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                    | Computer Games
 
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                            | Electric
                                    Games www.electricgames.com
 |  |  
                            | Another
massive
                                  games site, Electric Games has a
                                  wealth of resources. It has
                                  some
                                  features that aren't so prominent on
                                  other sites. For example the
                                  Add-ons
                                  section features links to many sites
                                  for downloading add-on levels,
                                  maps,
                                  cars, and editors for many different
                                  games. Also the site reviews
                                  gaming
                                  hardware as well as software which
                                  appears to be unique. The reviews
                                  are
                                  quite in-depth, but there are no
                                  screen shots. Another big section is
                                  the
                                  Online area which is dedicated to
                                  online gaming and features different
                                  types of online games along with
                                  services for connecting players of
                                  multiplayer
                                  games across the Internet |  
                        
                          
                            | GameSpot www.gamespot.com
 |  |  
                            | GameSpot
is
                                  a web site dedicated to every facet of
                                  PC gaming. Content includes
                                  the
                                  usual news and reviews side of the
                                  games industry, but the bonus comes
                                  through the inclusion of games hints,
                                  and information on how to become
                                  a beta tester for selected games. The
                                  site is well rounded off with the
                                  download area, offering demos of
                                  recent games.Organisation of the site
                                  has created sections for each style of
                                  game - simulation, action, etc.
                                  - letting you find the right kind of
                                  information easily. If there is
                                  one
                                  down point to the site, then it's that
                                  the front page looks a little
                                  garish,
                                  and cluttered. |  
                        
                          
                            | GameZone www.gamezone.com
 |  |  
                            | A
                                  purple
                                  background, yuck! Actually it's not as
                                  bad as it sound and this site is
                                  very colourful without being too
                                  bright and gaudy. The text remains
                                  easy
                                  to read and the site is quick and
                                  fairly simple to navigate through,
                                  despite
                                  having a great deal of content.
                                  However the pages are a tad cluttered.
                                  On that note, the content is,
                                  basically, anything and everything
                                  games
                                  related. From news and reviews to
                                  cheats and sneak peeks of what's up
                                  and
                                  coming in the huge computer gaming
                                  industry. |  
                        
                          
                            | Freegames
                                    net www.free-games-net.com
 |  |  
                            | We
                                  all
                                  have days when we would much rather
                                  sneakily download a game and play
                                  it
                                  than get on with the filing or the
                                  ironing or whatever else we are
                                  supposed
                                  to be doing. That's where free
                                  download games come in, no matter how
                                  basic
                                  or how bad the graphics it certainly
                                  beats sorting out your emails or
                                  watching
                                  windows check your hard disc for
                                  errors. Freegames net is an enormous
                                  website
                                  consisting of, you guessed it, free
                                  games. Most of them are pretty
                                  naff,
                                  but then what do you expect for
                                  nothing?! |  
                        
                          
                            | World
                                    of Spectrum www.void.demon.nl/spectrum.html
 |  |  
                            | On
                                  first
                                  impressions, World of Spectrum appears
                                  to be one major geek fest and
                                  you'd
                                  be right to judge this book by its
                                  cover. This website is a shrine to
                                  Clive
                                  Sinclair's revolutionary home
                                  computer, the ZX Spectrum and
                                  contains,
                                  among
                                  other things, numerous free download
                                  emulators for PC. The website
                                  looks
                                  pretty bad, but is relatively simple
                                  to navigate and does present you
                                  with
                                  the chance to get nostalgic about what
                                  were, all in all, pretty good
                                  games
                                  for their time. |  
                        
                          
                            | Hasbrointeractive
                                    - online shockwave games www.hasbrointeractive.com/atari/shockwavegames.htm
 |  |  
                            | Hasbro
Interactive
                                  has been creating computer games for
                                  years since its
                                  infamous
                                  first release, Pong, in 1972.
                                  Fortunately, its product development
                                  has
                                  come along way since then and its
                                  current products are some of the best
                                  on the market. Its website includes
                                  some classic games, such as
                                  Centipede
                                  and Frogger, which can be played
                                  online with the aid of a free download
                                  plug-in. |  
                        
                          
                            | Games
                                    Domain www.gamesdomain.co.uk
 |  |  
                            | Games
Domain
                                  is dedicated to computer games of all
                                  kinds, from PC and console
                                  game reviews to cheats and online
                                  games it's all here. The online games
                                  section is huge and accommodates a
                                  large number of single and multi-
                                  player
                                  games, which can be played over the
                                  Internet with an opponent of your
                                  choice.
                                  Cheats for all the latest PC and
                                  console games are available for those
                                  of us that need them and up to date
                                  reviews give you the chance to read
                                  all about it before parting with your
                                  hard-earned cash. |  
                        
                          
                            | Pogo.com www.pogo.com
 |  |  
                            | Games
                                  for everyone, that's what it says on
                                  the home page and that's what
                                  you'll
                                  find on the website. Pogo.com contains
                                  a number of games, which can all
                                  be played online. The games are
                                  divided into sections for different
                                  types
                                  of game, for example, word, board and
                                  card games. Like many free game
                                  sites,
                                  the graphics are nothing special and
                                  the site is pretty slow moving
                                  between
                                  pages, so you'll need a good
                                  connection to play some games
                                  effectively
                                  online. |  |  
                
                  
                    | GAMES   | 
                        
                          
                            | Brain
                                    Teaser.com www.brain-teaser.com
 |  |  
                            | The
                                  folks from Brain Teaser make some bold
                                  claims for this site; "the
                                  ultimate
                                  puzzle site" and "the leading
                                  authority on brain teasers and
                                  puzzles".
                                  The site is packed full of tricky
                                  questions along the lines of "if it
                                  takes
                                  three bald men five years to dig a
                                  ditch, how many miles is it to
                                  Timbuktu?"
                                  Wimps can choose to view brain teasers
                                  complete with answers, while
                                  suckers
                                  for punishment will go for the without
                                  answers option. Cash prizes are
                                  offered for solving the especially
                                  tricky teasers. And if all of that
                                  logic
                                  makes your brain ache you can go and
                                  play some of the shoot-em-ups in
                                  the
                                  online arcade area of the site to
                                  relieve the tension. |  
                        
                          
                            | Kids
                                    Crosswords www.kidcrosswords.com
 |  |  
                            | The
                                  puzzles here all have an educational
                                  spin, covering areas such as
                                  spelling,
                                  anatomy and plant life. The puzzles
                                  themselves look a lot like the kind
                                  of quizzes you find in conventional
                                  colouring books. However you might
                                  want to skip the crossword devoted to
                                  the delights of Texas (yes how
                                  did
                                  you guess, this site was developed in
                                  the US). |  
                        
                          
                            | Scrabble www.mattelscrabble.com/en/home.html
 |  |  
                            | This
                                  site is strong on interaction and
                                  brings together scrabble players from
                                  around the world. There are some
                                  interesting online games which are
                                  well
                                  worth playing (although you do need
                                  Macromedia's Shockwave player to
                                  use
                                  them) including a curious mix of
                                  Scrabble and Space Invaders and a
                                  hybrid
                                  Scrabble/Hangman creation. There are
                                  also some cunning tips for
                                  dedicated
                                  Scrabble players; my favourite is to
                                  memorise all 109 two letter words
                                  in the English language so you can
                                  sneak into those gaps left by other
                                  players. If the Scrabble bug has bit
                                  you bad, check out the section of
                                  the site devoted to Scrabble clubs,
                                  societies and tournaments around
                                  the
                                  world. |  
                        
                          
                            | Trivial
                                    Pursuit www.trivialpursuit.com
 |  |  
                            | Welcome
to
                                  the online home of the game that's
                                  inspired a million family
                                  arguments.
                                  As well as information on the latest
                                  products, including the rather
                                  stylish
                                  Star Wars Special Edition, you also
                                  get to play the game online. Answer
                                  some of the sample questions from the
                                  updated Genus IV edition; beware
                                  though you have to get the phrasing
                                  exactly right to win. And if you're
                                  having an argument about the rules of
                                  the game you can always check out
                                  the online rules on the website
                                  without resorting to fisticuffs. |  
                        
                          
                            | Monopoly www.monopoly.com
 |  |  
                            | The
                                  big news on the Monopoly website is
                                  the introduction of a new token -
                                  and
                                  it was done by mass vote. 51% of
                                  Monopoly fans voted in favour of the
                                  new
                                  Sack of Money token; what a capitalist
                                  lot they are. Although you don't
                                  actually get to play the sacred game
                                  over the Internet there's enough
                                  Monopoly
                                  trivia on this site to keep even the
                                  biggest fan satisfied (for example
                                  did you know the longest Monopoly game
                                  ever went on for 70 days). |  
                        
                          
                            | Yahoo
                                    Games games.yahoo.com
 |  |  
                            | Yahoo!
has
                                  one of the best collections of online
                                  games and runs one of the
                                  most
                                  popular gaming areas on the Internet.
                                  You can pit your wits against
                                  players
                                  the world over. Online board games
                                  include backgammon, checkers and
                                  chess
                                  and there are endless card games
                                  covering blackjack, bridge, cribbage,
                                  gin and poker. There are also plenty
                                  of tips and cheats areas, along
                                  with
                                  active games playing communities to
                                  join. |  
                        
                          
                            | Pokemon
                                    World www.pokemon.com
 |  |  
                            | Pokemon
has
                                  taken the world b storm and this is
                                  the best place to find out
                                  exactly
                                  why. It has all the latest news on new
                                  games and characters, plus on
                                  the
                                  new film, but it is the FAQ part of
                                  this site that is the most useful.
                                  It gives you loads of tips on how to
                                  get more out of the games and how
                                  to train your Pokemons just the way
                                  you want them. |  
                        
                          
                            | Puzzle
                                    Up puzzleup.puzzles.com
 |  |  
                            | What's
nice
                                  about this site is that it splits
                                  puzzles up into various
                                  difficulty
                                  levels; there are quizzes suitable for
                                  young people, quick puzzles for
                                  those who only have a few minutes to
                                  spare and really tricky quizzes
                                  for
                                  the expert puzzle solver. Most of the
                                  puzzles are created in Java so
                                  you'll
                                  need at least version 3.0 of Netscape
                                  Navigator or Internet Explorer to
                                  view them. |  |  |