat items that you may never have seen. Before playing, I had known what a sea urchin was (they make delicious sushi!), but I did not know what one looked like.

I did know what a jellyfish looked like because I have had the misfortune to be stung more than once. I wonder why the game designer felt the need to add such a horrid creature to what is a simple fun game? Personally, he could have used images of tasty fish like flounder instead of the big jellyfish. It may not seem like a big deal, but loading a game with images that you detest actually dampens the whole gaming experience.

Still, if you want to test your brain and kill some time, download Ocean Catch Match to your mobile device and play a few rounds.

Free Sonic

Many will remember a video game called "Sonic the Hedgehog" back when you had to play video games in arcades and they all cost a quarter. Now, a free mobile game called "Free Sonic" attempts to replicate the action and plot of the original "Sonic" series with surprising results.

What is remarkable is that the images are true to form. Sonic and Knuckles looks the same as they did back in the seventies, just with a few details updated for the new millennium. What is great is that even on a small cell phone or PDA display, the graphics are intense. The Sonic file is large since it contains multiple characters at multiple levels. Yet once you download the game, playing is as easy as making a call.

Even the soundtrack is based on the original. Of course, if you are in a busy office and killing time playing Sonic, you may not want people to know what you are doing. That is why there is a mute option. As far as anyone knows, you could be sending an e-mail or setting up a conference call, not controlling a hedge hog to total domination of the universe.

For those not familiar with Sonic and the game series based on the character, all you need to know is that Sonic and his friends are the good guys. The scorpions and spiders are bad. Jump over them and try to touch as many gold rings as possible. Every touch gives you more points. On the other hand, if you are bitten by a scorpion, you will lose one of your three lives, so be careful.

The game is structured around a multi-level universe which is full of jumps, drops, and loops. Always look ahead to see what obstacles are coming your way next and you will do fine.

Go Sudoku Crazy on your iPhone

I only recently discovered Sudoku when I was trying to kill some time between flight connections. I saw a Sudoku puzzle book at the airport gift shop next to the usual crossword puzzle and word search game books. I had heard about Sudoku but never tried it. I bought a bag of peanut M&Ms with it and settled down to play. I have to admit I was hooked from the beginning. I started with the easy puzzles just to get a feel for it. One hour into it, I realized that I was getting a little obsessive. I ran to the gift store and bought two more Sudoku books. I was ready for the challenging puzzles. This numbers game is very easy in concept, but quickly becomes difficult. The object of this game is to fill a 3x3 square with the number 1-9, but also horizontally and vertically, which are three, 3x3 squares up and down. I know it sounds confusing, but trust me when I say it's easy to catch on and get hooked.

When I discovered I could get free downloads of Sudoku on my cell phone, I was in heaven. Any time I'm standing in a line, I pull out my phone and play a few games. I can't carry a Sudoku notebook and pen on me everywhere I go, but my cell phone fits nicely in my pocket so I'm never without an opportunity to play. It challenges the brain, which is a nice change of pace from some of the mindless mobile games and iPhone games on the market. Give it a try. You won't regret it.

The Return of Space Invaders

There is a new version of the classic game Space Invaders that is now becoming very popular thanks to new technology that makes the whole game a free mobile game. That's right. Now you can play Space Invaders on any Internet equipped cell phone or PDA. Imagine waiting for a train or airplane while reliving your youth by playing this classic game.

Not sure if you remember Space Invaders? Let me jog your memory. You have a small space ship at the bottom of the screen. A relentless crowd of aliens slowly matches toward you. Blast them all the way before they make the way to the bottom of the screen to win.

Well, you never actually win. Every time you clear out all the rows of aliens, another whole field appears. The newer aliens are always faster and more threatening, firing their own missiles straight down at you. At the beginning, you have four bases to hides behind, but eventually the bases become destroyed by the rocket fire.

There is also a red space ship that is accompanied by a siren sound effect. It crosses the screen once firing randomly. If you kill, it you get a random number of points. Sometimes it is just worth thirty points, other times it is worth 300.

If you can manage to clear ten thousand points your first time out, you are not bad. But one look at the high scores on the Internet should make you humble. There are those who have scored over ten million points. By my estimates, these people would have had to play Space Invaders continuously for four days without a mistake. Now that kind of concentration is worthy of Tiger Woods! Yet for the rest of us, ten minutes makes a great game. Try it out!

Asteroids

In many ways, Asteroids is the classic video game. Long before the graphic rich environment of flash and java games were developed, this simple black and white, monoline plot game captivated a nation. Millions of people plunked down twenty-five cents to try and blast away at oblong, ameba like images that we were told to believe were killer asteroids. Our "star ship" was nothing more than a line drawing of the letter "A." The weapon? A space bar produced period.

Yet now that the game is available as a free mobile game, it is making a comeback. More and more people are reliving their youth by playing on their phone or PDA while waiting for a bus, a dentist appointment, or a boardroom meeting.

Yet Asteroids is not just for those over forty. Even twenty-something -- who have grown up in an age where you need three days to learn how to play the latest twenty gigabyte games -- are turning to Asteroids. Maybe it's the simplicity they crave. The game can be learned within ten seconds. Make that five. Yet it is challenging and addictive. I am waiting to finish this review so that I can give it one more shot.

Don't ever count a game out because of its age. Games like Pac-Man, Asteroids, and Star Gazer have a lot to offer. Think about it, if millions of people spent countless hours playing this game when it cost money, isn't a few rounds with a free mobile version worth your time? What they would have given in the seventies to carry a version of Asteroids with them on a cell phone. Now that to me speaks of the progress that gaming has made. Keep your Unreal Tournament, I will stick with the intergalactic battle of Asteroids!

ROBOT Spells Weird

The game is called R.O.B.O.T. Why they just don't call it "Robot" is beyond me. Perhaps they thought they were being clever. Who knows. The point is that Robot is a free game that can be downloaded to your mobile device. Whether you choose to play and for how long is entirely up to you.

You control the one good robot. Your job is to walk around shooting all the bad robots. Are you still following? Games like these tend to be very complicated! Yes, after killing lots of evil, bad robots, you go to the robot garage. At the garage, you can now decide what you want to upgrade. See, for every bad robot you kill, you earn a certain number of "cores." No one ever explains what these cores are, but they basically serve as money.

In the garage, you can either fix your robot up or buy more ammunition or even a fast set of legs (wheels?). Spend wisely since you do not have enough money to do everything. That is why it is so important not to get hit when battling other robots. Every core you must spend to repair yourself is one less core you can be spending on better abilities.

Of course, it almost goes without saying that if you waste ammo, you will not be playing for very long. After playing a bit, you will learn which bad guys go down with one shot and which will require a few hits. Then you won't have to wait and see if you have killed your target before firing again. Wait and see tactics save ammo but when you are being attacked from all directions, you don't have the luxury of unlimited time.

Now if you do have unlimited time you can play this game for awhile and learn to master all of its sophisticated nuances. But that shouldn't take more than an hour!

Smart Phone Roulette

When buying a cell phone today, you have to play what I call "smart phone roulette." There are so many brands and features, that you really want to do your research and choose wisely. Otherwise your "smart phone" may be dumber than your stapler. At least with the iPhone, it may cost a bit more than the knockoffs, but at least you know you are getting real quality.

The other thing you know if you choose an iPhone is that there are millions of applications out there that have been designed specifically for the iPhone. For example, you can play a version of mobile roulette -- not smart phone roulette but the actual casino game) using the touch sensitive screen to lay a wager and take a spin. This is not a mock up, it's the real game. if you win, then you win real cash which you can quickly download into your bank account all by using your phone.

The game looks and feels authentic. It also doesn't take long to play. Each round only has to last a few seconds. You can take longer but the choice is up to you. Everyone will end up customizing his or her gaming preferences. That is one of the greatest advantages that comes with playing on a platform as flexible as the iPhone.

So the next time you find yourself with some extra time to kill, take out your iPhone and play a few rounds of roulette. You will see why these phones have become so popular around the world.

Blackjack on the Hip

I am thrilled today because a friend just e-mailed me that there is now a version of blackjack that I can play on my iPhone. As you know, since getting the iPhone, I just don't go anywhere without it. With the nifty hip holster, I can take my little buddy anywhere. Whether I should need a phone, e-mail connection, mp3, or video player -- I have everything I need within a 2 second grab no matter what I am doing.

So until now, the only thing missing has been real games (ones that you can actually win some cash as opposed to a smiley face) that were developed with the iPhone in kind. Sure, you could try downloading some stuff and hoped it would work on your iPhone.

But now, I see there are casino game applications that have been launched that were specifically designed for the iPhone. This is huge news (although it was not unexpected.) So now that I can have my two favorite hobbies (playing with the iPhone and playing Blackjack) together, I am really pleased.

The iPhone Blackjack plays smooth and seamless. Everything you need is just a touch away, from payout odds to taking insurance to splitting your hand. You can play whenever or wherever you feel like it. With the touch screen, you can play as fast as you are able. There's no waiting for the game to keep up with you.

I am sure after a few hours I will try something news. But for right now, don't disturb me, I'm on a roll.

Mission Leprechaun

In essence, Mission Leprechaun is an Irish version of the classic game Packman. The strategy is the same. You control the protagonist, in this case a leprechaun, and you try and collect treasure and free other captive leprechauns. Along the way, you must avoid snakes and goblins and bombs and all sorts of other dangers. If they touch you, you are done.

However, you should keep in mind that there are also scattered throughout the maze, items that will give you special powers. One makes it possible for you to attack and kill the hazards. Another freezes them. If you can quickly freeze them and then touch the reversal button, you can score lots of points by eating up all the frozen hazards. When you hear the voice warning that your special powers are about to end, get out of the area fast. As soon as they end, the hazards resume their menacing attacks.

Obviously, the key is to work the maze over section by section. Move about the corners until the hazards starts to chase you. When they come after you, move on to a different section of the maze. Never stay in one place to long. you must keep moving.

What is great is that this game can be downloaded to your phone or PDA. So you can now play it anywhere you want at any time. While you are waiting for a meeting to start, try it out. Turn off the sound and everyone will assume you are working! Just don't smile too much. If it looks like you are having a good time, everyone will know that you are playing a mobile game.

I don't know why the Leprechaun theme is so popular. But the little guys grow on you. Much more fun than a "packman" (in my humble opinion.)

Fill It For Free

The problem with "Fill It For Free' is not anything to do with the game. It is well designed. It is fun and challenging. You can compete against yourself or against the world by trying to get the highest global score. No, my only problem with Fill It is that I have seen the same game concept countless times.

Recently I reviewed Mars Invasion. This game is almost identical, just without the nice graphics. To say that the graphics for "Fill It" are bare bones would actually be paying the game a compliment. The graphics are virtually non-existent. I know the game is free, but even free games must have some sort of standards. Some people just don't care about graphics. for them, this game will be fine. In fact, they may like it better because it loads so fast. The more graphics a game as, the longer the typical loading time.

Your job is divide up the screen and section of portions without getting hit by the things racing round. You try and trap them in smaller and smaller sections of the playing area until you complete the minimum score for the level. It is usually about 80 percent. That means that you must keep sectioning off smaller sections until the bad guys are confined to just twenty percent of the original playing area.

As you go up in levels, there is one more bad guy added. So level one, there are just two guys to look out for. Level two, you have three guys. The farthest I could get was level five. With six guys swarming all around, it really is very hard to rope of a single section, let alone eighty percent of the area.

Once again, if you want faster loading times and don't mind very basic graphics, this game is for you. Otherwise try Mars Invasion for the same playing experience with better visuals.

The Commander's Sister

The Commander's Sister is much more than you ever expect to get from a free game. It actually has a convincing plot, is challenging, and requires deep strategic thinking. You get to know the characters (including the Commander's sister) through the extensive story line. While some people just want to rush in and start shooting in a game. I find it more fulfilling when I have to spend one minute understanding the game. I mean, it's only one minute.

Here is the background. For some reason, China and the U.S. are on the verge of war. China demands that America abandon a military base in Twain. The American commander refuses to do so. You -- the new Captain -- have the task of defending the base form the Chinese. The narration is even filled with fake CNN reports and a message from U.S. President Hillary Clinton (no comment!)

The way you do this is by quickly building defenses along the base's perimeter. Your defense include turrets and various weaponry. Once set-up, the weapons fire at any vehicle that comes close. You use the mouse to select and build weapons. The space bar removes you from build mode and puts you back in the combat setting.

Beware though. As time goes by, more and more enemy vehicles try and breach the walls. It becomes difficult just to keep up. Just when you are running around like crazy is when the Commander's sister drops in. You see, in the midst of the battle, despite the carnage, the danger and so forth -- there is still time for romance. Yes, the Commander's sister has a thing for you -- the new Captain. But can the relationship really work when you are being swarmed by enemy forces?

You need to play to find out the answer!

Bluep -- Even the name doesn't mean anything

Bluep. When I first heard of this game, I was intrigued. It sounded like it had something to do with the color blue. Beyond that, I had no clue what the game would be. Would this be an action game? A game of skill? A strategic game? I downloaded to my PDA and decided to find out.

Well, the background color is blue. Believe it or not, that is the nicest thing I have to say about this boring game. You control this -- thing-- (a "Bluep") in the center of the playing field. You can move and shoot at a bunch of blob-like things that try and shoot you. The whole time, a mind-numbing electronic version of the Godfather theme is playing non-stop on a loop that is way too short. If you shoot the blobs, you get points. If they shoot you, you die. Real advanced, right?

The first problem is the controls. The game defaults to a standard "AWSD" set up. But "AWSD" is only helpful if you are left handed. If you use your right hand to play, it is not helpful at all. You can change the settings from the main menu and insert the arrow keys. Why they don't default to the arrows is beyond me. But -- get this -- every time you die it changes your settings. No one playing a game wants to spend time resetting settings each round. It takes all the fun right out of it.

So you kill the blobs. Who cares. All you get is to hear more of the music that was never meant to be played by a microchip. Trust me, if you play this game, you will not be able to get that tune out of your head. You will eat, sleep, and play with that tune going on and on.

But let me tell you how I really feel....

Test Word and Poker Skills in WordKing Poker

Combine two skills and double your fun!

If you have ever enjoyed any form of gambling, and at the same time craved some intellectual stimulation, WordKing Poker has got to be the game for you. At least, that is what I feel about it. In WordKing Poker you get to play poker and scrabble all at the same time! What this game is in effect is a poker game which uses scrabble pieces! That is why I always call it poker for the intellect. And you can play it wherever you are at any time of day or night since it comes on the mobile phone.

Why I love to play WordKing Poker

For me, while I always loved playing scrabble (because of the concept of the whole word forming thing of the game), I did find that it was not as cool as more high tech modern games are today. So when I found out about WordKing Poker, and saw the super cool graphics, I saw that as my opportunity to play scrabble at a higher, cooler level. The only thing I would change about WordKing Poker is making it multiplayer. It is unfortunate that this feature is not yet included in the game.

Variety in WordKing Poker

The other cool thing about WordKing Poker is the variety it entails. You can play lots of different types of poker like 7 card stud, 5 card, Texas Hold'em and more, and at the same time use your word play skills. The game has a really comprehensive dictionary too and the higher level game you play, the more challenging it will be for those real word buffs.

How to play WordKing Poker

Players get dealt 2 scrabble cards which have a letter and the point score (as in regular scrabble). The aim of the game is to use the letters you have (along with ones you will take from the community pile like in a poker game) so that you can create the longest and highest score words. Depending on how much you bet will depend on how much you win.