Wake up the box** and Wake the royalty**

My attitude to various game sites on the net so far has been of - well, distance, if not revulsion and suspicion and of moral superiority (though that is hard to explain even to myself). Game sites, not the sites where little children can play games. But lately we have somehow found ourselves playing a few games which are hosted on such sites, and about whose safety I can not really vouch - are there viruses there, is someone hiding behind the game to hijack my computer? As I explore this world slowly, I hesitantly post a couple of the games we enjoy, as an aside, for your indulgence.

The one problem with all such game sites is that they are not kid safe. There is no way I can let my child alone on that site, clicking on useless ads at best, dangerous at worst, or going on to games totally unsuitable for age - or simply unsuitable. As you can see, the page design in nothing worth speaking of: no aesthetics, no apparent ergonomics. Just games, for your addiction, like a drinking hole.

For all that, these two games - Wake up the box and Wake the royalty are cute, and encourage problem solving and reflect the real world physics. Wake up the box is created by Eugene Karataev and Alexey Egoshin (art). Wake up royalty doesn't have any credits mentioned, and is on a different site, but I think it is the same team. The premise of both the games is the same: a 'box' is sleeping - wake it by moving contraptions so that its resting place either tilts or moves violently. Wooden parts are provided which you have to attach to the given structure to make it unstable.

Both the games are well designed, with simple but pretty graphics. The first two levels teach you how to play the game, and then you are on your own. The physics is simple, based on levers and principles of movement, but it is a challenge nevertheless. And if you are restless, or have a child in tow, it is sometimes simpler to go to the walkthrough for learning the solution!

The urls -

Wake up the box - http://home.scarlet.be/~bbonte/portal/wakeupthebox.html

Wake the royalty - http://armorgames.com/play/5316/wake-the-royalty

PS - The games themselves are nice, but it is the company they keep that makes me despair. The ads around, even when they are loading... Just keep an eye on the screen and teach your child all about internet safety! And don't let them go at it alone until old enough :)