Video Games You Can Play With One Hand

I'd like to take a break from my in-depth "origins" posts to write about the specific incident that lead me to become incapacitated, take some time off, and start writing again.

Well, a self-inflicted accident on May 3rd left my right hand in a cast for about three weeks (yes, I'm about as dumb as that guy), I've been getting acquainted with a variety of great PC games that you can play with one hand. Consoles are out (unless you buy special controllers), but that doesn't mean I can't have fun while I recover.

Monopoly 2008 - PC
What can I say? Maybe it was all the percosets that I was popping, but Monopoly is a game I'll never tire of. The familiar colors, themes, names and rules are all implemented seamlessly in the PC version. All you need is the mouse to roll the dice, buy properties, and laugh when the computer AI lands on your real estate empire.

Watch out for the tendency for the computer to simply buy every property they land on (making it so nobody gets a monopoly). This can make the game DRAG on.

Amazon has a great deal right now for the game at only $5.52
3 / 5 stars

Settlers of Catan - PC
This is for those of us who just can't get enough of the board game. Arguably the most well-balanced strategy board game ever, the PC version holds up pretty faithfully to the real experience. They even did a great job of handling the "trading" aspect, with AI refusing to trade with anyone nearing 10 victory points.

Another steal at $6.95 via MSN Games

4 / 5 stars

Puzzle Quest - Challenge of the Warlords
What if you could mix the addictiveness of Bejeweled, with the OCD-catering nature of Final Fantasy? Throw sorcerers, elves, ogres and orcs into the mix and you can call me one happy camper. Yep, old news I know, but Puzzle Quest is an absolutely GREAT game to play with only one hand. Fire this game up, throw a Kung Fu movie on my Roku, and the recovery days simply melt away.

Once I tear through this I plan on checking out the Sci-Fi sequel, Galactrix, but from what I hear it might not be quite as handicap-friendly. The "hacking the leapgates" feature of Galactrix is basically a race against the clock, and seeing as how I' using the mouse with my wrong hand, it'd be hard to do anything coordinated under pressure.


For a more information on handicap-accessible games, check out Accessibility.nl and eHow's How to Find Handicap Accessible Games