Posted on: Tuesday, December 17, 2002

Play a game today on your PDA

Handheld computer owners don't need to carry Nintendo's Game Boy or Game Boy Advance to play video games on the go.

Their personal digital assistants (PDAs) have the power to play thousands of games available for purchase and download on the Internet or at retailers such as CompUSA or Staples.

Here's a look at some of the best handheld games of 2002.

'Candy Cruncher'

Lining up rows and columns of matching sweets is the goal of "Candy Cruncher." You move pieces of candy into position by dragging adjacent candy types with your PDA's stylus.

Once you've aligned a complete row or column of jellies, jawbreakers or candy watermelon slices, it disappears. To win, line up a certain number of rows or columns before the clock runs out.

There is a black hole that locks out a particular space so that it can't be swapped with other candies, preventing rows and columns from being completed.

"Candy Cruncher" is addictive but without the calories.

Astraware, for Palm, free to try, $14.95 to buy; www.astraware.com, four stars out of five.

'SimCity 2000'

Why complain to the mayor when you can be one?

Like its Windows-based predecessor, "SimCity 2000" for the Pocket PC allows you to play mayor and city planner. Your goals include building a thriving community while keeping your Sims residents happy by providing them with jobs and fixing problems such as traffic congestion.

Of course, you need money to build police headquarters, airports and sports venues, so you have to collect taxes.

This pocket version's game play and graphics are true to the original, but the interface has been improved to make the game easier to play on mobile devices.

Zio Interactive, for Pocket PCs, $29.95 to buy, www.ziosoft.com, four stars out of five.

'Ms. Parkman'

"Ms. Pac-Man," the world's first digital heroine (sorry, Lara Croft), lives with this clever clone, dubbed "Ms. Parkman."

Munch as many dots on the board as possible while avoiding the ghosts. Eating a power pellet reverses the chase. There is a limited amount of time to snack on as many monsters as you can.

This remake features colorful graphics, 15 levels, variable speed control, a high-score board and the ability to control the game by the Pocket PC's buttons or a stylus.

BallShooter, for Pocket PC, free to try, $14.95 to buy, www.ballshooter.com, three-and-a-half stars out of five.

'Dope Wars'

While selling drugs may get you five to 10 years in the real world, it can be a lot of fun in the virtual world thanks to this fun adult business simulation.

The goal of "Dope Wars" is to deal narcotics while avoiding cops, thieves and rival gangs.

Players start off with a limited amount of cash and a sizable debt before tackling one of six locations to push their wares. The game is primarily text-based — but mature gamers looking for a challenging simulation will have fun tapping away at this digital (and legal!) addiction.

This title also is perfect for older Palm PDAs because it's a diminutive 14 kilobytes in size.

Matthew Lee, for Palm, free, dopewars.cjb.net, four stars out of five.