Web Games

I have discovered yet another way to waste time online: web games. The one I discovered is a free one: I have been told that Ikariam is a bit like the old SIMS games, in that you build a town from scratch and watch what happens.

Ikariam is set in a world of Greek islands. You get to name your town and build it up brick by brick. You have workers, citizens, soldiers and academics... and you can even train up a spy or two. The whole thing happens in "real" time, so if you see that a building will take 2 hours to complete, it will take two hours. You can only build one building at a time, and most buildings can only be built once you have "researched" relevant skills in your Academy. Population growth is limited by the size of the town hall, and the income of the town depends on the number of citizens (as opposed to workers, soldiers and academics.) Each island has a particular resource, and you need them all, so you have to arrange to buy them from other islands... or pillage another town on the offchance that the resource you need is lootable.

It's great fun... but be aware that it's not a fast-moving game. Decisions made can take several hours (or even days) to have an effect.

If you want to have a go for yourself, you just need to register HERE. Oh, and make a note of which "world" you are on when you register... it can cause frustration when logging on if you forget to check that box. I'm in World Beta if you want to join me...