It's not very well known yet but Treasure Adventure Game might just be the best 2D platform game you've never played. Made by one-man studio Robit Studios, who describe the game as a  'mash-up of Super Mario Bros 2 and Wind Waker', it's a genuinely sweet and really addictive adventure that perfectly replicates the atmosphere of 80s and early 90s gaming.

It's got mystery, simple gameplay that will challenge you, and lots of lovely touches in its 8-bit graphic style. For a free indie title, it is huge. If you enjoyed the now classic Cave Story or DistractionWare's VVVVVV, Treasure Adventure Game should be a no-brainer.

My only criticism of it is that there's no help in the game when you're stuck, but that just shows what a spoiled modern gamer I've become! Of course, if you do get stuck - get on the internet, and you'll find someone who knows the answer! There's a great forum for the game here, where you can find questions and answers about the adventure.

Download Treasure Adventure Game now!

Good Old Games is offering the popular strategy game Empire Earth free until 10.59 GMT (02-59PST) on December 14.All you have to do is sign up for a free account here, and you can download the game immediately, DRM free.

The game hails from 2001, but still holds up as an engrossing strategy title today, even if it is aging graphically. You have to guide your population through 500,000 years of history, so you can't argue with the scope of Empire Earth - it's huge.

GOG is a site that offers old PC games, made compatible with modern Windows PCs. Its catalog goes right back to Ultima and Zork from the 80s, although it's far from a complete history of PC gaming at the moment.

Which games from the past would you like to see resurrected?

Back in October I came across Ace of Spades, a neat little online FPS that mixed Minecraft mining with fast competitive action. The game was recently updated to version 0.7, with a raft of new features that make it much easier to get into. Watch the video below to watch me getting shot over and over again!

The game now asks for your name, so you don't have to open the configuration file and manually change it, and in game you are notified about headshots. The other big improvements are that enemy locations have now been removed from the radar, while bullet tracers are now shown. This makes it easier to find the action, while making it possible to hide from the opposition.

Ace of Spades is tons of fun. Despite still being in beta it's really playable, and the mining aspect makes for an unusual FPS game. You can host your own server, or play on one of the many public ones. The environments are really varied - there are some tight maps for intense fighting and other strange ones, like the huge monolith riddled with tunnels mined by players. You'll never see that in Call of Duty!

Under Steve Jobs, Apple developed has lots of excellent software, some of which has had a huge influence on technology and how we use computers. This isn't to say other companies haven't been just as influential, but it's hard to underestimate the Cupertino company's contribution. There are other great Apple programs, but I want to focus just on the ones I think have been game changers: Apple OS, iTunes and Garage Band.

Mac OS and iOS.

Right from the start, Mac OS was important. In Steve Jobs's own words, 'Windows just copied the Mac' in the 80s. That might be a slight exaggeration, but from the early days of Windows, Mac OS was clearly an influence. The current generation, Mac OS X has introduced numerous innovations over the years, notably the ability to be suspended and restarted very quickly. This makes it ideal for laptops, as the explosion of Macbooks has proved. Anyone who works on OS X and Windows will also note how much better Apple's Spotlight works when searching for files and applications. Unlike Windows, which looks like it's been designed by committee, OS X looks like something that has been built from the ground up with a singular focus.

The iPhone introduced us to iOS in 2007, and is now already up to version 5. This has revolutionized pocket computing, and the app icons arrangement has clearly influenced Android. The App Store has quickly become a hugely successful eco system, the first large scale example of a closed system for purchasing and installing software.

Cat Astro Phi is a retro Gameboy adventure that you can play in your browser. Traveling through space, your ship is damaged in an meteor storm, and Jonesy the Cat is ejected onto a nearby planet. Can you escape this hostile world and rescue him?

Cat Astro Phi has an excellent 8-bit soundtrack, and it's impressive how much effort has been put into making a totally new Gameboy style adventure. The tiny graphics are full of character and, though the gameplay is simple, it is fun. Play it over at Newgrounds now!

I love games that have a 'wow' moment, and Sky Island is one of those games. When you start, it seems like a cute but basic Mario-like platform game, but then something new happens and it gets really cool! I'd tell you what, but I don't want to spoil the surprise...

Head over to Kongregate and check it out now - you won't regret it!

Cactus McCoy is a sideways scrolling beat 'em up, with a western theme and lots of weapons! This is a Flash based cartoon game with a silly story - you play McCoy, who finds a mysterious stone that turns you into a cactus-hero! Strangely, Cactus McCoy doesn't seem to have any super powers beyond being green and spiky, but that doesn't spoil what is a well made if simplistic beat 'em up.

Although there is just one attack button, the range of weapons make it all quite enjoyable. Taking out baddies with a branch is kind of funny, and there's even a water pistol lying around! Overall, Cactus McCoy is a great little arcade timewaster to play in your browser. Head over to Kongregate and check it out.

This is a free 3D shoot 'em up with an interesting perspective. Using the Unity plugin, Second Person Shooter Zato puts you in the shoes of a blind hero, who has the power to see through the eyes of his enemies.

Set in stylish blocky arenas, you'll see up to four enemies' viewpoints at once, circling and approaching Zato. You can rotate the blind hero and have limited missiles and laser shots to get the baddies. In later levels you'll be able to walk around too.

It sounds strange until you play it, but it's really easy to get into and, like the best arcade games, is intense and addictive. As the developer says, just shoot at the cameras. When enemies start flying in from above, circling and approaching on stacks, you really have a lot to manage! Using this unusual viewpoint is a great idea that makes Second Person Shooter Zato a great little game. Play it over at Kongregate now!

Fotonica is a visceral 3D arcade game, that sees you running at incredible speeds over vector graphic landscapes. It's on-rails, so you only control your speed and jumping. The aim is to keep going as long as you can without falling off the track.

Despite really simple controls, the speed and difficulty will keep you coming back. There are four tracks and an endless mode for high score chasing. Each track has multiple 'routes' of high or low platforms, and there are dots to collect. Reach the highest speed and you'll enter a psychedelic gold mode, where your breathing is amplified and the game becomes almost dreamlike. Sometimes gold mode can be distracting and make you miss a jump, and collecting dots momentarily obscures your vision, but the adrenalin rush of the game will keep you motivated.

Play Fotonica here. Note that it requires the Unity plugin.

K.O.L.M. is a cute platform adventure about a lost robot, who wakes up not knowing where he is. His 'mother' is there to guide him through the challenging rooms, where he will find robot upgrades necessary to complete the game.

The presentation of K.O.L.M. is really slick, with some great simple effects that really make the game stand out. There are some pretty tricky parts, requiring some pixel perfect jumping, but it's worth persevering. Fans of the original Metroid series will like this, and it's atmospheric enough to draw anyone into its robot world. Play K.O.L.M. here. The game requires Flash.

[via IndieGames]

In Avoidal, you use your mouse to move a flying robot around the screen. Your task is to destroy stars, but you have no weapons - instead you must use your enemies to blow them up for you. There are trackers, which follow you when you approach them, and missiles that are set off when you pass in front of them.

With quick reactions, you can use these to your advantage and draw them into the path of stars to get points. Avoid getting hit by anything, and as you blow up stars you'll build combos to multiply your score.

Avoidal is a very one-dimensional game, but it's still pretty hard to put down once you've got the hang of it. Play it over at Kongregate. Requires Flash.

Get Home is a funny little platform game that manages to play with our preconceptions about what we are expected to do in video games! With simple controls and a really nice song to accompany it, you must guide your player home before the music stops. You'll find power-ups along the way that help you reach those hard to get to platforms and speed you along your way.

Unusually, Get Home really needs to be completed twice to get the full experience. Don't worry though, it should only take you a few minutes, making it a great coffee break game that might make you think! Play Get Home in your browser here. Requires Flash.

Give Up Robot 2 is a free browser game that puts you in the shoes (well, wheels) of a little robot who's being tormented by an evil genius robot intent on your destruction. Armed with only a jump and a grappling hook, you need to make your way through really tricky one-room platform levels that will test your reactions as much as your patience!

Rendered in bright blocky graphics, Give Up Robot 2 is loud and in your face, but quite charming all the same. It's like a mix between Portal, Just Cause and the sadistic platformers of the 80s. If that sounds like your thing, head over to Adult Swim and give it a go. It's free to play, and requires Flash.

Proving there's still some life in the puzzle platform genre comes this quiet little number, Faultline. It wouldn't have looked out of place at the turn of the 90s, but uses an interesting trick to keep the action fresh. It's free, and available to play right from your browser.

In Faultline, you control a little robot-thing, who can utilize special points in the environment and drag them together with its flying hands, folding space and creating new platforms to navigate. This allows you to scale otherwise impossible heights, create holes to move through and more. The puzzles get harder, and eventually I got stuck... but I'm sure with more persistence I'll crack it.

Play Faultline here, which requires the Flash plug-in.

We're almost halfway through 2010, so I thought I'd round up a few free indie games that have caught my eye this year. They weren't all made this year, but are all free and I guarantee they are worth spending some time on! You can download them via the links below.

Puddle is a simple, but lovely to play physics-based puzzle game. It's very short, especially for a 300mb download, but it looks and plays really well and I thought it was worth a go, even if a couple of Softonic users disagree!

BitWorld is a stylized pseudo 3D dungeon exploration game. Complete with story and amusing side characters, I was really impressed with the look and feel of BitWorld, which puts bouncy, blocky, pixelized characters into a murky 3D environment. It's a bit rough around the edges, but totally charming!

Hero Core took me right back to the 80s, with its monochrome graphics and simple yet challenging gameplay. Fly your hero through the headquarters of your nemesis Cruiser Tetron to destroy him forever! It's a firm but fair game - so expect to die a lot on your way to victory!

Attack of the Paper Zombies !!! is a bit of a weird concept. It's a real time strategy survival game, where you have to protect your marines against hordes of zombies, and yet it's presented as a drawing on paper! Despite the clash of styles, it's a really playable strategy game with plenty of content to keep you involved.

Genetos didn't come out this year, but is something I tragically overlooked before. It's a 2D arcade shoot 'em up that takes your from the Space Invaders origins of the genre right up to what they call the 'bullet hell' of modern shooters. This is one of the most accomplished indie games I've played for a long time, and if you need an education about shoot 'em ups, everything you need to know you'll find in this game - it's all free!