Heads and Other Things To Play With

If you've got a little time to kill--say, you're waiting on hold, or you can't watch the movie because your kids are still washing up after dinner--I hereby recommend the following games to divert you. They're free, they're incredibly low budget, and they have all the freedom and joy that comes from not giving a hoot. This is why I love low-budget movies, too: at their best, they think, "If you can't be slick anyway, why not surprise people with something weird?" These games are all strange and lovely.

Feed the Head. Loopy, fun, and I can't tell you anything more except that it actually has an ending. And when in doubt, grab whatever you can and obey the title.

Mr. Mothball. A hop-around-on-platforms game that's mostly quite easy, very forgiving (you never really die; you just restart each single-screen-sized level), and what I love most of all is the fact that it looks really cartoony in the best way.

Levers. Utterly simple and Zenlike. I'm totally stuck at the moment (the birdhouse just dropped) and I don't even care. All I know is, you can pluck things out of the water by fishing around, and you're trying to get the balance more or less even for a certain length of time.

The Tall Stump. My favorite of the lot, even though it's way longer than the others and a lot more intricate. But it's also nicely episodic and unfailingly cute. I even like the music. Just remember to shoot everything once you get the bazooka, and use your coins to save your place. Because this is one where you really can die.

Just doing my part to destroy everyone's productivity.