If you ever played Command & Conquer back in the day and are looking for a passing distraction you could do worse than trying out Crystalien Conflict. It’s a great little RTS on the Lego web site, which Ben and I have been playing together recently.
Things have certainly come a long way from when I played Adventure with my dad, loaded from tape on a home-made Acorn Atom. I remember this experience vividly and how much fun I had as we mapped our way through the maze of twisty passages by leaving our possessions behind in a trail, Hansel and Gretel fashion.
For this reason I’m taking my time with Ben and making sure we get through the game. The adventure I had with my dad was never completed because we got stuck, much to my disappointment.
At this point it’s traditional to make curmudgeonly grumblings about there being nothing wrong with simpler, traditional games that don’t require a computer. Well, I don’t agree but I’ll make this observation: Just yesterday Ben was played Draughts with me (and others) on a real board in the real world. He got just as excited and involved as with anything on the computer.
I think what you’re playing is not so important. As long as it catches their imagination and is fun for both of you then you’re winning. If I can get Ben thinking stategy, be that why jumping an opponent’s piece isn’t always your best move or why defending your Crystal Harvester is so important, then I’m happy.