Game recommendations for an 80-year-old

Hi Elpie. I'm 75 and an ex-IT guy. I must have thousands of games I've downloaded over 30 or so years, but I still come back to playing the same few.

Microsoft Freecell (My OS is W7) is excellent. I didn't realize until I kept plugging away at it that it's quite possible to complete almost every one of the 32,000 games (although a handful are very difficult and game number 11,982 is apparently unwinnable).

Mahjong is another favorite of mine. There are hundreds of these, but my current preference is Mahjong Suite 2016 (v13), because the graphics, layout and gameplay are excellent. And there's a 'large number' option to make it easier if your eyesight is challenged. (I loved and played Shanghai Mahjong for years on my W98 and XP machines, and have always wished someone would port this over to W7. It was great.)

There are many, many 'Match 3' games. I've lost count of how often I've played Zuma 2, and still trot it out every so often. But it does rev one up a little, so a weak heart might be stressed a bit. However, to get the most out of Zuma 2, it really needs a nice big screen, with a not-too-wide format. Mine is a 24" 16:10 format with 1900 x 1220 res. I won't use the modern 16:9 formats because they're too wide and stretched.

Of the 'Bejeweled' type of 'Match 3' games, I'm currently playing a very nice oldie - '7 Wonders of the World'. The gameplay of version 1 wasn't too great, but v.2 is very enjoyable. When I finish that, I've also got v.3, 4 and 5 to go on with but I haven't tried them yet, so can't make a call on their playability.

The only other game I enjoy is a 'dungeon crawler' called Legend of Grimrock. Basically, you and your chosen team of three other characters roam around a multi-level dungeon, trying to find your way out, while fighting off various nasties. I couldn't finish Grimrock 1, because I kept running out of torches, and had to keep stumbling around in the dark, but in Grimrock 2, I discovered how to cheat-equip my guys with ultra-strong weapons and spells, so I'm roaming along quite nicely now. However, you really need a fairly good computer and screen to make the most of this game.

So there you go. My recommendations are Freecell, Mahjong Suite 2016 (v13), Shanghai Mahjong for older computers (if you can find it), Zuma 2, 7 Wonders of the World v2 and Legend of Grimrock.

Good luck. PM me if you have any questions. :-)

Edit: Oops, forgot some. I also enjoy Othello. There are several versions of this one. It's worth buying if the game-type appeals.

Hidden Object games are also very absorbing. But like Grimrock, you really need a fairly high-resolution screen to get the most out of this genre. Plus it takes some effort to sort out which of the thousands of HOGs are worth trying. Personally I hate 'fuzzy' graphics in any game, but some HOGs can be difficult to navigate if the resolution is low. Like, trying to find a deliberately hidden object in the shadows is hard enough, but worse if the graphics are 'blocky'.

Rikkitic

Athlonite

geekIT