# Casual gaming's greatest hits. **URL:** \ **Category:** The Game Room\ **Created:** [April 7, 2010, 11:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/casual-gamings-greatest-hits/535262 "2010-04-07T11:57:46Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 9\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Biggirl](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/biggirl/32/3294_2.png) [@Biggirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biggirl)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2010, 11:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/casual-gamings-greatest-hits/535262/1 "2010-04-07T11:57:46Z")
Way back in the Dark Ages when I first played Soleau games, I didn’t know I was casual gaming. William Soleau has a lot to answer for, getting me hooked on playing simple, repetitive games right on my desk top. This here is a list of the games that drew me in further and further. If you’re into casual gaming, please give me your top 10 (or 5 or 20) [Mice Men Balloon Challenge Crusher Castle II](http://www.soleau.com/dosgame.html) When I left behind DOS games, the first place I stumbled upon was Popcap. I can’t find the original version of [Seven Seas](http://www.popcap.com/games/free/sevenseas) but this version is exactly the same except for the improved graphics. Seven Seas was fun but I could play it or leave it alone. It wasn’t until [Rocket Mania](http://www.popcap.com/games/rocketmania?mid=rocketmania_pc_en_full) that I got that first taste of MUST MAKE IT TO NEXT LEVEL craziness that kept me playing for hours without realizing exactly how much time I’d wasted. I actually thought that my Rocket Mania playing was just a tiny bit obsessive but that was before I played [Zuma](http://www.popcap.com/games/free/zuma?mid=zuma_63_1_pcweb_en_4), the first casual game I every spent money on. And then, when I finally, _finally_ finished the last, invisible space level, I deleted it from my computer because, well, it was friggin crack in pixel form. Never a fan of hidden object games, I didn’t think I’d rank one in my top fun list, and yet here are two. [Pure Hidden](http://www.bigfishgames.com/download-games/5956/pure-hidden/index.html) is here for its imaginative games and gorgeous visuals. And [Mortimer Beckett and the Lost King](http://www.gamehouse.com/download-games/mortimer-beckett-and-the-lost-king-premium-edition). Enjoyed that one so much, I went searching for more Mortimer Becketts. And finally, the game that I am obsessing over right now. I think it straddles casual and non-casual gaming in a Sims/Age of Empires kind of way, [Virtual Villagers: Tree of Life.](http://www.virtualvillagers.com/) As soon as I finish this, I will be looking for the others. O.K., now you! ---
**Author:** ![Aghris](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecccb3/32.png) [@Aghris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aghris)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2010, 12:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/casual-gamings-greatest-hits/535262/2 "2010-04-07T12:10:36Z")
Bejeweled and Bejeweled Blitz are always good contenders. I can play it for hours and days in a row and then never touch it again for months. But the next time I do, Im instantly addicted for the next few days again. ---
**Author:** ![DCnDC](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dcndc/32/2842_2.png) [@DCnDC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DCnDC)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2010, 4:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/casual-gamings-greatest-hits/535262/3 "2010-04-07T16:00:23Z")
I think _ **Tetris** _ has got to be the king. ---
**Author:** ![Airk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9de053/32.png) [@Airk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Airk)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2010, 4:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/casual-gamings-greatest-hits/535262/4 "2010-04-07T16:10:50Z")
Uh, Plants vs Zombies. The end. 😛 ---
**Author:** ![Postariti](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/b4bc9f/32.png) [@Postariti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Postariti)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2010, 7:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/casual-gamings-greatest-hits/535262/5 "2010-04-08T07:20:08Z")
Peggle, most definitely. I’m also weirdly fond of the Emily-Delicious games. I love the little storylines. Delicious 4 had a nice little feature, instead of cut scenes, the “story” was animated with the in-game characters. I had a lot of fun with Build-A-Lot 1 and 2. I was obsessed with “exceeding” the goals. For example, I would decide that all houses must be painted. One game I though was surprisingly good was Totem Tribe. It was a free-for-one-day download, and I didn’t expect much. It mixes building troops with hidden objects, with an occasional puzzle thrown in. The hidden objects weren’t what I expected - it’s searching for 30 shells, or 30 crystals. I got quite obsessed with the game, and lately I’ve been wanting to play it through again. Finally, I have to mention Deep Quest, which is a blatant Starcraft rip-off. It doesn’t have nearly enough levels (only 10, I think.) Still, Starcraft rip-off! Yay! ---
**Author:** ![BigNik](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/73ab20/32.png) [@BigNik](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigNik)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2010, 11:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/casual-gamings-greatest-hits/535262/6 "2010-04-08T23:33:39Z")
No-one’s gone for Puzzle Quest yet? Player v. computer Bejewelled with RPG elements? For shame, people - it’s the game that the iPhone was made for. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2010, 4:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/casual-gamings-greatest-hits/535262/7 "2010-04-09T04:53:51Z")
[Pocket Tanks](http://www.blitwise.com/ptanks.html) is a good one. I’d also recommend the sites [Armor Games](http://armorgames.com/), [Gamedesign](http://www.gamedesign.jp/index_en.html), and [Orisinal](http://www.ferryhalim.com/orisinal/). You may never be productive again. ---
**Author:** ![bannerrefugee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/c68b51/32.png) [@bannerrefugee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bannerrefugee)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2010, 6:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/casual-gamings-greatest-hits/535262/8 "2010-04-09T06:17:03Z")
Nethack ---
**Author:** ![Darth\_Sensitive](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/58956e/32.png) [@Darth\_Sensitive](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darth_Sensitive)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2010, 6:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/casual-gamings-greatest-hits/535262/9 "2010-04-09T06:34:47Z")
Minesweeper. Don’t even deny it.