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| | September 1, 2006
Cool for School
Ahhh, the aroma of freshly sharpened pencils and pink erasers! It's back to school time! And although I've been out of school for quite some time (a lady never reveals her age) I'm still nostalgic for school-bound things. I always enjoyed those first day jitters, getting my new books and finding out who I was sitting next to. Sure a month in, I was tortured and longing for summer but that first week was always fun! | |
| I come from a family of teachers. My mom taught elementary school, my sister teaches English, my dad recently started teaching and yes, I even taught. What did I teach? Take a guess…computers of course! Were there games on the syllabus? Yup, because second graders love nothing more! (Okay, sometimes it was usually the only thing that would hold their attention.) The games were educational but they were fun and the kids learned a lot without even knowing it. So yes, I have a fondness for school and learning. Unfortunately, I can't go back and do it all again so I make do with what I have. And what do I have? Games! | |
| Games for your Brain
I would assume that most of my fair readers, like myself, are a bit beyond the school age. However, we shouldn't avoid learning new things just because we don't have a teacher to answer to or a test to study for. Games are a great way to exercise your mind and improve your reflexes, memory and reasoning. You don't have to feel guilty about being a master of Word Mojo, because your brain is thanking you for it.
Below are some of the games on our site that will improve your brain power. Play them and you and your massive cranium will take over the world…okay maybe not…but you'll feel smarter!
TextTwist
Overall I was a good student when I was in grade school. I was decent at most things but I was an above average speller. Unfortunately in eighth grade, I met my spelling match in a school bee. David, a genius fifth grader, and I made it to the final two. Unfortunately, the word "disaster" proved to be one for me. I may never let it go.
But alas, my confidence in my spelling has been (slightly) restored by TextTwist. TextTwist requires good spelling skills but even better puzzle solving skills. You feel smarter with each round and there's always great satisfaction in not only getting the six letter word but also getting every word in the round. I'm getting pretty darn good at TextTwist…maybe I should challenge my readers to a Twist off (or maybe I should avoid another disaster situation).
Betrapped!
Betrapped! is one of those games that definitely makes my brain hurt. But oh the glee that overcomes me when I finish a board without making one mistake! Betrapped! is very similar to Minesweeper but it has a couple of super cool features. Your reasoning skills are put to the test and it may take quite a while for you to excel at this puzzler. The further you go in the game the more traps there are to avoid. Although Inspector Parker is a smart man he tends to meet his maker if you don't think hard, move slowly and give him some assistance. (And no, standing on the furniture won't help you out at all)
Coffee Tycoon
Most games help you with spelling, reflexes, reasoning and memory but not many games help you develop your business skills. Download game Coffee Tycoon is the ultimate game for the caffeine-addicted gamer…especially for those who have dreams of being a business mogul! Games and coffee? Where have I heard of that combination before? In Coffee Tycoon you start your own shop, pick your drinks, manage employees and try to sell, sell, sell. It's endless fun and you'll feel like a big shot when the money starts rolling in.
Trivia Machine
I have a brain that holds on to oodles of useless information for years. I can remember what presents I got for my eighth birthday (a scooter and a polka dot bathing suit), what my locker number was freshman year (279), and the song order on "Pet Sounds" (I won't embarrass myself any further). However, I'm not the best at recalling what elements are on the periodic table, the names of rivers in Europe or who wrote what symphony.
To help me with my history, science and literature knowledge I like to jump into a game of Trivia Machine. The questions are challenging but they assist you by providing multiple choice answers and a handy option to remove a wrong answer. The game is even school-geared by providing questions either at the elementary, scholar level. (The genius level is available on the download version.) I always go for the scholar level for all of the television, music or technology questions but I usually resort to the elementary level for those tougher categories. Trivia Machine is a great way to brush up on all those subjects that may not come up in everyday conversation (hey if you can throw in the fact that William Wallace was 6'7'' into a chat with your buddies more power to ya.) but are still great to know about.
Sudoku Too
I informed you months ago that my sister has a slight Sudoku obsession and a definite knack for the game. Well her addiction and talent has now spread to my 14 year old nephew. Although he likes the free online version of Sudoku Quest he's always looking for the newest coolest games to play. I thought of him immediately when our new Sudoku game debuted on MSN Messenger. Sudoku Too was developed here at MSN Games so it's an MSN Messenger exclusive! It's a great way to play Sudoku because you can either play against your Messenger buddies or you can both work on a puzzle together.
Although I would be just fine teaming up with my nephew to work on a puzzle, the second I invited him to a game of Sudoku Too he immediately said "There's no way you're gonna win this one." Even though I tried my best, I got humiliated. However, despite what seems like a future of a multitude of losses at the hands of a kid, I will be battling my nephew quite often. Challenging a buddy to a game of Sudoku is a great way to better you game and better your brain! | |
