Memories of Minesweeper

I've been thinking about Minesweeper. Not sure why. These things happen I guess. But that train of thought got me remembering a whole variety of other games, titles that I'd almost forgotten entirely. Lost in the back of my mind. I'm talking about the free games that came with your PC, or came installed on your console.

Solitaire, Hearts and Minesweeper dominated so much of my spare time. Solitaire accounts for more wasted hours than either of the other two. This is a game that, over the decades, I've poured hours and hours, maybe days, into. Short, snappy little encounters. Time wasting moments during long-winded phone calls. Avoiding homework, and later paid work.

Mahjong is another time killer. So many hours spent matching frickin' tiles. Infuriatingly addictive. Endlessly playable.

Tetris. I've mentioned my addiction here before. My Gameboy came equipped with the game, or perhaps I should say that Tetris came equipped with a Gameboy.

I remember the Master System (II) very fondly. Sega built Sonic into the machine, significantly broadening the consoles appeal. Though before Sonic, if memory serves, it was Alex the Kidd who came pre-installed. Another quality platformer. Endlessly frustrating, incredibly playable.

Buying games has always been expensive. Especially when you're growing up and you don't have the spending power you develop later. As a youngling, games like Mahjong, Solitaire and Alex the Kidd kept me entertained for hours. They weren't the main attraction, they were, in many ways, often overlooked. But they kept us hooked, and are still played by millions to this day. Here's to you Minesweeper. Thanks for being there.