Freeware

HungMan
Developer: Jim Knopf
A Palm version of Hangman, complete with word lists for U.S. presidents, state capitols, college teams, professional golfers, baby names, computer terms, automobiles, Bible books, animals, countries, Harry Potter and more. I really liked this one, and he's got several other programs and games. I have no idea how difficult it would be to create your own word lists - that would be a nifty utility to add. I also liked the story - he's a retired man who's just toying around by creating programs for the Palm and sharing them with the general public. Good quality stuff, good story, thumbs up.

SpaceTrader
Developer: Pieter Spronck
I really can't quite believe this game is free. In the same vein of trading and dealing with adversaries and obstacles as DopeWars, but significantly larger and more complex. This time, you're a trader in space. Gotta avoid pirates, or, alternatively you could become the one who knows how to get certain things for the right price, but then you'd have the police to watch out for. Mercenaries offer themselves for hire, and it's all about making enough money so you can buy a nice little moon for yourself somewhere and retire. The newest version was just released on November 1st, 2000. Recommended, especially for those who have graduated from the Ferengi school of business.

DopeWars
Developer: Matthew Lee
This is a Palm clone of an old DOS game called Drug Wars, and it is surprisingly fun. It's pretty much a supply and demand management game with hurdles and bonuses thrown into the mix. Yes, you're a drug dealer, but before anybody gets their knickers in a knot about that, keep in mind that since time immemorial we've been shooting robots, fragging adversaries, and generally waging virtual mayhem. Donationware if you'd like to help the guy develop it further. If not, just enjoy as-is.

Shareware

Jookerie
Developer: Land-J Technologies, $12.00
I really enjoyed playing Jookerie: it's a word game that's like a combination of the radio program My Word! and the board game Balderdash. Players write down a phony definition, then have to pick from the list available to find the real definition of an obscure word. Only one problem: I'd play through, and the demo would crash just as the winning screen should have come up. A high score board would be a nice addition. I'd strongly recommend testing this on your machine, as it's a very pleasant diversion, and might work just fine for you. Some of you may be familiar with the name Land-J as the creators of the award-winning essential app for the Palm Pilot, J-File.

Wordlet
Developer: oopdreams software, $15.00
Will expire after 15 days, and certain features are only available for registered users. While I again have to take off a point or two for crippleware (especially in a timed demo), Wordlet at least gives you enough of a taste of the program to get some real idea of what it's like, and it's fun. It's a word search game where you race against a clock to create words out of letters that are adjacent to one another horizontally, vertically, or diagonally. Entertaining, though $15 seems like way too much for such a simple program, especially when compared to Kyle's Quest or the much more fully-featured Xwords, which is available for $12.50 or a postcard.

XWords
Developer: The Houses/Penguin Software, $12.50 or send them a postcard
Crosswords is essentially Scrabble for the Palm, and it's a delightful, full-featured product. I have to admit that I'm a sucker for a small family story, and their web site is friendly and homespun in a high-tech sort of way. They've just started accepting money for the program in part because some users felt it was less trouble to order online than to round up a postcard and a stamp, but they state they'll treat you the same way no matter how you register. If you do send them a postcard, they'll stick a pin in their map just for you. Forgive me, but I think it's wonderful that this kind of stuff still exists in the world. How refreshing. And the program is good, too. Buy it or send 'em a card, you'll enjoy it either way. Best of all (for me, anyway), these incredibly thoughtful people have even created a left-handed version of the program so southpaws don't have to cross over their screen to get to the commands! You have no idea how happy this kind of consideration makes me. Maybe lefties should send them money and a postcard just to say thank you. Saved games available with the full version.