My 3 most played games

The games I end up playing the most are somewhat addictive. In addition, I find they have the following characteristics. I can:

• play a game in 5-30 minutes
• stop and start without negative consequence
• watch a baseball game or the news while playing
• use my logic / puzzle-solving skills
• normally win, even though the game must be challenging (if necessary using hints and undo)

The games I play most in this order are Microsoft Freecell, Spiral Mile Sudoku, and Handmark Scrabble. These are the games I play the most, but are not necessarily the best games or even necessarily best in their category.

Freecell

Unfortunately, Freecell comes from the Microsoft Pocket PC Entertainment PocketPak which is no longer sold. You can find used copies at Amazon and elsewhere. The games include Blackjack, Chess, Cinco, FreeCell, Hearts, Minesweeper, Reversi, Sink the Ships, Space Defense, and Taipei.  Cinco is another of my favorites that I knew as a child as “Jotto”. The other bit of bad news is about half the programs don’t work on Windows Mobile 5 or 6 devices. (Freecell does).  Do a search for “Pocket PC Freecell” to find other versions.

Sudoku

I haven’t sampled many versions of Sudoku, but on a number of levels I am impressed with the Spiral Mile version. It has tons of useful features including a great training manual. The game includes both educational and helpful hints. My email conversations with the developer, find him both dedicated and open to user feedback.

Scrabble

Finally there is the old stand-by Scrabble. The Handmark version, although old and never upgraded, has passed the test of time. I play medium level and probably use hints more than necessary. However, it always plays well, and it is fun to see if I can run my scores way up.