Safe, cheap PC games?

June 26, 2009 12:15 PM

At Target, there is a tiny little aisle of cheap one-CD software games priced at $10 or less. Which ones aren't insidious?

We tried to get our dad a couple of those cheap puzzle/card PC games to fill up his free time, but when he tried to install them and ran into problems, I checked it out and noticed something pretty evil.

The games were published by iWin.com (iWin Games). It would install two things: the game manager, and the game itself. During installation, I believe the install window tried to trick you into installing other games off their website.

The game "manager" software thing must be online at all times and cannot be removed separately from the game itself, otherwise the game won't work. I didn't leave the games installed long enough to see what else that horrible Las Vegas-like manager software did, but I'll bet it's all advertising. After the first game installation and just catching a glimpse of all of this behavior, I couldn't uninstall the damn thing fast enough. I mean, I know it's not illegal and I know plenty of people have no problems with this particular software model, but it's not something I want on the parental computer.

For a paid product, this feels like adware. Then the fact that it must be online to play the simple non-MMO installed game makes it feel like spyware. AND the fact that I had to actually go into Safe Mode (WinXP) to fully remove all the crap it left screams evil in general (why is there an Internet Explorer "hook" DLL that can't be deleted otherwise?).

Geez. So the question is simple. Are there any $10-and-under PC games (of the solitaire/puzzle variety) that absolutely do not have anything insidious about them such as required online connection or tricky "Install this now!" buttons that would confuse older non-savvy folks? ('Cause we know he'd click all them blinky buttons.)

Free would be fine too, though technically these were supposed to be gifts.

TIA

posted by Ky to Computers & Internet (19 answers total)

I'd look through older titles (found in the bargain bin at your local GameStop or whatever) published by a more reputable brand. Hoyle, perhaps?
posted by axiom at 12:19 PM on June 26, 2009

Yeah, just because software is in the bargain bin doesn't mean it started out there. Look for titles/publishers you've heard of but which are now showing their age.

For download options, go to Reflexive.com for a host of casual games which don't have any crap--other than some of the games themselves. But they've got reliable editions of some pretty clever puzzle games, all in the $10-20 range, none of which come with adware as far as I'm concerned.
posted by valkyryn at 12:37 PM on June 26, 2009

Have you considered Steam?
posted by a robot made out of meat at 12:38 PM on June 26, 2009

Yeah, don't trust the bargain bin games unless they're old reputable titles that have just been around long enough to be $10 now.

If you're looking for $10 puzzle games, Steam has a lot available. I'd recommend Peggle, it's pretty addicting and easy to play. You can send them as gifts, as well. There's also 1 poker game on there.
posted by JauntyFedora at 12:38 PM on June 26, 2009

Popcap! - I especially like Bejeweled.
posted by clerestory at 12:46 PM on June 26, 2009

Seconding PopCap and Reflexive games -- between those two publishers, you should have more puzzle-type options than you know what to do with. That being said though -- they're all of the 'download and install' variety. Maybe you could pick a couple out, purchase them and burn them to a CD yourself? Most also have trial versions, so you could install several, find out which ones your dad actually plays, and then purchases the full version.
posted by cgg at 12:54 PM on June 26, 2009

Good stuff. I've been wary of Steam (especially for the parents) because it's an online model, though I didn't know it has an offline mode.

But in browsing PopCap's site, I found this, which is exactly what we're after:

"A PopCap CD-ROM purchased in a retail store does not:
Require an internet connection.
Require an order number, registration name or registration key.
Need to be in the computer to play the game following installation."

I really like clear declarations like this. And it looks like Peggle is available on CD-ROM at Target.

So that's definitely a winner. More suggestions are still welcome, of course. Thanks, all!
posted by Ky at 1:04 PM on June 26, 2009

Pretty sure Target has Civilization III in the $10 aisle. That is definitely a great game.
posted by Precision at 1:05 PM on June 26, 2009

Peggle on Steam. I was pretty wary of Steam at first too, but it's actually quite awesome, even in online mode. It just keeps itself and the games updated.

Plus, in the future, for new games, no media to ship when you buy them new games or complex installers to run (right-click -> "Install").
posted by mysterious1der at 1:11 PM on June 26, 2009

Also, thinking of my parents, Steam means no installation media to lose. They can even forget their account password. It's recoverable.
posted by mysterious1der at 1:12 PM on June 26, 2009

That's a good point, mysterious1der. Also, I found out that it's apparently possible to back up the Steam games onto your HDD and then burn to optical disc, which is also good. (We can never have too many backups, but that's just my feeling.) I'll still keep that option on the plate in case it turns out my dad likes these small casual games A LOT to warrant easier pay-download-play options. Otherwise, just one or two games could keep him as busy as FreeCell has, which he's played since Windows 95 or 98.

Our parents are very old school, though, so I suspect they'll gravitate to the physical media. They never lose things either, it seems.
posted by Ky at 1:18 PM on June 26, 2009

I absolutely love PlayFirst games. Most of their games are download with backup CD ROM, but many are sold at retailers like walmart and best buy.
posted by necessitas at 1:27 PM on June 26, 2009

Seconding Precision...I saw Civ 3 in Target's discount section the last time I was there and it was the full box version.
posted by JaredSeth at 1:28 PM on June 26, 2009

Although I'd argue that Civilization is insidious, but it's not the installer that gets you.
posted by JaredSeth at 1:30 PM on June 26, 2009

One possibility: You can, but wouldn't really need, to back up Steam games. The small ones linked are on the order of 10 megs or less and literally install in seconds over broadband. BUT, I would definitely get them Mozy Free and point it at their games directory to snag saved game progress. You'd be quite the hero if a drive died. And this strategy actually probably is useful for any PC game platform.
posted by mysterious1der at 2:10 PM on June 26, 2009

If you're looking for that variety of puzzle/clicky games under $10...my guilty pleasure has been BigFish Games. It carries a huge variety of those type of games I've seen in Target, and there's a huge library of 'em with 1 hour free trials. I've downloaded trials and bought games off there for over a year without any trouble. You use their little game downlaod manager, but I've never caught it doing anything insidious as the things iWin was doing in your case.
posted by ninjakins at 2:40 PM on June 26, 2009

BigFish Games will automatically subscribe you to their monthly "club" (at $6.99 a month) when you buy one of their games. I have enjoyed several of their titles (although they are very formulaic) and my mom LOVES them, but they're pretty much exactly what the asker is trying to avoid.
That said, if the games look good to you, and you're willing to deal with immediately opting out of the monthly charge, their game manager and games are otherwise good citizens of your PC and are easy to uninstall. And they let you redownload later using your account credentials if you delete a game and decide you want it back.
posted by bcwinters at 9:05 PM on June 26, 2009

Frozen Bubble is free, but quite polished, and seems to suit your casual puzzle needs.
posted by NMcCoy at 4:39 AM on June 27, 2009

...though you'll presumably be wanting the Windows port of it instead of the Linux version.

Hadn't realized they didn't have a Windows build on the page I initially linked. Whoops.
posted by NMcCoy at 4:42 AM on June 27, 2009