Unlike Hasbro's "single game per box" plan, WizardWorks has gone with "the more, the merrier" design for their "Games To Go!" software line. Dubbed Casino Pack, Crossword Puzzles, Fun Pack, and Solitaire Pack, WizardWorks gives users five to 50 games per box, which should satisfy everyone with at least one game in the bunch.

The Casino Pack presents the fewest games, but it's my favorite of the entire line. Given US$1000 to gamble, you can travel between blackjack tables, roulette tables, Video Poker machines, Keno games, and slot machines. Having the same money to spend all around the Casino is a wonderful idea that I wish more companies would embrace. My only quarrel is that the game doesn't automatically save your ending winnings/losings; you have to manually save them to a file yourself.

The Crossword Puzzles offer a whopping 50 puzzles from the LA Times Syndicate. I've always hailed crossword puzzles as the perfect game for a handheld device, and this set of 15x15 letter puzzles should bring glee to even the most critical wordsmith. Letter and word hints as well as checking and solving the puzzle give instant gratification for those who hate to wait until the next morning's paper to see if they got it right.

The Fun Pack offers a variety of games, including Laser Bikes (a Tron like game in which you try to get your opponent to crash into your Laser Bike's trail), Bust-A-Block (like the old Atari Breakout), Cosmic Defender (the arcade Asteroids game), Hoser (timed by water running through a pipe-maze), and the classic Backgammon board game.

WizardWorks also put out a pack of card games in their Solitaire Pack (feeling myself getting postal!) with old favorites such as Klondike (three different rules), Golf, and Freecell as well as Auld Lang Syne, Eight Off Fortress, Good Measure, Miss Milligan, Pyramid, and Yukon.

My only problems with the WizardWorks games are that you must install all of the games from any one pack (meaning you can't install one game if you're low on space) and that none of the games save high scores. Other than that, they are great additions to anyone's entertainment arsenal.

-Dan Hanttula

Casino Pack, Crossword Puzzles, Fun Pack, and Solitaire Pack
US$19.95 (each)
WizardWorks