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Plenty of Free Games Available on the Web
Alex Jensen
February 23, 2002
The Internet is home to many interactive online games. From the old favourite arcade and board games to more modern sport and adventure games, there's something for everybody. If you need to escape from the stresses of work or just need a break, on-line games are a great way to clear the mind.
Some of the more graphic online games require special plug-ins to run. Plug-ins are small software programs that add special features to a larger program. They usually add sound and video to your Internet browser.
The more common plug-ins are Shockwave, Flash and Java Applets. The newer Internet browsers already have some plug-ins installed. All the plug-ins are free to download from the Internet and easy to install if your computer does not already have them. Once the plug-ins are installed, you have free range over all the many on-line games the Internet has to offer.
Some web sites that have a good range and high quality of free online games are: www.candystand.com; www.shockwave.com; www.games.com; and www.funs.co.uk.
Candystand.com is the official website of Lifesavers brand candies. This site offers many free contests to enter where you can win many great prizes. The Candystand arcade offers some of the best free games on the Internet. Games like mini-golf, ten-pin bowling, tennis and darts make this a very enjoyable site. After playing a game, you can submit your score and see how you rank against players from all over the world. All the games at Candystand.com use the Shockwave plug-in.
At Shockwave.com you can download the Shockwave plug-in for free if your computer doesn't already have it installed. With the Shockwave plug-in, you can play the best free games that the Internet has to offer.
Shockwave.com is also home to a number of great games that use the Shockwave plug-in. This site features classic arcade games like Asteroids, Lunar Lander and Snakepit as well as mind puzzles, sports games, and even old side-scrolling adventure games which are much like Super Mario.
Games.com is home to many of the classic board games such as Battleship, Sorry, Monopoly, chess, checkers, Scrabble and so on.
Unlike other on-line gaming sites, here you must sign up for a free account in order to play the games. Just fill out the simple form with a username, password, and some very general information about yourself.
Funs, at www.funs.co.uk, is an interesting site that has both Java Applet type games, and Flash games.
Most Internet browsers already have Java support, so you probably won't have to download anything to play these games. Java games may not be as visually impressive as Shockwave games, but are still just as fun. The old arcade games usually work better as Java games.
The Flash games on this site require the Flash plug-in to play. The Flash plug-in is available to download for free at www.flash.com. This site also has many other features like the Love Calculator, funny jokes and pictures, and the Past Life Finder.
Alex Jensen is the Community Access Program representative at the Kintore branch of the Oxford County Library.
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