Gaming Keyboards - Why Are They Confusing?

What is a gaming keyboard?

Firstly, what we need to look at is what do the words "gaming keyboard" actually mean. Well I will tell you that it is exactly what you think it is. It is a keyboard for gaming. Now with most people it stops there because they think that just because it is a gaming keyboard it can only be used for gaming and nothing else. They don't realise that a gaming keyboard can be used for much more than just gaming. So this article is aimed at giving some advice in regards to choosing the right gaming keyboard for you. I remember my first programmable gaming keyboard (the Logitech G15) and how I struggled with it. The only reason why I wanted it, was because it was the best on the market at the time and I felt for that reason I needed to own one. I had absolutely no idea what to do with it or what I was going to use it for. I did however, almost add another feature to it's already impressive list of pre-installed features by illustrating just how effective the keyboard can be in a game of cricket or anything involving a bat. It really irritated me because I did not need it for all the functions and because they were there, I felt I had to use them all. I did use them all in the end, but that was only because I advanced my game play and in doing so required more functions out of the keyboard.

So let's take a look at some of the aspects that we will have to deal with when looking at gaming keyboards.

• The features installed on a gaming keyboard and what they actually do
• The terminology used in gaming keyboards
• What are the best types of gaming keyboards
• How do we know which is the right type of gaming keyboard for us

Now many people are already gamers, serious or not and know exactly what the features are and what they can do. But there are as many people out there that don't know what the features are supposed to do and whether the features are in fact what they actually need. So I have put together a list of the features that you will find on gaming keyboards and below I will explain each one of them more clearly.

Here is a list of the features that you will find installed on gaming keyboards. I would like to add, that not every gaming keyboard has all of the features mentioned below installed on them at the same time.

1. LCD Display screen
2. Programmable G-keys (for macros and macros on the fly)
3. Back Lighting
4. Anti-Ghosting
5. In game mode switch
6. Media controls
7. Detachable Key Pad
8. High Speed USB Ports
9. Automatic Profile Switching
10. Cruise Control

Now as we can see there are many features that you will find installed on a gaming keyboard, but the important thing now is to know what they can do and when to use them. Let's take a closer look at the features and see how they can be used for gaming but also for outside of gaming.

The LCD Display screen is a screen at the top of the keyboard (typically in the middle) which displays a host of information to you during game play. An example of the information displayed is; vital game statistics, system statistics, VOIP communication data and you can even see what server your friends are playing certain games on, such as World of Warcraft. You can also watch photo slide shows on the screen as well as YouTube videos (this feature is only on the Logitech G19). So there we can see how good the LCD screen is. Outside of gaming you can still see system statistics displayed, but only on the Logitech G19 can you watch videos and photo slide shows.

Programmable G-Keys (or game keys) are keys that can be programmed to execute certain commands. You can program multiple keys to be executed with a single keypress. So in other words, if you have a command which you would like to execute but it has more than one keystroke required then you would program a G-key to perform all those keypresses for you. Now this is vital in game playing, especially in strategy and role-playing games. But programmable keys can also be used in everyday computing. I own the Logitech G19 Gaming Keyboard and I use the programmable key feature to program my passwords and small snippets of text which is normally login information. This is a great feature for those that work with databases or anything where numerous logins are required. It is also good for designers and editors where numerous keypresses are sometimes required.

Back Lighting is a really cool feature. This is standard on all gaming keyboards irrespective of all the other features mentioned above. Basically what this feature does is illuminate the keys from underneath. There are typically three levels of brightness for the back lighting, however all though back lighting is standard on gaming keyboards not all of them have the same colours or as many colours as others do. The Logitech G19 and G510 are gaming keyboards with a host of different colours, whereas others have only three or just one. This is not only good for gaming especially if games are played in low lighted or even dark areas, but also a great asset to changing the style of your workstation. There are people out there that just want a new look for their workstation and backlit keyboards do the trick.

Anti-Ghosting is a feature whereby missed keypresses are in fact actually recorded and not voided. This happens with multiple keypresses albeit not frequently but without anti-ghosting the keypresses won't be recognized.

In game mode switch is a feature which disables the Windows/Context key during gameplay, so you don't accidentally get kicked out of your game. Which I am sure has happened to all of us at some point.

Media controls, this feature is great as you can control volume, playback and mute from the keyboard itself. This feature works for headsets that are connected to the keyboard and also for the sound emitting from the computer itself. So there is no need to find the controls on the screen if you want to quickly turn down the volume.

Detachable Key Pad. This is also a really neat feature as you can move the keypad to either the left or the right side, depending which hand you are more comfortable using for operating. Again, this feature is another feature you can use outside of gaming.

High Speed USB Ports are a great advantage as you can Plug and Play with comfort. Also through this feature you can transfer data between devices, such as MP3 Players and Flash Drives and you can do all this while charging your devices that are battery-powered. Another great feature that can be used outside of gaming.

Automatic Profile Switching is a feature that allows you to automatically or manually change the profile you are in or want to be in. With the automatic function, the keyboard detects the application you are running and automatically applies the profile that you previously set for that application. Really cool feature especially if you like to play in different modes (Microsoft Sidewinder X6 had this feature).

The cruise control feature is also a really handy feature to have as it allows you to continue an action without having to hold down all the different keys required to perform the action. You can even use the cruise control function for up to four keypresses (installed on the Microsoft Sidewinder X6)

So as we can see all the features that are installed on a gaming keyboard can also be used for everyday computing, although the obvious design factor was initially for gamers in the first place. Another thing we must look at is the structural design of the keyboard. First thing we will notice is that some of the keyboards are slightly bulkier than a standard keyboard. Now this is to be expected as the keyboard itself houses more keys, requires more space for electrical components and other hardware utilities that are required for game play. But what is also great about the design of gaming keyboards, is that they are designed for ergonomic purposes. This is because gamers spend a lot of time in front of their keyboards and they are more prone to wrist, arm and hand discomfort than users of a standard keyboard. So the idea behind ergonomically designed gaming keyboards is to install some features that will reduce the risk of wrist discomfort overall. These features include; detachable and adjustable wrist wrest, keyboards with zero slope designs, different keyboard feet lengths for effective raising or lowering of keyboards for comfort and also keys that can accommodate softer keypresses.

Now I am not sure how familiar you are with the terminology that is used in the gaming keyboard field, but below is a list words that you will come across with regards to gaming keyboards.

WSAD - This is the four keys that you use to control movement which is typically your W, S, A & D keys.

ANTI-GHOSTING - Typically in a standard keyboard (or dome switch keyboard), the design is in such a way that the keyboard uses columns and rows of wires. Through this design the results that occur can be inaccurate when lots of keys are pressed at once. When this happens the dropped keys become "ghosts". With keyboards that have anti-ghosting capabilities, they use a small dab of carbon at each switch site to prevent the contact of the keys from shorting the rows or columns of wires. In doing so, this allows the keyboard to decode each key press separately.

MACROS - A macro is a collection of operations and property values that can be applied to an existing visualization or visualizations. So in other words macros are not linked to the objects or visualizations to which they are applied but when they are used, the operations or property settings will be applied to the objects currently selected. This means that property settings can be applied to multiple visualization types, unlike property settings in styles.

OPTICAL - Optical is basically a device used for producing or controlling light. So if you took an optical mouse for example, it would be a mouse that produces light and in doing so uses the light to register it's movement on your computer.

ULTRA POLLING - Ultra-polling in gaming mice increases the amount of times the firmware on a mouse reports it's tracking data to the computer to 1ms (1000hz). In doing so, it reduces the interval between each transmission of movement calculations and therefore giving the cursor on the screen a smoother and more precise feel with increased responsiveness.

HYPER RESPONSE - On a hyper response button, there are two stages that go into the development of the button. This is basically to ensure that it can always be actuated no matter where it is pressed and also how quickly is it pressed. So therefore if you don't completely press down on a button or don't press hard enough, the button will still actuate and you will not lose response time.

ON-THE-FLY - This is basically just when you doing something in a hurry or to create something quickly when needed.

G-KEYS - These are basically game keys. The keys that you can program with macros.

ERGONOMICS - This is basically a study to see how things interact with the human body. So if you were to take a pen for example; holding it for long periods of time and writing with it could eventually cause discomfort to the hand and wrist. By making the design of the pen more ergonomically, it would allow for long periods of use without causing discomfort. This study is applied to everything that interacts or can interact with the human body

Now the only answer I can give you about which gaming keyboard is the best is simple. It depends entirely on what you want to use the keyboard for. The industry is lead to believe the Logitech G19 Programmable Gaming Keyboard is the best on the market and to a certain degree it is. It has all the features that other keyboards have but more advanced and it is designed with serious gamers in mind, therefore lending itself to being classed as the best gaming keyboard ever. But in my opinion a gaming keyboard, or anything for that matter is only as good as what you need it for. If you don't need it for a lot of things then don't buy one that can do everything.

With regards to what gaming keyboard is best for you, well again that depends on what you want out of it. If you are a novice gamer with little experience with programmable keyboards, then it is probably better to take a gaming keyboard with either no programmable keys or a keyboard with a limited number of programmable keys. However in saying that, many of the gaming keyboards have really good instruction manuals and CDs. But again, if you only need a few keys that can be programmed then don't buy a gaming keyboard with massive amounts of programmable options. So it all boils down to what you need it for. If you take the time to think clearly about what will you want to get from a gaming keyboard and read all the reviews on the different types of gaming keyboards, then your decision won't be wrong.

Thank you for taking the time to read this article. I hope you have a much clearer understanding of gaming keyboards if you hadn't already.

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Different Types of Card Games

There are limitless types of card games to be played. People think because two games use the same deck of 52-cards that they are similar games, but nothing could be more different than Barbu and Speed, or Pai Gow and Pinochle.

Here's a list of twenty different kinds of card games, and some facts about them.

1.Bridge

Bridge is a popular contract bidding game. Bridge has a culture -- there are websites, newspaper columns, and even radio shows devoted to bridge strategy. There is a world-wide obsession with bridge, even though it has been called the hardest card game in the world. With a complicated strategy and steep learning curve, to many bridge is not just a game, it is a lifestyle. I wish I were exaggerating.

2. Whist

Whist could be called "Bridge, Jr" -- and though it is not as big a game as it once was, and is dwarfed in popularity by big-brother Bridge, Whist has never really died out. Card gamers love trick-taking games -- beating out your opponent in such a visual way is one of the more exciting part of any card game. Whist has some of the complexity of Bridge without any bidding.

3. Texas Hold'em

Texas Hold'em is something of a legend -- a poker variation with a story as rich as a Spaghetti western. This version of poker, a drawing and betting game, was invented and then made popular by old time poker sharks in Texas, hence the name. This is easily the most popular poker variant right now, and is bringing more new people to card gaming than any other game.

4. Hearts

It is said that most of the professional poker tour players are hardcore Hearts players and that they bet big money on cutthroat games of Hearts in dark mysterious rooms during tournaments. Romantic as that may sound, it would make sense for these card sharks to love the game of Hearts - an otherwise childlike game of matching cards (and no bidding) usually turns into a competitive nightmare. Because of the game play, there are lots of ways to screw your opponents in Hearts. Trick-winning and passing card are big elements of Hearts.

5. Spades

People don't realize it, but spades is a variation of bridge that simplifies the game even more than Whist and changes the outcome of the game as well. Spades is really popular in large groups, on college campuses, and in tournaments around the world. There may be as many variations of Spades as there are groups playing it -- thanks to "jailhouse rules" which penalize tactics like point sandbagging and the existence of multiple versions of "house rules". A strategic game you can play without paying much attention if you want.

6. Go-fish

This is the simple children's card matching game we all remember from our childhood. You can play Go-fish with as many players as you have cards. Some people claim Go-Fish is a variation of Rummy but the simplicity of the game and the children's game gimmick make it likely just some toy company's creation. Strangely enough, Go-fish is known as Literature in some parts of the world. Write in if you understand that one.

7. War

Another children's game (or time-killing game) War is a straight luck based game. Depending on the flop of the card, you either win or lose a war. Most people under the age of 30 learned War before they learned any other card game. You'll see War played a lot in lines at airports.

8. Oh Hell!

Substitute your own dirty word for "Hell!" and you know this party game. Most of the fun is the fact that you get to cuss a lot and people laugh at you. What keeps this game popular is that it is a strict betting game. The object of Oh Hell! is to bid the precise number of tricks you will win. You have to take only the number that you bid, no more and no less. Play is precise, and because of the structure of the game, one player always blows it big time. There. That's what's fun. Screwing your opponent.

9. Blackjack

A skill game that in some casinos is the best bet you can make, if you can play a perfect hand. This is one of the most popular casino card game, and has a place in popular culture as THE "Vegas" game. The point is to build a hand that adds up to a total of 21 points without going over, and ending up with a higher number than the dealer. Players compete against the House directly, adding to the fun. Little known fact -- there exists somewhere in this world a blackjack player's hall of fame. Safe to say that this game's got a cult following

10. Baccarat

James Bond's favorite game (don't believe the hype -- it wasn't poker or blackjack -- read the books) Baccarat is a basic betting game. Players bet on who will win a given hand - the player, the banker, or if there will be a tie. Sure it looks easy, but Baccarat is a skill game. A small sidenote about Baccarat -- the name comes from the name of the worst possible hand. This would be like calling your video poker machine "High Card Poker". Just doesn't have the same ring as "Royal Flush".

11. Solitaire

The most varied card game in the world. In England, they call this game Patience, and for good reason. Solitaire requires little set up beyond putting cards in specific places, and is usually played by yourself. Solitaire is another popular airport line waiting game.

12. Rummy and variations

There are lots of different kinds of Rummy, more than are probably written down on any list. I've written for a website that had me list 500 variations or other names for Rummy, so I'll spare you the reading and just say there's lots of kinds of Rummy. The more popular versions are called Gin Rummy, Liverpool Rummy, and Contract Rummy. The feature that makes a game a Rummy is a player matching identical cards into pairs and other groups. Some experts believe the Chinese game of Mahjong is part of the Rummy family, though I'd bet the Chinese are just fine with Mahjong as it is.

13. Pai Gow

This is an old Chinese domino game that has been passed down through the years as a poker variation. You'll see Pai Gow at casinos in both as a poker and a domino game -- it is probably the casino game that the least number of people understand. This is a game of fast bets, player versus dealer. Pai Gow strategy is just as rich as any other poker betting game, and the culture of Pai Gow is similar to the Blackjack culture -- super-fast bets and edgy behavior at the margins.

14. Spoons

A silly card game probably invented to keep kids out of trouble, Spoons is a bluffing game (with some elements of matching) that uses simple kitchen utensils as an added play element. The first player in the group to draw a poker style four of a kind reaches to a pile of spoons in the middle of the table, signalling the other players to grab for one. Since there's one less spoon than players, one player will be left out every time. So its a social interaction game, and not a game chock full of card strategy. its still fun. Great date night game.

15. Speed

Speed (sometimes called Spit) is a matching game that is unique because both players play simultaneously and as fast as they can. In Speed, a player tries to 'get rid' of his or her cards by matching them to cards placed face-up on the table. This is a face to face game, though there's actually little interaction between the two opponents. The last few moments of any game of Speed reminds me of solitaire on fast-forward, with hands and cards flying around and rows forming and draining like water pipes. Strange game, Speed.

16. Crazy 8s

This is another children's matching game, you could say it is cousin to the popular game Uno. The 8s in the deck of standard cards are considered "crazy" not because they need to be medicated but to indicate they are wild cards. In some variations of Crazy 8s, not just Wild Cards but other "rule cards" exist, making the game more complex for older players.

17. Slapjack

If you want to teach more complex card games to younger kids, Slapjack is the perfect vehicle. The object of Slapjack is to acquire the whole deck of cards by matching and slapping pairs. Kids like to slap stuff, and the game can be played over and over again.

18. Old Maid

You don't need an "Old Maid" deck to play this kid's card game -- any standard 52 card deck will do. Just remove one of the Queens. Old Maid is a matching game where players find pairs You trade cards with your opponent until that player is left with the unmatched Queen. Matching games are popular, and the novelty "Old Maid" packs are fun for kids.

19. Cribbage

This is a hybrid board and card game with complicated rules that generally intimidates people, even hardcore card gamers. You play cribbage by forming groups of cards that are worth different point values, and moving a peg on a board that represents your progress accordingly. Requiring a specific board (or a quick hand with a pen and paper) cribbage isn't the best travel game, but as fans of cribbage will tell you, no two games are alike. There are solitaire versions of cribbage, and other varieties of cribbage game play to choose from if you're bored with the standard version.

20. Pinochle

Pinochle is popular because it is a trick-taking game that you play with a 48 card deck. In Pinochle, you try to make melds or tricks, much like in Gin, but there's a really complex scoring system making the game fun to learn and to master. To be good at pinochle, you have to play for a number of years, and lose plenty of hands. Though it is less popular year after year, Pinochle is one of those "heritage games".

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/4083950

The Growing Popularity of Free & Casual Games

Free online internet gaming has exploded over the past 10 years and now comprises of a large collection of game developers, publishers, web portals and millions of casual game players. Talented game developers are in more limited supply than publishers and portals, yet even they are steadily growing in supply as more companies and brands look for sponsorship deals with high quality upcoming free games.

Wide brand exposure can be gained from sponsoring free online games and more companies are looking towards game sponsorship and in game product placement as a serious advertising platform. Portals are in the greatest supply with a huge amount of gaming orientated sites offering the developers creations, indeed some game developers also offer their own web portals such Ninjakiwi and Armor Games. These are two of the more popular and innovative gaming developers with Armor Games holding a top 1000 traffic rating.

Behind such successes are talented flash game designers and coders, it is usually one or two experienced designers that plant the seeds from which top free gaming websites flourish. Casual gaming both free and paid downloads have become so huge online that the genre has the greatest presence in the world's most highly trafficked websites.

Ninjakiwi have an in house team of developers, they are owners of the very popular brand of games named Bloons. The first Bloons game was introduced back in mid 2007 and the series has already been played hundreds of millions of times. If you compare such an audience exposure rate to the most popular video watched on you tube, it is easy to see why advertisers are turning to free online games to reach global audiences. What's more intriguing are the demographics behind casual game players with a considerable percentage of the audience being young adults. This demographic has caught the attention of many blue chip companies including mobile giants Orange and O2 who regularly advertise through Mochiads - an in game preloading ads platform.

As the advertising revenue increases for free games so will the creativity, detail and complexity of their design. Developers are now creating games targeted specifically at certain age ranges, including teens, young adults and mums.

Ninjakiwis' list of games is expanding rapidly. As their brand has received greater exposure over the past year they have branched out from their original success of Bloons to produce other games with different concepts, some have been received with more enthusiasm than others. Some of their successes include:

• Bloons - Including the player packs, more bloons and even more bloons, tower defense games, hot air bloon, bloons pop 3
• Boombot Games - 1 and 2
• Hotcorn Games - 1 and 2
• Potion Madness
• Powerpool
• Replay Racer - 1 and 2
• Rings
• Shinju
• Sinta
• Zeba

Ninjakiwi has established a loyal fan base with their range being published across hundreds of medium to large sized gaming portals. One of their advertising platforms is through the previously mentioned Mochiads, a major advertising platform for both game developers and game publishers who earn revenue from publishing games. A small advert is shown whilst each game is loading in a web browser, developers and publishers earn money from game impressions and advert clicks.

The other free games developer previously mentioned, Armor games, is the larger of the 2. Armor develops in house games and sponsors independent developers, funding their creations and offering revenue sharing across their advertising platform. Armor games has a much more extensive range games than Ninjakiwi and has funded the creation of some of the most imaginative games on the internet, a list of some of their best games is compiled below:

• Armed with Wings - 1 and 2
• Crush the Castle
• Hedgehog Launch
• Hedgehog Launch 2
• Fancy Pants Adventure - 1 and 2
• Gemcraft
• Gemcraft Chapter 0
• The Last Stand 1 & 2
• Pillage the Village
• Sonny
• Sonny 2
• Warfare 1917

It is common to find developers and portals alike sharing each other's games. This idea was originally invoked by the biggest casual free game provider on the internet - Miniclip.com. Their success grew from allowing webmasters to publish their games on thousands of smaller sites. Sharing and creating viral copies of successful games can prove a very lucrative strategy on the internet.

There are many more high quality game developers, publishers and portals, ones worth a mention include Crazy Monkey Games, Addicting Games, Newgrounds and Kongregate.

Free game production has also seen the remake of many old classic arcade games which will delight fans of the 80's arcade.

Classic games such as PacMan, Ms PacMan, Space Invaders, Pong and Frogger have all been remade using flash and are now available to play as free online games. Paul Neave, a talented flash developer is responsible for such flash reproductions.

More comprehensive flash gaming communities have sprung up within this landmark 10 year period of growth. One example of an immensely popular community is MechQuest, this is one of currently 5 flash games created by Artix Entertainment. MechQuest is an online Fantasy/Sci-Fi Web RPG game that offers both a free and premium paid side. The game is built using flash and has millions of members in its community. Striking a balance between casual and hardcore game play it aims to offer a compromise allowing players who do not wish to spend all day at their PC's a casual multiplayer experience.

Of course free online games such as MechQuest, AdventureQuest, DragonFable, ArchKnight and BattleOn.com are a step in the right direction for what online gaming should be about (if we are looking from a healthy perspective), they offer gamers a balanced dosage of online fun which don't require a lifelong commitment to progress and gain in game rewards. The total opposite would be games such as World of Warcraft which are designed to reward excessive amounts of game play.

The free games market will continue to its rapid growth in the foreseeable future and more developers will come into the market. Whether flash will remain the markets main publishing platform remains to be seen but for now it will keep its dominant position with all free online game developers using it. Fans can expect to find more elaborate free online flash games being introduced in the coming years as free games compete and very much encroach upon paid game audiences.

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Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/1776083
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Top 5 Twisted, Yet Fun Games of All Time

I have been a video gamer since growing up as a kid (back in the 1980's), with my first game system being the classic NES, and I have played many different games since then. These games includes: Battletoads, Super Mario Bros, Sonic, Mega man, first person shooter games, roleplaying games, online games (such as Adventure Quest), and plenty of other hit games out there. Of course, I have also played plenty of twisted games too and some of them are surprisingly fun, humorous, and sometimes even popular, and in this article, I will talk about at least 5 of them.

Game #1 - Become a "thug" in the Grand Theft Auto Series

Ever wondered what it might be like living the life as a thug and getting involved in organized crime (such as gangs) without actually becoming a criminal? In the Grand Theft Auto series (with the latest installment being The Ballad of Gay Tony), you do just that. The GTA universe is a popular roleplaying game, usually based in New York City (also known as Liberty City, though some games feature other cities such as Miami in Vice City and Los Angeles in San Andreas) where you usually control a thug (such as Nikko in GTA 4) and do missions for various crimbe bosses throughout the city. Some quests involves petty crimes such as stealing a prized car that a certain crime boss wants, while other missions may have you assassinate people that have crossed the criminal organization you are a part of, such as delinquents. In GTA San Andreas, for example, Carl Johnson joins the Grove Street gang and gets involved in a gang war with rival gangs, such as the Ballas (though he also works for crime bosses such as El Salvador, Doctor Rosenburg, as well as a corrupt government agent named, Mike Torreno to name a few). Many of the newer games also have plenty of side missions you can do, such as spraying graffiti on select buildings in San Andreas, take on multiple girlfriends (CJ for example, can have up to 6 girlfriends), as well as doing smuggling missions (such as hauling freight from the badlands to Las Venturas while dodging police officers in San Andreas). Of course, on the side if you rather just play for fun, you could always go on rampages in the game, where you can steal cars, get a little trigger happy, obtain wanted stars and drive the local police crazy, drive like a maniac around the city, as well as trying to get your guy killed. By the way, you never really have to worry about getting busted or wasted in the game as your guy will simply respawn at the nearest hospital or police station, only to go on another rampage once more (by the way, never try this in real life a this aspect is very unrealistic of course). Similar games: Saints Row, Gun and Bully

Here are some interesting stuff you can do in the GTA univers that you can't get away with in real life:

• Your primary form of transportation are cars you jack from unsuspecting people, and you can usually get away with it unless if there is a cop near by (who will try to bust you if he sees you jacking a car).
• Cops will simply bust you, take your weapons and some of your money as a brige, and simply release you for even the most henious offenses (such as going on rampages). And when you get released, you can do more crimes as well, with the same results. Imagine doing that stuff in real life. You would probably go to jail for a very long time (or worse depending on the offense) for similar crimes committed in real life.
• If your guy dies, he will simply respawn at a nearby hospital.
• In GTA San Andreas, you can have up to 6 girlfriends at a time without having to worry about them getting jealous. In real life, trying to take on multiple girlfriends is quite risky as they do get jealous (at least from a guy's perspective of course), and even the slightest form of disloyalty (such as cheating) can lead to disastrous results on a relationship, as was the case for Scott towards the end of the third season of the reality TV series, "Keeping Up with the Kardashians" when Kourtney learns that Scott was cheating on her (though luckily for him, the two seemed to have gotten back together by season 4).
• And plenty of other odd stuff that you can't really expect to get away with in real life.

Game 2- Fight to the death in the Mortal Kombat Series

If any game were to take after the infamous gladiators events during the days of ancient Rome (where people fight each other to the death), it would probably be the Mortal Kombat series. On the surface, Mortal Kombat takes after similar fighting games, such as Street Fighter 2, where two opponents fight each other in matches consisting of three rounds, with the opponent winning at least 2 out of three rounds being the victor of the match. Usually, the loser simply gets knocked out in his/her losing round, with the winner moving onto the next level. However, in the Mortal Kombat series, there is a whole new twist to fighting: the winner of each match has the option of terminating his or her opponent using special finisher moves called, fatalities. If you have played any of the Mortal Kombat games, you would know that when you knock out your opponent during the final round of a match, the announcer (presumably Shao Kahn in most games) will say "Finish Him!" (or her if your opponent is a female character). When this happens, if you have five seconds or so (some games have cheat codes that allow you to disable the fatality timer if you want extra time to pull it off) to finish off your opponent by entering a certain button combination in the right sequence and in the right distance within the time frame (the exact move does vary by fighter by the way. Pulling a fatality (or similar move, such as animalities, friendships, etc) can be tricky at first, but if it is done correctly, a special tune usually plays, the screen goes dark, and your character will do a special move that basically finishes off his/her opponent. Each character has their own fatalities, by the way (Scorpion, for example takes off his "mask" and hurles fireballs at his defeated foe, while Sonya will blow a kiss of death at her foe that incinerates him/her instantly). The list of fatality moves goes on and on (some people have posted fatality demonstrations on YouTube by the way if you are curious about all of the moves), but you get the picture. By the way, if you prefer not to do fatalities, you could always do a friendship move (where your character "befriends" his/her foe), a babality (where your opponent gets turned into an infant), or even simply knock out your opponent with an uppercut. Despite the obvious dark nature to the Mortal Kombat saga, the games have been quite popular as there have been many sequels in the series (my favorite is probably Mortal Kombat Trillogy), several movies produced (with the latest one being Mortal Kombat Armageddon), a short lived cartoon series, as well as sound tracks released. Of course, this game is probably not recommended to the younger audience or people that are easily offended as these games definiately has death matches in them (similar to MTV's Celebrity Death Match). Similar games: Killer Instinct

Game #3 - Play "God" Sims 2 (and most other games in the series)

I don't want to sound blasphemous (I am a Christian by the way), but do you ever wonder what it might be like to play God for a day? It might sound wiered, but in SIms 2 (and similar games), you will pretty much be doing that. Sims 2 is an open ended game for the PC (though there are also versions on the consoles, such as Play Station 2) where you build a virtual home in a virtual community, along with creating a simulated family (consisting of a mother, father, kids, etc) that you will help manage as you play through the game. Sim families function much like a typical family you would see at least here in America: they work, have emotions, go to school (if they are sim kids), do chores, socialize with other sims, get into relationships, sleep, relax, watch TV, build skills for a job or career they have, and sometimes even raise a dog or cat (at least in Sims 2 Pets). You could simply watch them live out life and make their own choices, or you can intervine and give them stuff to do. For example, if they need to go to bed at a certain time in order to get to work or school on time and they are say watching TV, you could put it in their minds to go to bed, and usually they will. Maybe there is a person that you want your sim to meet or interact with, you can have your character strike up a conversation with another (complete with dalogue options of course, allowing you to choose how they interact with each other). Or maybe you need to help the sim keep their motives up (such as having them eat when their hunger stats are low, using the bathroom when their bladder stats get low, interating with other sims when depressed, etc). Of course, as "God" in their world, you can also take after Satan and abuse your powers and ruin the lives of your sims. Here is a breakdown of some funny and twisted stuff you can do to your sims:

• Cause a sim to become a jerk around other sims. Whenever you have your sim strike up a conversation with another sim, dialogue options will open up, and while you can make your guy or girl friendly, you can also cause him/her to say and do things to be mean (such as insulting others, slapping others, tell lies, gossiping about other sims, or even picking a fight). By the way, be careful about creating fights between family sims as some sims will move out if they take too much abuse from other sims.
• Sit back and do nothing. Usually the sim(s) will make bad choices and suffer the consequences for it (for example, if he/she misses work too often, he/she will get fired).
• Allow kids to get bad grades in school (usually happens by allowing them to skip the school bus when it comes). The only downside to this is that they can be sent to military school if their grades get too low.
• Kill off a sim. One way you can do this is simply by letting him/her to starve to death. Of course, there are plenty of other ways for a sim to die (such as electrocution, drowning in pools, getting scared to death by ghosts, etc). Once a sim dies, beware of the fact that they can come back as ghosts and haunt your sim family (by the way, in Sims 2, one can get scared to death if their mood is too low when the ghost is active in the house). By the way, one funny thing you can do in the PS2 version of Sims 2 is that you can actually control the ghosts, which can be quite hilarious as you can scare other sims, possess them, and even cause them to behave erratically (such as throwing up).
• Cause your sim(s) to get abducted by aliens. Usually happens if they look into a telescope at night too often. By the way, in SIms 2 for the PC, there is actually a cheat I found a while back that allows your sim to get abducted at will instead of by random and even caused my entire sim family to get abducted by aliens as well).
• If you are a control freak, you can also turn off free will (it is usually on by default) and bend them to your will. Can be useful when dealing with a stubborn sim that won't listen to you when you give them a tas k to do (no matter how foolish it is).

The list goes on, but as you can see, Sims 2 can be quite twisted when you think of it and yet it has been quite popular especially among the younger audience, and has spawned many sequels (including Sims 3), YouTube videos, as well as console versions of the game which tend to be a bit different from the PC versions (in the PSP version of Sims 2, for example, the game is more of a roleplaying game where you control this dude who finds himself in Strangetown, a desert city that has lots of paranormal happenings in it, and go on a quest to stop an evil genius from taking over the city and escape the ghosts and aliens infested town).

Game 4 - Play as Alien Invaders in "Destroy All Humans!"

Games involving aliens have been quite popular probably since the days of Atari (such as Space Invaders) and have evolved quite a bit since then. There have been plenty of different games and even films in this genre, with titles you are probably familiar with including: Space Invaders, the Simpsons Game (Kang and Kronos launch an alien invasion near the midpoint of the game), Independence Day, the Star Wars and Star Trek sagas (not all of the alien race are hostile in Star Wars or Star Trek, of course), Aliens vs Predator, the Contra series, as well as even the Halo series (where you get a hostile alien race bent on wiping out the entire human race). Usually you fight against the aliens, however in "Destroy All Humans", you actually get to play as the aliens themselves, controlling an alien named, Crypto who is a part of the Furon empire, an alien race that wants to acquire human brains for some odd reason. The game is pretty big and spans many missions, starting with Crypto crash landing in farmlands and terrorizing both cows and farmers alike, and later with Crypto launching a full scale invasions against towns and cities. And yes, you do play as the bad guys in this game as your job is to conquer Earth (particularly North America as the game is centered in the United States). Besides terrorizing civilians, you can also take on human form and blend in with the crowd (can be useful for infiltration missions, for example), go up against government agents (such as the "men in black"), do mind control on people, making them do as you wish, razing villages with your flying saucer, as well as taking on huge bosses that try to stop you in your invasion (which is natural of course when you are controlling a hostile alien race bent on the destruction of the world). Despite the twisted nature of this game, it can be quite humorous when Crypto goes on rampages, along with creating hysteria among citizens, harassed cows, destroys buildings using his saucer, as well as battling government agents trying to stop Crypto. Similar games: Alien Homid and Overlord

Game 5 - Conker's Bad Fur Day (also known as Conker's Live and Reloaded if you have played the Xbox version)

Platform games have been popular probably since the debut of Mario Bros in the 1980's, and have spawned many popluar titles in the genre, with hit titles including: Super Mario Bros, Sonic the Hedgehog, Kirby, Castlevania, Crash Bandacoot, the Mega Man series, as well as the SImpsons Game. Many of these games have similar themes: you play through different levels in various kinds of terrain, go up against an evil villain and his/her cronies (such as Dr Robotnik in the Sonic the Hedgehog series), fight plenty of huge bosses (usually cronies and close associates of the evil genius, unless if you are on the final showdown), and save the day (such as recuing Princes Peach from Bowser in Super Mario Bros). Most of these games are obviously geared more towards the younger audience (barring some games, such as the newer Castlevania games given the "M" ratings on some of the newer titles, such as "Curse of Darkness"), especially in the case of games like Mario Bros and Sonic, where kids will usually play these games more than adults do. Anyways, with that said, there another platform game that I have played through that is quite twisted when you think of it: "Conker's Bad Fur Day" (I played the Xbox version by the way). Conker's Bad Fur Day appears to be a typical 3D platform game (Super Mario 64 style), complete with a storyline, boss fights, an evil genius to defeat (namely the Panther King), and many colorful stages to play through. However, if you have checked the rating for the game, you would probably see the "M" rating. That is because Conker's Bad Fur day is pretty much a platformer that is geared more towards an older audience. Here are some features in this game you will usually not find in most other games in this genre:

• Most of the characters swear (though in some versions, the swearing is censored by a beeping voice when they swear).
• There are some crude levels in the game. In one area in the game, for example, there is a poop themed level where you are surrounded by poop and one of the bosses you fight in this area is literally one giant piece of poop (his voice actually reminds you of that of Christopher Lee, with the heavy British accent, though he is actually voiced by another guy named Chris Marlow).
• There are some sensual scenes in the game. In one level, for example, you have to help a bee "pollenate" a feminine sunflower plant. Also, Conker does have a girlfriend, named Berrie, who gets kidnapped by the Panther King.
• There is a grim reaper in the game that wants to kill cats for some odd reasons (his voice is somewhat funny as well).
• Alcoholism does play a role in this game. At the beginning of the game, Conker has a nasty hangover after a night of drinking beer before the story officially begins. Also, alcohol is a powerup that Conker can use in the game that causes him to get drunk and urinate on foes (funny and crude if you ask me).

There are plenty of other adult themes in this game (though I won't list them all), but you get the picture. This wacky game is sure to both offend some people (for example, if you are a kid, this is certainly not a game you would want to play with your parents near by) and make other laugh.

Well, there you go, those are some of the most twisted and yet surprisingly fun and sometimes popular games I have seen throughout my gaming career. Obviously there are more titles I haven't mentioned (such as Overlord, Bully, etc) but, you are welcome to add to this list if you want to and feel free to comment on this article as you are free to agree or disagree with me.

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Most Popular Games of the World For Improving IQ

We all are fond of playing games online and offline. Games can be defined as an activity that is merely done for enjoyment or sometimes for educational purpose. However, many of the games such as soccer, rugby, baseball, chess, etc are largely played to have competition between the players in order to decide the winner. The winner of the game is usually the one who utilizes his mental and physical activity above par to win the game. Many people hardly find any time to play games which means their physical and mental ability will comparatively lower than a sportsman who stays fit and plays game regularly.  Most games need physical and mental stimulation to be played effectively. As it is said that games require mental stimulation, it is evitable that it improves one IQ level.

One can find infinite numbers of popular games online and the list of games is simply endless. Games can be classified in different categories such as quiz, trivia games, online games and real life games. Real life games include a wide range of games. Tug of war is one of the most common, popular and widely played real life games. This game is also known as rope pulling. The game is played between two different teams or sometime between two individuals. Both the teams have to compete with each other using a rope which is the tug. The winner is declared when one of the two teams managed to pull the opponent team in such a manner that they cross the center point. This game requires high physical stimulation as well as mental strategy as the game need to be played with techniques to favor the players.

Charades is one of the guessing games, which is also widely enjoyed by people around the globe. This games is known by different names in different parts of the world, however, the most common name for the game is Charades or Charade. The game is as interesting as any other quiz games or online trivia games. Charades also improves IQ as it involves lot of mental exercise in form of guess works. The game is based on acting and guessing skills. As one person acts out a word or a phrase and the other participant needs to guess the correct answer by understanding the sign language done by his teammate.

Trivia games are also one of the most interesting games that are enjoyed by people from all age groups. These games are filled with general knowledge sort of questions which needs to be answered. Like many other games trivia game also helps in enhancing your IQ level. Other games that are improves our mental skills include online quiz games, word search games, word puzzles, image puzzle, suduko. 

  

Chess is one famous board game which is played in almost every country of the world. It can also be played online. The game highly stimulates mental ability of the players. It requires lot of mind work. There are many other such games that are played which not only offer enjoyment but also enhance IQ level. Card games such as solitaire, hearts, piquet, bridge, etc are very exciting games that will make you think of different strategies to win the game. 

  

TV Games are one of the best ways to play games and improve your IQ by staying at the comfort of your home. Unlike other outdoor game which improves your physical strength, TV Games helps in enhancing your mental abilities and also improves your thought process. Various TV games have various difficulty levels. The more time you spend to think about different ways to clear the level, the more mentally sound you become. 

  

On the internet, you can find many online quizzes, trivia games. You can also find umpteen numbers of skill games can be found online, one of the prominent ones being strategy games such as Evony. This game can be played through your web browser. You can also choose multiplayer option to play with anyone across the globe. There are other strategy games that can be played by means of DVDs on your PC such as SimCity and Age of Empires. Such games can improve your IQ considerably.

Matthew Brown is a researcher and analyst of QuizBoom.com. Online quiz QuizBoom.com [http://www.quizboom.com/] is a risk-free online quiz where players compete against each other using their trivia knowledge. All players are rewarded with cash prizes - only a player's skill determines the outcome of each game round. QuizBoom.com is a game created for everyone who loves trivia - those who have taken part in trivia games or have always wanted to.With QuizBoom.com, each and every player can take part at any time - there are no limits to proving one's trivia knowledge.. Each game consists of 16 multiple choice questions with different difficulty levels covering various subjects. Everyone can play the game for free - QuizBoom.com gives free chips for each registered user. Chips are needed for making bets on ones game score. At the end of each day's quiz game all the individual games played are ranked by their scores.The daily game pool is distributed to all players of the particular day according to pre-defined winnings distribution rules.

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Top Ten Classic Video Games

10. Pong

Origins: Pong was based on a game called 'Tennis for Two' which was a simulation of a game of tennis on an oscilloscope. Physicist William Higinbotham, the designer, goes down in history as creating one of the first electronic games to use a graphical display.

The Concept: The game is intended to represent a game of Tennis or Table Tennis (Ping Pong). Each player has a bat; the bat can be moved vertically. The screen has two horizontal lines on the top and bottom of the screen. A ball is 'served' and moves towards one player - that player must move the bat so that the ball hits it. The ball rebounds and moves back the other way. Depending on where the ball hits the bat, the ball will move in different directions - should it hit one of the top or bottom lines, then it will bounce off. The idea is simply to make the other player miss the ball - thus scoring a point.

Game play: while it sounds utterly boring, the game play is actually very addictive. It is easy to play but very difficult to master, especially with faster ball speeds, and more acute angles of 'bounce'.

Nostalgia: for me this is the father of video games. Without Pong you probably wouldn't have video games - it started the craze that would continue grow and become a multi-billion dollar industry. I will always remember this game!

9. Frogger

Origins: this game was developed by Konami in 1981, and was the first game to introduce me to Sega. At the time it was very novel and introduced a new style of game.

The Concept: Easy - you want to walk from one side of the road to the other. Wait a minute - there's a lot of traffic; I better dodge the traffic. Phew Made it - hang on, who put that river there. Better jump on those turtles and logs and get to the other side - hang on that's a crocodile! AHHH! It sounds easy - the cars and logs are in horizontal rows, and the direction they move, the number of logs and cars, and the speed can vary. You have to move you frog up, down left and right, avoiding the cars, jumping on logs and avoiding nasty creatures and get home - do this several times and you move to the next level.

Game Play: Yet another simple concept that is amazingly addictive. This game relies on timing; you find yourself dinking in and out of traffic, and sometimes going nowhere. The graphics are poor, the sound is terrible, but the adrenalin really pumps as you try to avoid that very fast car, or the snake that is hunting you down!

Nostalgia: I love this game for many reasons. I played it for a long time, but never really became an expert - however, it was the first ever game I managed to reproduce using Basic on my ZX81 - I even sold about 50 copies in Germany!

8. Space Invaders

Origins: Tomohiro Nishikada, the designer of Space Invaders was inspired by Star Wars and War of the Worlds. He produced on of the first shooting video games and drew heavily from the playability of Breakout.

The Concept: aliens are invading the Earth in 'blocks' by moving down the screen gradually. As the intrepid savior of the Earth it's your task to use your solitary laser cannon, by moving horizontally, and zapping those dastardly aliens out of the sky. Luckily, you have four bases to hide behind - these eventually disintegrate, but they provide some protection from the alien's missiles.

Game Play: this is a very repetitive game, but highly addictive. Each wave starts a little closer to you, and moves a little fast - so every new wave is a harder challenge. The game involved a fair amount of strategy as well as good hand eye co-ordination.

Nostalgia: I wasted a lot of time playing this game. While originally simply green aliens attacked, some clever geek added color strips to the screen and the aliens magically changed color the lower they got - that was about as high tech as it got back in the days of monochrome video games!

7. Galaxians

Origins: Galaxians expanded on the Space Invaders theme by having aliens swoop down on the defender. It was one of the first games to have colored sprites.

Concept: Take Space Invaders, add some color, remove the bases and make some of the aliens swoop down at you and you have Galaxians. Essentially the concept is the same as Space Invaders, you're defending the world against alien invaders, but rather than the whole screen full of aliens moving down at you in a nice orderly fashion, you get groups of aliens swooping down in haphazard ways.

Game play: if you liked Space Invaders then you'll love this. The strategies are different, as you often have to avoid two or three different groups of alien 'swoopers' but if you can shoot them as they swoop, then you get some great bonus points. The game is difficult until you get used to some of the patterns

Nostalgia: this was one of the first games that I played on a desktop computer that was almost exactly like the arcade fame. I had an old Acorn Electron, and this game was almost perfect on this little machine. I miss my old Acorn Electron!

6. Defender

Origins: This game was created by Williams Electronics in 1980. The Game was designed by Eugen Jarvis, Sam Dicker, Paul Dussault and SLarry DeMar. It was one of the first games to feature complex controls, with five buttons and a joystick. While slow to catch on due to its difficulty, it still was a popular game.

Concept: Most of the shoot-em-up games of the era were horizontal shote-em-ups. This game changed the playing field by being a vertical shooter. Yet again aliens are intent of doing nasty things to earth - this time they are trying kidnap 10 humans. You are in charge of the sole defender and must kill the aliens before they kidnap the humans. You fly over a 'landscape' and can see your humans mulling around on the surface. The aliens appear and drop towards the humans - you can kill them at this point, but should they grab an alien, you must shoot the alien, and catch the human before the alien reaches the top of the screen.

Game play: This was a great game that was easy to play but tough to master. Shooting the aliens and catching the humans gave the best bonuses, and this formed a major part of the strategy. There were some different type of aliens that chased you making the game a lot more hectic than others; often it was just a relief to finish a level. While not as addictive as some, it did give a feeling of achievement when you reached a high score.

Nostalgia: I went on vacation with a friend for a week and we spent the entire week in the arcade playing this game and the number one game on my list (I won't reveal the name now!). It was one of the best memories of my teen years!

5. Missile Command

Origins: In July 1980, Atari published a revolutionary game. It didn't have a joystick, but had a ball that controlled an on screen cursor. It was programmed by Dave Theurer and licensed to Sega.

Concept: Those pesky aliens are getting smarter. Rather than sending space ships down to fight, they're hiding in deep space and sending a bunch of missiles to blow up the Earth's cities. This game was unique as it use a 'round' joystick. You used this to move to a point on the screen and then fire a missile into this spot - the culminating explosion would destroy any missiles that hit the 'cloud'. The missiles were essentially lines that moved down from the top of the screen at varying angles and speeds - some of them would split into multiple 'missiles' half way down.

Game play: this is a very strategic game. Placing your bombs in the right place and timing them right could essentially clear the alien missiles quickly and easily. As the game move on you found yourself spinning the wheel frantically trying to get the bombs in the right place. This game was adrenalin pumping fun - sometimes you seemed to be up against impossible odds and yet you'd breath a sigh of relief when one city survived.

Nostalgia: this was one of the first games I played on a table top machine. While these didn't really catch on, it was still fun to be able to put a can of soda down while you played!

4. Breakout

Origin: This game was heavily inspired by Pong. It was created in 1976 by Atari, with Nolan Busnell and Stew Bristow being the key designers. It's probably one of the most cloned games ever, even today there are new games based on the same theme coming out. Apparently the Apple II computer was inspired by this game - wow where would Steve Jobs be now without Breakout.

Concept: The idea is simple - you have a bat at the bottom of the screen that can move back and forth. Above you is a wall of bricks. A ball will move from your bat - every time it collides with a brick, the brick disappears and the ball bounce back at you. Your task is simple - stop the ball going off the bottom of the screen by placing your bat in the way and bouncing the ball back at the wall - you also have to remove all the bricks in the wall to progress to the next level!

Game play: this is a fairly difficult game to master. As the bricks get lower each level and the ball speed increases, it becomes more and more difficult to 'break out'. Also, sometimes the angle that the ball comes off the bat is so acute that it is very difficult to judge where the ball will bounce! It's one of those games where you just keep on saying 'just one more game' and before you know it five hours have passed.

Nostalgia: when I lived in Wales we had a little utility room that housed books and my little ZX Spectrum - I used to spend hours playing this game as my Father sat and studied. It was like a male bonding session!

3. Hang On

Origin: This game was released in 1985 and was developed by Sega. It was one of the first '3D' racing games and one of the first to introduce a 'realistic' aid to playing the game - that it a larger replica motorcycle style cabinet, with speedo, brakes and a throttle. This game became the benchmark for future racing games and lead to the highly praised Out Run series. The game cleverly used 'billboards' and trees to give you the feel that you were moving at high speed.

Concept: You are a motorcycle racer - you sit on top of a bike and have to race around a 3d race track, overtaking other riders and reaching certain checkpoints within a time limit. The game featuring different places and conditions (such as night).

Game play: Yet another easy game to play but very difficult to master. Timing the turns was essential, especially if other bikers got in the way. Each slight touch of another bike, or crash into a barrier slowed you down and made it harder to reach the checkpoint in time. The awesome graphics (for the time) made this game pleasurable to play as you really felt you were in a race. It is another game that kept you coming back for more.

Nostalgia: As a kid I always wanted a real motorbike, so this gave me a feeling that I actually had one. I was very good at this game (an d Pole Position) and constantly had my name on the high score table - it's perhaps the only game I could truly say I was a master.

2. Pacman

Origin: Developed by Toru Iwatani, and programmed by Hideyuki Moakajima San, this game came out in mid 1980. The name is derived from a phrase that relates to the sound when your mouth opens and closes (allegedly). Namco produced the game, but it really took off in America when Midway released it.

Concept: You are Pacman and you are very hungry. You find a maze full of 'dots' and zip around eating them. Unfortunately there's some ghosts who aren't too happy about this and they will chase you and eat you - but hey, there's some really big dots that give you the power to banish the ghosts back to their central cage. The maze is complex, filling up the whole screen, but there are no dead ends - there's also a passage way between each side of the screen. In the center, is the cage that holds the ghosts - occasionally bonus fruit appear next to the cage. You essentially have to eat all the dots in order to progress.

Game play: This is a simple concept, but with pretty decent graphics and an addictive tune it became a huge success. There is a lot of strategy to the game - each ghost follows a set pattern (although eventually they'll forget this and follow you) - in fact there are books dedicated on the best route to avoiding the ghosts. The game gets harder as you go, with the ghosts speeding up and getting smarter.

Nostalgia: there's something about the music in this game that is just so catching -even as I write it I can hear it in my mind. It's one of the first games that I can remember using music as a major selling point. I wasted many hours playing this game, and although I was never great I always had fun trying to devise new routes. It is also probably my most successful programming achievement - I designed a version of this for the Acorn Atom and I actually sold a couple of hundred copies (again in Germany) - I am proud that as a twelve year old, I was able to use logic and programming skills and make some money doing it.

1. Asteroids

Origin: It's truly amazing to think that this game was first released in 1979 - I've been playing it for 30 years now! Developed by Atari and designed by Lyle Rains and Ed Logg, the game cleverly used vector graphics and real inertia physics to convert a simple concept into a classic game.

Concept: Your little space ship has strayed into an asteroid belt. With the use of thrusters, a trusty laser cannon and a hyperspace unit, you must move your spaceship in all directions over the screen and avoid the asteroids. You can go anywhere on the screen and even going off the edge is OK - it just happens to be a wrap around universe. The asteroids come at you from all angles. Initially they are large, and are fairly slow. Once hit they split into smaller asteroids, and these smaller asteroids split again - the smaller the asteroid the faster it goes. Occasionally a nasty alien ship will appear and start firing at you - he'll occasionally hit the asteroids and split them. The idea of the game is simple - destroy all the asteroids without colliding into them or getting shot by an alien.

Game play: Wow what can I say. To really succeed at this game you have to use strategy - firing at all asteroids will fill the screen with a lot of small fast moving asteroids, making it difficult to avoid collisions. Therefore the game required that you pick off one asteroid at a time, and then deal with the smaller asteroids. While doing this, you also had to maneuver gingerly; with real inertia, you often found yourself drifting without realizing it and suddenly you'd be in the middle of four or five asteroids.

Nostalgia: this is one of the only games that I still play today. Whether it's the 'Buck Rogers' in me, or I just like the challenge I don't know! You'd think that after 30 years of playing I'd either master the game or get bored; somehow neither has happened - I can sometimes get a mega score, but usually I'm just average. I guess I like the fact that it makes me think and keeps my hand-eye co-ordination in tip top condition! Now if only I could get all that money that I pushed into the asteroids machine back - I'd be very rich!

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