Test Driving Linux

Trying Out the Games on the Move CD

Your Move CD comes with a small sampling of open source games, but I must admit that I don't think the selections chosen by Mandrakesoft are the best representatives of Linux's gaming ability. (For instance, where's Solitaire?) But let's at least take a look at the games on your Move CD. Afterward, I'll discuss some of the other gaming options in Linux.

You'll find K Menu options for games in two places on your Move CD, but each set of menus contains the same games (listed below). For the quickest way to launch these games, go to K Menu→ Play games.

Frozen Bubble

This Bust-a-Move clone is as addictive as Tetris. The object of the game is to connect three or more colored balls together to make them fall. When you eliminate all the hanging balls, you advance a level. Use your left and right arrow keys to aim the ball launcher, and the up arrow key to launch the ball. Sometimes the better shot is to bounce the ball off a wall. Press Esc to quit the current game, and Esc again to close the program. If you're color-blind, you can launch the game from a Run window (Alt-F2) with the command frozen-bubble -cb. Now each of the balls will have a symbol inside it, making it easier for you to match them up.

ArmageTron

This is a 3D version of the classic Tron game. It can be configured for up to four-person play, and has a network setup so you can compete against others, either on your local network or over the Internet. Use the Z and X keys to turn left and ...