To devotees of public transportation
like myself, PDAs are a godsend. As the owner of a Palm device for the
last four years, I've seen it evolve from a paperless repository of
contact and meeting information to a pretty good commuter's entertainment
device.
Load a couple of free or shareware games, and you'll never again be the
pest on the subway who unfolds a newspaper in the middle of the crowd.
Here are three games that have helped me cope with the tedium of
commuting. And no, not one of them is Dope Wars.
- Pyramid
Solitaire
The object of the game is to eliminate all the cards on the pyramid
by finding pairs of 13. Kings are worth 13 (no need to pair off), Queens
12, Jacks 11, and Aces 1. Number cards are worth their face value. The
game features several levels of playing difficulty.
This game has all the right elements of a commuter game. The cards
are fairly large, so there's no need to squint -- a bonus for riders of
fluorescent-lit vehicles. Plus, you'll want to keep playing it over and
over 'cause you're probably going to want to better your score or move
to a more difficult playing level. And it works in color on a Palm IIIc.
It's guaranteed to make you forget that you're actually on your way to
work.
By Seahorse Software
- Bubblet
Here's the commuter version of popping bubblewrap. Just burst
like-patterned bubbles on the screen. Again, the bubbles are large
enough so that playing it while on board a shaky vehicle won't give you
a nausea attack. Like Pyramid Solitaire, it will work on
grayscale and color Palm OS devices. And it's just as addictive, too.
Free trial runs are offered for 30 days, and $12 will get you the
licensed version.
By Oopdreams Software
- Hmaki
As in Bubblet, the object of the game is to wipe out similarly
patterned tiles off the screen. The main difference is that there are
many more tiles to deal with, which means that the tiles are a lot
smaller. This game is in grayscale, and the tiny images may not be as
entertaining for commuters who suffer from motion sickness. However, the
addiction value is just as high. The latest version records and dates
your best scores. And there is a seeded mode of play.
By Holger Klawitter
- Kyle's Quest
Here's a recent addition to our list of hot Palm games, sent to us by
another ace writer, Josh Lawrance.
Here's what he says about the game, "It's called Kyle's Quest,
and it allows you to play and MAKE YOUR OWN Dragon Warrior-esque RPGs on
the Palm. You make them with a creation kit on your PC and then beam it
to your Palm - or play them on a Palm emulator like me. There's a bunch
of user-made games already made and available for download."
Thanks Josh!
Products & Reviews > Games