Zuma Deluxe Style Games Evolution

Writen by Denis Snow

As I think most of gamers who play in shareware games know game called Zuma Deluxe. This game was extremly popular some time ago and still popular now. It's now a classic game!

Long time nobody in game industry try to make a game with Zuma gameplay. It was a fear of fail - as someone can know big portals like RealArcade or Shockwave.com don't take for publishing game clones.

But in last time we see a lot of games what takes a Zuma gameplay idea plus some interesting own ideas. Let's look at whis games.

First game will be Luxor.

Main idea is the same, but here one deferent feature - you blast a colored spheres from the bottom line. Game use ancient Egipt styling with pyramids and Pharaoh, you explore the path of the Nile. The game very popular right now.

Next game we will look at is TumbleBugs.

IMHO this game have one of best graphic work (also as last game) and use very interesting design - you need to save your beetle buddies from the Black Bug Empire. According to game info "In a deep dark lair, in Any Backyard USA, creep the Evil Black Bugs. You, the hero "Tumble", hold the fate of your beetle buddies in your hands. Save the colorful beetles from being enslaved by the Black Bug Empire". It has some unique power ups not presented in other games and has some features to talk about - how about two sources and to plases to shoot from?

Another two games Bubblefish Bob and Aqua POP uses sea adventure design. It first game you need to save small fishy friends. The second game objective not known. As I think this game was created in zuma gameplay with only design changes.

Next game have extremly diferent gameplay but use some ideas from parent game - Twistingo.

Main Zuma idea - colored shperes presented, but gameplay based based on the bingo cards and the numbers on it. It requires you to stay focused and yet still full of situations to think over in every minute. You need to explore the Big Island step by step to find and save the cute animals that need your help.

Last game I want to say named Zzed.

This game was created by developers from Russian Federation and have very interested idea mixed with some zuma elements. It's puzzler-shooter game with a space theme. In Zzed, you are a plot of space garbage truck. The space craft is located in the middle of the screen and can rotate both clockwise or counter clockwise. You can also move the spaceship, albeit in a very small circle. A continuous flow of space junk gravitates toward you (rather fast, sometimes) and you have to destroy it, before it damages the ship. This is the action part. What makes the game tricky (and addictive) is the puzzle part. All garbage is "color-coded". In order to destroy it, you have to get 3 or more pieces of garbage of the same color stuck together (here we have some Zuma ideas). Since you pilot a space garbage truck, not some super-cool X-Wing interceptor, you call only shoot with garbage pieces. Occasionally, as you get bonuses like missiles or bombs, which will allow you to feel yourself like a space commando for 0.17 seconds, but other than that, it's all about waste management.

The storyline of this also very interesting, but I don't want to open all - try by yoursef!

Here we see 7 games in some parts based on Zuma classic game. I try all of them and think what Zuma, Tumblebugs, Twistingo and Zzed is the best and have very much difference to explore. How you think?

Denis Snow. ChocoSnow.com sells Zuma style games at http://www.chocosnow.com/.

Try Zzed - http://www.chocosnow.com/games/zzed/ and Twistingo - http://www.chocosnow.com/games/twistingo/

Role Playing Gamescharacter Guide 6

Writen by Dustin Schwerman

Introduction: The majority of role playing games available rely on dice to create a system of random chance. As such, one can never truly predict how things will go. Even an attacker, blaster, or speedster can't guarantee victory before the foe gets a chance to make a crucial attack. Even an achiever, trickster, or defender can't assume that a foe will never succeed to score a hit. Eventually, sometimes even often, characters will take hits. If anything in an RPG is guaranteed, it is this simple fact.

How to deal with it? Play a tanker. Tankers are the characters who take the hits and keep on going. They do not fall easily, do not succumb to single blows. All tankers are alike in their ability to take the hits, but in some games, they also heal rapidly over time, making them virtually impossible to wear down through attrition and compounding their incredible stamina with constant recuperation.

In Quests of the Realm, tankers are represented by the endure preference.

Player Tactics: The tanker, like the defender, is primarily a protective specialty. In QoTR, tankers supplement their stamina with some functional options. They can sacrifice their resilience to improve their actions, and can ignore some of the penalties that come from being badly injured (and, indeed, gain bonuses instead!) This isn't always the case, however, and being able to take a lot doesn't matter much if you can't likewise dish it out.

The tanker, thus, is a specialty that helps to maximize other advantages more than granting benefits of its own. Since a tanker doesn't fall easily, it has more chances to make use of its abilities. When other characters are falling back to get healing, the tanker is still going strong, possibly even stronger than it was in the beginning of the fight.

A tanker should never go for minimal impact. Do whatever you can to pester your enemies so they turn their attention onto you. As with a defender, your value to the party, other specialties aside, is strongly limited if foes elect not to attack you. On the other hand, don't let the value of your strength defeat itself. Tankers are hard to take down—but not impossible. You want to draw attacks off of your allies, but much as with a user, if you rely too heavily on your ability to resist hard, it will be used up when you need it later.

Although any combination can prove effective, tankers do lend themselves to certain other specialties. A user/tanker, used wisely, is a master of winning through attrition. A blaster/tanker might risk a high chance of burnout, but played with some caution, can devastate the enemy force without fearing being taken down quickly due to the perceived threat of blasters. An enhancer/tanker, able to take the hits and heal, is virtually immortal on the field, while a defender/tanker is not only hard to hit, but also requires more hits to drop (and may be able to lower the damage of those hits it takes, to boot).

GM Tactics: Tankers share many of the same advantages of defenders for villain design. They make great boss opponents, especially if a lot of the players have high-damage characters that would otherwise eradicate a boss in one or two hits. If tankers can gain in effectiveness as they are injured (as in QoTR), the challenge of such a battle increases as the characters get closer to winning, not unlike in some video game RPGs.

Attacker/tanker fodder opponents are a pretty safe bet. Since they are lower level than the party, their ability to take more hits and deal more harm make them credible threats. And, since their tactics are straightforward, the GM can use them without having to worry about complicated strategy. As with defenders, though, tanker fodder can mean a much longer battle. On the flip side, they're a great choice if the party contains a slightly-too-effective blaster.

Tanker elites can prove effective, especially if combined with more powerful allies. A trickster/achiever boss, for example, with a couple of tanker elites can make for an interesting challenge. All in all, the tanker specialty is among the best choice for villains—it makes them effective without making them unnecessarily devastating, and nicely complements any other specialty they have.

Tankers can take the hits and keep on fighting. They lack powerful offensive abilities of their own, but if they have a halfway decent fighting specialty to back them up, they can win their fights through attrition. Players should value the added survivability of tankers, since a player's character is naturally subject to more attacks—and more successful attacks—over the course of a long-running game than any individual villain. However, enemies too can benefit from a tanker's capabilities, allowing them to actually stay in the fight long enough to cause an effect, even against a group of high-damage characters.

Copyright © 2006 Dustin Schwerman.

Dustin Schwerman has been playing RPGs for over a decade, using an analytical approach to critically evaluate the game systems (and so to create the most powerful characters he could get away with). He used the extensive experience gained doing so to create his own game, Quests of the Realm. QoTR focuses on unlimited character customization, relying on its author's understanding to detect and counter game-breaking power plays. Though balanced, QoTR still allows players to create highly effective characters and run them through heroic story lines. To contact Dustin, read more of his writings, or learn more about Quests of the Realm, visit his web site, Quellian-dyrae.

Best Of British Gizmondo Doomed To Fail

Writen by Everton Blair

The Gizmondo combined media player, phone and gaming gadget went on sale in the last month for £229. The device sports an impressive spec: - It can be used to play games, music tracks and movies, it can take and store digital photos and can send SMS, MMS and emails, GPS, GPRS and Bluetooth for multi-player gaming.

From April 22nd you'll be able to buy a Gizmondo for £100 less - a cool 44% saving. In return, for this discount, Gizmondo users will have to watch three "Smart Adds" per day.

The Smart Adds will mainly consist of video clips and small games that come with redemption codes or barcodes that are wirelessly delivered to your Gizmondo over its GPRS connection.

I'm not so sure that this option is cheaper....Ok, 44% less but who pays the data cost for downloading the ad? Even if each ad is only 100Kb (I'm guessing they'll be more but I'm being generous) then on my network (Vodafone) at £2.35/Mb these ads would cost me £257!!!

Other reasons why I think the Gizmondo is destined for failure are:

- It costs £229. Nintendo's DS handheld costs £99, and a PSP is expected to cost £129 - far less than the cost of a Gizmondo

- The DS already has a pool of fans of earlier Nintendo handhelds to draw on (87,000 DS handhelds were sold in the first two days in Europe) and the PSP is also likely to have a strong following

- Most importantly, it doesn't have a killer game for launch

I'd love to be able to 'Buy British' but I think the Gizmondo will go the way of the C5, Sedgeway etc. May be worth buying one as I bet it will be worth a bit in 10 years!

Maybe in a year I'll be proven wrong.

The author runs a blog following developments in the internet and mobile internet sectors. With over 10 years experience in strategy consulting and business development, and has seen and lived through the highs, and the lows of the industry.

Based in London, the author can be contacted on admin@connectedinternet.co.uk and his blog can be found at http://www.connectedinternet.co.uk

How To Buy Educational Software That Your Child Will Love Using

Writen by Simon Ronald

When shopping for educational software for your child, it is important to realize that not all educational computer games are created equal. For example, Donkey Kong Jr. Math is still known as one of worst selling games in the Nintendo Entertainment System empire. Built on the same concept as the popular game Donkey Kong, many children found it belittling and boring. This game forced players to answer math questions before they could proceed to the next level. The problem was, the educational component was so obvious and so intrusive to the game that most players simply put the game aside after a few attempts.

More recently, Jerusalem, part of the Adrian Blake Trilogy, has come under fire from players and reviewers alike for being one of the more didactic and uninteresting educational games on the market. This game attempts to teach players about Christianity, Islam, and history by talking players on a role-playing game. The problem is that the acting, scenes, and plot lines tend to be stilted in order to fit in the educational content. Many players simply find the game uninteresting.

Parents can learn valuable lessons from these manufacturer letdowns. When shopping for educational computer games, it is important to always try out games and to select games that are fun to play as well as instructional. Better yet, parents should have their children try out games in order to ensure that the games are fun for children to play. Parents will want to stay away from games that interrupt play in order to ask questions. This is often too much like a "test" in school and makes players give up games quickly.

Buying Educational Games

Once you have decided to buy some educational computer games, shopping will not be difficult. Most computer stores and major toy stores now carry large selections of educational titles. Many online retailers now carry educational games as well. Ebay, for example, always has a good selection of unopened and unused educational computer software at great prices. Parents can order any title they wish online and have the games shipped directly to their door.

When buying computer games, it is often best to buy new games and unopened games. While used educational games are cheaper, they are also riskier. Used games often carry no support and no technical help. If you have trouble installing the game, you may simply be out of luck. Many used titles may also be damaged or older versions that will not work well on a newer computer. Worse, used versions of educational games may be illegal, pirated copies which could expose you to legal risk. Illegal versions of games may even carry viruses or bugs that can affect your computer. The small savings are not worth it. For inexpensive games, try online educational games or wait for sales on popular titles at your favorite store.

In general, when shopping for educational titles, you will want to try games before you buy. Ideally, you will want to ask your children's opinions about which games to choose. That way, your children will be able to select games that they will actually enjoy playing. You will also want to select games that will build a variety of skills. You may want to buy several titles that build several skill sets and give your children some variety as well.

Dr Simon Ronald is the CEO of RocketReader(http://www.rocketreader.com), the company that makes reading improvement software for all ages. For more information about effective reading strategies, visit http://www.speedreading.com Also check out http://www.freeonlinebooks.org for a free online books collection that makes reading practice fun!

Was The Xbox 360 Released Too Soon

Writen by Ron Swerdfiger

Less than a week after launch, Xbox 360 owners have started to complain about several problems with their new Xbox 360, mainly over heating and disk scratching. What seemed to be isolated cases several days ago, now appears to be more prevalent.

A reader of Xbox Today claiming to be an Xbox LIVE technical support worker, believes that nearly half of the Xbox 360's are "broke."

"I estimate at least half the 360's out there are broke... nothing but constant calls" explained the source

Regardless of whether-or-not the source does work for tech support, there is still a growing number of concerned Xbox 360 owners with broken Xbox 360's.

The question that most people are asking is; did Microsoft launch the Xbox 360 prematurely?

Last time around Microsoft actually launched too late. Sony sold more than 20 million units by the time Microsoft sold its first 1.5 million. This time around, Microsoft has the head start. The Nintendo Revolution and the PS3 are both expected to be released in 2006, at least 6 months after the launch of the Xbox 360. However, with the obvious shortage, and the growing number of complaints, MS large head start may have less impact then previously thought.

As the next few months play-out it will be interesting to see if MS can overcome the concerns with technical issues as well as the obvious shortage prior to the launches of the Sony Playstation 3 and Nintendo Revolution. Either way, 2006 is shaping up to be a great time for gamers.

For more news, check out our Xbox 360 Forums site or our PS3 News site.

Pc Games The Best Ever

Writen by Michael Russell

As with anything else in life, there is always going to be a best of the best list for games. PC games are no different. And while these lists are purely subjective, what follows are some of the games that most, if not all, die hard game players feel are some of the best PC games ever released. We'll present a few of them and a brief description of each. You can venture out to pick up one or more of these titles feeling comfortable that many before you have enjoyed them.

"Return To Castle Wolfenstein" was voted PC game of the year when it was released so there had to be something good about it. The original was one of the first person shooter games, meaning that you saw everything from your own perspective. The action was fast and furious and was hard as heck. If you want a real challenge in knocking off the bad guys, this game will give it to you in spades.

"Ultima Underworld" was released in 1992. This game was so many years ahead of its time that it was a joke. It had one of the most complex and rich story lines of any PC game ever released. And even though graphically it isn't up to the standards of today's games, it is still one of the most fascinating adventure games of all time.

"Civilization" was released in 1991. This game is the ultimate in long term play. The premise is simple. You begin a civilization back during a time when you didn't have electricity or any of the modern conveniences we have today. If you were lucky, you watched your civilization grow over a period of hundreds of years. This is one game that you could literally play for months, if not years on end. One of the most popular games ever.

"Pirates!" was released in 1988, which by today's standards was pretty much in the stone ages of PC games. Still, this was one of the most fascinating games of all time. You started the game as an ordinary citizen. You could be French, Spanish, Dutch or English. Your task was to rescue your long lost sister. So, you took your pirate ship, got your crew together and went off to find her. The adventure that followed was nothing short of brilliant. This is one game that you will never tire of playing.

But what many people believe to be the best PC game ever made and again this is purely subjective, is the title X-COM: UFO Defense, which was released in 1994. The premise of this game is very simple. The Earth is about to be invaded by aliens so you have to gather a bunch of alien hunters to hold off the invasion. While the premise of the game may have been simple, the actual game itself was anything but, as you had to go through an enormous amount of work just to reach the point of defending the Earth, including building and equipping a base, building a radar station, buy enough equipment to survive the battle and then finally send your soldiers into battle. If aliens landed in a certain area and you did nothing about it, that area would cut off your funding. If you want to play a game that is incredibly challenging, X-COM: UFO Defense is one that will not disappoint you.

Michael Russell

Your Independent guide to PC Games

Queenalice The Site For Casual Chess On The Web A Review

Writen by Timothy Trimble

I've been playing chess since I was 15 years old. I was in the Chess Club in school. And I remember the big media blitz on chess during the Boris Spasky versus Bobby Fisher matches. Whew! That was a long time ago. But I'm still a big chess player. As such, I'm always on the lookout for a good internet based chess client where I can hang my chess hat. In my initial search I tried many different sites. I even paid for membership on one of the sites for awhile. But then I came across www.queenalice.com! QueenAlice is a web based chess site that provides correspondence chess playing in a very laid back and non-intimidating environment. What attracted me to QueenAlice was the need to be able to play some chess with some of my remote friends, by making moves when I had the time. Which is where QueenAlice shines! When a player makes a move, QueenAlice will send an email to the opponent, letting them know that it's their turn to move. Moves can be spread out for up to 14 days per move or up to 90 days per game. The email message contains a layout of the board and a history of the game moves.

One of the features that I use the most on QueenAlice is called the "Think" gear. When you click on this, you can move pieces around the board and try out different move combinations, without affecting the actual game. Then when you're done trying out your "what if" positions, you click on the gear again and go back to the original board setup. Currently there are just a little over 600 players, from all around the world. There is support for multiple languages and players can contribute to new translations if their language is not currently supported. Players can play rated or nonrated games. Ratings are provisional during the first 25 games, and then the player gets an "established" rating. The rating calculations are posted on the site for review. There are also ongoing Round Robin and Swiss System tournaments.

The ART of Software Development in QueenAlice is in the feel of the site and the dedication of the author Miguel. The theme of the site is taken from the book "Through the Looking Glass" by Lewis Carroll. The site itself is very easy to use and does not promote the "pretentious" attitude found on many chess sites. It's the perfect place to go for a "casual" game of chess. Miguel has done an excellent job of putting the site together. He's always avalable to listen to comments and recommendations made by the users. Much of the feel and functionality of the site is due to comments from the players. There is an active forum on the site where players can discuss chess tatics, site functionality, or just life in general topics. I have found QueenAlice to be an excellent location for playing chess with many of my friends who are not computer or internet experts. It's very easy to register and begin playing without having to jump through a lot of techical configuration hoops. And the site is currently free to use. It has been during the past few years that I've been using it. There is a minimal amount of advertising on the site, but it does not get in the way of playing or using the site.

Now if you're looking for high end chess discussions with international chess masters and advocates, then you'll be happier on other sites like The World Chess Network, The Red Hot Pawn, or The Internet Chess Club. If you want a casual game of chess, with some very friendly folks, on a very easy to use site, then QueenAlice is THE place to go. Now if they could just figure out how to serve expresso with each game. Check it out at www.queenalice.com

Timothy Trimble, The ART of Software Development

Timothy Trimble is a award winning, freelance writer, and software developer. He has written a book for Microsoft Press, articles for significant computer industry trade magazines, and is currently working on his second computer technology book to be published in early 2006. He is the Blog publisher of The ART of Software Development which can be found via his web site at http://www.timothytrimble.info

Proud member of http://www.WordBrains.com

Up Close And Virtual

Writen by Jonathon Hardcastle

Computer gaming has given birth to one of the most competitive and flourishing industries in the world. Game developers have been busy trying to take their games to the next levels in order to compete with their counterparts and earn their markets shopping dollar. With ever improving graphics, additions of improved artificial intelligence, better game play and game speeds, rigorous enhancements to game details and captivating story lines, each new computer game seems to become more addictive for gamers.

This huge success owes a lot to the feedback given to the game developers by the gamers. Clearly no one can understand what improvements a game requires for it to become even more attractive, than the people who play the game themselves. The game developers themselves can not notice the slight details that gamers can. This is why the big names in the industry have started giving more attention to testers and their feedback. So much so that they gave rise to a whole new study called "Game Study" and also "Play testing".

It has become more like war between the game developing companies and 'everything is fair in love and war'. Because higher-quality games tend to sell better, game developers are increasingly looking for ways to improve their games. Thus, to improve the quality of their games some game developers also tend to seek help from psychologists to study the patterns of how the minds of gamers work and what might make the game more addictive. One such way is to make the game more challenging yet easy to learn and use.

Multiplayer games tend to be more successful. The key to develop a successful and mind blowing multiplayer game is to maximize the quality of game play and adding strategy to it. For example Counter Strike by Valve has proven to be one of the most successful multiplayer games ever made, because anybody can learn how to play it, requires very little pc resources and thus most computers can run it, has an exquisite game play and with a little team strategy can be pretty fun to play.

Thus there is a lot to making the perfect computer game. Game developers are always aiming to improve all these aspects to make their games perfect. With developing technology, improved graphics cards and monitors, the game developers tend to make use of these to make their games as real as possible with ever improving graphics. It seems evident, that computer games one day will soon reach a point, where they become close to virtual reality.

Jonathon Hardcastle writes articles on many topics including Games, Toys, and Sports

Child Brought Up On Classic Video Games Good Or Bad Idea

Writen by Oliver Earl

Children nowadays are all for the newer generation games. However: these consoles and games are getting more and more expensive. The Playstation 3s' games are expected to go over £40/$60. Can we pay this type of price for our children's entertainment, or re-introduce them to classic or pre-era gaming?

The Playstation 3 and the Nintendo Wii are set to launch soon and the XBOX360, Nintendo DS and the Sony PSP have already hit shops around the world. The games and consoles are at very high prices. Children will stop at nothing to try to get you to purchase these consoles. Why? Based on the typical 6-15 aged average kid, graphics and the look of the console.

No doubt, the consoles and the graphics do look extremely impressive. I've seen demonstrations of these next-gen consoles around the Internet, and my friend owns an XBOX360. But are you willing to dish out the dosh to purchase these consoles, and not to mention frequently having to get them more games. When they will cost alot too.

Or.

If you really want to save your money, and still give them the enjoyment they deserve. Introduce them to classic gaming. I'm not saying go back to the PONG and Magnavox Odyssey age, as they will get bored to quickly, but go back to around the 8 or 16bit era, and show them that even sacrificing the graphics, these games are really fun and addictive. The hard part is to get them to pick the controller up and play. As they might be a bit "But the graphics are rubbish" or "It doesn't look very fun". A Super Nintendo, Sega Mega-Drive (Genesis in the USA) and a Neo Geo might be perfect. Games on them will be very tasteful for them.

If you don't have any "retro" consoles, you can buy some cheaply using eBay or go into any secondhand cash for item shop and you're bound to find a console and some games. For cheap prices. This means that you don't have to spend about £40 on just 1 next-generation game and can probably purchase 6 or more classic games. And still have change.

I'm not saying to scrap their next-gen consoles, maybe you could get them 1 or a couple of games at Christmas or on their birthday. But it will save you a whole lot of money and they may just enjoy classics such as:

• Super Mario (Bros 1, 2 and 3, World and Yoshi's Island)
• Mario Kart
• Kirby (Adventure and Superstar are great especially for yonger children)
• Metroid (Metroid and Super Metroid are good towards older children and teenagers)

If you're new to this kind of thing, which I don't thing you are if your a parent or an adult who has lived during the 80's to experience the golden era, why don't you join in? Or if you're experienced, teach your kinds a thing or two. ;-) Have a think about it. I plan on having my kids grow up with a Sega Mega-Drive (Genesis) and a Nintendo. Mainly to keep the retro gaming legacy alive. Thanks for reading!

Oliver Earl - Webmaster of Classicville.net Me <3 classic gaming> Please support me and visit my website! http://www.classicville.co.nr

Arcade Games

Writen by Ken Marlborough

Arcade games are typically coin-operated games found in restaurants, pubs, video arcades, and other public spaces. Most arcade games are video games, pinball machines or redemption (rewarding the player per their score) games. These machines are programmed and equipped for a specific game, and consist of a video display, a set of controls (joystick, buttons, light guns or pressure-sensitive pads on the ground), and the coin slot.

Arcade games usually have very short levels, simple controllers, iconic characters, and increasing levels of complexity. They are designed as short adrenaline-driven thrillers compared to most console games, which have more complex play and stronger storylines. One reason for this is that since the game is coin-operated, the player rents the game for as long as their game avatar survives on the field. Any game on a console or a PC can be referred to as 'arcade game' if it has these attributes.

The history of arcade games dates back to the early 20th century amusement park games like shooting galleries, mechanical fortune-tellers or jukeboxes.

Today, there are 4,926 known arcade games, and these modern avatars are based on pure electronics and integrated circuits. The modern arcade games were developed in the 1970s, and one of the most famous of these early games is Pong, a simple game simulating Ping Pong.

Ralph Baer, who is now known as the creator of video games, created the first known home video game consoles in the 1970s. Improvements were brought to home consoles from late 1970s to early 1980s, the time during which Atari 2600, Intellivision and Colecovision were released. The video game slump of 1983 was not filled until the Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) reached North America in 1985. This was when games like Mario Bros. and many others of today's popular Nintendo games were launched.

The last two decades of gaming history have witnessed the creation of separate markets for games on video game consoles, home PCs and handheld devices.

The latest generation of arcade video games also has interactivity as part of the game design, making the game player feel more involved in the game. A radical form of interactivity, virtual reality, has not really taken off in the arcade game genre, but this is due to the technical limitations of truly being able to achieve real virtual reality by any means.

Arcade Games provides detailed information on Arcade Games, Free Arcade Games, Online Arcade Games, Real Arcade Games and more. Arcade Games is affiliated with Online Computer Games.

Games To Encourage Thinking Skills

Writen by Steve Hall

There is no doubt about it, using computer games is a great way to encourage children to expand their realm of thinking. Your options for entertaining your child may seem numbered. Many people allow their children to spend quite a bit of time in front of the television. But, what good does that do? If you want them to learn something while they are zoned out, you are completely lost. But, if you flip on the computer, download a great game, you may actually be able to encourage them to learn more and you will encourage good thinking skills as well.

Thinking is not something that everyone can do well. Now, we are referring here to the thought process that goes along with solving problems. For many children, this is something they struggle with. Mom or Dad always takes care of the problems. If something isn't right, just call mom or dad. Even on the television, that is full of real life and imaginary "problems" that need to be solved, there is no encouragement for children to come up with the solution. What happens then? They just sit and watch and let someone else handle the problem.

But, what happens when they are older or in a situation where they have to solve the problem at hand? Do they know how to analyze their thoughts, ideas, and to find the right solution? Many don't. But, if you would like your child to be the one who does know how to flip the switch on and solve the problem, consider allowing them to sit in front of the computer as opposed to the television.

Okay, so too much time in front of the computer isn't much better, but there are ways to you make what time you do allow them to sit at the computer to be good times. This is you simply need to maximize what they are doing. There are several good games out there that can be used to stimulate thinking in children. For many people, this is the perfect way to go to encourage children to learn how to solve problems without letting them in on it! Yes, because games are fun, the child will not fight you on playing them. Much unlike a lesson plan, this way seems to encourage children to come back to the game time and time again, therefore getting the experiences they need to learn a thing or two.

But, what are these games? What are the options that are out there for your child? There are many games, and although we will only talk about a few here, find ones that will work well with your child. What are his or her likes and dislikes? Sports? Television characters? Perhaps they enjoy space or under water adventures. Search out those games that will intrigue them as well as encourage them to think.

Some to consider include Big Thinkers Kindergarten and the series of Freddi Fish Adventures as well as many other games specifically for children. These are mainly for younger children, but you'll find many more for older children as well. In fact, consider giving your older kids more puzzle related games to help them along this course as well.

When you give your child the gift of being a problem solver, they will work through the situations that happen to them, big and small, without fear of not knowing how to handle them. They will be more likely to do well in the real world then. What's more is that you can feel good about all that time they spend in front of the tube (even though it's the computer not the television!)

Steve is a member of the GrandMatrix team. They provide a broad range of games, puzzles, articles and reviews. Read more articles, download and play the latest PC games for free plus enjoy thousands of user submitted puzzles, quizzes and word games at GrandMatrix Free Game Downloads

Ps3 The New Boy In The Hood

Writen by John Gibb

Although it hasn't reached the hi-tech store shelves yet, the brand new bad boy in the hood of cutting edge video gaming consoles is slowly approaching. Scheduled for release at 17 November 2K6, the highly anticipated gaming console made its last appearance at the 2006 E3. Coming from a key pioneer in hi tech electronics, the PS3 promises to define what the next generation of gaming consoles is going to be like.

Let's start with some food for the tech freaks. The all new PS3 features the innovative, never-seen-before Cell processor; we are talking about the result of the cooperation between 3 giants in the field of hi-tech electronics: IBM, Sony and Toshiba! The Cell processor features an astounding number of 7 (!) cores and it clocks at 3.2 GHz. Not impressed? Well, be informed that the new PS3 will also feature a new graphics card designed by NVIDIA and SCEI, clocked at 550 MHz! Still not impressed? How about Blu-Ray? Yes, yes Blu-Ray! PS3 also comes equipped with a Blu-Ray drive (up to 54GB of storage) witch in addition to the 1080p resolution that the PS3 delivers will help you enjoy the maximum out of HD movies.

Regarding other aspects of the internal architecture, the PS3 is equipped with 256MB of XDR Main RAM @ 3.2GHz as well 256MB VRAM @700MHz and your ears will be pleased with the sound produced by Dolby 5.1ch speakers ( with cell-base processing).

One thing that gamers will always wonder when a new console is arriving is "Will I be able to play the games I already have?" Well, in the Case of PS3 the answer is a definite YES. You can play your PS2/PS1 games at no extra cost. Apart from that, the PS3 will accept any CD, DVD, (and of course) Blu-Ray that you throw in it!

Judging by the Videos/ Images of games that will come for the PS3, one can easily say that PS3 will bring a whole new era to the gaming industry. The gaming world has never before witnessed such lifelike graphics and such a vivid gameplay. Let's just hope that when the time has come, we will have the necessary 500+ bucks in order to get our hands on this amazing toy!

John Gibb is the owner of gamesconsoles facts For more information on games consoles check out http://www.gamesconsole-guides.info

Super Mario Bros Mania

Writen by Morgan Hamilton

The Super Mario Bros are a part of videogame royalty since their creation by Nintendo. When the first Nintendo came out in the mid 1980's it was incredibly successful, but it actually took a while to catch on. The very first Nintendo games didn't really offer anything different than what was already on the market from gaming companies like Atari. It wasn't until they released the game 'Super Mario Bros' that the Nintendo really exploded on the scene with their first council system, and only then did they achieve icon status concerning 1980s entertainment.

Recognizing the breakaway hit that the first Super Mario Bros game was, Nintendo wisely decided to start including the game as part of the package when you bought the system. It was a smart promotion and no doubt increased sales of their gaming system. When I first got my Nintendo Entertainment System, it came with the Super Mario Bros game and I was in video game heaven.

I was off a big fan of Atari 2600 but I was blown away by the superior sound and graphics that Nintendo offered. More than the better graphics and sounds, the sheer size and scope of the Super Mario Bros game was what really made the Nintendo shine above the others. Atari games had always lacked layered depth, but the Super Mario Bros game had it and then some.

Super Mario Bros games are still being churned out today for the modern-day Nintendo systems, like the 'Gamecube' and the 'N64'. There is no question that the Super Mario Bros are the flag bearers and nationally recognized symbols for Nintendo systems, and have probably done more to bring in business for the Japan based company than all of their other advertising efforts to date. Just putting the Super Mario Bros into a game just about guarantees greater sales, it's that much of an enticement. It's no surprise then that there are so many different takeoffs of Mario Bros games out there now.

One of my favorite more recent Super Mario Bros games is the Mario Kart series. The really cool thing about these games is that you can play it against other players directly. You could play the original Super Mario Brothers games with more than one player, but not simultaneously, so you were always hoping that your buddy get killed so you could play the game. The Mario Kart games are fun because you can play with several players and have some good clean fun while you go at it and the is still leave there as friends.

Morgan Hamilton offers his findings and insights regarding the world of games. You can get interesting and informative information here at Super Mario Bros

Copying Xbox Games

Writen by Terry Dunn

There really is no shortcut to copying XBOX games. In fact, this is a mightily complicated process and has stumped some really techie people. This is evident with the prevalence of the question on copying XBOX games in Internet message boards and tech chat rooms. But why does one need to be going about there and copying XBOX games? Is this not legal?

If you have an XBOX and you have purchased original games to play on it, chances are you must have ran through a huge chunk of your savings. Original games are very expensive and because CDs are not exactly immortal, you can eventually wear out a game especially if you use it every minute of the day.

To give value to consumers, most countries allow original CD buyers to make back-up copies of their XBOX games in case their original got damaged or got lost provided that they are aware of the law against pirated software and that they actually own an original cd and are only copying XBOX games for their personal use only.

While it is relatively easy to do the copying of XBOX games, the same cannot be said in actually using the XBOX games that you have copied. Most software contain an encryption that must be met when inserted in an XBOX. Copying an XBOX game, however, does not copy this encryption. This is a protection system that most XBOX consoles have as protection against flagrant copying of XBOX games.

To be able to run XBOX games that you have copied, you need to modify your XBOX. This can be a daunting task especially to beginners who are afraid of destroying their XBOXes with their tinkering.

According to most tech experts, there are a lot of ways to modifying your XBOX in order to accommodate the practice of copying of XBOX games. Some are quite complicated and only a tech expert could do while other ways can be expensive but easy.

One is to buy and install a MOD-chip. This will allow your console to play XBOX games that you have copied as well as play imported games from other countries with perfect sound and video with no problem at all. While it may seem that all you have to do is purchase a MOD-Chip and then voila, you have another think coming. There are actually a lot of things that you should consider when buying a MOD-Chip. Most recommend the Divineo Modchips, which are purported to be really reliable. Some of the popular brands are the Xecuter 2 and 3, Xenium, SmartXX, X-bit, Alladin, Chameleon and Xchip.

Another way in copying and using XBOX games is to change the BIOS of the XBOX so that it will no longer read the requirements of the digitally-signed software. This is basically reprogramming the whole BIOS.

You might also consider purchasing a bigger hard drive and just save all your games inside the XBOX. This way, you already have copy of your favorite games inside and would no longer need to swap CDs.

The third way is to do the game swapping technique, wherein you will first boot the original CD and then swap the copy once it has already booted up. This might be very complicated and will not actually serve your purpose in copying your XBOX games… that is to preserve your original CDs.

Terry Dunn is webmaster of http://www.Copy-Xbox-Games.biz an informational resource on software to Copy Xbox Games.

The Best Action Games You Can Download And Start Playing Right Away

Writen by Joe Light

Hungry for some raw action! No brain activity needed, just fast reactions and quick fingers!

After The End Cut your way through locations filled with mutants in this 3rd person 3D-shooter. In your attempt of getting replacement units for your drop-ship and discovering the source of the evil raging all over the planet you will fight dreadful creatures with your arsenal of weaponry and special abilities. Nice 3D graphics, and sound FX, 16 weapons and devices, 3 game modes (Campaign, Firing range, survival), Worldwide Hall of Fame and much more.

AirStrike II AirStrike 2 is finally here. Get ready for brand new land, air and water units A–armored vehicles, heavy helicopters, submarines, destroyers, carriers, speedboats. Missions take place over water, desert, high in the mountains and over densely populated areas. Last year Game Tunnel nominated AirStrike 3D for Best Action Game, Best Sound, Best Graphics and Best Non-Network Multilayer. They'll have to come up with new categories this year for AirStrike 2.

18 large levels with 3 powerful big bosses!

5 different landscape types!

Over 100(!!!) different units with unique characteristics!

Alien Sky Take a raid deep into alien force positions to eliminate the threat for your home-world. You'll encounter lots of different alien ships, upgrade your weaponry with extra-weapons, blow up enemy barriers and defeat powerful bosses. Lots of special effects, unique tactics for each level, nice music and sound FX, Worldwide Hall of Fame and much more.

Astrobatics Burst through all the missions of the fierce space war in this excitingly intense action game. Turn your ultramodern space-fighter ito deadly fighting machine with weapon upgrades, rocket turrets, bots and additional weapons. Encounter various modifications of enemy fighters, cruisers, mine-layers and ground defences. Destroy asteroid plants and vast command ships before they destroy you.

Gorgeous graphics and special effects, complete environment renovation in each level, original soundtrack, Worldwide Hall of Fame and much more.

Atomaders This space-shooter is based upon the classical Invaders/Galaxian idea. You have to liberate your planet system from the alien invasion using your space fighter. Player can obtain various extra-weapons and special abilities by destroying enemy cyborgs, fighters and mother-ships. Each planet has its own cyborg types and an unique powerful boss at the last level. Additional planet systems could be downloaded from the Internet.

Joe Light is keen on simple, but addictive action packed games. He shares such tiny little jewels found digging the web at http://www.lightsparkle.com

Best And Worst Video Games

Writen by Bob Rankin

They're Not Called "Killer Apps" For Nothin'

MediaWise is an excellent resource for keeping tabs on the trends and conditions of video and technology aimed at young people. And they've recently published a 10-year assessment of the game industry (online and personal products), concluding that progress not withstanding, "killer apps" (the most popular software in a given category) still tend towards the violent and ugly aspects of life.

Nevertheless, they do remain optimistic that things are changing. And in particular they are pleased that an international rating system is moving the game industry closer to an understanding of the impact these products actually have on the thinking and behavior of our young (and increasingly older) players.

Recommended Video Games for Kids

In addition to their assessment of the decade, they also published their 2005 Video Game Report Card. In that, they identify the Good and the Bad of gaming options, using their standards about the social and learning value. MediaWise recommends the following games for children and teens

Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (E 10+)

The Incredibles: Rise of the Underminer (E 10+)

Peter Jackson's King Kong (T)

Legend of Zelda: The Minish Cap (E)

The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe (T)

Sly 3: Honor Amongst Thieves (E 10+)

We Love Katamari (E)

Sid Meier's Pirates! (E)

Dance Dance Revolution ULTRAMIX3 (E 10+)

Backyard Baseball 2005 (E)

On the serious Gamer's side of the story, a website called GameSpot has posted its year-end assessment of downloads or actually played games. They have a wide range of "Best of" categories under such interesting titles as:

Best Original Music

Most Surprisingly Good

Best Story

Best Voice Acting

Best Creative License

Best Use of Sweat

"Danger, Warning!

Obviously, Gamers take this stuff seriously when it comes to fun and artistic expression. But interestingly, GameSpot's 2005 popular play list somewhat mirrors the "Parent Alert" warnings provided by MediaWise. Most of the popular games from GameSpot are rated Mature with warnings on the store packaging or Web portals. Their list includes:

Civilization IV

Ninja Gaiden Black

Resident Evil 4

Battlefield 2

Mario Kant DS

Fifa 06

Need for Speed

Grand Theft Auto

FEAR

Food Fight!

Interestingly, a game of remarkable popularity called Food-Force.com was released and enhanced over the last year by the United Nations. It simulates the experience of the player being part of a collaborative team of experts who come together on a dangerous adventure to feed the hungry and malnourished in a fictional nation. As the players go through this adventure, they learn fascinating facts about the true issues of food policies and practices worldwide.

Perhaps it says something that while this online game received little marketing attention (and was not even reviewed by MediaWise), some 2 million people downloaded the game in its first six months. By comparison, the top games of GameSpot seldom exceeded 50,000 downloads.

More Recommended Game Sites

Surfing the Net with Kids

Yahoo Games

FunBrain

Reprinted from: http://www.askbobrankin.com/best_and_worst_video_games.html

BOB RANKIN... is a tech writer and computer programmer who enjoys exploring the Internet and sharing the fruit of his experience with others. His work has appeared in ComputerWorld, NetGuide, and NY Newsday. Bob is publisher of the Internet TOURBUS newsletter, author of several computer books, and creator of the http://LowfatLinux.com website. Visit Bob Rankin's website for more helpful articles and free tech support.

Chasing The Almighty Everquest Platinum

Writen by Mark Willigerod

If you've ever ventured into Norrath, the virtual world of the fabulous EverQuest MMORPGs, then you know that life there is all about the platinum. EverQuest platinum is as necessary as air if you're planning to advance in level and pay for the equipment, weapons, ingredients, and other goodies you'll need to get ahead in Norrath. How do you acquire EverQuest platinum, you ask? Well, there are several acceptable ways to go about it, and you should take advantage of every one of them.

Everquest platinum, Everquest riches

We all know that the fun part of EverQuest is going out on quests, and this is certainly one of the ways the designers intended for players to acquire their EverQuest platinum. It can be slow, though; it's hard to save up even one EverQuest platinum at the rate of one copper a rat, considering that the exchange rate is a mere 1,000,000 coppers per platinum! Fortunately, the bigger the critter the more they're worth -- and the better stuff they have on them. Selling valuable items you've acquired is an excellent means of increasing your EverQuest platinum funds. Spend a few points on crafting here and there, and you can even make useful items to sell for gold and the occasional platinum piece.

A platinum saved is a platinum earned

If worse comes to worse, there's always another effective way to increase your EverQuest platinum: by having your real world avatar buy some on the Internet. You can buy EverQuest platinum for the original EQ as little as $.54 per 1000 from many Internet vendors; you can even find it for sale on eBay. Amazingly, the EQ2 version of Everquest platinum goes for an eyepopping $3.00+/platinum. Is it any surprise that EverQuest economies are healthier than some of their real-world counterparts?

If you're in the market for EverQuest platinum, you've come to the right place. We've got all the sources for EverQuest plat

Umd Sales In Sharp Decline Studios Pull Back

Writen by Vladimir Cvetic

One of the developments I never really understood was the huge success of movie sales for the Sony Playstation Portable (PSP). When the gaming platform was launched some time ago, game sales were disappointingly low while movies sales were surprisingly high. So high, in fact, that within weeks every studio seemed to jump the bandwagon and began releasing their movies on UMD discs. Well, the dream is over.

Hardly surprising, UMD sales have taken a sharp turn for the worse and the phenomenal sales figures of the initial months are a thing to be fondly remembered. UMD sales have become so low at this point that many studios currently pull out of the market altogether. Even Sony Pictures Home Entertainment, for example, who is directly tied to the PSP, of course, has decided to pull back on UMD releases for the time being. Don't expect any more catalog titles to surface on UMD, and don't expect every new movie to be released for your PSP either. Pickings will become very slim simply because people have stopped purchasing movies for the platform and seem to have – finally – embraced the PSP for what it really is, a gaming platform.

Nonetheless, Sony is not sitting idly and now has plans to talk to third party vendors to push for a series of converters that will allow you to play PSP movies on a TV screen. I am not sure who came up with this harebrained idea but I'm sure it will go down in the annals of the video industry as a joke. In case the folks haven't realized it yet, but we have a format to play back movies on TVs, and we call it DVD. It works pretty well for most of us and has an adoption rate that is way beyond anything the PSP could ever achieve. The image quality is much better, the extras are much better and richer and many times the DVDs are even cheaper. Why anyone would think people could possibly see the PSP as a real alternative to set top players is beyond me, but that's Hollywood for you.

Find more great articles and tons of cheap and popular dvd titles on http://www.dvd-movie-shop.org

The Gaming Worlds Evolution

Writen by Barbi Bharadwaj

Every teen has got a reason behind him, buying a computer. He urges his parents saying I have a java practicals lab in my third semester and I need to program with my computer. Did that provoke your urge to your parents? But the ultimate reason behind one buying a desktop is internet, music, movies and something more too… GAMES!

I don't deny that there are a few students who utilize their computer for java also. But is there a comp without winamp or media player? Obviously everybody goes for music first choice for a "let me relax for a while" moment. That too with the parents staying pop corn before the idiot box, we all have a nice time playing games on the comp.

A recent poll on the college students suggested that alcohol and drugs have been overwhelmed and music and games have taken the numero uno slot.

Be it a 8 bit TV video game, or the lastest x-box from Microsoft, gaming has been a great passion among teens and kids. A few people consider the inventors of "play station" GOD!!! But how did all these evolve?

Early computer users will retrospect playing PRINCE OF PERSIA on their 64 MB ram comps running Windows 95. A computer was not a "it has to be in every home" commodity then. It was expensive and internet was meant to be accessed only at browsing centers. The 8 bit TV video game came to the cancellation for those gaming freaks. The joy of playing video games on Sundays became multifold when I was with my friends at the apartment. All of us owned a 8 bit TV video game. And everybody mastered "SUPER MARIO". At one moment I thought we knew all one-ups in SUPER MARIO. Then the craze heaped upon and more catridges were bought. 76 in one was the most sought after. Everybody switched over to SUPER CONTRA.

But the problem was it never appeased gaming freaks playing cricket or some other sport on the 8 bit mode. For instance in ALLAN BORDER CRICKET (ABC) the bowler's action used to be like he is chucking the ball. (still it looked better than srilankan sppedstar MALLINGA's action). A 16 – bit TV video game (SEGA) hit the market and it wasn't a big difference altogether. Bob and bill wanted more action, better graphics.

Then was an era about the pc games. A lot of games were available on CD. Nobody I knew bought them. These games were either downloaded from the internet or borrowed from a friend. Nobody pays for software in our country. Spare corporate companies.

EA SPORTS just rocked with real time sports. Be it FIFA or TIGER WOODS PGA TOUR.

he graphics is amazing and was ameliorating with every new release. I still remember the trade mark smile from tiger woods. Oh dear! that was almost like watching woods on ESPN. And for those action and adventure lovers, the gaming world delighted them too.

And then the gaming market saw the contemporaneous release of x- box and play station.

Both the consoles had great labour behind them and the graphics was quite real. Every release saw something new. You can and must call it ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE.

In the adventure game ONI, I was supposed to go for a training before the game and I was required to practice running. Once the assignment was over, I was not satisfied and I kept running. To my surprise, I heard the voice yell out "you ll have more time to practice running. Now go to the door"

Another thing that left a deep mark in my mind was the commentary and the crowd roars in FIFA. When it is a home match and the forward takes the ball in to the box, and shoots off the post, you can hear the crowd "ooooohhhhhhhhhhhhh". The magnitude is not that much when the away team does the same. Oh baby that was awesome. And now in FIFA 06, you can thrust the ball forward in the direction you are running. This was a realistic idea from the designer's team. And now games are already a few number of CDs and DVD s coming up, I don't know where we are heading to.

The latest version of GRAND THEFT AUTO (GTA) comes in five CDs.

Is more innovation possible? Sony launches play staion 3 in less than a month from now and I swear a few thousand gaming freaks will have it in their homes by Christmas.

But what more is possible? I guess FIFA cannot be improved much. It is already in its acme. Its more like a real game on ESPN.

It all started from "SUPER MARIO". Jus like everybody on the internet has a yahoo account; I guess everybody has played SUPER MARIO once in their life.

Lets look up if theres some one who has not played SUPER MARIO.

CAST UR VOTE IN A POLL NOW!!!

Have you played SUPER MARIO atleast once in your life?

YES! i know all ONE-UPs in the game

YA! i have played ita FEW TIMES

NO! i have NEVER PLAYED the game

MARIO? i have NEVER HEARD of the game

vote @ http://readbarbi.blogspot.com/2006/10/gaming-worlds-evolution.html

http://www.readbarbi.blogspot.com

How To Put Downloaded Games On Your Psp

Writen by Albert Lee

If you have come to love PlayStation when it was still on its infancy, you will probably love PlayStation Portable more than ever. With a highly revolutionized technology, its functions have been created to suit the growing demands of consumers for a more innovative gaming experience.

However, PlayStation Portable is extremely different from its parent. PSPs have Memory Stick Duos that can accommodate audio, video, and gaming files, just like a computer. All you have to do is to download the games into your PSP and you can instantly start playing the game.

For those who are not yet aware of the right technique in installing the games, here is a systematic guide on how to put game on your PSP.

1. If you have purchased a full game, the installation process will be very simple. All you have to do is to extract the files into a specialized folder in your PC. Once you have opened the setup file, the instructions on the installation will appear. Thereafter, you can play the game at once.

2. If you think that PSP games are expensive, you are not alone. Indeed, PSP games can be very costly. Hence, for PSP owners who cannot afford to download and install a full game version, you can always opt for alternatives.

In the Internet, there are thousands of free game demo versions of PSP games.

3. Download the game file that you want to try out and install them into your computer. Just make sure that the firmware installed in your PSP supports the game that you are about to download.

If in case you have encountered some problems on your game installation, such as games that cannot be started or corrupted files, it means that your PSP's firmware is not compatible to that particular game.

4. Make sure that the game file you are going to download is an "iso file." Try to verify if your PSP has the necessary program needed to operate the game. You can download the program from the Internet in case you do not have one.

5. Follow the instructions carefully.

Lastly, make sure that the files you are about to download and install in your PSP should have a psp tag in the title. Experts say that only the files with a "psp" tag in the title will be read and supported by the PSP.

Boiled down, you can significantly maximize your PSP's ability to provide amazing gaming experience by learning how to put game on a PSP. Once you are accustomed with the process, the succeeding installations will be easier.

To learn more tips for transferring your downloads to your PSP device, please visit http://www.feed-your-psp.info/.

Mmorpgs Dont Get Swindled

Writen by Cristopher Fowers

Most avid online gamers know how to defend themselves on the virtual battlefield by fighting off monsters with powerful weapons, thick armor and unstoppable attacks. But, how many online game players know how to prevent themselves from becoming a target of cyber-crooks? These villains look to steal player accounts, weapons and hard-earned currency. Recently, online gamers have been added to the long list of swindled Internet victims.

One of the biggest threats to people who play MMORPGs (Massive Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Game) are keylogging Trojans. Trojans aren't new to Internet scams, they have been used for years in spam emails, P2P downloads and credit card fraud rings.

Keylogging Trogans are simple programs that come disguised in another program and log all of your keystrokes. The data is sent back to the thief where it is decoded and checked for passwords, pin numbers and other personal information. The thief takes this information, logs into your account and steals currency, weapons and other goods. The bandit then sells your goods on eBay or other auction-based websites.

Trojans don't come in the games themselves, but are easily hid in botting programs used by gamers to play their character while they are away or sleeping to gain currency and levels. Besides the chance of being banned from the game, botters put themselves at a greater risk. The risk that the bot also contains a keylogger that runs quietly in the background recording every keystroke and sending the information to its creator.

A sure way to avoid Trojans is not to use a bot. There are safer ways to powerlevel you're character like through a MMORPG service like IGE or Gamepal. Though these services aren't free, they provide some security while powerleveling your character and saving you valuable time.

Other common game frauds have to do with buying virtual products like currency, weapons and accounts. There are a few ways that a crooked seller can scam the buyer. After the seller receives payment for the account they will change the password and contact customer service so the new owner is locked out of the account for which they paid. Sometimes the seller will advertise a great product on an auction website and then after the transaction is made, deliver a poor or alternative product. Or, the seller promises gold and glory and leaves you with nothing more than an empty mailbox.

The best way to avoid these and similar frauds is to always use credible companies when powerleveling, purchasing accounts, currency and other goods.

References

Landesman, M. (2005). That game cheat may be cheating you. Retrieved Jan. 30, 2006, from MMORPG Trojans Abound Web site: http://antivirus.about.com/od/emailscams/a/mmorpg_hacks.htm.

Station Exchange, (2005). Retrieved Jan. 30, 2006, from station.com Web site: http://stationexchange.station.sony.com/.

Cristopher Fowers Cristopher Fowers is a Writer/Reviewer for TopTenREVIEWS.com. TopTenREVIEWS features expert reviews for technology and entertainment products and services. For more information and an in-depth review on online genealogy search websites, see http://genealogy-search-review.toptenreviews.com We do the research so you don't have to™.

New Super Mario Bros Review

Writen by David Allison

He's been reincarnated in various forms and formats but this time the Mario that we all know and love has been resurrected in true classic, plaforming action in the latest DS game, New Super Mario Bros.

New Super Mario Bros. returns to Mario's roots. We haven't seen a Mario game like this in over 15 years, and even longer if you consider that the N64 version was rendered in 3D. This version is a 2D side-scroller but it does incorporate some excellent 3D graphics. Mario is rendered in 3D as are many of the enemies and environments, although you can't explore them like you could in the N64 version.

Right from the first few seconds of play you can tell that you're in for a good time. The game just reeks of quality. It looks great, sounds like nostalgia, responds brilliantly and is great fun - and that's just the first minute of game play. You can tell that Nintendo has done their homework on this game. It retains the look and feel of the side-scrolling Super Mario Bros. series but manages to update and upgrade it with new moves, enemies, booby traps, puzzles, bonuses and secrets so that you will always be mindful that you are playing a new game and not some reheated rehash. There are plenty of nods to its heritage, including goombas, Koopas, question mark blocks and flagpole jumping at the end of levels but these are classic elements that I believe must be included to give us a sense of familiarity. Maybe this wouldn't have worked five or ten years ago, but enough time has passed so that we don't perceive these elements as hackneyed.

With today's games we tend to take the storylines too seriously, when in reality the story can't fix a terrible game. The Super Mario Bros. storyline is about as basic as they come, and we don't really expect it to be any different. Come to think of it, it doesn't need to be any different. It's all laid out for us. Are mission is to rescue to Princess from the clutches of Bowser, in this case, Bowser Jr. He's kidnapped her and taken her to the castle at the end of the first level. Once you reach that castle, Bowser Jr. takes Peaches to the next castle. This continues on through numerous levels. There are eight worlds in all, and an overhead map allows you to see all the different levels in each world. It's quite easy to get through the entire game since there are plenty of power-ups and extra lives, but you'll miss out on the whole experience if you just go barreling through the levels without stopping to smell the piranha plants.

There are a couple of hidden worlds to unlock. You should explore all areas thoroughly to find all of the unlockables, secrets, surprises and shortcuts. There is also the added challenge of collecting coins. Not only will you earn extra lives by collecting coins but there are three huge coins in each level for you to locate. This challenge isn't easy and I didn't find them all yet but I'm intrigued to return to the levels where I missed them. The replay value is tremendous if you decide that you want to find everything in the game and take part in all of the challenges.

Mario has plenty of moves this time round. He will still run, jump and stomp but there are a few more moves that give him more flexibility, and he'll need it to negotiate his way through some of the more deadly platform elements and enemies that he will encounter. A butt bounce will allow him to smash the blocks he's standing on. He can grow large enough to take up the entire screen, which allows him to smash tons of blocks and take care of smaller enemies by trampling them. A mini-mushroom will make Mario tiny and allow him to enter into small places. It will also let him walk over water. A wall bounce lets him scale walls to reach new heights or can be used if he falls into a pit. Platforms will twist, bend, warp, shrink, expand, hover, fall, elevate and destruct. I don't think the developers left anything out. Even the ground will undulate, causing Mario to experience a rippling effect not unlike a ship on a stormy sea. Despite all these new elements and moves, the game doesn't take full advantage of the DS's unique control system - not the touch screen control system or even the dual screen for that matter. The bottom screen is basically used just to display your progress in each level. The touch feature is used almost exclusively to access your power-ups. In other words, there's nothing that you would really miss, control-wise, if this game were released on the GBA. However, the graphics are what really matters and this game would never look this great on the GBA simply because of the DS's uber-powerful processing capabilities. This version not only looks 10 times better than the Super NES version, but it's just as big. Think about that for a moment. That should tell you how far Nintendo has come.

But wait, there's more…The game also features a two-player verses mode featuring Luigi. The premise is a race of sorts, to see who can be the first to grab five stars in a platforming obstacle course. You can purposely attempt to injure the other player by banging into him. This will cause him to drop his star and allow you to claim it for yourself. This mode can be played via sharing with only one copy of the game card. The same mini-games from the Super Mario 64 DS game are also included but they can be played with other players, requiring only one copy of the game. These mini-games make better use of the touch controls but they aren't incredibly exciting.

The sounds are fantastic. It's like having an arcade in the palm of your hands. "Is that an arcade in your pocket or are you just happy to see me?" Mario has a voice in this game and repeats a few Italian-soaked clichés. Thankfully he avoids saying, "That's a spicy meat-a-ball-a."

New Super Mario Bros. is new in looks, feel and gameplay but thankfully we still get to visit Mario's old super stomping ground. This game is reason enough to purchase the DS system if, gosh forbid, none of the other killer Nintendo titles have tickled your fancy yet.

Check out Cheat Code Central's full review of New Super Mario Bros., which includes our scores and screen shots for the game. For tons more reviews, previews, and cheats for PS2, Xbox, PC, Xbox 360, GameCube, PSP, DS, GBA, and more, check out Cheat Code Central.

Backgammon Guide For Beginners

Writen by Natalie Aranda

About Backgammon

Backgammon is a popular board game. You can play Backgammon with others on many popular game websites, such MSN game zone, play65.com etc.. In fact, Internet Backgammon is installed on most of PCs that run on MS Windows operating systems by default under "Games" program group. The popular game today is actually the oldest game in history. Also known as the "wee battle," backgammon began in Mesopotamia (now known as Iraq) about 5000 years ago. Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning have used Backgammon for researching, developing and testing AI theories and machine learning algorithm for the simplicity of game rules and complexity of strategies.

Backgammon Rules

The rules of Backgammon are very simple if you learn by playing. The descriptions of the rules on pager will likely add some confusion initially. Backgammon is a two player game. Each player has a home board and outer board, along with fifteen pieces. The board is very similar to checkers or chess, except it consists of twenty four points. The object of the game is to move your pieces into your own home board and then "bear" the pieces off the board. Whoever bears their pieces first, wins the game! Your pieces can only move in one direction. This all depends on the color of your pieces. Your white ones will move clockwise, while your black pieces will move in the opposite direction. Before moving pieces, both players roll the dice and whoever scores a higher number will move first. When you start to roll the dice, remember that both dice make up a separate number. For instance, if you rolled a two and a four, you can either move six spaces or take two pieces and move them separately. If you are trying to move your piece to a point that is already occupied by the opponent's pieces, you have to look elsewhere. However, if your competitor only has one piece on the point, you can knock him off and put your own pieces on the spot. The best way to master Backgammon rules is to get on a game site to play with a computer, then with a real person player.

Basic Strategies to Win

Tricking and blocking are two common strategies to play Backgammon. Playing backgammon is all about tricking your component especially early on in the game. For example, you could sacrifice one of your pieces during one of your first moves to fool the opponent to think that you aren't a very good player. Also, by losing one of your pieces early on, the competitor will actually end up having more pieces in their home board. When the game continues towards the end, the other player will have a more difficult time trying to get them back into the game. Blocking is another great backgammon strategy to help you win. Most players knows that it's much easier to block the opponent's pieces in your own home board, so they will have a more difficult time to get out of your area. Points 4 and 7 are also great spots to block other players. Visualizing the move before actually playing it, you can see if there will be any problems when you decide to strategize.

Natalie Aranda writes on games and computers. Tricking and blocking are two common strategies to play Backgammon. Playing backgammon is all about tricking your component especially early on in the game. For example, you could sacrifice one of your pieces during one of your first moves to fool the opponent to think that you aren't a very good player. Also, by losing one of your pieces early on, the competitor will actually end up having more pieces in their home board. When the Backgammon game continues towards the end, the other player will have a more difficult time trying to get them back into the game.

Eliminate Sudoku Frustration

Writen by Kevin Meates

Every person who has ever done the Sudoku puzzle over time has at some point become frustrated. You get to a situation where you just can't see any headway. There seems to be no clues as where to go next. And I know from personal experience that staring blankly at the puzzle waiting for a solution to hit you between the eyes just never happens. There are two keys to getting past the frustration.

The first key is to understand the thinking of the Sudoku creator or puzzle writer (or what ever you want to call him). He wants you to get frustrated. That is his goal. Depending on what level of Sudoku you are attacking he will use a different number and variety of tricks and roadblocks to make it difficult to find the final solution. When your level of frustration rises, so does his level of satisfaction. Conversely when you get to a roadblock or dead-end and you know that this is part of his plan, then it is easier to stay calm and find the solution.

The second key is to have a plan of attack or strategy for these roadblocks. Just knowing that they are there is fine but not finding a solution can be very frustrating in itself. So having an orderly strategy you can use to find a way past the roadblock is imperative. If you remember the Rubik's cube, it was very frustrating to solve. But once you could solve one face then the other five faces could be solved by repeated using just four sequences of moves. The difficult part was finding those moves but once found and remembered then the cube could be easily and repeated solved. For solving Sudoku, I personally use the dot-dish-dash technique. It is a combination of three overlaying marking strategies that enable anyone to solve any level Sudoku they wish to tackle. I am sure there are people of high enough IQ that they can solve the hardest Sudoku in their head without any markings on the page at all. I am, unfortunately, blessed with only an average IQ and therefore use the marking to help me to a solution. The dot-dish-dash markings are relatively unobtrusive, easy to implement and interpret.

Now when I get to a roadblock I see it as the challenge of me against the puzzle maker. And with a good strategy its not whether I can break down the strategy of the puzzle maker but how fast and cleanly I can do it?

Kevin Meates maintians the site http://www.sudoku-strategy.com

How Do You Play Sudoku

Writen by JB Anthony

Sudoku originated from Japan. It is basically a mind game, a number puzzle and its popularity in these modern times have been compared to that of the popularity of the Rubik's Cube in the 80s. Newspapers, magazines and even math textbooks and online sudoku games – only lately - have popularized the game, Sudoku. Because it is challenging and because it offers a different form of intellectual diversion from that of modern technology such as television (if you can call television and intellectual diversion at all), people and even kids have taken easily to Sudoku games.

But how is Sudoku played? Sudoku is a number game made up of a series of grids. The grids are usually within a big nine by nine grid with nine three by three smaller grids. The primary objective or aim of the game is to place the numbers 1-9 into each grid units. You may not add the numbers and look for the sum of the numbers in the rows and columns.

However, there are three mechanics or rules of the Sudoku game:

1. The numbers 1-9 must only appear once in each column;
2. The numbers 1-9 must only appear once in each row; and
3. The numbers 1-9 must only appear once in each 3x3 grid.

Once these three rules are kept in mind, the player can now proceed by searching the puzzle for clues. Most players start by looking for numbers that appear in the first puzzle. For example, if the number 5 appears in the first puzzle, check if the number 5 also appears in the three by three box. But remember, this number must only appear once in each column and in each row! Next, after looking at the three by three boxes for clues, you must make sure to fill in the numbers 1 to 9 in the columns and rows that hold most of the numbers. If there are only two numbers left that are not in the row or column, do the process of elimination method to find out where to place these last two remaining numbers left. Check the columns and rows to locate the two missing numbers and if you have eliminated one of the chances on each column or row, there is a possibility for you to fill the line that you are playing in.

Of course, difficult and more complex Sudokus will also require more analysis and technique from the player. However, this is what makes the game popular. As Sudoku players gain more mastery, they move on to more challenging Sudokus. Sudoku game definitely calls for and develops critical thinking in a person.

JB Anthony is the webmaster of http://www.sudoku.hottestniches.com For more information, articles on sudoku and playing sudoku, and links to online sudoku games, please visit http://www.sudoku.hottestniches.com

The Playstation Experience

Writen by Jonathon Hardcastle

A few months ago a friend entered my apartment to announce that he has decided to perform a very important investment for our future in entertainment. I remained calmly at my sit waiting for him to continue and explain how lucky he was as he managed to find an incredible deal over the internet for the newest version of PlayStation 2. Frankly, I could not believe my ears. I have never played PlayStation in the past and the last video game I have played with my friends when I was still a kid, was an old version of Atari. I could not grasp how someone over twenty-five would pay any amount to become another of those inert players stack in front of their TV screens for hours or even days. But the experience I had when PlayStation 2 entered the premises of my house was not exactly as the one I originally imagined. PlayStation has proven to be an extremely fun and instructive gaming experience. After the first couple of weeks I realized that when someone knows how to keep a balanced life it is possible to spend time exploring this unique gaming experience without the feeling of guilt.

Produced by Sony Computer Entertainment, PlayStation 2 is the successor of the original PlayStation console that has been a tremendous worldwide success since its original introduction. By March 2005, the sales margin of PlayStation surpassed the 100.49 million units, becoming the first home console to ever reach the threshold of 100 million sold games. Dated back to 1986, Nintendo was the first to attempt to work with disk technology, but after encountering a number of problems Nintendo decided to approach Sony in order for the second to come up with a solution. Soon Sony recognizing the emerging video-gaming market planned to initiate production of its own console, leading Nintendo's management team to cancel all deals and form an alliance with Philips; this time securing control over its licenses on the Philips developed machines. By the end of 1992, Sony and Nintendo reconciled their major differences and Sony launched the first version of PlayStation in 1994 in Japan. By September 1995, PlayStation was introduced to the USA, European and Asian markets and its initial success was a prelude of its future sales breakthrough challenge.

The extreme popularity of the PlayStation console introduced the term "PlayStation Generation" and titles like Tomb Raider, Final Fantasy, Resident Evil, Gran Turismo, and Silent Hill, have become the favorite pastime games of millions of users worldwide. Having enjoyed over eleven years of continuous videogame production, Sony has announced that the next PlayStation generation, known as PlayStation 3, or PS3, will be launched in November 2006 and will also be a backward compatible device; meaning that it with be able to play all the games that have already been released for the other PlayStation versions.

Although the genius creators of the PlayStation consoles argue that the new version of this popular videogame will advance the user's experience, I doubt that it will actually manage to have the same success in the desired time frame. A vast variety of other videogame competitors, including the powerful Nintendo, have launched a number of games for their consoles, which have increased users' expectations and have made them extremely conscious regarding their next videogame choice. But, I am sure that my friend and I will continue playing the PlayStation games of our choice, like NBA 2K6 or Grand Theft Auto, as PlayStation 3 will be outside our budget for at least a while.

Jonathon Hardcastle writes articles on many topics including Games, Recreation, and Sports

What Would Jesus Play

Writen by John Deprice

Video gaming industry has a bad reputation among Christian folks and other family value groups of interest. What are their kids supposed to play? Christian and family friendly game developers have the answer.

Zzed (Nevo Soft)

Space waste management may not sound like the most exciting carrier in the universe, but Zzed had to take the job to be able to marry his lovely green alien sweetheart. At the time, he did not know that his boss was the most corrupted extraterrestrial west of Sirius. And when he found out, he got sent away to the farthest corners of his galaxy, where he was sure to get crushed by space garbage. Will he die? It's up to you now. Even alien love stories need to have a happy end.

WaterBugs (Retro 64)

WaterBugs is takes its cue from the addictive classics Jezzball and Qix. But that's where the similarity ends, because Water Bugs has different shapes for each level, 3D rendered graphics, digital sound, new enemies, ocean theme, and tons of power-ups. The free version features a full set of 50 levels to play, and does not require any special hardware.

GemShop (Hip Soft LLC)

In GemShop, you have to match colorful gems and keep the customers happy. While you sell gems and jewelry to smiling customers, watch out--keep them waiting too long and they'll start to grumble. You'll need to give them a special treat to keep them happy and get the sale -- just like in real life. Special tokens allow you to upgrade your shop with more jewelry and customer treats. Happy customers spend big bucks and keep your gem shop open for business.

Free Download Links

Zzed http://www.deprice.com/zzed.htm

WaterBugs http://www.deprice.com/waterbugs.htm

GemShop http://www.deprice.com/gemshop.htm

If you want more family friendly games, visit http://www.deprice.com/challengertetris.htm

Online Computer Games

Writen by Max Bellamy

Online computer games take advantage of the Internet to offer an exquisite gaming experience. Online computer games are of four types. You can play some online computer games with a browser window. For that you need to log on to a specific web site. Some online computer games are text-based. You can play those games in a web-based forum. If the games are loaded with lots of graphics, you will require stand-alone software packages. Players challenge each other over the Internet. Some online computer games can be played with e-mail. E-mail computer games were the first stage of the online computer games revolution. MUDs, or Multi-User Dungeons, were extremely popular during the age of e-mail computer games.

Let's now discuss what you need to play those games. If you want to play computer games online, you need to have a high-quality Internet connection. You also need to ensure you have the hardware support to play the game. Not only that, you need to have the software installed on your computer to run the game. It's always useful to have software capable of locating active game servers. This will make your job easier. As we have mentioned earlier, you can play online computer games in a web browser. The best thing about online computer games is that these games have successfully overcome the geographical barrier among the players. Players from far-off physical locations now can take part in online computer games. That's the secret of their popularity.

Lineage, Counter-Strike, EverQuest, Quake and Half-Life are some popular online computer game titles. Internet users have especially found the online computer games quite interesting. If you want to enjoy gambling, card games or arcade games online, you need to check out what online computer games have in store for you. You can't deny the fact that online games are here to stay.

Computer Games provides detailed information on Computer Games, Free Computer Games, Online Computer Games, Kids' Computer Games and more. Computer Games is affiliated with Online Arcade Games.

Making Money With Mmorpgs

Writen by Aaron Crow

The new gold rush is in the virtual hills of massively multiplayer online role-playing games (MMORPGs). A robust market in virtual items and character accounts forms around every popular online game, and people pay real money for in-game goods. This market has turned into a big business over the last few years for entrepreneurs who make substantial incomes and for gamers who bring in extra incomes.

Such virtual goods have been dubbed unreal estate, and similar to real estate, the market provides many ways for people to profit. The possibilities range from a single player unloading an extra game item for some quick cash to a full-time broker who bargain hunts for accounts to sell again at a higher price.

Nearly all MMORPGs operate with in-game currencies that players need to function in the game economies, and these currencies are among the most popular items in the online game market. People pay real money to gain in-game currency so they can buy important game items right away instead of slowly earning the in-game currency through hours of play. Entire businesses on the internet revolve around the currency market. Many of them will cater to a specific game, but there exist larger online stores that cover a lot of the market. For example, www.mysupersales.com online since January 2001 buys and sells currency from many of the popular online games such as EVE Online, EverQuest II, World of Warcraft, Dark Age of Camelot and many others.

The MySuperSales site also provides a big market venue for the buying and selling of game accounts. A game account contains the character or characters that a player has created, and some of these accounts can fetch prices in the hundreds and even thousands of dollars if they are high level and from a game that is in high demand. Much of this value is based on the time spent to get a character to a high level. Many hours of play are needed to raise a character's level and people gladly trade their money for this time.

People like to buy such accounts so they can enter a game with a powerful character who has many abilities and wealth instead of working up through the game with a fresh character. Also a gaming guild might be in need of a specific type of character with specific powers and possessions, which creates another reason to shop for a game account.

Online game accounts and items are also auctioned continuously at eBay. Browsing the listings for internet games and accounts on any given day will reveal the extent of the market activity and the array of available goods. Another site that focuses entirely on the online game trade is www.playerauctions.com where people can offer their unreal estate to bidders. An excellent resource for researching this business is the guidebook "Gaming Pays" at www.gamingpays.com that focuses exclusively on the online game market.

Entrepreneurial gamers profit from the various opportunities that sprout from the online game market. Usually they do best by filling a niche in the market so they can focus their game play on, for example, acquiring gold to sell on the World of Warcraft market. Other business gamers specialize in brokering game accounts for specific games or writing and selling gaming guides because there is a big information market as well.

Aaron Crow is an expert on the online game market and the author of Gaming Pays! Insider Secrets to Making Money with Online Role-Playing Games. More information about this dynamic market is available at http://www.gamingpays.com

World Of Warcraft Gold Virtual Gold For Real Money

Writen by Mark Willigerod

As J.R.R. Tolkien pointed out half a century ago, "All that is gold does not glitter." That statement seems particularly apt when applied to World of Warcraft gold. Not only is World of Warcraft gold the virtual currency of a virtual world -- and therefore doesn't glitter at all except on computer screens -- it's worth real gold on the world financial markets. In fact, World of Warcraft gold is worth more than many hard currencies, including the Japanese yen, Indian rupee, and Russian ruble. What's going on here?

A cross of gold

Recently, World of Warcraft gold peaked at almost a dime per gold piece -- not bad when you consider that the World of Warcraft MMORPG, where it's the prime unit of in-game currency, debuted in late 2004. The value of World of Warcraft gold is on par with the Mexican peso, and much better than, say, the Jamaican dollar (65 to the U.S. dollar). Why this run on World of Warcraft gold? Blame it on the five million people worldwide who play World of Warcraft (that's more people than live in the state of Colorado). To many of these people, and their millions of avatars striving to make a life in Azeroth, World of Warcraft gold is as real and as useful as the currency they use to buy sodas at the corner store.

Sure, you can work your fingers to the bone earning a pile of World of Warcraft gold, but we've got a better way: Find the best sources for WoW gold than you'll know what to do with.

What Is Sudoku

Writen by Allison Thompson

This numerical puzzle game has launched itself on to the world scene over the last few months, but its origins seem to be either from the US where a version of it was designed by an American Puzzle Constructor by the name of Howard Garnes in the late 1970's. However this version of the game seems to have been around in Japan since the mid-1980's. Sudoku is a Japanese word meaning placement puzzle.

How you Play the Game

Sudoku is a very easy game to understand and the rules are very simple:

You are provided with a grid of 9 x 9 squares. Into these grids you have to place the numbers 1 to 9, but you must only list them once in each grid.

The game is played from a started grid, these means that some of the numbers you need to place are already provided and thereafter you must decide where the rest of the numbers should be placed in that grid.

It should be noted that there is only one valid solution to each puzzle.

The game can be played at varying levels of difficulty and the amount of numbers that are given to any player initially in the matrix may vary. However, some players may think that the more numbers they are given initially would make the puzzle easier to solve, but this is not always the case, as the placement of the numbers has an effect on the complexity of the puzzle.

Solving Sudoku Puzzles

The main key to have to help solve these puzzles is patience and your use of logic skills. It is not just a case of trial and error to get the right result. Some players are now constructing their own puzzle solving methods and techniques in order to get the result required, and many are now sharing these with other players online.

To begin the puzzle you may start anywhere, but for many beginners it is easier to concentrate on the top three 3 x 3 grids. They look at the initial number and then start by using the "1". By looking at these small cells you are able to decide where you will possibly put the "1" if not already used but do not forget to stick with the rules of the game. You also have to take into consideration any 3 x 3 grids that are attached to the grid you are presently looking at.

This game is very clever, but it can sometimes make you feel as if you are going round in circles. But by practicing and honing your skills on different puzzles it may help you to understand certain techniques that you can use that work and those that don't. There are a great number of puzzles that can be solved and people are now starting to time themselves on them, similar in the way people use to time themselves on how fast they could complete a Rubiks cube.

www.sudoku.free-suduko.com

Author: Allison Thompson, now living in Spain

Allison Thompson, now lives in Spain and has 15 years experience in the property field.