Got a Minute? Then We've Got 15 Free Games for You!

Some games, such as massive multiplayer role-playing games, become such an all-consuming passion that they can easily supplant daily life with a rich, detailed fantasy world. Others, like the classic Flight Simulator, require you to train for hours and, in fighter mode, to sacrifice your virtual life again and again until you're good enough to make it all the way through a mission. For the poor souls who lack a real life, these kinds of games are the next best thing. But the rest of us, saddled with jobs, spouses, kids, and bills to pay, don't have time to play games that involve rebuilding Western civilization, managing a sim city, or becoming a railroad tycoon.

The kinds of games we need are like those we're going to look at here--fast, slam-bam-thank-you-ma'am mind refreshers to play between harried phone calls, exasperating clients, and other incessant demands on your capacity for tedium. So the next time you're bored, take 5 minutes to recharge with one of these quickies.

• Simple Side-Scrollers
• Into the Third Dimension
• A Bit of Ultraviolence
• Miscellaneous Mental Gymnastics