Sheer Linkage Part 2: Casual Games

Heaven knows I'm a sucker for Tower Defense games. They strike a great blend between strategy and hands-free viewing, allowing you to get something else done in the background while you monitor the status of your impenetrable defense. The following have taken of their fair share of my time over the past few years:

Flash Element TD might not have a catchy name, but its handy interest system and choice-driven upgrade path more than make up for the name. Pity he's mixed in some annoying sound effects in a recent update. The sequel is even better.

Bloons Tower Defense 2 has more than its share of personality and a unique style which sends hundreds of enemies at you at once. It skews a little difficult, but you'll get the hang of it.

Finally, Desktop Tower Defense allows you to sculpt your own path for the baddies, pushing you toward zig-zagging, overlapping paths. The two points of entry add a new wrinkle to the gameplay.

Those of you who are sick of tower defense may wish to try Applicate, a neat little game involving apples in which figuring out just how the heck to play it is part of the fun.

I just discovered Good Things Should Never End by way of casual games site JayisGames. It's an enchanting landscape that seems to go on forever, full of simple minigames and clickables galore. The community aspect of the site turns it into a sort of mini Animal Crossing. Spend a few minutes over there.

KeyMaster may well be the best typing game that I've played since TyperShark. It's combat oriented like TyperShark with some semblance of strategy (netting healing potions, keys and kill-all bombs to take out as many orcs and dragons as possible). Try it on the highest difficulty setting for a hellish challenge near the end.