Game 42: Sunny Day Sky

Here in Madrid the sun is shining, as it is in the twee world of Ferry Halim, home of Orsinalgames, where the sun is always shining brightly.

In Sunny Day Sky, your task is to fly through the air clutching a small umbrella. Opening and closing your brolly shoots your little bear higher and allows him to soar further. Collecting magic apples increases your air time, but watch out for the flying ducks, which will make your teddy plummet to the ground.

The more cars and buses you pass, the more points you collect. And if your umbrella runs out of steam, a well-timed jump onto a passing car will give your bear time to recover - ready for another flight.

Controls are easy; just mouse click to open and close your umbrella.

Remember, longer flights mean higher scores, so aim for the apples to really boost your score.

Game 24: fl0w

flOw is a mesmerizing game of primordial life, evolution and survival. Dive deep into the wild blue to seek out and consume other organisms on your path to simple cell nirvana. Begin life as a microscopic multi-cellular organism with a semi-circular shaped 'head' for feeding and for locomotion. The organism moves by following the mouse cursor, moving as it moves and always in pursuit. Click and hold the mouse button to accelerate its movement, though doing so will make it more difficult to steer and to make sharp turns.

The starting location is at the top of a very deep pool, 20-levels deep. The top level is indicated by the game's "flOw" logo, which can be seen when the game begins. On the top level you will also find another organism with a small red dot "." in its middle. This organism can be found on all but the deepest of levels, since eating it will take you down one level. There is a similar organism with a blue dot "." on all but the top level; consuming it will take you up one level. If either of these two creatures ever leaves the screen of the current level, small ripples, in corresponding red or blue, will appear along the edge in the direction that it can be found. Just follow the ripples as it is also an indication of where there may be food as well. To eat another organism as food, for example one smaller than you, simply navigate your creature so that the 'food' comes within its circular 'mouth' and it will consume it. In later levels where there are even larger organisms, steer for the bright circular shaped cells within the body cavity. When an organism (including your own) loses all of these life-giving cells, it will perish.

Continue your advance deeper and deeper to discover what lies in waiting within this absolutely magnificient piece of interactive art.

Game 22: Questionaut

Step into another surreal world created by Amanita Design (creators of Samorost). Commissioned for BBC's Bitesize series, with eight totally separate environments, Questionaut feels like stepping into a story book and becoming one of its characters. And thanks to Questionaut's powerful imagery, it feels like a living universe that continues to exist even after you've shut down your browser. Just delightful.
I know what you're thinking. "Oh no, not another game where your friend's hat gets carried away by a bubble, and you have to chase after it in your hot air balloon fueled by pure knowledge! When will game designers come up with some new ideas?" I understand. I'm sympathetic. But give it a chance, as despite the fact that the target audience for Questionaut is primary school students, there is enough wonder and imagination here for gamers of all ages. As usual, Amanita has loaded its game with soothing mossy textures and rickety mechanical systems. Each level is a self-contained environment floating in the sky, with its own placid inhabitants, surreal logic, and gorgeously quirky music. 

So... Enjoy.

Game 18: Samorost 2

Samorost 2 is here, the sequel to the amazing and immersive experience of the original Samorost; undeniably one of the greatest casual games ever to have graced the Web. In the first chapter, the main character from the original game loses his puppy when a couple of aliens trespass on his little planet and dognap his pet. Your mission is to rescue the puppy from its captors. The second chapter is a pay-for-play download (€4.00/£3.50/$4.99) that continues at the point of the first chapter's cliffhanger ending. What you receive is a zip archive of the entire game, including both chapters, for a seamless interactive experience. I highly recommend buying this as it is well worth it, though it is also widely available to download for free accross the internet.

By virtue of a "2" in its title, there exist expectations for this sequel, and I am pleased to say the game does not disappoint. The artwork again is both gorgeous and surreal, but where Samorost 2 surpasses its predecessor is in its size and its soundtrack. There are more animated environments to marvel at, more puzzles to solve, and more interactive elements to click. 

All things considered, this second game of the Samorost series lives well up to the huge expectations set by the first. It is altogether a truly exceptional work of interactive art.

Game 17: InkLink

Remember the big Pictionary craze of years gone by? That's the party game where one player sketches a word or phrase while other people with absolutely nothing better to do try to be the first to guess the mystery item.

Well now, thanks to the clever kids at Shockwave, InkLink brings to the Internet all the excitement of Pictionary, without the need to invite the in-laws over, and the inevitable arguments that follow. You can just jump in and compete against strangers from around the world in the special gaming chatroom. 

To get started click on the picture above, press the 'play online' button, enter one of the usernames below, then just hit 'play online' again and the game should load in a new window.

You do need a Shockwave.com username and password; if you don't have one, don't worry, please feel free to use one of the usernames listed below.

You may need to install Shockwave Player (different to Flash Player) if the game isn't loading for you; you can do that by clicking here

Username: gameaday1                           Username: gameaday2

Password: free                                       Password: free

Username: gameaday3                           Username: gameaday4

Password: free                                       Password: free

Username: gameaday5                           Username: gameaday6

Password: free                                       Password: free

Username: gameaday7                           Username: gameaday8

Password: free                                       Password: free

Game 13: Fly Guy

A surreal and interactive animation, Fly Guy isn't exactly a game; it's more a wonderful dream-like toy. It's not a very big world, but to fully explore it you should go back into it a few times.

I find Fly Guy to be a mood enhancer; if you're happy it makes you happier... If sad, it makes you melancholy.. Still sad, but in a nice way!

So check out this little dream-like world, you’ll be glad you did.

Game 11: Samorost

Wonderfully bizarre and surreal, Samorost is an adventure game that is full of clicky puzzles and beautifully rendered scenes, mixed with animations and various gadgetry with sound effects and music to suit the mood. It's not very long, but will keep you busy for just the right amount of time. I have fit this game to a similarly sized window to the other games, though it is best played at almost fullscreen size. 

I hope you all enjoy this work of creativity and interactive art as much as I do.