Fun Computer Games For Busy People

Being a CRPG/adventure game aficianado whose gaming time has been cut drastically short over the past few years by the arrival of my two children, I find myself losing patience with a game more and more frequently these days. I just don't have hours to spend trying every item in my inventory on a mysterious column anymore, nor is the tedium of that really what I buy computer games for. Basically, I like plot, I like characters, and I like role-playability, as much as a computer game can deliver such things; I like puzzles with satisfying rather than random solutions, and I like building up characters, exploring a rich environment, and finding interesting things. I don't like repetitive and unrewarding tasks like inventory management or walking back and forth across large empty screens, I don't like long combats with pointless wandering monsters, I don't like having to make a daybook about which NPCs are in which building at 2 PM on a weekday, and I don't like mapping out frustrating 3D mazes by hand. I'm indifferent to fancy graphics, and realtime play is a huge pain in the ass anymore.

Though there aren't really any computer games out there targeting that particular mix of desires, there are several that come delightfully close. So here, for the benefit of my game-playing friends and anyone else who might be interested, is my personal list of top role-playing and adventuring favorites--complete with game reviews, advice about how to get around bugs and inconveniences in the games, and, in many cases, low-spoiler walkthrough guides. I've found that a nice compendium of subtle hints and tips can help turn a game that's partially what I'm looking for into a fun experience, but most walkthroughs ruin the experience by providing me with unwanted plot and puzzle spoilers, precisely the parts I don't want spoiled.

My own walkthroughs are written with that in mind, letting you know whether you've missed any cool quests or things to do in any of the game areas without spilling the beans on what happens when you do them. If you're looking for a more explicit puzzle solution, I recommend the Ultimate Hint System pages, which are uniquely set up to reveal only one hint at a time. You can find my general gaming philosophy and review criteria at the Backseat Game Designer, if you're curious.

One final note about genres: computer role-playing games generally include tactical combat and gradual development of your characters' abilities as major gameplay components (think Ultima, or Wizardry), while computer adventure games generally do not (think Zork, or Myst). As with any other attempt at defining genres, this one is inexact, and excellent games from either tradition will share many of the same traits: an overarching storyline, many smaller quests to be completed, puzzles of differing styles, areas to be explored, an inventory to be used, and characters (NPC's) to interact with. As long as a game contains all these elements, I've reviewed it here without prejudice as to whether it's more of a "role-playing game" or more of an "adventure game." Although I also enjoy playing other genres of computer games, particularly strategy wargames (think Civilization) and building games (think SimCity), gameplay is so different for those puppies that there's almost no sense reviewing them on the same page. Maybe someday I'll put up a new site with all my favorite strategy games on it, but for now... well, let the adventures begin!

Good Computer Games for Busy People

Anything with a rating of 5 or more is worth playing, anything with a 7 or more is worth a special trip to the software store. (-: Please note that the overall game ratings on this page are not adjusted for game age. Ultima III was the coolest game I'd ever seen back in 1983, but it takes a lot of determination and nostalgia to play through it now. I've included reviews and even the occasional walkthrough for certain classic games--mostly precursors to contemporary PC computer games, easily accessible abandonware, and classics that come bundled with other games anyway--but the rankings I've given them are in direct comparison to games created twenty years later. Click on the "review" link to see my detailed opinions of each game including the historical and nostalgic factors; if you're anything like me, you may enjoy playing a beloved classic from your youth that you wouldn't go near with a ten-foot pole if it was released today. You could also try my classic computer games page, though it's in a very unfinished state (I'm having the worst time trying to take screenshots of DOS games with my XP; advice is welcomed!)