Game ON?

 

HALLIE EPHRON: I used to make fun of people who played online games, thinking I was immune to them. I mean, it all seems so pointless. But then my daughter saved enough babysitting money to buy herself a Nintendo and my husband and I were the ones who got addicted to Super Mario. The tinkling of those coins can still send a frisson of excitement down my back.

After that, my husband discovered Tetris and Marbles. I had a brief fling with Minesweeper. But mostly I had resisted online games... until recently. With our movement curtailed, online games have proven to be a lovely diversion.

Here are some we're enjoying...

Bridgebase: Online bridge is my current time sink. Sometimes I play solitaire (the computer plays the other 3 hands). Other times I set up a date with my sister and friends to play an actual game. My favorite thing about bridge solitaire is I can bail when it's clear that I've made a perfectly dreadful bid. Also the game provides a little explanation of the bids the other 3 "players" are making. I learned to play bridge so long ago, the "Goren" rules I learned are out of date.

Words with Friends: Online Scrabble. My husband arranges night time game dates with one of our daughters, and occasionally one of them beats him. Usually not. He's a fierce Scrabble player, and gets all the good letters (or so it seems.) I refuse to play him because I'm a terrible loser.

New York Times Spelling Bee: My husband and one of my daughters are addicted to this one. The challenge is to make as many words of four or more letters as you can out of seven letters. Six of the letters revolve around a central letter that has to be in each word.

Have you discovered (REdiscovered?) online games? Which ones have hooked you. Or have you resisted their siren song?