Good Experience Games

These are online games that, in my opinion, offer a "good experience" - good game design with an overall attention to quality. Unless otherwise noted, they're all free, online, and available right now. -mh

Sort by: Name	Date added	Duration	Comments
Snowcraft	03/27/05	fast	Interesting gameplay for a snowball fight. Apparently part of a bygone holiday greetings card.
What's That Song	03/29/05	fast	Type a band name in the upper-right search form, and then try to name the tunes that the server plays.
Nucleus	04/04/05	fast	Devilishly simple yet addictive online game.
Super Smash Brothers Melee	04/08/05	long	(Console only) One of the best multiplayer games ever. For Nintendo GameCube only. The unique handicapping system makes the losing player stronger; why don't more multiplayer games do this? It makes it possible for new and experienced users to compete. Full review in Uncle Mark 2006, and in this blog post.
Crash	04/11/05	fast	Good one from the designers at gameLab: the elegant interface makes for especially good game play.
Tonypa's Flash games	04/15/05	fast	(List) Set of creative, if occasionally bizarre, Flash games.
Udder Insanity	04/15/05	fast	An oldie-but-goodie, sort of a farmer-remake of the 80s game Tapper. It's rated "R" by the creators for "violent content." (Exploding cows (and imploding, too).)
Super Mario Sunshine	04/20/05	long	(Console only) My favorite recent adventure game - for Nintendo GameCube only. Full review in Uncle Mark 2005.
Hungry Spiders	04/24/05	fast	Sort of Missile Command meets Little Miss Muffet. (Muffet Command?) Not for arachnophobes.
Snood	04/25/05	varies	The one and only Snood, the beloved PC game. Not online; it requires download onto a Windows or Mac machine. But well worth checking out.
Reflex	05/02/05	fast	Fun geometric puzzle.
Missile Command	05/07/05	fast	Yes, the original arcade version. Even improved over the original, since you use the mouse (and it knows which of the three bases to shoot from).
Frogger	05/07/05	fast	The original arcade version. Great soundtrack, and in such a small amount of memory. (Kids, this is what quality looks like under tremendous constraints!)
Bottom of the Sea	05/10/05	long	Frogger meets Donkey Kong, under the sea - kind of. Fun concept, fairly difficult to progress far.
Games for Change	05/11/05	varies	(Blog) A group creating and advocating for "serious games" that teach about issues around the world, like Food Force.
Maxwell's Demon - Balls	05/15/05	fast	Segregate the bouncing balls by red and blue. Simple and addictive.
Crypt Raider	05/17/05	long	Kind of a 2D Sokoban version of Tomb Raider. Funny soundtrack between levels.
Levers	05/22/05	fast	One of all-time favorite online puzzles. Brings to mind Myst and other fun puzzle games.
Cave 3D	05/23/05	fast	Fly in the middle of the cave (or is it the Death Star tunnel?).. Hint: press the space bar. Warning: addictive. My high score: 1031.
Comboling	05/27/05	fast	Great puzzle. Try it without reading the directions first.
Infocom's Hitchhiker's Guide TTG	06/04/05	long	Yes, it's the original Infocom text adventure from the 80s (linked from Douglas Adams' site). Another reason to love the Web.
Don Pixel games	06/07/05	varies	(List) Several "free online games for all the family." Nintendo Super MonkeyBall fans will be happy to find a version of MonkeyBall there.
Neave Games	06/08/05	fast	Classic arcade games free on the Web! Tetris, Asteroids, Pac Man, Simon (remember that?), Space Invaders, and more.
No circles	06/10/05	long	Very well done Flash game. Figure out what the visual puzzle is on each level, then solve it.
Helicopter	06/12/05	fast	Fun quick helicopter game. Use the space bar and arrow keys - it's designed well enough that you don't need instructions.
RayRay	06/15/05	fast	Simple but challenging puzzle: get all the RayRays to stand up. Anywhere you click makes adjacent (not diagonal) RayRays to toggle their sitting/standing.
Micro Pac-Man	06/18/05	fast	Just for novelty appeal: the world's smallest Pac-Man clone. It's so small, there's no room for a score, or more than one ghost. Only for those with good eyesight.
Lost Your Marbles?	06/21/05	fast	Fun quick game. Use the mouse to avoid walls, but feel free to bump into anything circular.
Panda Pang	06/28/05	fast	Fun shooter in the style of 80s arcade games. Sort of a cross between Galaga, Space Invaders, and Xevious - starring a panda. Hint: hold the mouse button down, rather than shooting individual shots.
Diner Dash	07/01/05	varies	Great game design, as always, from the crew at gameLab. Play free (for awhile) online, but I'd recommend paying the $20 and getting the full downloadable version to play all the levels. Fun and addictive.
Food Force	07/07/05	long	(Requires big download) Adventure game showing players what it's like to rebuild a poor country hit by the tsunami. 198 megabyte download for Mac or Windows.
Proximity	07/11/05	fast	A sort of cross between Othello and Go, with a twist. Fun.
Chain Reaction	07/12/05	fast	Really quick game - click to see how many explosions you can set off with one click. A bit of "Missile Command" in this one. My three-round best is 121.
Tea Games	07/12/05	fast	(List) A couple dozen quick Flash games. No sound on most of them. Thanks to Mike G. for the pointer.
Loop	07/12/05	fast	Another gem from gameLab, it features the unusual interface element of looping the mouse; no clicking or typing needed. Well worth playing. (Brings to mind the old Mac classic Boogaloopers, which is "out of print" now.)
Dragger	07/12/05	fast	Clever game: drag the pieces into place to reform the picture. One of the several entertaining Games for the Brain.
Planarity	07/12/05	varies	Great topology game with an especially clean interface. Addictive, though it gets very difficult by level 4.
Games for the Brain	07/13/05	fast	(List) Several games that require the player to think a bit. Includes Dragger, linked below.
Jay Is	07/13/05	varies	(Blog) Jay Bibby has written about his favorite online games for years. Don't miss the "recommended" and "classic" sections on the left side of the page.
Hapland	07/13/05	long	Don't be thrown off by the simple 2-D graphic. This is a well-designed puzzle that challenges players to explore the world, figure out what the question is, then slowly discover the answer (a particular sequence of clicks). There's also a sequel.
Orisinal	07/13/05	varies	A collection of visually beautiful games and puzzles, which include Bottom of the Sea, linked below. Thanks to Marc C. for recommending Floats, which is similar to Loop. (Loop has the superior interface, not requiring clicks; Floats has a better soundtrack.)
Dodge	07/13/05	fast	This is a devilish little game. Just try to keep your red block away from all the floating blue blocks. Worthy of study - how often in a game do you get a good chase sequence? (Thanks to Andrew K.)
Poom	07/13/05	fast	Inverse of Breakout. The ball is a given; you move the board. Thanks to Jim C.
Guess-the-Google	07/15/05	fast	Grant Robinson's clever game of guessing the search query that yielded a set of images. Especially clean execution that reminds me of the outstanding "You Don't Know Jack" from the mid-90s.
Box Up	07/15/05	fast	Reminiscent of Sokoban. Simple implementation and quickly very difficult puzzles. Nice feature is that you can click to any level you'd like to see at any time.
Lightforce games	07/15/05	varies	A couple dozen puzzle and tile games from Lightforce.
Mini-putt	07/19/05	fast	Good execution with an elegant interface.
ProgramGeek Arcade	07/19/05	fast	(List) Use the text links at the bottom of the page to choose any of hundreds of quick Flash games. Varying quality.
Gyroball	07/21/05	fast	Similar to the 80s coin-op game Marble Madness, but with no sound. A bit clunky with arrow keys instead of the trackball, but then it's not as hard as MM was.
Kill Time	07/21/05	fast	Very fast game. Don't let him get your mouse cursor! (Just move the mouse; no clicking required.)
Sugar Crash	07/22/05	fast	An homage to Breakout, starring a sugar cube (you) and a bouncing baby. Great sound effects.
Just Letters	07/22/05	fast	A real-time, communal scratch pad. The "game" is whatever you make it. I challenge you to write something intelligible before someone steals it...
Grow	07/25/05	fast	Drag the items, one by one, into the middle of the circle. Do it in exactly the right order and they'll all achieve their maximum potential and you'll win the game...
Kingdom of Loathing	07/27/05	long	Adventure game featuring stick figures, cartoon drawings, and silly writing. Well done.
Entrapment	08/01/05	fast	Not exactly a game, but an area for play. Explore the rules and the interface of this environment and see what you think! (Hint: Draw a big "6" or "G" shape to trap most of the critters.)
Don Pixel	08/02/05	varies	(List) A selection of "only the best free online games for all the family." También en español.
Pitch N Put Golf	08/05/05	fast	Good mini golf game. (Thanks, kottke)
Peekaboom	08/08/05	fast	You get partnered with an anonymous player elsewhere on the Web to play this image-guessing game. Good design, but too much clicking. (Thanks, Jay)
Jamie Kane	08/17/05	long	From the BBC, a whodunit mystery about a fictitious popstar. (Note that I haven't played this game; I'm relying on recommendations from Boing Boing and Jay.)
Samorost	08/23/05	long	Fun find-the-click game. Cute graphics, not too hard to progress. In my Safari Web browser I find that typing Tab is like a hint key, displaying the available click points. (Thanks, Stevan Baird.)
Fishy	08/29/05	fast	Excellent game design. Just use the arrow keys to eat anything smaller than you; that's the whole game. I've played Fishy on and off for years, and it's still a fav. (This is Fishy Classic; don't bother with the newer version.)
Telephone Pictionary	08/31/05	varies	(Offline) This isn't an online game - it's one of those old-fashioned in-person party games... I like it because it's an elegant design, requiring only pen and paper; and as a bonus, the website has some funny examples of past rounds.
3D Ping Pong	09/08/05	fast	Nicely done interface, including spin and lobs.
Shooot	09/14/05	fast	Quick shooter game - a bit like Galaga. Click Shooot to start, and then just hold down the mouse button.
Infocom text games	09/14/05	long	(List) Eighteen classic Infocom text adventures, ported to Java in their original from. Straight from the 80s! (Thanks, Phoebe.)
Type Crime: Italics	09/16/05	fast	Exceedingly simple game that is worth mentioning because the theme is so unusual: protect your letterforms from being distorted by the flying gremlins that turn them into something that is not italic. In other games you can save curly quotes or watch helplessly as letters get distorted. Ahh, typography.
Ant Kendo	09/17/05	fast	Simple interface, cute graphics. Also try Luke's Aqua Massaqua and the bizarre Lost Aliens.
Professor Fizzwizzle	09/19/05	long	Very well executed puzzle game. Download the demo for Mac or Windows.
Hangman	09/19/05	fast	Elegant version of the classic game. Well done. (Thanks to Sean himself for the pointer.)
Troyis	09/28/05	fast	Puzzle challenging a chess knight to jump onto certain squares.
Kurnik games	10/03/05	fast	(List) Many free multiplayer games here - Chess, Hearts, etc. as well as Pencil Soccer, a new one for me.
Escape from Rhetundo Island	10/12/05	long	Intriguing sequel to Hapland and Hapland 2, both listed here on 13 July 05.
Eggrun	10/12/05	fast	Click the egg and drag the mouse down; let go and watch the egg hit the stick. Repeat as necessary.
The Amazing Dare Dozen	10/13/05	fast	Move the egg up from bowl to bowl. Elegant design: you control the entire game with the mouse button only.
GlobZ Mini Games	10/13/05	fast	(List) A dozen tiny games controlled with a mouse click or not much more. Apparently no sound, though.
Lightning Pool	10/17/05	fast	Fun one-person billiards game with different challenges.
Spaced Penguin	10/21/05	fast	Gravity, a penguin, and one of the most elegant game interfaces anywhere. An oldie but (very) goodie.
Doom Funnel Chasers	10/21/05	fast	The long-awaited sequel to Spaced Penguin.
Magnetism	10/24/05	fast	Great little game, somewhat like Spaced Penguin. Levels 1 through 9 are fun; 10 is nearly impossible to beat.
The Way of the Ninja	10/24/05	long	A kind of updated Lode Runner with Gumby running the course. (No coincidence that the first level is called "the motherlode".) Elegant controls: just left, right, and jump.
Gravity	10/25/05	fast	With an interface similar to Spaced Penguin, fire an atom to orbit - and not touch - several gravity sources. Try not to hit a wall. (Similar game: Orbit)
Tontie	10/28/05	fast	A much more interesting version of Whack-a-mole. If you can get past level 9, I salute you. Great design.
Mouse Avoider 2	10/31/05	fast	Elegant UI - no clicking, just moving the mouse. I dare you to get past Level 7.
Mypie	11/03/05	fast	Simple game of avoiding the alligators and getting the goodies. I like the cake-eating noise.
The Bugs Are Coming!	11/10/05	fast	Fun mouse-avoider game. (Find the name of the game about halfway down the list.)
Conqueror	11/13/05	long	Good Risk-type game. (Thanks, jay)
Nethack	11/16/05	long	(Download) Difficult to set up and difficult to learn to play, but overcome those obstacles and you have the best one-person adventure game ever created. I recommend the text-only version, which is more immersive and compelling than any version of Doom, Halo, or anything else. Also see this.
Hot Shot Business	11/18/05	long	Created by the Kauffman Foundation and Disney to teach entrepreneurship. Although it's built for younger players (middle- or high-school age), I found myself drawn in. Outstanding. (See The Economist article for background info.)
Pyoro	11/18/05	fast	Hit the space bar to make the bird eat the seeds. Elegant, fast, with nearly hypnotic gameplay. (Thanks, jay) Also: weirdly-similar movie
A Dog for All Seasons	11/21/05	fast	Inventive gameplay, brilliant execution. Get the four puppies to jump over the red balls.
Blix	11/22/05	fast	Elegant, fun, addictive, and just plain cool. I played this game for the first time in (I think) 1999, and it's still great. Thanks, gameLab! It's got great tempo.
Drifts	11/29/05	fast	Elegant gameplay and a nice scrolling background. Unfortunately, the game is much too harsh, often ending abruptly.
Mahjongg Solitaire	11/29/05	fast	This version of the tile-matching game can be played offline, once it's loaded up. (Thanks, Thomas Weibel)
Art Games	12/02/05	varies	(List) Several games or game-related projects with art themes.
Shufflebrain	12/04/05	fast	Clever ball-rolling puzzle by Scott Kim.
Gridlock	12/08/05	fast	Move the blue block out the right-side exit. I like the organic, torn-paper look. (Thanks, Evan)
Samorost 2	12/12/05	long	The sequel to the well-loved Samorost, listed here back in August.
Set - Daily Puzzle	12/14/05	fast	A daily online puzzle from the makers of the popular Set card game. (Thanks, Sarah L.)
What Did I Search For?	12/16/05	fast	Clever design: fill in the blank on the search results page. New from gamesforthebrain.com.
Stretch Bendycoot	01/03/06	fast	A side-scroller with a unique interface - when the cursor turns into a pencil, you have to draw the path of the jump. (Thanks, Gordon)
Swoop to Nuts	01/04/06	fast	Unique interface: just move the mouse left or right - there are no other controls - to get the flying squirrel to pick up nuts. (Thanks, Jay)
German cow game	01/05/06	fast	Drag the arrows to control the cow. Somehow reminds me of Blix.
Bugs	01/06/06	fast	Elegant and soothing. Great design. Click and hold the mouse button, but let it go before the ladybugs touch the bubble. (Thanks, Jay)
Rocket Bob	01/09/06	fast	Clever game of jumps: just choose the power and angle. (Thanks, Jay)
Cubefield	01/14/06	fast	Use the left and right arrow keys to fly around the boxes. Anyone who played "Star Wars" in arcades in the mid-80s will recognize it. (Thanks, Jay)
Hot Rocks	01/24/06	fast	Great updated version of the 1980s classic Asteroids, including new weapons and a cool soundtrack. (Thanks, Jay)
World of Sand	01/24/06	varies	There's no object here except to play. Experiment with the different substances (sand, water, salt, oil) and special tools (fire, ceramic, and the weird viral thing). Fun and addictive.
War of the Hell	01/24/06	fast	A truly strange and inventive game. You're trying to rescue poor stick figures dumped on the floor. Trouble is, you only have a bungie cord for them to cling on to - move it too fast as you bring them to "heaven", and they may fall off.
Turbo Tanks	01/25/06	fast	Outstanding update of the old early-80s "Combat". Stone!
Rapid Motion	01/27/06	fast	Pinball game with a sleek interface and easy controls (space and left/right arrows).
Grow RPG	01/27/06	varies	Fantastic game. But first play the equally fantastic Grow, if you haven't yet, since this is the sequel.
Grow Cube	02/01/06	fast	Third in this outstanding series: first play Grow, then Grow RPG, then this one. (The same designer also made the excellent Tontie.)
Tontoko	02/01/06	fast	A very fast game. Try to get above 1000 points.
Cube	02/02/06	fast	Like shuffleboard with a square puck. Well done. (Thanks, Jay)
Pretty Pretty Bang Bang	02/03/06	fast	Like Chain Reaction but faster paced. Try to get to the Underwear Ventriloquist. (Thanks, Jay)
Free Style	02/03/06	fast	A rare game that blends music with game play. Use the arrow keys to turn all the squares green.
The Blank Card Game	02/04/06	varies	(Offline) An in-person party game with markers and blank cards. Haven't tried it but sounds fun and creative. (Also see Telephone Pictionary.)
World of Archoon	02/07/06	fast	Inventive gameplay. Hold and release the mouse button to shoot down every balloon. (Thanks, Jay)
Cube Bugs	02/10/06	fast	Cute implementation of the common game of clicking off sets of similar items (bugs, in this case).
Plastic Balls	02/12/06	fast	A circular version of "Breakout" - nicely done.
ESP Game	02/15/06	fast	Sort of a Web version of the old TV game "Password." Try to guess the keywords that another user types when they see a given image. (Use bugmenot.com to get a username and password.)
Typing game	02/16/06	fast	Nice, clean interface for this typing game from 2addicted.com.
Katamari	02/17/06	fast	A very low-res version of the excellent Playstation 2 game Katamari Damacy. It's a little like Fishy - with the sense of humor of the PS2 game.
Warbears	02/27/06	long	Nicely designed all around. A bit like Samorost - find the proper sequence of clicks. (Thanks, Jay)
Travian	03/02/06	long	Simple browser-based massively multiplayer game - with elements of Settlers of Catan and Risk. We'll see more games like these in the future. This is one to watch.
Word Sandwich	03/13/06	fast	Guess the secret five-letter word. (Thanks, Jay)
Babble	03/14/06	fast	Nicely done version of Boggle. Only downside - you have to register to play. (Thanks, svn)
Eight Letters	03/16/06	fast	Similar to Babble, but with a focus on eight-letter words. (Thanks, AL)
iSketch	03/21/06	fast	Good online version of Pictionary. (Thanks, ze)
Roboclaw	03/24/06	fast	Move the robot arm to pick up the ball. Clean, simple design. (Thanks, Jay)
The Fancy Pants Adventure	03/25/06	varies	A Mario Brothers-like scroller with hand-drawn cartoon graphics - nicely done. (Thanks, Jay)
Curveball	04/05/06	fast	3-D pong, looking top-down, with spin. Well done.
Hapland 3	04/08/06	varies	The latest sequel in this popular series. Find the proper sequence of clicks to win.
High Delivery	04/11/06	fast	Use the fan to blow the balloon near the roses. Keep growing the bouquet. (Thanks, Jonathan)
Dungeon Escape	04/13/06	varies	Outstanding. A tribute to Dragon's Lair and other short-lived laser disc games of the mid 80s. The Web is a perfect platform for this genre, and I want to see more.
Movie Puzzle	04/18/06	fast	Clever puzzle: reconstruct the pieces of the bouncing ball's animation.
Miners 4K	04/20/06	fast	Excellent game in only four kilobytes. Right-click to build tunnels for the workers. Caveat, techie Java-install required. (Thanks, Christoph of Aevum Obscurum)
Orangutwang Game	04/24/06	fast	Stretch the cute orangutan to grab the bananas. Too much clicking for me, but visually well done. (Also: learn more about these endangered animals)
Ring Mania 2	04/28/06	fast	Collect and match the colored rings by flying around the screen. Nicely done! triviaaaa
Experimental Gameplay Project	04/29/06	fast	(List) Many quickly developed, experimental online games. Quality varies.
Pendulumeca	05/09/06	fast	Swing, Tarzan-style, along the ceiling. Key is getting the right angle and speed.
Brain Buster	05/18/06	fast	Nicely done reflex-memory game. The music section is a great way to learn intervals - I wish that was its own game. (Thanks, Jay)
Tumbler	05/18/06	fast	Touch anything green and avoid everything else.
Click the Colour	05/18/06	fast	...and not the word. Harder than it sounds.
Eskiv	05/18/06	fast	Call me old-fashioned, but this is one of the best games I've found online. Simple, elegant, fun. Hit the box and avoid the balls. (Thanks, Xeni)
Invader360	05/19/06	fast	Good old-fashioned shoot-em-up. (Thanks, jay)
Sumo Sushi Soccer	05/20/06	fast	One-on-one soccer with sumo wrestlers. Hint: don't jump too early, and use the up-arrow a lot.
Air Support	05/23/06	fast	Avoid everything. Press z to jump. Nicely done. (Thanks, jay)
Soccer Challenge	06/04/06	fast	Clever design of kicking soccer balls into various goals. (Thanks, jay)
Bubbles	06/06/06	fast	A bouncing-ball version of Asteroids. Left arrow, right arrow, space. (Thanks, jay)
One on One	06/07/06	fast	Dribble past the goalie and shoot. (Thanks to the game designer: jp)
Avoision	06/08/06	fast	A lot like Eskiv, but with better graphics.
Avoision XP Pro	06/08/06	fast	Sequel to Avoision - with even better graphics and level design. Nicely done. I got to 1064.
Escape from Rhetundo Island	06/08/06	fast	From the designer of the Hapland and Avoision series. Click things to remove obstacles and keep the guy running to the right (a bit like the 80s game Pitfall).
Maze Frenzy	06/10/06	fast	Click on the red dot and then guide it through the maze.
Binball Wizard	06/10/06	fast	Shoot the soccer ball into the office bin. Elegant and fun. (Thanks, jay)
Grow v.2	06/12/06	fast	A delight to play, like the previous Grow games. Click the elements in the right order. (Thanks, jay)
iFiction games	06/17/06	long	(List) Many command-line text adventures from the 80s, available for play online.
Milaa mindreader	06/28/06	fast	This Flash app created by a designer in Iran appears to read your mind. (Thanks, Shaun)
Dumbolf	07/05/06	fast	Cute minigolf with a cartoon elephant. Some of the levels are pretty difficult.
Orbox	07/05/06	fast	Clever puzzle game. Use the arrow keys to move the ball to the goal.
Archipelago	07/08/06	long	A south-Pacific version of Myst, except much harder. Here's a walkthrough with the answers. (Thanks, jay)
Gamma Bros	07/08/06	varies	Outstanding shootemup. Play this and you'll relive (or get schooled in) Asteroids, Galaga, and Robotron 2084. Warning: addictive! (Thanks, Eric at UW) GOLVL2
Iron Sudoku	07/08/06	varies	Nice interface to solve a daily puzzle. Free with registration.
Racing game	07/12/06	fast	Nice Lunar Landar-type game from my buddy Ze Frank.
Four Second Fury	07/13/06	fast	Use the arrow keys and space bar to complete each mini-game within four seconds. (A lot like WarioWare - nicely done.)
fuzetsu	07/25/06	fast	The closer you get to the flying objects - but don't touch - the more bullets you shoot. No buttons or keys - just move the mouse. Elegant, beautiful, and fun. (Note: Needs this Java thing to play.) (Thanks, jay)
Geartaker	07/29/06	fast	(Find the link near the top of the list.) Click at the right time and advance. Elegant and fun. (Thanks, jay)
Dicewars	08/01/06	fast	Very nice scaled-down version of Risk, playing against several computer opponents.
Feed Me	08/07/06	varies	A bit like a Mario World side-scroller, starring a venus flytrap.
Horsey Racing	08/07/06	fast	Simple and fun - move the mouse to the right or left to control speed, click to jump. (Thanks, jay)
Cutie Quake	08/09/06	fast	Shoot any bouncing thing that moves, don't get shot.
Goggles: Google Maps flight sim	08/10/06	fast	A simple addition to Google Maps - a little cartoon airplane - makes a surprisingly good flight simulator.
Egg Way	08/11/06	fast	Draw little barriers to help guide the egg yolk into the pan. (Thanks, jay)
Sudoku	08/14/06	varies	The standard, except that here you can click the "New" link to instantly generate a new puzzle.
Four Second Frenzy	08/14/06	fast	Another mini-game medley; the sequel to Four Second Fury listed earlier.
Bullet Bill	08/15/06	fast	Very fast side-scroller where you play the bullet in the Mario games. Cute. (Thanks, jay) Q3TH6
Insane Orb	08/15/06	fast	Outstanding update of Pong. The space bar can shoot the puck. Watch for a 80s arcade celebrity sighting.
Guess the Place	08/15/06	fast	Guess the city or country from a photo or part of a map.
Tilt	08/16/06	fast	Elegant. Use the mouse to keep the toy balanced.
Dolphin Olympics	08/16/06	fast	Outstanding. Elegant and fun - just use the arrow keys. Play! (Thanks, jay)
Runes of Shalak	08/17/06	varies	Old-school graphics and music make for a fun Lode Runner-type game. H58K9
Toon Crisis	08/17/06	fast	Shootemup set on the streets of London.
Pac-Xon	08/17/06	fast	A cross between Pac-Man and Qix - very nice.
Mystery of Castle Wildenburg	08/18/06	long	Nice point-and-click adventure game with photographic backgrounds. (Thanks, jay) inits0818
Happy Flower Music Time	08/18/06	fast	The old handheld game Simon (mimicking tunes) on animated flower petals. Cute. (Thanks, jay)
Tama	08/20/06	fast	Neat ball-tossing game. Land in red or blue, avoid black. (Thanks, jay)
Tube Racer	08/21/06	fast	Dizzying game of navigating a series of tubes - that is, the Internet. Just use the arrow keys.
Flow	08/21/06	varies	Outstanding. Explore a strange aquatic world. Mysterious and soothing. (Thanks, all who recommended.)
Super Smash Flash	08/24/06	fast	An imperfect but spirited attempt at recreating the Nintendo über-classic for online play. (The regular Super Smash Brothers is, I believe, the best multiplayer console game ever created.)
Board Dots	08/25/06	varies	Elegant and difficult puzzle - click around in the grid and you'll get it. You have to fill all the squares.
Digg Games	08/26/06	fast	(List) A couple dozen quick Flash games that have been featured on the home page of Digg.
Fingerbilliard	09/08/06	fast	Fun Flash game of pool. From the home page, choose Toys, then "fingerbillard" [sic].
Hyper Sphere	09/11/06	fast	Sort of a 2-D version of the 80s classic Marble Madness.
Cosmic Encounter	09/14/06	varies	Nice online version of the classic board game. Complex, but fun, once you know the rules. Click "Play as Guest" to avoid registration.
White Jigsaw	09/14/06	fast	Jigsaw puzzles with an especially clean and simple interface. Starts easy and builds up. (Thanks, jay)
Snowy: The Bear's Adventures	09/19/06	fast	Cute bear throws snowballs at baddies. (Thanks, jay)
Fly Guy	09/19/06	fast	A very old one, in Internet years, but still good. A friendly little world to explore.
Panic	09/19/06	fast	Great shootemup. Trick is to shoot the baddies while as high up as possible. (Thanks, jay)
Warthog Launch	09/20/06	fast	Launch the jeep in the air to get the floating baddies. Fun. (Thanks, jay)
Roly Poly	09/21/06	fast	Inventive interface: move the board, not the character, to finish the level.
RaidenX	09/26/06	fast	Nice homage to the 1980s top-scrolling shooter.
Red	10/02/06	fast	Fantastic update of Missile Command. Concept, graphics, music, game play are all excellent. (Thanks, jay)
Neon 2	10/06/06	fast	Fun shootemup. A bit like Asteroids in the vector-art world of Tempest. (Thanks, jay)
Ollie's Dance Experience	10/10/06	fast	A keyboard version of Dance Dance Revolution.
Opniyama	10/11/06	fast	A bit like Fly Guy - a cute, fun world to explore. (Thanks, MUG)
Snake Classic	10/20/06	fast	Well done update of this classic game. Don't eat your tail! (Thanks, jay)
Battleships	10/20/06	fast	Good implementation of the classic board game Battleship. Note that you can only play the computer. (Thanks, jay)
Air Monkey	10/21/06	fast	Cute one-button game. Click the mouse to jump onto successive ropes.
Pod Panic	10/25/06	fast	Nicely done, creative update of Asteroids. (Thanks, jay)
Pixel Blaster	10/26/06	fast	Outstanding shootemup except that you have to click to fire. Space bar, please! Be nice to wrists. (Thanks, jay)
Jinx	10/26/06	fast	Fun kid-friendly adventure game themed for Halloween. This is Part 1, and when you're done, try Part 2. (Thanks, jay)
Four Second Firestorm	11/03/06	fast	Another four-second minigame medley, like Frenzy and Fury before it. (Thanks, jay)
Line Rider	11/03/06	fast	Draw your own track for the sled to ride on. Then watch this video, and this, to see what others have done. (Thanks, kottke)
Paper-and-pen games	11/06/06	varies	List of offline games, like Other Foot, that require only pen and paper. Great for parties.
Lander	11/06/06	fast	Quick three-level lunar lander game. Fun.
Globulos	11/07/06	fast	Fantastic set of multi-player games featuring yellow and red bouncing balls. Games this good are rare online. (Note: All the games are kid-friendly but there is always a chat window visible, allowing other players to type uncensored messages.)
Geography Challenge	11/08/06	fast	Nicely done geography quiz.
20Q	11/08/06	fast	This game of Twenty Questions has been online for awhile, learning (as a neural network) from user input and becoming surprisingly smart. Try it and see.
Commander Keen	11/09/06	long	An old side-scroller now online. A lot like Mario World.
Double Wires	11/09/06	fast	Swing the stick figure, Tarzan-like. (Thanks, jay)
Paths	11/15/06	fast	Clever drawing game: draw the path, hit the space bar, and move the obstacles. (Thanks, jay)
Crossword	11/15/06	fast	Good crossword game with no clues. (Thanks, jay)
Missile Game 3D	11/16/06	fast	Use the mouse to pilot through the tunnel. Elegant.
WEBoggle	11/16/06	fast	Nicely implemented Web-based Boggle. (Thanks, JA)
Snake	11/19/06	fast	Elegant - just left and right arrows. Here a lifelike snake eats mice. (Note: Minor blood and gore.)
neko-juppiki	11/22/06	fast	Guide the kittens to safety, like lemmings, by clicking on arrows. (Thanks, jay)
Games for toddlers	11/25/06	fast	List of sites that link to games appropriate for toddlers. (Thanks, jay)
Jungle Crash Land	11/28/06	fast	Drop bombs to clear the runway before you land.
Kumo Neko	11/28/06	fast	Swing the cat onto the diamonds. Elegant. (Thanks, jay)
Winterbells	12/07/06	fast	Fun holiday game with a jumping bunny. (Thanks, jay)
Mission in Snowdriftland	12/09/06	varies	Great winter-themed game, much ilke Mario World. (Thanks, jay)
Grow v.1	12/12/06	fast	A quick but welcome addition to the outstanding Grow series. (Thanks, jay)
BowMaster Prelude	12/14/06	varies	Defend the castle by shooting arrows. Excellent. (Thanks, jay)
Mini Golf	12/27/06	fast	Nicely done mini-golf game. (Thanks, kottke)
Motherload	12/27/06	long	Mine the earth for minerals and money. (Thanks, kottke) (original URL)
Valo	01/01/07	fast	Elegant and simple, with nice music. (Thanks, jay)
The Python Challenge	01/10/07	long	"The first programming riddle on the net." Geeky fun.
Catch Thirty-three	01/17/07	fast	Mouse over the digits in sequence. Quick and elegant. (Thanks, Matt)
Flash Element TD	01/19/07	fast	Set up towers to shoot incoming waves of monsters. Good stuff. (Thanks, joanne)
Stick Remover	01/25/07	fast	Click to remove sticks without destroying the structure. (Thanks, jay)
Castle Smasher	02/01/07	fast	Well-designed, fun catapult game.
Attractors	02/02/07	fast	Fun gravity toy. You can drag the platforms and gravity sources.
FoolYoo	02/16/07	fast	Cute samurai game: cut up the baddies (and veggies - refer to this). (Thanks, jay)
Phoboris	02/21/07	fast	Neat. Clear the grid bugs by bouncing the frisbee-thing around. (Thanks, jay)
Nests of Moai	02/21/07	fast	Quick fun: mouse over 100 Easter Island heads each level. (Thanks, jay)
Rings and Sticks	03/02/07	fast	Clever puzzle game: grow the tree branches through the rings. (Thanks, jay)
Glassez	03/02/07	fast	Cute game of filling a puzzle with geometric pieces. Too much clicking, though. (Thanks, jay)
Orange	03/08/07	fast	Followup to the outstanding Red. Nice visuals and sound, and decent game play, but too much mouse clicking. (Thanks, jay)
Formation	03/08/07	fast	Elegant avoid-the-dots game. Nicely done. (Thanks, jay)
Flash Circle TD	03/20/07	varies	Great followup to Flash Element TD - even better. Caution: addicting. (Thanks, jay)
Desktop TD	03/20/07	fast	Cuter, more addictive version of the other TD games. See WSJ profile of the creator from June 20, 2007. (thanks, kottke)
Boomshine	03/27/07	fast	Set off a chain reaction - like Chaos Theory but better graphics and sound. Fun.
Bloons	03/29/07	fast	Fun balloon-popping game.
Ellipsis	04/02/07	fast	Nicely executed, simple mouse-clicking game. Like Asteroids without the aim.
Fulfillment	04/03/07	fast	Fun block-fitting game, like a static version of Tetris. (thanks, AudioElf)
Rhythm	04/03/07	fast	Very inventive. A mouse, a pentagon, and some insipiration from Dance Dance Revolution... (thanks, AudioElf)
Cannon Bods	04/12/07	fast	Cute, fun game with pirates and cannons. (Thanks, jay)
Rapture Capture	04/17/07	fast	Unique shootemup, or perhaps a "whipemup" - inventive mouse-only interface. (Thanks, jay)
Angry Faic	04/29/07	fast	Bounce your angry Pac-Man onto color-coded balls. Fun. (Thanks, jay)
Dodge	05/04/07	fast	Dodge the red balls. So simple... for a few levels.
Ignition	05/12/07	fast	Stylish, elegant, and quick driving game. Nicely done! (Thanks, jay)
game, game and again game	05/12/07	varies	Worth trying because it's so unique... abstract poetry in the form of a video game. Don't try to make sense of it, but do try it. (Thanks, jay)
Red Team	05/12/07	fast	Navigate two characters separately and simultaneously. Fun. (Thanks, jay) different
Crazy Ladybugs	05/18/07	fast	Elegant and fun one-click game: bring the ladybugs together. (thanks, bb)
RGB	05/22/07	fast	Shoot the colored targets. Simple & fun. (Thanks, jay)
Hoshi Saga	05/22/07	fast	Inventive - find a way to uncover the star in each level. (Thanks, jay)
Artillery Live	05/22/07	fast	Nice scaled-down tank game. Simple multiplayer game - good work. (Thanks, jay)
Crazy Mammoths	05/25/07	fast	Neat space bar-only game. Jump your mammoth at the right moment to win.
Castle Draw	05/30/07	fast	Draw rocks to drop onto invaders. Don't miss the Shop menu on the right. (Thanks, jay)
Shuffle	06/02/07	fast	Simple, fast, and fun billiards-style game.
Amberial	06/13/07	varies	Great design. Navigate the ball with left and right arrows only. (Thanks, jay)
Door to Door	06/15/07	fast	Cute version of Concentration, especially for kids. (Thanks, April)
LightSprites	07/01/07	fast	Fun game with a cute-bizarre Nintendo feel. Drag and throw the colored balls to grow happy humanoids. (Thanks, jay)
Rat Maze 2	07/01/07	varies	Just explore the look-and-feel of this retro game... much like Adventure, the old Atari 2600 game from a quarter-century ago. (Thanks, jay)
Bloxorz	07/06/07	fast	Clever 3-D block-movement puzzle. (thanks, jj) 524383
50 States v2	07/13/07	fast	Place the fifty states on a map. (Thanks, jay)
Bomb Wars	07/13/07	fast	Great replay of Tron Deadly Discs, one of my arcade favs from 80s. (Thanks, jay)
Bound Bear	07/14/07	fast	Clever, unique bear-head-throwing game. (Thanks, jay)
Boxhead Rooms	07/27/07	varies	Shoot the zombies. (Thanks, Matt.) P.S. Here's a possible theme song for the game by my friend Andrew.
Space Pilot	07/29/07	fast	Nice twist on Asteroids - just move, never shoot. (Thanks, jay)
Cat with Bow Golf	08/03/07	fast	Shoot the arrow (cat hanging on happily) toward the bulls-eye. Cute.
Boxhead More Rooms	08/06/07	varies	Sequel to Boxhead Rooms - more rooms, weapons, and baddies.
Thor Towers	08/10/07	fast	Build a tower with space bar only. Elegant. (Thanks, jay)
Bombay Taxi	08/21/07	fast	Fun with parallel parking.
Adventures of Alex	08/24/07	fast	A game with cute overload. Avoid those mean clouds and get the happy hearts and gold coins. (Thanks, jay)
Dolphin Olympics 2	08/27/07	fast	New & improved version of the great Dolphin Olympics, listed here a year ago. Play this! (Thanks, jay)
Zeta Flow	08/27/07	fast	Nicely designed abstract shootemup. (Thanks, jay)
Mindfields 2204	08/29/07	varies	Neat tank puzzle game, reminiscent of the German cow game. (Thanks, Ralp H) UA33
Escape the room games	09/01/07	long	List of "escape the room" games. Click around to find and use objects and solve the puzzle.
Grow Island	09/13/07	fast	Yet another must-play in the Grow series. (Thanks, jay)
Sproing	09/14/07	fast	Clever & elegant: not a shootemup but a "whipemup." I don't get Level 6, though. (Thanks, jay)
Ramps	09/19/07	fast	Elegant and fun. Position the ramps to guide the sphere safely. (Thanks, jay) mallorylikespolkadots
Hotcorn	10/02/07	fast	Pop the corn. You're the sun. Some hard levels, but fun. (Thanks, jay)
Tanks V2	10/12/07	fast	Tanks shoot it out - a bit like the old "Worms 2" game.
Library	10/13/07	fast	Still in a rough "beta" version, but unique and fun: choose the best source for library patrons' queries.
Launchball	10/15/07	fast	Fun science-museum-type puzzles. Great visual and sound design. (Thanks, jay) momi12agma
Free Rice	10/16/07	fast	Vocabulary game that donates rice upon a correct answer. Cleverly sets the difficulty level (I got to 45).
50 States in 10 Minutes	10/17/07	fast	Very simply: can you name them all? (Thanks, Jonathan)
Factory Balls	10/22/07	fast	Outstanding puzzle game: clever, fun, and unique.
PuzzPinball	10/23/07	fast	Design a pinball level to solve each puzzle. Really nice. (Thanks, jay)
Word Shoot	10/24/07	fast	Way more fun than a typing tutor. Shoot the advancing words! (In Qwerty or Dvorak, covered in my book).
Indestruct 2 Tank	10/29/07	fast	Clever game where you try to get hit by the baddies.
Know Your World?	10/31/07	fast	Very nicely designed geography quiz.
Treasure of Cutlass Reef	11/02/07	fast	Simple game of sailing ship combat. Nicely done. (Thanks, jay)
Mr. Mothball 2	11/09/07	fast	Very clever take on the shootemup genre. Friendly and cute; too much clicking, though. Space bar, please! (Thanks, jay)
N3wton	11/09/07	varies	Sumo-wrestling tanks! Nicely designed. (Thanks, jay)
Click Maze 2	11/09/07	fast	Click the dot through the maze; a bit like mini golf. Fun. (Thanks, jay)
Treasure Box	11/14/07	varies	Clever and beautiful little adventure. (thanks, MUG)
Age of War	11/17/07	fast	Evolve through several technological ages to defeat the enemy. (Thanks, jay)
Picto	11/19/07	fast	Very clever memory game: just click the new thing. (thanks, IN)
Speedtest	11/26/07	fast	Nicely designed typing test, in one minute. I got 101 correct, 0 wrong (without a bit lever).
OrbBlaster	11/28/07	fast	Excellent shootemup... shades of Asteroids and Red, and new elements, in this outstanding design.
Touch the Bubbles 2	11/30/07	fast	Very nicely designed music puzzle. (Thanks, jay)
Chat Noir	11/30/07	fast	Simple - but not easy - puzzle of hemming in an escaping kitteh. (thanks, bb)
Funny Farm	12/05/07	long	Ingenious word-association puzzle.
Laser and Bubbles	12/07/07	fast	Unique and fun: pop bubbles with lasers. (Thanks, jay)
Zwingo	12/10/07	fast	Swing the ball to protect the base. Nicely designed.
Picture Logic	12/14/07	varies	Fun puzzles somewhat like sudoku. Good game UI, though most text is Japanese. (Thanks, jay)
Cat on a Dolphin	12/27/07	fast	Strangely compelling cat-tossing game. (Thanks, jay)
Tall Stump	12/27/07	long	Very nicely designed side-scroller. (Thanks, jay)
Day of the Bobteds	12/28/07	fast	Inventive ball-physics game.
Rigby	12/29/07	fast	Elegant, fun bouncing-ball game. (Thanks, jay)
Strategic Domination	12/29/07	long	Finally, the classic Mac game Strategic Conquest is online and multiplayer.
Excit	01/03/08	fast	Puzzles in a spreadsheet world. Workflow
Cursor*10	01/13/08	fast	Clever puzzle of stairs and recordings of past moves.
Passage	01/14/08	fast	This is a MUST-play. The whole game lasts only five minutes. Just play it. (Download for Mac/Win/Linux.)
Filler	01/16/08	fast	Elegant. Like Qix but with circles. (Thanks, jay)
ZunderFury	01/17/08	fast	Fun shootemup, a strong sequel to OrbBlaster.
Chain Factor	01/29/08	fast	Drop numbered tiles to form chains. (thanks, kottke)
Multiball Madness	02/01/08	fast	Quick version of Breakout with many balls. Juggle! (Thanks, jay)
Spin the Black Circle	02/05/08	fast	Rotate the board to guide the ball. Elegant, difficult game. (thanks, waxy)
I/O	02/07/08	fast	Fun geeky puzzle, not too hard. (Thanks, jay)
Shooot 2	02/11/08	fast	Elegant shooter - sequel to Shooot. (Thanks, jay)
Escape Vision	02/12/08	long	Interesting escape-the-room puzzle. (Thanks, Alberto)
Luminara	02/14/08	fast	Outstanding shootemup with great powerups.
Grid16	02/19/08	fast	Fun collection of two-second games. (Thanks, jim)
WordConnect	03/01/08	fast	Combo of Tetris and Scrabble, sort of. Neat. (tx, Nev)
Nanotube	03/12/08	fast	Outstanding. Elegant design, unique gameplay - vaguely Tempest-like. (thanks, jay)
Go Robot	03/19/08	fast	Quick game about a robot, made by yours truly.
Boomstick	03/28/08	fast	Excellent. Shoot the abstract shapes to get more ammo.
Color Junction	04/03/08	fast	Quick and fun. Try to remove all the colors.
Uchuforce 2	04/07/08	fast	Very old-school shootemup. Elegant. (Thanks, jay)
Magic Pen	04/14/08	fast	Fun crayon-physics game. (tx, jim)
PongOut	04/16/08	fast	Multitasking fun: play Pong and Breakout at the same time.
Blockoban	04/21/08	varies	Clever and difficult block-sliding puzzle.
Race to the Bottom	04/26/08	fast	Elegant 1-button game: stay ahead of the caterpillar. (Thanks, jay)
TypeRacer	04/26/08	fast	Race other users in typing speed. One problem: it doesn't recognize bit lever-typed text, which is as legit as everychar typing.
Puzzle Parlor	04/30/08	varies	A dozen jigsaw-like puzzles.
Doeo	05/01/08	fast	Stylish mouse-only game, recalls Katamari. (via)
Music Bounce	05/13/08	varies	Unique, clever, musical, all-around great. (Thanks, jay)
Brute Wars	05/17/08	long	Turn-based combat/adventure game. (Thanks, jay)
Dino Run	05/23/08	fast	Clever, retro scroller - outrun the volcano. (tx, rene)
Canyon Shooter	05/25/08	fast	Surprisingly engaging down-scroller. (Thanks, jay)
Paddle Ball	05/26/08	fast	Very simple concept, well executed.
Music Catch	05/26/08	fast	Nice musical game. Catch the shapes, like Doeo.
Robokill	05/28/08	varies	Exquisitely executed shooter, an update of Smash TV - a game based on a movie based on a book. (Thanks, jay)
Nano War	05/30/08	fast	Cool real-time strategy. More levels and multiplayer, please! (Thanks, jay)
Unique