It's always a happy day when discovering that Ferry Halim has released a new addition to his Orisinal line of fine Flash games. Just like Grandma's delicate china reserved for those very special guests, Orisinal games offer game play experiences for discriminating tastes. A Daily Cup of Tea is his latest...

Oh My God! The Bugs are Coming! is quite a large name for such a small Flash game, and yet the name fits the theme of this game well. Created by Tonypa, this game features lots of creepy crawlers that move across the screen with uncomfortable realism. The objective is to avoid the bugs altogether for as long as you possibly can. Once a bug bursts your bubble, the game is over.

Set is a DHTML-based Web game that offers a new puzzle to play every day. The object of Set is to find the 6 "sets" of three cards each that go together. Each card in the game has on it four (4) distinguishing features: color, quantity, symbol, and fill. Color will...

From Carnegie Mellon University comes this multiplayer game that is simply called: The ESP Game. The game requires you to register and sign in, and then it pairs you up with an anonymous partner for a round of ten images. You have two minutes and thirty seconds (2:30) with which to agree...

Net is a game about connections. There is a central energy source, and the objective of the game is to connect all devices to the energy source in the fewest moves possible. Of course, if you're like me, I ignore the number of moves and just try to finish a puzzle. Subtitled "The game for the mind", this game definitely falls into the category of a brain teaser.

Monsterism.net, a website that Pete Fowler and his creative partner, Simon Pike, built to showcase Pete's outstanding and original monster art. With it you can create a bevy of creatures from the world of Monsterism, as well as mix and match any attributes to create entirely new monsters of your own design. Which monster are you?

A Worm's Life redefines the classic game of Snake and turns it into a fresh new experience. The game features an array of elements that change-up the gameplay formula of the simple arcade game and transforms it into even more addictive, fast action fun.

While on the topic of Snake, here is a variation of the game for all those who believe snakes should appear, and move in paths, with round edges.

This version of the classic game of Snake is remarkable in that it comes with source code and a complete tutorial explaining the code by its author, Strille of Sweden. Available on his website, the tutorial is a great way for anyone to get started programming games in Flash. The...

You are a soap bubble in this action arcade game by Anders Gustafsson of Sweden. It seems that while playing with your friends, you discover a strange hole behind a bush that appears to go deep into the earth. Curious, you investigate to find that the hole is just large enough...

On over at Eyezmaze has just released another addition to his ever-expanding collection of unique and enchanting Flash games. Hatch is an action arcade game that will put your reflexes and hand-eye coordination to the test. To play, put your fingers on each of the keys of the keyboard representing...

"My name is Ada. I'm going to show you how to catch butterflies." Loop is a delightful action game that makes use of the mouse for drawing loops around butterflies to catch them. It's a full-featured, multi-level, gorgeous Web game with personality, style and grace. If you haven't seen this one before, don't miss out! Created by gameLab, and hosted by Shockwave.com.

Created by Ferry Halim, this wonderful and innovative Flash game makes use of the mouse for drawing circles and shapes around floats of the same color to capture them and score points. The more floats you capture at once the higher the score. The simple and elegant gameplay mechanics serve to showcase Ferry's exceptional talent for expressing fresh new ideas with Flash.

Global Player is a Flash game designed to test your skills at sorting packages and routing them to their proper destinations. Everything in the game is color coded, and each level consists of a system of conveyor belts and switches. These give way to multiple destinations where transportation awaits to receive each package and send it on its way.

It is beginning to look and feel a lot like Chrismahanukwanzakah up here in the northeast, with temperatures dipping well below freezing today for the first time this season. And with all the snow we've been getting, it would be an excellent time to build a snowman, or simply stay indoors and play this charming Flash game instead.

Boston.com is hosting this Snow Plow game in which the city of Boston has been hit by a Nor-easter and it's your job to plow the streets clean by taking control of a city plow. Collect snowflakes and presents for bonuses. A cute and fun little seasonal Flash game.

Enter Hamure-su. A very simple game from Japan in which you guide the little hamster around the track by clicking the mouse. For as long as you hold the mouse button down, the hamster will turn to the left. Run off the course and the game is over. How far can you make the little bugger go?

Swinger is an odd little arcade-style Flash game that offers familiar "clear the board while avoiding the enemies" gameplay in a unique style all its own. Created by Mark Arenz of Ridiculopathy.com, the object of the game is to swing the bar from post to post to clear all the colored dots from each level—some colors require more than one vis...

Climb high as you can by jumping from wheel to wheel in this simple and addictive, one-button casual game by Tonypa. Press the mouse button or the space bar to jump. Collect the red dots for points, the blue dots for power-ups. Clear the board for a bonus.

function alienterminator(){w=OpenScrollWindow('http://fizzlebot.com/danny/alienterminator.php','Alien',500,400); return false}Alien Terminator seems at first to be a mindless click-the-bug shooter, though to play through several levels will reveal a rich and addictive gameplay experience. Your basic mission is to terminate all the "unknow creature...

As the days get shorter, so do the starry nights get longer with the winter solstice fast approaching. Capturing the essence of these calm and peaceful nights is Ferry Halim's beautiful Starry Night. The Flash game is a work of art, and of exemplary casual game design.

Caray Snake is a variation on the classic arcade game Snake where your tail gets longer with each object eaten, and you must avoid running into your tail. What makes this Flash game different is you move the snake only one square at a time using the arrow keys. The object is to clear the board to move on to the next. While the graphics of this gam...

This simple and elegant Flash game looks like a work of art: minimal design paired with maximum gameplay. While not an original concept, Gridlock features classic sliding-block puzzle gameplay that will surely exercise your brain. A well-executed game in the genre, and a very beautiful game to behold.

Is it any wonder that the simplest games to play are often the popular ones? 12many is a nice little Flash game from Tonypa that has been making the rounds on the Web, and for good reason: the rules of the game are simple and easy for anyone to understand.

This Mr. Driller clone, created in Flash by Max K., is a decent version of the original game by Namco. Driller uses the arrow keys for movement, and the space bar for drilling. The object is to drill down through the blocks as far as you can without running out of air, or getting crushed. The level of difficulty determines how many rows of blocks y...

A game in which you're given magnetic control over the environment in the form of a bunny with a electromagnet for a head. The premise of Magnet 2 is a bit odd, but the gameplay formula works brilliantly. Each level presents different objects and obstacles where you must maneuver the magnet to attract the objects into the goal. Magnet 2 proves that realistic high-tech graphics are not required for creating games that are engaging and fun to play.

Just one of several games created by Takahiro Miyazawa of SKT Products in Japan. Goki Dash is a Pac-Mac style Flash game where you control a cockroach that eats up green dots while avoiding the roach-eating gecko. The play field is larger than the game window, so there is a little more ground to cover than what meets the eye. Several difficulty settings provide enough challenge for any level of game player.

Birdy is another cute little Flash game from Mach Parat. Move the mouse over the game window to take control of the little birdy. Eat, but don't be eaten or get carried away. Like the other No Clix games in the series, no mouse clicks are required to play. These games are simple and fun to play for a quick amusement and attitude adjustment break. C...

This is just one of several cute little Flash games by the talented folks at Mach Parat in Cologne, Germany. UBoot is played in a browser by simply moving the mouse over the game window. No clicks are required. In fact, this is one of several games in their No Clix series. Simple and elegant with gameplay to boot. Clix. Included here with permissi...

At first glance, you might think I'm a little wacky for suggesting this Flash game from Funyamora.com in Japan. Bubble is cute and sweet, almost sickeningly so, and offers very simple gameplay mechanics. You control a floating spirit by using the arrow keys to catch bubbles that rise up out of the ground and float into the sky. You might even be thinking that you could build such a game yourself, and you'd probably be right. There is nothing very complicated going on here.

More Monkey Ball madness with mini Flash games from Sega. This time featuring three different games from Super Monkey Ball 2: Monkey Target, Monkey Baseball, and Monkey Bowling. Each game is a mini version of the console games available for the Nintendo Gamecube. In Monkey Target, press the space bar to open your monkey ball wings and use the arro...

From Preloaded in London comes this sweet, entertaining game filled with combos, skill shots and wonderful particle effects that explode when you shoot a star. Its simple and addictive gameplay is as easy as pressing the right key at the right moment.

This pair of Flash games, hosted on Nobelprize.org, teaches you about the physics of liquid crystals while playing. Crystallite is an action puzzle game, similar to Tetris, where you position the falling blocks by rotating them before fitting them in their place. Use the right and left arrow keys to position the blocks, and the up and down arrows ...

This Flash game is from Scenta, the same UK folks behind Reverse. Also created by Mobasher Lqbal, Nucleus features the same minimalist-type graphics, which are clean and simple, and adds atoms and valence electrons to create a sort of platform jumping game that is a lot of fun.

Madness. Not really a game, and yet I had a lot of fun playing with Just Letters, a Flash Communications Server application. Basically, there is a white board with lots of English alphabet letters on it that you drag around to form words, sort into colors, or what ever you like. Problem is, there are many others all doing the same thing.

Six Feet Under is a Flash game with instructions in German, so here is my take on the action: On the way to the cemetery, Alex, the hearse-driving coffin chauffeur, has to step on the gas to make it to the burial on time. Help Alex deliver the coffin by speeding to the cemetary and launching the coffin into the graveyard.

A new game by the multi-talented Ferry Halim, High Delivery elevates Flash game design to new heights of artistic expression. Armed with a small fan propeller, the object of the game is to blow air at the always upward floating balloon to influence its movement. By moving the dangling bottle to within range of the falling blossoms, they are thus ca...

Swivel Sweep is a unique and original concept Shockwave game by veteran Japanese game designer, Yoshio Ishii. The game features a top down view of a play field that swivels by moving the mouse around it. The object is to bounce the ball around, inside the play field, to hit and knock out all of the squares in each level.

We all need Safeplaces to hang every now and then to rest, relax, recharge, review, rebound, replenish, release, receive, renew, and reward ourselves. So take a break, and take time to take in that which is around you. Smile, giggle, laugh and love. Play.

Super Mini-Games are bite-sized Flash games to challenge your hand-eye coordination and problem solving skillz. Created by Pop, a New York City based game design firm, these mini-games were commissioned by Cartoon Network and appeared on their website. Each game offers something different, and all are packaged in a cute little box that opens when clicked to reveal its game.

Dr3i is a simple game to click and play for a quick diversion, and is remarkably fun... if not a little dizzying. Use the mouse to move the red dot around the screen to collect all of the black dots, marked with a plus or minus sign, without touching anything else.

Not a new game, but certainly on its way to becomming a classic, Super Monkey Ball by Sega was originally released exclusively for Nintendo's Gamecube, and now coming to XBox and PS2 in early 2005. Super Monkey Ball Mini is a Flash version of the same game providing mini levels that take advantage of similar gameplay mechanics as the original. Use ...

Fun stuff over at Andre-Michelle.com. Andre is a Flash designer extraordinaire from Germany who has put together a personal playground of a site full of experiments and whatnot all done in Flash. This one is simply called Cell Talk, which I found to be infinitely relaxing and mesmerizing playing in the background while I was doing some writing for ...

Here is another mouse cursor game that is nicely put together. Simple, minimalist graphics with levels of increasing difficulty, 20 in all. Guide the mouse cursor to the goal, however the control of the mouse is reversed. Simple and straight forward, Reverse is yet another short little diversion to cleanse the palette of your brain. Created by Moba...

Squares 2 is an addictive action Flash game with a phat beat. Very similar in concept (and sound) to Manuel Fallmann's Bubbles collecting game, Squares 2 has you collecting all the black squares while avoiding all the red ones. The game is extremely easy to pick up and play, and good fun for a quick diversion or two.

An irresistible, fast-paced action Flash game where the objective is to kill the required number of pacmans (or is it pacmen?) within the time limit. You ‘kill' a pacman by jumping on it, Mario-style. Simply hop from one pacman to the next without falling to the ground. Simple and addictive.

Add together stylish pixel graphics, a compelling techno soundtrack, and challenging gameplay that appears deceptively simple, and you wind up with an excellent little action puzzle game called BLiX. This highly addictive game was created by gameLab and is hosted by Shockwave.com.

Another Flash game by Neodelight, Cyber Mice Party borrows gameplay elements from the classic game of Lemmings to create an entirely different take on the survival strategy genre. Each level presents a bunch of mice, a hunk of cheese and various items such as sticks, matchboxes, and different shaped blocks. The object is to use the objects to herd ...

An estimable goal from Atlanta-based company A Broader View, has inspired this Flash game with a global perspective: help the United States improve its disappointing knowledge of geography by challenging it to participate with the rest of the world in a geographical testing game, the Geography Olympics. The game asks you first to select the countr...

Almost twenty years ago, I would often play a solitaire game on the Mac called Shanghai that used Chinese Mahjongg tiles for play. Created by Brodie Lockard and released by Activision in 1986, Brodie is credited with the original idea, programming and artwork for the game. Since then there have been many clones and copycat versions, but most still ...

The disappearing cursor game was created in Flash by Tom Pennock and released to the public just a few days ago on his site, BeatsTelevision.com. It's a game with a modest design and lofty expectations on the player. There are at least 12 levels where you must navigate the cursor with the mouse from point A (Go) to point B. The concept sounds easy, until you actually give it a try.

A brand new Flash game just released by Naive.it, and this one is named NaiveTown. Building blocks fall at a rate determined by the difficulty level, and you score points by stacking 5 like blocks to make a building. The catch is you can move the blocks once they have landed by clicking on the right or left edge of each block. There are also power-...

More Flash fun with pixel graphics, this time from the BBC's 6 Music digital network. 6ixel is a platform game that has 6 levels of increasing difficulty, and each one highlights a different artist or group: Bob Marley, The Clash, Alanis Morissette, New Order, Run DMC/Aerosmith, The Strokes.

This game keeps popping up every where I look. Based on the simple game of paper toss, the object of Cyrkam Airtös is to first catch the various paper objects being thrown at you, then toss them into the waste bucket. If you make it, someone moves the bucket for the next toss to make the game more challenging. Created by Sticky, a creative ag...

This must be a day for German pinball games. Rapid Motion is another very clever entry in the pinball game genre, this one uses a circular playing field and a virtual magnetized surface as part of the gameplay mechanics. The object, besides of course racking up as many points as you can, is to complete the ring of ball bearings by triggering a pit ...

From David and Goliath, maker of funny T-shirts and other fine apparel, comes this Flash game straight out of their “Boys Are Smelly” department: Throw Rocks at Boys. And why shouldn't we? After all, everyone knows that boys are stupid. If you've ever seen D&G designs then the game will be quite familiar. Otherwise, you might think ...

Appealing to a wide audience requires that your game design be straightforward and easily understood. Games that are instantly and universally accessible are generally based on simple concepts and mechanics that most everyone can identify with. Quite often it's the simpler games that win over our affection, and our attention, and become a joy to pi...

This set of Flash driving drills comes from France. The stylish graphics reminded me of one of those motor vehicle safety manuals they used to pass out in school. Maybe they are coordination tests for driver permits? Oh, that's just plain silly. Anyways, each game requires you to steer your way to the objective using the arrow keys on the keyboard (right, left, forward, reverse) and the space bar for the handbrake.

The prolific and gifted Ferry Halim has created yet another wonderful game and it plays like a Disney animated short. Think Fantasia and Tchaikovsky's Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairies and you won't be far from the Flash magic Ferry serves up in this game: Chrysalides turn to butterflies when zapped by your little magic dew drops as you fall through the branches of a very, very tall tree.

Scott Shiller is a Javascript and DHTML wizard and to prove it he has recreated the classic arcade hit Arcanoid with all original levels. There is also a level editor with which you can create your own levels and save them for others to play. The interface is slick and simple, and yet looks more like an application program running than code in a browser window. Amazing client-side programming.

From VectorPark comes this incredibly mesmerizing Flash game of physics and balance. Create an intricate mobile by attaching each piece such that balance is maintained. If done properly, another piece will drop in the water for you to continue with. How far can you get?

Bubbles is a clever and addictive arcade game in which the objective is to collect bubbles to score points while avoiding spikes that can burst your own bubble. The problem is that the more bubbles you collect, the larger your bubble becomes, which makes navigation a bit trickier. A grooving soundtrack and numerous power-ups make this game a lot of fun.

Lite-Brite was a technological wonder when it was first released back in 1967 by the Hasbro toy company. Images were created by poking the colored pegs through the black paper on the screen, which made the pegs appear to illuminate from the light housed in the case. The screen resolution wasn't too good, but hey... it was 1967! And now, thanks to the magic of JavaScript, you can play Lite-Brite on your computer. May the wonders of technology never cease.

A game that's more difficult than it might seem, this one is based on clicking sequentially numbered circles to clear each level. For example, when the game begins, click on the circle with 1, then 2, then 3... not too difficult, eh? You try it.

The Telephone is a stylish and unique puzzle game in which you embark on an adventure by dialing in destinations. The destinations are 3-digit telephone numbers that you find in each 'level' and which advance you through the game. Each destination is unique in its objective, sound, and interface.

Micro Life is a real time strategy game (RTS) that is quite easy to play, and it has a lot of charm to compensate for the relatively light challenge it presents. Accessible to all ages, this game is one part simulation, one part strategy, and one part Insaniquarium all rolled into one.

Created by Klas Kroon of Sweden, this little game is one of the tiniest Flash games I've ever seen. The objective of Blockdude is to move the little dude to the exit door by picking up and moving blocks to solve each level. This game is actually a remake of an old TI-83 game originally written by Brandon Sterner.

This gorgeous game, titled "The Malibu 9 Rescues Mr. Malibu (and 6/9 of the Deepfried Posse)", was originally from a club, Club Malibu, in Stockholm, Sweden, that may not even be in existence any longer (you know how clubs just come and go). Top notch production in a fun little Flash game.

PsychoPong is not new, as it dates back to 2001; yet it is a worthy game just the same. With gameplay similar to Pong, the granddaddy of all video games, this Shockwave game has a mind of its own. There are five (5) levels of increasing difficulty... though I bet you'll have trouble making it past even the second level. Click. The designer of the ...

An odd and addictive little game of violence against stick figures intent on invading your castle. From what I can glean, the gameplay has some depth by allowing you to purchase additional units and upgrades between levels.

From Shockwave Japan, this cute little Flash game requires you to click on adjacent animals to swap places and line up 3 or more of the same. It sounds a little confusing, and with the instructions in Japanese, I was a little confused at first myself. Just ignore the first screen with the cell phone, don't click it—it's an ad. Wait for the ga...

File this one under interactive Flash tools for creative expression. Scribbler is just one of many interactive "toys" available at Zefrank.com. This "generative illustration toy" allows you to draw with the mouse in the window, then Scribbler takes over and creates its own drawing on top of what you've drawn. There are even interactive controls that you can set and tweak to your heart's content.

Blast Billiards is a billiards game with a unique twist: it's a race against the clock to get all the balls in the pockets before time runs out. Your score is dependent upon how quickly you sink each ball. Nice and solid presentation, and the ball physics are fairly realistic.

In one of the sections of Interactive Digital Media that I'm a TA for this quarter, one of the students wants to create a Simon game in Director. And while I think that a Simon-type game is entirely doable in Director, I also think that it wouldn't be much of a challenge. And that got me thinking about how much fun I used to have with S...

In recognition of the beautiful weather we're finally having here in Rochester today, here's a great little Flash game of mini-golf that is very well done if you can overlook the rather simplistic and plain looking graphics. After all, it's all about the gameplay, isn't it? Click....

Here's a beautifully crafted Flash multimedia piece by Drew Cope and Sam Lanyon Jones from their multi-award winning site called TokyoPlastic where they will be rolling out version two in May. Not new, I just think it's cool. Enjoy. Click....

Bubbels is a strangely addictive Flash game, like Bust-a-Move, from the Netherlands. There are actually five (5) different versions to choose from.

In January, 2004, Chris Hilgert created a Flash game which spread across the Internet like wildfire. The gameplay mechanics were simple and surprisingly fun: Bat a penguin with a Yeti to see how far you could throw him. Since then, Chris has created a trio of games featuring penguins, a yeti and other arctic mammals, and a fourth one is on the way.

One of the very first games ever to be featured here at JIG, Cats is an adorably cute game created by Ferry Halim. A very simple game that captures the essence of the fickle feline. From his Original site, a treasure trove for the casual game lover, and especially for kids. It is clear that Ferry puts his heart into every game he makes.