Software-Free Web Games

Okay, you've got your computer all set up, but you spent so much money on the system itself that you don't have enough left over to buy that cool new game that costs $50 plus add-ons. So you need something to keep you entertained while you wait for your next paycheck. No problem, there are tons of free web games out there that don't even require any downloads or additional fees. But which ones are the most entertaining without taking up too much of your time?

The ultimate lunch break-sized web game, as they are happy to market themselves as, is Adventure Quest, found at www.battleon.com. This web-based RPG is low on high-tech graphics, high on exploration and storyline. There are lots of places to go on the world map, plenty of quests to embark upon, and tons of monsters to slay. The site creators are currently working on upgrading the graphics so that the appearance of the game will better match the quality of the storytelling. If you have a lot of time on your hands, you can spend days exploring the labyrinthine locations with your character. If not, you can do it a piece at a time or just participate in the weekly events that pit the main town on the map (Battleon, of course) against the bad guy of the month.

There isn't much customization available for your character except in the area of classes, and as previously mentioned, the graphics aren't yet up to snuff, but the game is fun, flexible, free, and full of detailed stories and NPCs to interact with. In fact, there's usually so much going on that you'll find yourself lost in the storyline, and it might help to peruse the encyclopedia that is included in the site forum to get some background on some of the things you'll encounter. If you don't like to read, you can still have fun, though. Most of the stories are ongoing.

For those of you with a more subversive sense of humor, Kingdom of Loathing, www.kingdomofloathing.com, is a good fit. It too can be played in short spurts. In fact, there's actually a limit on how much you can do in one day. Each day, a certain number of "adventures" is doled out, and each action taken in the game takes one of these adventure numbers. When you're out of adventures, there isn't much more you can do on the site. But that doesn't mean it isn't fun. Whether you're battling pooltergeists (monsters made up of billiard balls) or collecting items from the extreme snowboarding orcs and hippies, there are plenty of strange and interesting things to do.

There are quests, puzzles, and challenges. Your character is almost infinitely customizable because almost every item can be eaten, worn, or carried into battle. The puns and jokes are endless; each monster and each action taken by you has its own tongue-in-cheek description. The one thing this game lacks is graphics; they are literally nonexistent. Your avatar is a poorly drawn stick figure, and the monsters and other characters are just as badly constructed. This low-tech look works, however, because the whole game is meant to be one big joke, and laughter is the ultimate entertainment.

Directly connected to Adventure Quest is a new game from the same creators, Dragonfable, at www.dragonfable.com. It looks and works in much the same way as AQ, except that you can move your character around the game screen. Once again, the graphics are of lower quality than the storylines, but the plots are often directly connected to AQ. The world of Dragonfable actually takes place in Battleon's past, so you'll see some similar monster and some familiar stories and characters. It's a newer game, so there aren't as many places to visit yet. It does have one thing its parent game does not, however: a PVP section. It's not completely interactive, but if you have your friend's ID number, you can fight his character in the arena. The AQ team is constantly making improvements like that to both of their games. With new things popping up all the time, it's worth checking in at least once a week to see what's going on.

If you're more inclined to involve yourself in forums and games that allow direct interaction with other people, you could check out GaiaOnline at www.gaiaonline.com. This site is mainly a giant forum, with a subforum for nearly every interest and guilds that are created and moderated by individual users. The difference is in the extras. Avatars can be customized with thousands of different items; gold can be earned by doing anything from posting to surfing the site; an interactive town allows users to set up and customize their own houses and chat with friends in a 3D, instant messenger-style environment; and there are several different games for those who get bored with talking.

Earning the currency of the Gaian world, called simply gold, is the main point of everything that's done in the game, and gold can be used to buy clothes, furniture, and collectible items, the latter also being available for real money through the Gaia Store. Gaia is also a great way to stay in touch with friends. The games (fishing, slot machines, blackjack, word bump, and jigsaw puzzles) will earn you some gold and a few items, which can be collected or sold in the marketplace. The town map can only be explored as far as the main shops, unfortunately. But the Towns function, which works separately from the main map, is far more flexible. Overall, the main appeal of Gaia is talking with other people, but that alone can take up quite a bit of time.