You may not remember, but a few years ago Microsoft had an “Entertainment Pack” they made available for PC users. This mostly consisted of cheap, fun little games. Things like TriPeaks (a card game), TaiPei (like MahJong), and a silly little Ski game where you went downhill, trying to hit moguls and avoid trees. That Ski game was particularly memorable because when you passed the Finish Line, you could just keep going, skiing and skiing, until finally a monster snowman ran out and ate you. :-)

Probably the most addictive game in this Entertainment Pack was Jezzball. You basically have a grid with a couple of balls bouncing around in it. You click on the grid and lines go out in two directions and you try to box out the balls, giving them smaller and smaller areas to bounce around in. The goal is to clear 75% of the grid. Then you move on to the next level where they add another ball. It’s really hard to get past level 7.

Anyway, you can play the game online now. All it takes is a Java-enabled browser. Go to http://www.jezzball.net/ to give the game a try.