Dear Future Gamer,

The company at which I work has been taken over by a simple PC shareware game called Action Supercross over the past few days. It's an extremely simple game, where the object is to drive a motorbike over some 2D terrain without falling off. Sounds dull, but its controls and physics lead to a very addictive game that fills the coffee breaks nicely.

This got me thinking, when was the last time I played a mainstream game that lent itself to a quick, 10 minute blast? Puzzle games seem ideal for this, but once you acquire any kind of skill at them, games can last hours not minutes. Blasters such as R-type are good but then, they can go on and on once you've gotten good. The only one I could think of was Robotron X. (I yearn for a new version of Smash TV, the PS Dual Shock is crying out for it...).

There don't seem to be any games around that you can play for a few minutes, then switch off. (Not that I'm knocking the Zeldas and Metal Gears of the industry, I've owned and enjoyed both immensely).

Perhaps it's time for a few brave companies to try and put out some simple, short, playable games at a mid-range price point? The development cycle for such a game should be considerably lower than the 18 months the average project takes, with decent returns.

Glenn Watts, games programmer

FG: I too love simple games that you can dip in and out of whenever you've got a spare 10 minutes, and no, there aren't enough of them around. I tend to find my lunchtimes filled with either multiplayer Delta Force sessions or quick stints at management games like Railroad Tycoon II or Settlers III. Sure these games can be played for hours on end but I find there's a lot you can do in an hour and because they're on-going you can jump right back in where you left off the last time you were playing. I certainly wouldn't mind something a little more lightweight though, so come on softies, there's an untapped market sitting here…