Who says
you can't take it with you? If you're one of the many people
who own a palmtop computer, you don't have to leave your entertainment
behind when you turn off your desktop computer and head out
of the house. Games for PDAs (Personal Digital Assistants)
often get overshadowed by the flashy graphics of the latest
megapowered PC or Mac releases, but when you're standing in
line or you've forgotten your book on an airplane, wishing
for the #1 Game of the Week won't help pass the time. These
games will, and unlike the $50 dent that one trip to your
favorite online or offline gaming store will put in your pocketbook,
many of them are free. Whatta bargain! As an added bonus,
they're readily available for download at sites like EuroCool
and PalmGear
H.Q. And for those with color Palm devices like the Palm
IIIc or the Handspring Visor Prism, many of the offerings
(Backgammon, Centipede, Fire!, Gobble and more) don't restrict
you to black and white.
It never
fails to amaze me that these tiny handheld devices have more
power than the original arcade systems. Many Palm game developers
have taken advantage of that by making numerous adaptations
of the classic games I covered in my recent Children
of the Eighties article. If you're not an arcade junkie,
there are plenty of other game types to fill your palmtop
device: puzzles, word games, combat, even Tamagotchi-like
virtual pets. There's something for almost everyone.
Additionally,
if you're just a hardcore Palm game freak, there are now GameBoy
emulators for the Palm. Liberty
requires that you overclock your PDA, however, so it's not
for everyone, and I won't be evaluating those games in this
article. There's also a freeware GameBoy emulator called PalmBoy,
which is also slow if an overclocking utility isn't used.
I haven't tried either, but thought that those who enjoy twiddling
with their Palm Pilot's performance might be interested.
Sixty
seven games for the Palm/Handspring, all told, reviewed for
your edification and entertainment. Whew! And this is just
a taste of what's out there: I just grabbed a random handful
(some old, some new), to get a general idea of the kinds of
games available for the Palm/Handspring platform. The bests
have been pulled out for your perusal at the end of each category,
though they should not be construed as all-time bests for
the Palm, but rather the best in their class from the random
sample I selected. Enjoy!
