Cardinal Quest - PC

There’s nothing I like more than settling down with a good, old-fashioned Roguelike. An experience akin to having your face rubbed repeatedly against a wall has no reason to be so much fun, but there’s something about permadeath and the fear of losing all your gear and hard-earned progress which always keeps me coming back for more.

While games such as Nethack, Angband, Dungeon Crawl Stone Soup and Dwarf Fortress have devoured hours of my time - and the lives of dozens of my heroic adventurers - I'm always on the look out for more entertaining ways to punish my on-screen avatars - and my own sanity.

Step forward Cardinal Quest - a browser-based title which is currently playable as a Javascript prototype - although its website states improved versions are currently in the pipeline.

The aim is to descend into the darkness and slay the Evil Minotaur who has taken up residence in the subterranean gloom.

Stepping into the muddy boots of either a fighter, thief or wizard - each has there own speciality move set - the player gingerly guides their charge through randomly generated dungeons to fulfil their quest.

Not that it's easy, mind. Like any Roguelike worth its salt, Cardinal Quest provides soaring highs and crushing lows.

You'll turn the air blue as your pixelated character pops his clogs yet again because you weren't keeping an eye on his health bar or because cocksure bravado got in the way of rational decision making.

But what makes Cardinal Quest such a pleasure to play is its simplistic interface, which scraps cluttered menu systems and archaic key commands, making bite-size play sessions a joy rather than a slog.

While a mistimed hit or foolish move can spell certain doom for your brave adventurer, the light-hearted chip tune soundtrack and fast-paced gameplay ensures you'll be back for more with a smile, rather than a grimace, on your mug.

Cardinal Quest is a light, breezy game, but one which also packs a punch. It's perfect for lunch breaks or quick five minute gaps in a busy day at the computer.

So go ahead. Plunder dungeons, sift through rubble to uncover ornate weapons of myth, die quite a lot and try and come back safe and sound with the fabled Minotaur's head in your backpack. Play it HERE

Minecraft - PC, Mac, Linux

Regular readers will know I love Dwarf Fortress. Its free-form gameplay and insane levels of complexity make for a quite brilliant and absorbing game.

But there is a new obsession in my life - a game which takes elements from Dwarf Fortress, throws in a bit of Rogue and adds a generous glug of 3D Dot Game Heroes - and it’s called Minecraft.

You begin the game plonked in the middle of a vast randomly generated world and you are then completely free to do what you want. Every item in the world must be created from scratch, but you better be quick, because when night falls, the nasties come out to play.

You start by chopping down trees to get wood, which in turn can be used to make planks and tools. It’s vital to find coal as soon as possible which can then be combined with sticks to make torches. When night falls, evil zombies and other nocturnal creatures will keep well away from the bright lights.

A crafting bench, storage boxes and a furnace are next on the list, while combining sticks and stones makes more robust weapons and tools.

While exploring during daylight hours, animals can be farmed for food and skins - the latter are used to craft armour. But when the light gradually starts to disappear, you’ll want to get home quickly to avoid the prowling mobs.

Finding your way back to your base and closing the door on the inky blackness is always a welcome relief. And when you hear the zombies moaning outside your door, you’ll be glad you are safe and sound.

I’m currently in a great place, and the pictures here are all my own. Some of them show my fledgling mountainside home - complete with natural lava flow - while the others show a zombie burning in the morning sun, snow on the hills and the inside of a natural cave.

By mining deeper and deeper, you can find gold and diamond, which again are used to craft armour and robust weapons.

To make windows, you need to build a furnace, chop some wood, then add sand. As you can see, I've used glass around the entrance as well as using it to create the windows in the rock face.

The work I've done here took me the best part of four hours, but I'm quite pleased with the results. Long way to go, though.

The game is currently is alpha testing and it costs around £8 to buy. A free browser based version can be played, although it lacks many of the features of the paid-for version, while you can't save your progress.

New content is poured in every week and there are huge plans for the game as the months and years go by.

Over the past few weeks, snow, boats, cacti and cows have been added - so who knows what will appear later today.

For more info about the game, visit the official website. And if you want to dig even deeper into the game, the Minecraft Wiki is essential reading.

Dwarf Fortress - PC

I’ve been playing Dwarf Fortress for a while now, messing about with levers, traps, farms, stills, workshops and mining for precious metals. However, it takes a while to get into the swing of things due to the lack of tutorial and those ACSII graphics.

However, spend a few hours in its company, and Dwarf Fortress reveals itself to be one of the most absorbing games ever made.

Think of a mish-mash of Dungeon Keeper, The Sims, The Settlers with a dash of a good old-fashioned Roguelike and you’re almost there.

Starting with seven dwarves, the aim is to build a Mines of Moria style dwelling for your hard-working charges. Other migrants will flock to your fortress as the years pass, bringing their own unique challenges.

But along with carving a hole to live in a rock face, Dwarf Fortress incorporates other incredibly deep aspects which enhance the game, including hunting, fishing (watch out for the Carp), brewing, farming, trading, smelting, woodcutting, craft making and military training. There's plenty more besides, but that's a good enough start.

Along with looking after your dwarven community, you'll come across berserk dwarves, invasions and raids on your fortress which make the game unpredictable and utterly addictive.

There’s a tremendous amount to do and to keep track of. People talk about Grand Theft Auto as the ultimate sandbox game, but they have obviously never played Dwarf Fortress. You can do almost anything you want and with no end game to worry about, it’s fun to try new things. And if you fail, well, just start over. That’s the key - don’t be afraid of failure. As any Roguelike fan will tell you, failure is all part of the fun.

Each personal milestone is immensely satisfying and you’ll take great delight as your dwarves get married and throw a party, or when your armoursmith takes over a workshop, only to re-emerge with a beautifully detailed masterpiece.

It’s impossible for me to cover every aspect of the game, but it’s a marvel. And when you learn it’s still in its Alpha stage and has been created by one man - Tarn Adams, I salute you, sir – you begin to realise that Dwarf Fortress is something rather special.

It’s free to download and I would urge everyone to at least try the game. There are a fine selection of software tools to enhance the experience, including the brilliant 3D Dwarf Visualiser and a variety of tilesets if you can’t get over the default visuals, so give it a go.

And, if it grabs your attention, why not give Tarn a small donation for all his hard work.

Incidentally, a new version is planned, so keep your eyes on the Dwarf Fortress site for all the latest news. There's also an incredibly useful Dwarf Fortress Wiki, which makes interesting reading over a brew...that's a cup of tea, not a mug of foaming dwarven ale!

LINKS
Official site/forums
Dwarf Fortress Wiki
Captain Duck's Video Tutorials