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As the popularity of pocket PCs proliferates, there are more and more websites offering great fun games for wireless, database, and Bluetooth® pocket PCs, whether these are handheld Gigabyte, HTC, Asus, E-TEN, or i-mate brands.
The Top Games
A strategy game roughly based upon the classic Worms, Snails has to rank amongst the best in the genre. Two teams of gun-toting snail assailants compete against each other over a variety of terrains. There is a brilliant array of weapons available, and the landscapes must be exploited for cover. The designers have spared no effort towards the detail and quality of production.
The best free Pocket PC game in the arcade genre must be RocketElite Gold, an alloy of Choplifter and Lunar Lander, and a “paid option,” meaning you will have to pay $18.99 for it. It is very innovative from a gameplay point of view. With new optimizations for different devices, this “Gold” edition must be “the game to have.”
Cubicle Chaos was created by Rapturetech for Microsoft and was initially intended to promote the Pocket PC 2000. After nine years, it’s still available for free and is arguably the best “ball and paddle” game around. The power-ups are creative and exciting and complement the level of difficulty perfectly.
If simple but effective pleasures are what you seek, Island Reversi might be your game. It brings the board game of the same name to life with superlative graphics and addictive gameplay. You can either play against the computer at varying levels of skill, or against a friend.
If you like a bit more action, check out Sea Strike, produced by Island Labs under license from the Lucky Chicken software house. This game is, as the name might suggest, set in an environment of sea battles where each side must try to destroy the other in open warfare. Watch out for treacherous mines, submarines, depth charges, and bombs from the sky. On top of the military risks, you have only a limited air supply and will have to survive by catching fish.
Still on the military theme is Battle of the Generals, easily one of the best pocket PC games, not free, but available cheaply through many of the websites outlined below. It is a combined strategy, board, and puzzle game all in one. Anyone who is a fan of those classic, ancient board games such as Checkers, Stratego, and Chess will almost certainly like Battle of the Generals. Its features include expert skill levels and play training, “blitzkrieg mode” in which the player can challenge the computer, online help options during gameplay, attractive and innovative graphics and aesthetics, user-friendly game interface and engine, the capacity to monitor battery, date and time status, option to customize pieces and board appearance, great music and realistic sound effects, and options to resume, save, and minimize a given game.
Who Makes Them; Where Can I Find Them?
There is a vast range of pocket PC game publishers such as http://www.snailsgame.com and http://www.rocketelite.com who are responsible for some of the aforementioned games. These are usually distributed through websites offering not only free pocket PC games, but also all kinds of other tools, add-ons, and multimedia applications. Here are some of the best sites:
www.freewarepocketpc.net – this is probably the most comprehensive selection you’ll find, with more than 6,700 free windows mobile software, games, enhancements, and themes.
http://freewareppc.com/games/games.shtml - featuring pocket versions of classic games such as Uno and Lemmings.
http://www.filesland.com/software/download-free-pocket-pc-games.html - repository of action-packed, fast-moving pocket games such as Irak Airspace and Space Docker Sokaban.
The Features To Look For
Obviously, a pocket PC won’t have the same memory or capacity as a next generation console or tabletop PC, so games played on it must be scaled down and less ambitious. Thus, free games for pocket PCs should have excellent gameplay even if their premises are simple. Classic games such as Sudoku, Scrabble, Uno, Chess, Draughts, and others therefore tend to translate very well into pocket PC games. Graphics are never going to be a strong point, so innovation with limited space and color might also be something to look for. You might also be interested in multiplayer options (either online with friends or on the same PC on turn-based games) and varying levels of difficulty that give a game extra mileage. Other features to look out for include tutorial dimensions such as help icons that guide you through a new and perhaps impenetrable game.
More Information On Free Pocket PC Games
http://www.pocketgamer.org/homeindex.php - a wide-ranging resource of pocket game reviews, games for sale, chatrooms, free games, and links.
http://www.freewarePPC.com - the one and only site for downloading freeware files for Pocket PC handhelds.
http://www.ppc4you.com - your Complete Pocket PC Resource! Pocket PC 2002 themes, games, applications, books, pocket PCs, and accessories.
http://www.pocketpccanada.com - news, information, and downloads for Canadian users of the Pocket PC.
http://www.arkon.com - universal and multimedia car mounts for Pocket PC handhelds.
http://www.gadgetorama.com - news and reviews focusing on Pocket PC PDAs and other consumer electronics.
http://www.puzzlexpress.com - solitaire, word, and logic games for your Pocket PC.
http://www.pocketrocketfx.com - the ultimate pocket PC Entertainment Site.
http://www.pocketpcportal.com - Everything for the Pocket PC Enthusiast! News, tools, tips, tricks, and technology to maximize your handheld Pocket PC productivity and play! Software, devices, downloads, ebooks, audio, wireless, and accessories for your Windows CE PDA. Check it out this instant.
Conclusion: Great, Portable Fun
After many years of technological development, we now have workable pocket PCs for use at home, at work, and with the family. More recently, free games for these pocket PCs have been created, and they have all the graphical and gameplay excellence one would expect. The sheer number of websites offering freebie games is very encouraging, although one can pay a bit of cash to download slightly more involving games. Make sure that you know what you want before obtaining a free pocket PC game, so you don’t end up disappointed with the wrong genre or features.
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