Forget hunting newspapers for crossword puzzles. Black Ink goes out and finds them for you, and keeps them all in one tidy place. You can set a timer to play under pressure and Black Ink has a number of shortcuts to jump to spots in your crossword. We also like the printing option, so if you're going on vacation and don't plan on taking your Mac with you, you can still print out a few crossword puzzles.

Flash games are fun but sometimes they also distract too much and make it hard to go back to work. So, if you're going to play anyway, at least play a game where you can do something more than killing aliens or collecting golden coins.

Lumosity is a mixture between a game and a brain fitness program that promises to improve your memory, attention, cognitive control and processing speed along a free 30-session course. Each session consists of 3 to 5 short games in which you'll have to catch birds by spelling their names, find your way through a labyrinth full of monsters or solve maths operations as fast as you can.

Before starting your sessions you can take a quick test to measure your LumosIQ for a better progress tracking. Our result wasn't too bad but we're definitely enrolling in the course! And you'd better hurry up too, as it seems Lumosity is not going to be always free.

Lara Croft commemorates her 10th birthday and invites you to join the celebration with a new action-packed adventure: Tomb Raider Anniversary. Help Lara explore ancient settlements in Peru, Greece, Egypt and other mysterious lands while searching for the mythical Scion and fighting dangerous supernatural creatures. Only the fittest will survive!

Good videogame ideas usually give rise to further adventures after the original one. This is the case of Warzone 2100, a free game based on the classic Earth 2150 that has been developed by a group of enthusiastic fans. Enjoy all the elements of true real-time strategy set in a futuristic environment as you improve your technology and plan battle strategies in your way to rebuilding the world.

How many of you have actually played PONG, one of the first video games ever invented? This table tennis game developed by Atari in 1972 revolutionized gaming by offering actual animated graphics and real time user reaction (yes, that’s what you call moving the bar around to hit the ball). PONG was a massive hit back in the day and is still venerated by true gamers as one of the ultimate classics of gaming.

Thanks to Captain Caveman, you can now install the PONG! Multiplayer extension to your Firefox browser. The extension is available from your toolbar and opens up a pop up Firefox window. PONG's controls are super simple: The space bar releases the ball and you use the up and down arrows to move your bar. PONG includes four different game speeds, of which we don't recommend trying "super insane" unless you're feeling hyperactive.

The multiplayer feature, where you can supposedly play and chat online with other users, sounded exciting, but didn't seem to work real well. You might have a hard time connecting with other people who have the extension installed on their Firefox.

PONG! Multiplayer extension is an excellent add-on to have on your Firefox browser, especially when you feel like taking a break.

The suspense is over. Blizzard finally announced that it was currently working on a sequel to one of its most popular hits, Starcraft. It’s unknown when the second version of the famous real-time strategy game will be released but at least Blizzard has let users know that it will be available both for Windows and Mac. The story will follow the same line as before and you will be able to choose from the main three races of the first Starcraft, even though new units will be available. Here is the synopsis of the second version:

StarCraft II continues the epic saga of the Protoss, Terran, and Zerg. These three distinct and powerful races will clash once again in the fast-paced real-time strategy sequel to the legendary original, StarCraft. Legions of veteran, upgraded, and brand-new unit types will do battle across the galaxy, as each faction struggles for survival.

In Mountain Tanks you have to destroy your opponent’s city before he does the same with yours. This strategy turn-based game puts you in control of a tank fitted with all sorts of grenades and missiles. Aim your canon wisely and set the power to launch your projectiles onto your target. If your city is really under threat you can also use smoke screens and wall makers to protect it against your rival’s missiles. The game can be played against the computer or with other users online.

After a successful career on the Xbox360 platform, Capcom has launched a demo of Lost Planet: Extreme Condition also for PC. Grab your thickest coat and get ready to confront unknown alien creatures while trying to stay alive in the middle of severe blizzards and extreme weather conditions.

The makers of Second Life have announced a new release of the popular online world (1.15.1.3) featuring an array of new shortcuts and usability improvements that have been long overdue. Developers Linden Labs say that they've addressed around 45 bugs and issues mainly concerned to Second Life's troublesome Instant Messaging function.

The team have added new IM shortcuts including the ability to switch between IM tabs using the Alt-Left arrow and Alt-Right arrow. You can also now close all IM windows using Ctrl-W. Other improvements include inventory system folders which may now be sorted from top to bottom. Also now, when checking your balance, a graphic reads 'Loading' instead of just showing blank. Other improvements include the minimap which is now enabled by default when Second Life runs for the first time.

We advise users to be very careful to preserve the previous installation file when upgrading however. Many users on the Second Life blog are complaining that the upgrade has not been successful and that the program keeps crashing. If you keep the 1.15.0.2 installation file, you can always roll-back the upgrade if you experience similar problems.

Although it didn’t have anything like the fancy wireless wands or web browsing capabilities of the Wii, there was always something quite enchanting about Nintendo’s N64. Ultimately it was never going to beat the PlayStation in terms of its market share, but the 64 still brings back fond memories of endless nights blasting the hell out of each other on Goldeneye, or missing dozens of lectures to concentrate on Super Mario 64. The chances are that as soon as the GameCube came along, your N64 went out with the rubbish – a decision you’ve probably lived to regret if you’re anything like us. Thankfully, Project64 helps you to transport yourself back to those halcyon days by allowing you to emulate all your old favourite N64 games on your PC.

The application is designed to play ROM files, which are essentially 'images' of the data inside an N64 cartridge. Graphically, the games are pretty good, although not quite as sharp as we remember, with a few too many jagged lines and blocky sprites for our liking. This is understandable, given that the games were originally intended to be played on a TV, which has a completely different way of perfecting pixels. Nevertheless, the overall visual experience is quite authentic, and is complemented by crisp audio reproduction.

Anyone who owns a Windows Mobile phone or Pocket PC should know about Spb Software House. They're one of our favourite mobile developers, producing an excellent line of programs from across the board but focusing on games and productivity tools. Their latest news is an updated version of Spb Brain Evolution, their popular brain training game for Pocket PCs and other Windows Mobile devices.

If you haven't tried the game out yet, it's an essential addition to your collection. It features 10 Brain Testing and Brain Marking modes which become highly addictive as you continually try to better your last score. The mini-games (which include Sudoku and Minesweeper) all feature a special combination of fun and self-improvement: a recipe for a good game, in our opinion.

The latest version includes updated quiz topics and questions, as well as support for 10 languages.

Hit or fold? There's an incredible number of card games for your PC, from playground favorites Marvel or Magic, to casino classics, like Poker, Rummy or Craps. Even though a lot of these can be played online in private games rooms, you can still enjoy a good card game without betting away your savings or spending a week in Las Vegas though.

We picked out 10 card games you can play on your PC, alone or online with other human or AI opponents. Depending on whether you're into more traditional games or if you want to try out something new you should check out the following list. We've selected the best and most downloaded card games. Let us know if there's one of these you like most or if you have a special card trick up your sleeve.

1. Marvel Trading Card Game - Card based strategy with all the Marvel superheros
2. Prime Poker - Texas Hold'em, 7 Card Stud, Omaha, this poker game has them all
3. Dream Vacation Solitaire - Play solitaire in an exotic surrounding
4. MTG Studio - Create your own deck of cards for Magic The Gathering
5. 32 Cards World Cup Edition - Can your team win the World Cup?
6. Slingo Quest - 60 exciting and original card games
7. Poker Supertars - Beat the pros at poker
8. Rummy 500 - Score more points than your opponent
9. Piquet - A game of declaring and pulling tricks
10. Telltale Texas Hold'Em - A poker session with some odd 3D characters

While the real world struggles against the perils of global warming, nuclear threats and terrorist warfare, the virtual world seems to get better and better. Last month the developers of Second Life launched a beta trial version which integrated sound for the first time. This long-awaited feature will provide Second Life's users with a new way to communicate besides text chat or third party applications such as Skype.

The beta trial was accessible only to a reduced number of people. This is probably the best way to test the voice feature thoroughly before making it available for the whole Second Life universe. According to Philip Rosedale, Linden Lab's CEO:

I hope to see voice officially launched in Second Life within the next several months.

Besides sound capabilities, Rosedale also gave some hints about other future improvements in Second Life during his keynote speech at Gartner Symposium ITxpo. These will include the ability to use your own picture as avatar and the enhancement of graphics to achieve a higher degree of realism.

When you look through a computer screen, everything will look real, like you're looking through window glass.

Any geeky Mac user should know that the Terminal is home to some good old text based games. These games come with emacs, which itself is part of the UNIX system, the foundation for your Mac OS. You don’t have to be a hardcore programmer to play them though, and they're actually pretty easy to find.

Open up your Terminal in Applications > Utilities and type the following line: "ls /usr/share/emacs/21.2/lisp/play" (no quotes). Next, open another Terminal window and type the command "emacs" (again, without quote marks).

This will reveal a list of text based games you can play, among which you’ll find classics like Pong, Solitaire or Snake. The most popular of them all seems to be Dunnet, an adventure/ discovery game where you have to lead your character along a path. Along the way he’ll discover objects and treasures and eventually, have to work out what to do with them.

These games don’t really compare to the high graphics stuff we get to play nowadays but they’re really great time wasters and can get really addictive. Computers and applications are filled with hidden treasures like these, and it’s really just a case of uncovering them.

This multiplayer online role-playing adventure takes you to a legendary world set in an ancient oriental atmosphere, in which you'll enjoy breathtaking landscapes and take part in fierce battles. Meet warriors, heroines, monsters and other creatures in a fantastic universe where only the best ones will be crowned as the kings of martial arts.