I’ve been checking out some games for my Linux machine recently (that almost sounds like an oxymoron). I’m not going to go all whiny on you with a “Linux does have games!”-post, but will just review a few of them (the most popular ones).

• Planet Penguin Racer (a fork of Tux Racer): I never wanted this game, when all those Linux-sites/posts/magazines said: “hey look we have a racing game with a penguin” it just looked too kidish. However: it is quite entertainable, and making some maps is quite fun. This is a nice quickie-game for the people with direct 3d rendering enabled ;).
• Neverball: a game where you tilt the play field to make a ball roll and pick up coins. It’s fun and looks quite nice but I suck at it.
• Freecraft: it’s an RTS, with poor graphics (sorry), I didn’t like it that much and wish there was a good RTS game for Linux. I don’t have anything against sprites (I loved Age of Empires 1 and 2, Age of Wonders, Starcraft, Kohan, etc…), but this can look better.
• Globulation 2: also an RTS. Also not bad but I don’t like it that much.
• Tuxkart: fun for a while but not fantastic.
• Frozen Bubble: the game everyone knows, and still great fun too!
• Pingus: a Lemmings clone. Well done game, will keep the oldskool puzzlers really entertained!
• Rocks And Diamonds: an all-in-one Boulderdash clone. Which I absolutely love because I can even play the Supaplex levels.
• Wesnoth: another instant-classic, hexgrid fantasy strategy game, well done graphics and great tactical fun both online and offline.
• Crimson Fields: Battle Isle clone, not bad but the graphics aren’t that great.
• Advanced Strategic Command: also a Battle Isle clone: better (traditional) graphics and AI, but the interface/polishing could be better.
• SCUMMVM: absolute favorite. Grab this program together with some fat old-Lucasarts-adventures torrents and relive all those classics… A fantastic game for those long train-trips. Ah… the memories of playing Broken Sword 2 and really diggin’ the characters and story. They don’t make such games anymore since Grim Fandago [1].

That’s it. It’s not F.E.A.R., no Civilization 4, no GTA and no Age of Empires 3, but it is enough to kill a few minutes. After all, my Linux computer is my work machine, so the less I play, the more work I get done…

[1]: Actually I’m lying: Dreamfall, Fahrenheit (a.k.a. Indigo Prophecy) and others are great recent adventure games.