How to find free games online

Most of us have whiled away some spare time playing the cheap and cheerful games that come with Windows, while others invest a little more time and money in the latest 3D games. This is an expensive luxury for lots of people, but the good news is that there are plenty of fun games to be had for free.

There are plenty of websites that offer perfectly free, perfectly legal downloads of games. These range from playable demos of the latest releases to re-released versions of older games that are no longer cared for by their makers.

When a new game is released, publishers often release a demonstration (demo) version. Usually these are limited in some way, either containing just one level, or having a time limit, or they can only be played a certain number of times.

These can often be downloaded from the publisher's website, or from games sites such as Gamespot or Yahoo Games. Computeractive's website also lists some demos.

Not all games are made by large companies. It used to be the case that games could be developed by one or two enthusiasts and in the 1980s, the heyday of so-called 'do-it-yourself' games programming, most games came from small-scale programmers. Even now, despite the lavish budgets some high-profile games publishers enjoy, it's still possible to find games that have been written by a single person.

Usually these are released as open source, freeware or shareware. These terms have slightly different meanings but, in essence they indicate that the game is either free or that anybody who enjoys playing the game should make a nominal donation to the author.

The largest repository of open source software on the internet is SourceForge, which has a large games section. To reach it, click the Software Map link at the top of the main page, and then click the Games/Entertainment link.

Be aware that because these games are made by small teams or individuals, there is often very little support available, usually consisting of installation and playing instructions and a Frequently Asked Questions list. However, often you'll find forums dedicated to these games, so it is worth entering the name of the game into a search engine such as Google if you are having trouble.