I limited my choice of games based on several factors. If there were two or more games that were very similar, I picked my favorite. I excluded any games requiring registration or special downloads. I avoided games that had an inordinate number of pop-up ads or wily redirections.
I rejected games that took forever to load and bypassed any that required the use of lettered keys. I did, however, consider games that used the space bar, shift key or directional keys. If the game board never changed and the difficulty didn't increase, I figured the game wouldn't have lasting interest and didn't include it.
All of the games in the list can be played solitaire, though some have the option to compete with another player. The games are listed in order of my estimation of difficulty, easiest first. In addition, a short description is provided and in cases where inadequate directions were given, I've provided a short explanation of how to get started.
Easiest:
-
Adventure game in which your character finds tools to be used to reach disaster victims and save them.
-
Simple game for learning mouse control. The player creates a replica pizza using the mouse to click on toppings and drag them to the correct position.
-
Click on the cats to make them sit or walk. Try to get all the cats to mimic the highlighted one and rack up points.
-
Control the blue ball with your mouse and move it as needed to avoid being hit by the red balls.
-
Air hockey game.
-
Adventure style game where your character moves through a hedge maze picking up trash and recyclables and depositing them in the appropriate receptacles.
-
Help Stanley rack up points by collecting seashells as he manuevers through an underwater world.
-
Compete with the computer to navigate a maze.
-
Destroy a brick wall by knocking out like-colored sections.
-
Use the mouse to clear the board of balls by linking any two of the same color with a line having no more than two corners.
Intermediate:
-
Pacman style game.
-
Guide the hungry, growing caterpillar to the cherries without crashing into walls or crossing its own tail.
-
Make matches of three or more like gems by swapping two adjacent relics.
-
Timed game of skill in which buttons are collected by color (and scattered if a different colored button is accidentally touched.)
-
Pick the ripe peppers before they fall from the bush and keep the bugs at bay to earn points.
-
A more challenging version of the game above. In this one, new bricks are added as the game progresses and bombs accompany knock-outs of 15 or more blocks.
-
Cute platform game with a twist - or rather a shift.
Hard:
-
Arrange and rotate shapes to fit a background frame.
-
Have fun practicing typing skills.
-
A different sort of skill is needed for this game. Rather than using your mouse to indicate where you want the ball to go, you push the ball around. It's harder than it sounds.
-
Timing skills and an eye for aiming ahead of a moving animal are needed to be successful at this game.
-
Match the pattern of colored squares by sequentially switching swatches until the blanket is complete.
-
Complex reasoning is needed for this game. The monkey turns at every possible intersection. Your job is to figure out which path gets him to the banana.
-
Try to flip all the blocks to red. Blocks are double-sided, blue on one side and red on the other. Some blocks start out blue and some red. Click on a block to flip it over, but take into account that all adjacent squares will also flip.
If your taste in online games differs from mine, you might want to browse the myriad of companion games on the home websites of those I've listed. Although there are plenty of good games on the web, finding them can be a challenge. If you have any personal favorites, please say so in the comments below.
