Remember the classic arcade game Marble Madness? If you enjoyed the frustration that is trying to guide a ball along a 3D course using an isometric view, without falling off the arbitrary edges, just like in Marble Madness, you'll probably enjoy Gyroball.

As you might be able to tell, I find Gyroball frustrating. The first few levels are fairly straightforward, but on the third or fourth level, I was completely stymied. It started driving me nuts. I'm sure many of you long-time timewaster players will cruise right through that level without a second look, but for whatever reason I just couldn't get the right combination of direction, momentum and control.

The game controls are dead simple - use your direction arrows to push the ball in various directions. Of course, because the game is presented in an isometric 3D display, the arrow keys do not correspond with the direction that your ball will typically be traveling; the ball is mostly going in diagonals, requiring multiple button presses at the same time, or very quickly alternating between two.

If your frustration tolerance is high, this game could be played for an extended period. Otherwise, it makes a nice, short time waster between tasks.

I've always enjoyed assembling models and contraptions out of Lego, and my four-year-old son is becoming quite a fan, too. Unfortunately, dad's stash doesn't always have all the fancy bricks required to meet his design requirements.

Thankfully, the good folks at Lego offer the Digital Designer, a 22mb free download that offers a rich, 3D program for crafting creations on your Windows PC.

We've been using it for quite a while, and the latest version sports a more polished interface, wider selection of pieces and backdrops, and reduced CPU and memory loads. It runs beautifully on my Frankenlaptop, a Core2 T5200 with integrated Intel video.

The interface is easy to understand, and several "starter kits" are included. They're a good way to see Digital Designer's impressive capabilities at work.

Remember Lunar Lander from back in the days of your Apple ][ or Commodore 64? I sure do. It was tough, but landing in that deep and narrow trough was so rewarding, and a great way to show off to your geeky friends.

There have been many similar games over the years, and Super PerfectoProp is one of them. The concept is similar, in that you are flying a little guy around, but instead of using jets, you're using propellers, and instead of three, you have four. The idea is to take off on the left side of the screen, collect all of the coins, and land safely on the right side of the screen, avoiding the various dangers around you.

In terms of controlling your character, it's a bit more complicated than Lunar Lander. Instead of one booster that pushes straight up, you have two that are on 45 degree angles. To go straight up, you have to press both at the same time, but if you do you'll go up fast. And since there's a power line overhead, you have to be pretty careful about it.

Super PerfectoProp is interesting for just about as long as you'd want to spend playing a time waster, which might be a great fit for your next coffee or lunch break.

I'm not entirely sure if I should call this a time waster or an educational tool. I guess it can be both. If you're stuck in 9th grade geography (or know someone who it) it could certainly help.

If you're past all that school stuff and want to see how much geography you remember, check out the World Map by Game Design. You are given a world map and the names of 20 countries. You have about 10 seconds to find each country on the map.

If you are lucky to get some of the bigger countries it's quite easy, but once you have a few small African nations things become much more challenging. I'm not going to share my score. It's too embarrassing!

If you're good at naming countries but not finding them you can try the 192 UN recognized states in 10 minutes. Basically, once you load the page a timer starts to count down. You have 10 minutes to name as many UN recognized countries as you can.

When you type in a correct answer it is added to the list. So if you type something in and it doesn't disappear, it's not right. My biggest challenge was spelling some of the country names. I got about 70 countries entered before I ran out of time and had about 10 that I just couldn't figure out how to spell properly.

So, DLS readers, how are your geography skills?

[Via Eco Worldly]

How good are you at identifying well-known alphabetical characters and shapes? Well, I'm pretty good at it. I can even read, and stuff. So at first I wasn't sure how a game that had to do with identifying shapes and letters would be all that interesting.

But what if you can only see a one-pixel slice of a letter at a time, and you have to imagine that that slice is scanning from top to bottom? Basically, you're looking at a little line that changes size and moves back and forth, but is representing a shape or letter. Well, it certainly gets more challenging.

Z-Rox is a quick little online game that presents letters and shapes in exactly this way, and challenges you to identify them. For letters, you just enter the letter as the answer, but for shapes you must type the name of them.

Don't you just hate it when you sign up on a forum or blog comment system and everyone has cool avatars, but you don't? If you aren't too picky about it, why not just punch your name into Turn Your Name Into a Face, and let it come up with something for you out of 100,000 possible faces.

Now, granted, the options may leave a bit to be desired; they're all black pixel art on a random pale background color. But there are enough options to be somewhat entertaining. It's particularly fun to punch friends' and family members' names into it to see what they might look like, or at least what you can tease them with.

What I'd like to see is a WordPress plugin that uses this functionality to assign avatars to blog commenters that have not explicitly given themselves an avatar.

[via Google Blogoscoped]

If you're looking for a little Halloween-themed time wasting, two simple options are Halloween Clash and Pumpkin Simulator. Neither one is on its' way to being game of the year but they are both good for a few minutes of fun.

Halloween Clash pits you against the pumpkin headed goblins trying to invade your house. I was hoping to see big splatters of pumpkin guts all over but instead, you play from an aerial view and see only pumpkin puddles when you kill one of the goblins. You point and click with your mouse to shoot and can play as the Easter Bunny, Cupid or Santa Claus. The graphics are pretty simplistic but they get the job done.

The first level seemed pretty lame as all I had to do was click on a pumpkin and boom, it was gone. In the second level the pumpkins moved in less predictable patterns and made things a bit more challenging (but only a little bit). The third level when the pumpkins were invisible and had only a shadow and they moved faster, well, that's where it started to be more interesting.

Pumpkin Simulator is simply an online pumpkin carving tool. You can carve up your pumpkin in any way you wish, and when you click done, your creation is lit with a candle inside. It might be a good way to try out some of the designs you have in mind for real pumpkins this year or just provide some silliness as you carve up outrageous faces and designs. It might even make a good way to use your computer screens in your Halloween decorating scheme.

Both sites are good for a few minutes and might be something to help get you into the mood of the season if the mini candy bars all over the place haven't done it yet.

Time wasters are a funny thing; sometimes they seem hard at first, but quickly become very easy. I'm pretty sure that Orbitrunner is not one of those time wasters.

In Orbitrunner, you control the placement of the sun, around which planets and sometimes moons orbit. Your job is to keep all of the other celestial bodies on the same screen for a predetermined number of seconds. They cannot leave the game window, and they cannot collide with the sun, or with each other. The only tool you have at your disposal is the gravity of your sun, and your ability to move the sun arbitrarily.

While it will only take a few moments to grasp the concept of this physics-based game, it will take much longer to master it. But luckily for us, the explosion animation that occurs when planets collide is spectacular. I know, I've seen it quite a few times.

FMX Team is a motocross game where jumping and pulling off tricks to rack up your score is the name of the game. It's a typical side-scrolling motocross game, but is executed quite well and is fun to play. Unfortunately, the points system in the game is a little bit simplistic, so the best way to rack up your score is to consistently pull off the highest number trick that your rider can do, over and over again.

FMX Team has one gimmick, which is that you have a stable of three riders to choose from, and you can not use any one rider twice in a row. I found the #2 and #3 riders to be the most useful due to them both accelerating faster than the #1 rider, even though rider #1 has a higher top speed.

To get a high score, it seems that you need to find a jump where you can sit and perform flips and tricks over and over again without advancing through the level, but then make sure to make it to the end before the time is up. But if you're not too worried about getting a high score, and just want to have a fun quick time waster, FMX Team is worth your 15 minute coffee break.

If you get seasick when looking at three-dimensional games, this time waster might not be for you. Coign of Vantage is neat little game that uses your vantage point in three dimensions to change how something looks. The game presents you with a bunch of seemingly randomly scattered blocks, but if you move the cursor on the screen, shifting your vantage point, you can find a point at which an image takes shape.

It might take you a few tries to catch on, but luckily the game gives you hints on the first few. One tip is to always start with your cursor in the center of of the game screen, then move it slowly. Usually, you can look for where the pieces trail off to a point, and try to bring that around to the front. If this doesn't make any sense, try the game and come back, and I bet it will then.

The game is to try to reveal as many of the images as you can in 5 minutes, and you earn back time for quick identifications. Perfect for your next coffee break.

I know, I know, this headline smacks of ageism. I mean, I live in Canada, which is the country that has one of the highest percentage of people over the age of 60 that are online in some capacity. But seriously, although most of you geeks reading this have a strong grasp of the way the internet works, could you explain it to your parents or grandparents in a way that they can understand? How about explaining it to your kids? I know I've struggled with that in the past.

That's why I'm pointing you to this article by Chris and Jenny Ford, which explains the web in simple terms. All of the basics are there, from "What is a website?" to "How can I get my own domain name?", or my personal favorite, "How does my computer find websites?". Helpfully, the answer section for each question ends with a video explanation.

So next time you're struggling to explain some basic aspect of the web to someone, consider just directing them to Chris and Jenny's site. And if you've read through the article and viewed all of their videos, go ahead and get yourself your internet diploma. You deserve it.

I never finished Oregon Trail. I got stuck at the top of a ravine and couldn't figure out how to get my wagon to the other side. But ThuleRoadTrip is a different story.

The graphics, the sounds, and the game style of ThuleRoadTrip are just like Oregon Trail. The difference? You're trying to get to the Atlantis Music Festival and you can get there in an SUV, a hybrid or a turbo charged station wagon.

You buy bags of food and magazines, games and CDs to keep car passengers entertained along the way. You have the opportunity to stop and compete in kayaking, snowboarding and mountain biking races. You can choose to pick up some hitchhikers or leave them on the side of the road.

You can even hunt for food - except instead of deer and squirrels you see pizza and sodas hopping by. The most fun, just like in the original game, is naming your travel companions. The game throws out random comments, like "All the fast food isn't agreeing with Lee, somebody crack a window!" I snickered every time I saw a friend's name come up with a remark like that - just like I was in middle school again.

A few tips: try the hybrid, and make sure you stop along the way and see some of the sights. You actually lose points when you arrive too early.

I spent a lot of time playing Oregon Trail when I was a kid. My Mom even played! ThuleRoadTrip totally made my evening.

A reader dropped us an email recently, requesting information on where to find educational software for elementary and middle-schoolers. That's a great question -- there are plenty of Web-based sites to choose from but, as our reader pointed out, it can be tough to find things to put on your computer to use later without an Internet connection.

If you dig around a little, though, you can find a few gems.

Kaboose has a long list of downloads in lots of different categories, including math, science, social studies, and music. Each list is also broken down by age group and operating system (Mac and PC). Several links point to Web sites that only contain printable PDFs and worksheets, but be sure to hunt around for downloadable software too.

The HomeSchool Mom, a popular Web site among home educators has a mile-long list of free educational materials in every conceiveable subject from typing tutors to Forensic Medical studies. Some of the links are for Web-based activities but many take you to sites where you can download free software or send away to receive goodies in the mail.

Adam Smith Academy offers free educational podcasts you can download and listen to on an MP3 player or your computer's media player. Younger children will enjoy stories from Kipling or Aesop, while older kids will love hearing stories by James Joyce or Nathaniel Hawthorne. The site even has a number of history lessons and college lectures available for download as well.

If you're looking for help with specific topics, be sure to check the Web sites of museums and science centers in major metropolitan cities. You could get lost for days roaming the Web site of the Exploratorium, San Francisco's famous science museum. Though much of the information is Web-based and interactive, there are plenty of links to other sites for additional printables and downloads. Budding astronauts of all ages can find virtually anything related to space, astronomy, and space travel at the educational portion of NASA's Web site.

One of the best places to find free and fabulous educational software is within the open source community. Although a few programs require the Linux operating system to run, most will also run on Windows or Mac. Have a look at this comprehensive list to see what's available and what's recommended for students of all ages and skill levels.

Now that school is officially underway throughout most of the country, help your kids flex their brain muscles with these three terrific educational sites:

NickNews - Yes, that Nick. The folks at Nickelodeon have done a great job putting together a news Web site just for kids. It covers everything from the presidential election to poverty in America in a way that teens and pre-teens can grasp. Have your kids use it as a way to keep up on what's happening in the world, as well as a place to do research on current events.

Funbrain - This is the ultimate "education-disguised-as-fun" Web site. It helps teach important academic basics in ways that are nearly irresistible to kids: math skill builders are hidden in arcade games, reading enhancers are stashed in Web comics. It's as clever as it gets. As an nice added touch, there are even blogs targeted at different age groups.

EdHelper - This one's more for parents and teachers than kids. Use EdHelper to design worksheets, games, and other printables to give kids the extra practice they need in spelling, math, or reading. Total access to the site is available at various pricing levels, but the free area will be more than adequate for most families.

There are activities for every age and grade level from pre-k to high school. In one area of the site, you can enter your child's spelling list for the week and up pops a crossword puzzle using all the words. Another section offers SAT vocabulary word lessons for 9 - 12 graders, and yet another section contains writing prompts and critical thinking exercises. What the site lacks in visual pizzaz, it more than makes up for in educational value.

Stay tuned later this week when we explore ways to find educational software that you can download right to your computer. For even more educational Web site ideas, see this post.

Lower your geek radar detector. You got me. I am a tech blogger. I also have a degree in library science. Guilty as charged, just put me on a cell block with wireless and a supply of graphic novels.

I am a librarian who is really okay with wikis. Would I accept every entry in one as gospel? No, but questioning is good in print, too. I believe wikis are, by and large, a decent starting point for further research, like any encyclopedia. If you're writing your doctoral thesis using only wikis, we seriously need to talk. Now.

Wikis, online open encyclopedias, I can deal with. The Kids Open Dictionary Builder makes me fear the future, and not because of all the talking monkeys and flying robots, either. Yes, I said The Kids Open Dictionary Builder, and I typed it just as the name appears on the Creative Commons blog. The blogger there typed it as it appears on the project's home page. Grammatical structure is not the writing skill that comes to me most naturally, but, guys, when you're educators pushing an open dictionary, it is comforting to see the name punctuated correctly.