Free Game - Samorost

Samorost is a fun online point and click adventure game produced by Amanita Design. The game isn't real long, but it has some decent puzzles and the graphics are gorgeous. Give it a try, I'm sure you'll like it.

Simon's Cat in "Fly Guy"

Here's a fun little cartoon about the misadventures of a cat while his master is sleeping.

Power Pack Classic

When I was a kid, one of my favorite comics to read was Power Pack. A bunch of kids with super powers  fighting aliens and super villians! I was hooked.

Fortunately, Marvel Comics has begun collecting these classic comics into trade paperbacks. So far only Volume One and Volume Two have been released, but I'm sure more are on they way. I can't wait!

The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time Master Quest

"The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time" came out on the Nintendo 64 to much acclaim. Nintendo then created an alternate version of the game called "The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time Master Quest" that had the same quest but the dungeons and puzzles were changed. This was originally intended to be released on the Nintendo 64dd a disk drive attachment for the Nintendo 64. But due to poor sales of the disk drive, the game was stuck deep into Nintendo's vault instead of being released.

However, when Nintendo went to release The Legend of Zelda: The Windwaker on the Nintendo Gamecube, they decided to release a bonus disk containing both The Legend of Zelda Ocarina of Time and  Master Quest. Finally, fans were able to play the Zelda game they had been missing.

Nintendo also released a special Gamecube bundle that had the Windwaker, Ocarina of Time and Master Quest all in one package along with the system. Needless to say this Gamecube disc is no longer being manufactured and Master Quest has not been released on any other systems. So if you want to play the game (legally) you'll have to try rounding up the disc somehow. You can try  here, here, here or here. Also check your local craigslist, you never know what will show up there. Good Luck!

Monopoly Deal

My friends and I have been playing Monopoly Deal quite a bit lately as it is a fun card game that only takes 15 minutes or so to play. It's not too complex and it's easy to learn. Overall I find it quite enjoyable.

Wii SNES RetroPort

If you ever wished you could use your original Super Nintendo controllers to play virtual console games on the Nintendo Wii, then this is the item for you. Retrozone sells the Wii SNES Retroport which plugs into the console's Gamecube controller port.

Merry Christmas!

I hope you're all having a very merry Christmas! I know it's easy to get caught up in the hoopla surrounding Christmas and forget what it's really all about. So sit back and enjoy this small clip from "A Charlie Brown Christmas". 

Free Game #13 - Indiana Jones and the Temple of Spheres

"Indiana Jones and the Temple of Spheres" is a short Christmas themed Indiana Jones adventure game produced by the same team making  "Indiana Jones and the Fountain of Youth".

While the game isn't very long, it is still fun and seems to capture the spirit of Indiana Jones quite well. Give it a download and have fun! Available for PC only.

Free Game #12 - The Silver Lining

Our twelfth free game in our "Twelve Free Games for Christmas" series is now upon us. But tune in tomorrow for an extra free game! That's right, you're actually getting thirteen games instead of twelve! Yeah!

The Silver Lining is a licensed sequel to the King's Quest series produced by Phoenix Online. Their license stipulates the game must not be sold, but given away freely.

The game is intended to bring closure to the King's Quest series and has extremely high production values. The game is split into five chapters and chapters 1 and 2 are available for download now with episode 3 due out next month. Give it a try and enjoy the fun! Available only for PCs.

Electropolis

Electropolis is an interesting student animated film produced at Sheridan College. I fully understand the frustration of the little guy in this film and I think most other people will be able to relate to him as well.

Free Game #11 - Cave Story

Cave Story (aka Doukutsu Monogatari) is a Japanese freeware PC side-scrolling platformer game developed by Studio Pixel . The sheer quality of this game blows me away. It's extremely fun and well polished.  This game controls like a dream, especially if you are using a gamepad. There are also several different endings to be found as well as numerous hidden items. It's been translated into English and is available for PC, Mac, Linux, Sony PSP, GP2X, X-Box and TI-83/84  Download it today!

Rubik's Cube

The Rubik's Cube is often called the world's greatest puzzle. I would have to agree. The Rubik's Cube is intuitively easy to understand the basics of, but tricky to solve the first time. Once you understand how to solve it, it can be easily solved in a minute or two. If you're really good at it you can do it under 30 seconds. My record so far is 1 minute 58 seconds. Pretty much everyone who picks one up has to play with it a bit. It's also easy to carry around with you and impress people with when you have them mix it up and then you proceed to solve it. When my grandfather was in the hospital after he had a heart attack, someone gave him a Rubik's Cube and he spent quite a bit of time playing with it trying to solve it. It kept him very entertained. I highly recommend picking one up, it's really quite a fun toy.

Free Game #10: Nelly Cootalot: Spoonbeaks Ahoy!

"Nelly Cootalot: Spoonbeaks Ahoy!" is a fun piratey adventure game produced by Alasdair Beckett about a female pirate named Nelly Cootalot. She must investigate and uncover nefarious goings-on in the small island community of the Barony of Meeth.

(This is a Spoonbeak)

(This is a Nelly Cootalot)

If you want to cast off to adventure, then download the game today!

Missile Mouse: The Star Crusher

 

"Missile Mouse: The Star Crusher" by Jake Parker is a really fun and exciting young adult science fiction graphic novel. Missile Mouse is a secret agent tasked with recovering an ancient weapon called the Star Crusher that if it falls into the wrong hands could destroy the galaxy. With interesting characters, great artwork and an engaging story, Missile Mouse is a winner.

Free Game #9 - GLTRON

"GLTRON" is a free open source game recreating the fun light cycle portion of the movie Tron. The action is fast and the controls are very responsive. Just like the movie, you're sometimes boxed in and hope someone else crashes before you do so their trail disappears allowing you to escape.

The game is available for PC, Mac and Linux. Download the game and get playing!

DAN the MAN

Here's a cautionary tale about rescuing strange princesses locked in strange towers.

Free Game #8 - Glider

Glider is a fun game where you are a paper airplane that has to fly through a house avoiding objects and using warm air from heat vents to get lift and avoid crashing. It's simple, yet fun.

Glider V4.0 is available for windows and MacOS 6 and 7. A newer version called Glider Pro with added graphics and stuff is available for MacOS X.

The BBC Presents The Chronicles of Narnia - DVD Set

Back in the Eighties, the BBC turned the first four books of "The Chronicles_of_Narnia" (The Lion The Witch and the Wardrobe, Prince Caspian, The Voyage of the Dawn Treader and The Silver Chair) into several television mini-series, later edited together into three films. These were often shown here in the U.S. on local PBS stations, which is where I first saw them. While some of the special effects don't hold up well after twenty years, don't let that stop you from watching these if you get a chance. They are really quite good.  Also, watch for an amazing performance by Tom Baker as Puddleglum in "The Silver Chair".  Thankfully, they are all available on DVD in a three disc boxset.

Free Game #7 - Spelunky

Spelunky is a fun little game where you play as an Indiana Jones type character running around in deep caves with a whip collecting artifacts and treasure. Each time you play the cave randomly changes which helps give it more replay value. It's fun and best of all it's FREE! Give it a try, I'm sure you'll get addicted to it. Available only for PC.

Hogan's Heroes

"Hogan's Heroes" is one of the funniest television shows ever produced. The show takes place in a Prisoner of War (POW) camp called Stalag 13 in the heart of Germany during world War II. The commandant of the camp is Colonel Wilhelm Klink, probably the most incompetent officer in the entire German army. It's this incompetence that allows Colonel Hogan and the rest of the prisoners to dig secret tunnels underneath the camp and use them as a base of operations for sabotaging the German war machine, all the while pretending to be harmless POWs.


The show ran for six seasons on CBS and was nominated three times for the Emmy for Best Comedy Series. Fortunately, all six seasons are available on DVD in a complete series boxset.

Free Game #6 - King's Quest II: Romancing the Stones

 

AGD Interactive is at it again with this fully licensed remake of the classic Sierra game King's Quest II.  Not only did they update the graphics, but they expanded the plot, added new characters, locations, puzzles, voice-acting, etc.

(The original King's Quest II - Quite a bit of difference in graphics quality isn't it?)

 The game follows Graham as he sets out to rescue a beautiful maiden imprisoned in a tower somewhere in the land of Kolyma. The game is available for both PC and MAC. Download it today!

A Kids' Guide to Building Forts

While checking out one of the local thrift stores, I ran across this neat book. "A Kids' Guide to Building Forts" by Tom Birdseye and illustrated by Bill Klein. With lots of cool illustrations and easy to understand instructions it's a really cool book to own.

Free Game #5 - Trilby The Art of Theft

Free game #5 of our  "Twelve Free Games For Christmas!" series is a fun stealth game called "Trilby: The Art of Theft" by  Ben "Yahtzee" Croshaw.

 You play a master thief named Trilby. He prides himself on on committing the perfect thefts. Your goal is to avoid detection, disable traps and alarms, pick locks and steal the good stuff. The better you are the higher your score. There are also items you can earn. 

"Trilby: The Art of Theft" is one of those rare games that makes you keep coming back to try and get a better score.  So download it today and see how good you are. Available for PCs only.

Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH

Mrs. Frisby is a widowed mouse with several children to take care of. Her youngest son Timothy falls ill and is unable to travel. Their home in the farmer's field will soon be dug up by the plow when the farmer does his spring planting. Not knowing what to do, she turns to the mysterious rats living under the rosebush. What strange secrets do they hold and how do they fit in with her late husband and his untimely death?

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 Probably one of the most well written books I've ever read is "Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH" by Robert C. O'Brien.  The ability of the book to suck you in and keep you interested until the very end is rare and even more rare is the ability to keep you interested every time you read it, not just the first time. This book won the 1972 Newbery Medal. While a lot of books that receive awards really aren't that good, this is one of those rare exceptions. It really is an amazing book.

After his death, Robert C. Obrien's daughter  wrote two sequels: "Rasco and the Rats of NIMH" and "R-T, Margaret and the Rats of NIMH". These sequels are HORRIBLE. Do NOT read them. They are an insult. The only reason I mention them is to warn you away.

"Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH" was also made into an animated movie called "The Secret of NIMH". While parts of the film are quite good, it overall falls flat as they made several major changes to the plot. One major character gets killed, another is turned into a villain and they also threw a silly magic amulet into the mix. Overall it was very disappointing.   Just read the book and forget about the sequels and movie.

Free Game #4 - Super Crate Box

"Super Crate Box" by Vlambeer is a fun, fast and frustrating game rolled into one. Your goal is to collect crates. Each time you get a different crate, you get a different weapon. Some are good, some are not. Enemies will drop out of the top of the screen. Shoot them or avoid them, just get the crates. If the enemies drop through the hole in the bottom of the screen, they will get angry and pop back out the top moving even faster. Keep grabbing crates. You will die a lot. You will want to keep playing. You will unlock new levels and weapons the more crates you collect. You will still die a lot. You will still want to keep playing. Available for both the PC and Mac.

The Runaway Robot

 

"The Runaway Robot" by Lester del Ray is a fun juvenile science fiction novel about a boy named Paul who lives on Ganymede with his family and his robot Rex. When his family gets transferred back to Earth, they can't afford to take Rex with them, so Paul and Rex run away and attempt to smuggle themselves back to Earth and have several exciting adventures in the process.

Did you know that Lester del Ray didn't actually write this book? While Lester del Ray did write the outline, it was actually ghost written by Paul W. Fairman who I've mentioned before as the author of "The Forgetful Robot".

Free Game #3 - The Adventures of Fatman

The Adventures of Fatman is a fun point and click adventure game produced by SOCKO! Entertainment. It's the first ever commercial game created with Adventure Game Studio.

The publisher has released the game under a freely distributed Creative Commons license. It can be downloaded here. For Windows only.

Tower of Treasure

"Tower of Treasure" by Scott Chantler is one of the best graphic novels I've read in some time. It's clean, it's action packed, it has a great art style, interesting characters and plenty of humor.  I can't wait for the next book to come out. Also, check out this interview with the author. I give "Tower of Treasure" two thumbs up! (I would give it more thumbs up, but last time I checked I only had two.)

Free Game #2 - Strange Adventures in Infinite Space

Here's a fun little game that only takes twenty minutes (or less) to play. Your goal is to explore, trade, battle aliens, recover ancient artifacts, acquire new technologies and make it back home alive.

Strange Adventures in Infinite Space by Digital Eel is one of those rare games that makes you want to play "Just one more game." It's addictive fun. The developers are now offering it as a free download on their web page so grab it and  get playing! It's available on both PC and Mac.