Games to Be Bored By

Microsoft Windows gave PC junkies the ability to do more than one thing at a time: Type a letter, create a spreadsheet, pay bills. And, just in case you don’t have enough to do, Microsoft included in the package those ever popular, mind-numbing brain drugs: “Solitaire” and “Mindsweeper.”

Like any other addiction, however, you soon want more. Those two games look pretty lonely in that big white window, so if you’re desperate, you might want to look at Symantec’s “Symantec Game Pack.” It offers six new games to add to your Windows game collection. But don’t be fooled. The most that can be said for the collection is that the games will probably bore a 6-year-old.

Two of the games are “Jacks” and “Pick Up Sticks.” Both games suffer in their translation from the sidewalk to the computer screen. None of the rules changes, but picture trying to get the most out of either of them with a mouse. They just don’t work.

“Smart Dots” and “Hangman” will be familiar to anybody who got bored in grammar school and doodled in their notebooks. While they both translate well to the computer screen, they’re about as interesting as the idea of sitting through your third grade reading class again. “Smart Dots” is the one where you make dot grids of varying sizes and compete with somebody to connect the lines and close the squares. “Hangman” is like playing “Jeopardy!” with yourself and dying a gruesome death when you lose.

The last two games are “Memory Blocks” (a version of “Concentration”) and “Code Breaker” (break secret codes--or not).

All together, these six games represent a poor effort. Save your money for one of those new gadgets that let you watch TV in Windows.

Symantec

Rating: *

IBM & compatibles; Windows 3.0 or higher, hard disk and mouse required. List: $39

Computer games are rated on a five-star system, from one star for poor to five for excellent.