PopCap: These are the people who define addiction. Not the kind that ends in sharing time and group hugs. Not even the kind that makes Trekkies show off their obsessive pride by speaking in fluent Klingon. No, PopCap-inspired addiction is a much sneakier sort. One minute, it's a healthy game of Bejeweled. Fifteen rounds and three hours later, it's a half-waking dream state haunted by visions of floating gems. Make the visions stop!
Bejeweled 2, Zuma, and Bookworm are all "casual games," each with a super-simple premise—and even simpler gameplay. In Bejeweled, players clear gems from the screen by swapping neighboring jewels and matching colors. Zuma also uses the matching motif: Marbles roll down a curved path toward a waiting hole, a.k.a. your imminent doom. Hold them at bay by shooting more marbles into the lineup and knocking out three or more same-color sets. And Bookworm is in a world all its own, a paradise for hopeless word dorks. Ever wondered what Scrabble would be like if anyone would actually agree to play with you? This is it. But with fire.