Let's face it, there are a lot of games on the web. There are Bejeweled, Bedazzled, be frazzled. Games can take from a few minutes to a few hours to days and even months to play. With all of the games out there, I wanted to take the time to review two of my favorite game sites. I have wasted my time looking for the good ones so you don't have to waste yours. Stick to these and you'll be on the right track.

My two favorites are (drumroll please)...........

Short Game Category: http://www.ferryhalim.com/orisinal/
Long Game Category: http://www.evony.com/index.do

Orisinal.com
First, the short games. These Orisinal (not OriGinal, mind you, but Orisinal) games are amazing original. The site has a collection of sixty different games, each one distinct from the others. The games are all artistically rendered with a variety of music that is taseful and often even soothing. The games are each creatively inspiring. One game called "Pocketful of Stars" has a young girl who jumps to collect stars. Simple enough, right? Well it is very simple, yet elegant. Everything from younf girl's reflection, to the sound of the twinkling stars, to the hypnotic piano music in the background make this a real delight to play.

Another fun romp on the site is CATS. Try to get all of the cats to either walk or stay put at the same time to earn points. Conceptually easy, this is game can get frentic as ill-behaved cats are added as you go. Once again, the jazzy little tune that accompanies the game is offers the perfect balance of peppy jazz while not pushing you over the edge as it loops like so many other games sites might do. It is great balance, and it makes for a delightlful mental break when working on the computer all day. There are 58 other games on the site that I didn't even mention, each with its own personality, so find a few that suit you. You'll be glad you did. These games are from age 5 to 105, so the whole family can play them.

Evony.com
Evony is my pick for the long game category, and by long I mean empire building. This is the opposite of the cute little 2-5 minute games above. To get the most out of Evony, buckle up and settle in for the long haul. Evony is an empire building war game with thousands of players.

Evony is a spectacular balance of so many factors it is hard to know where to start. The makers of the game know that it is complex, so they gently guide you through building your first city by providing quests for you. Each quest is not only beneficial to you as you build your town, but it is instructive as well. It teaches you very direct lessons, like build cottages to give your townspeople a place to live. It also teaches more subtle lessons, like balance between the production of the four kinds of resources. There is a real science to some parts of the game, and a real art to others. You can come up with your own strategies (Should I start a second town now? Should I dedicate my second town to producing only food?)

There are so many ways to play the game, it will keep you coming back for the strategy, the drama (we are going to war against a powerful alliance, but our friends are jumping into the fray with us, and the quest to grow your empire. One of the best features of the game is the Alliance. If you find a good alliance of active players, it can really open up the world of Evony to you unlike anything else you can do in the game. A good alliance will share information, resources, even troop reinforcements when necessary. They will teach you diplomacy, the art of war, and how to balance your production. They may even give you tips for keeping resources safe during an attack or how to raise a lot of money quickly without stirring your townspeople into a revolt.

After playing Evony for over 3 months now, I'm not sure if it is the strategy or the sheer will to increase my empire that keeps me coming back each day. As appealing as both are, I honetly think it is the people. Evony is populated by some incredibly friendly people. In my alliance, I have met some find folks from Australia, Canada, and Texas. We chat about the game in the Alliance Chat Channel, but also stray onto questions about each others' lives. One player is a wonderful Italian chef, another works in a bookstore halfway around the world from me, and still another is within a few hours of me and works at a nuclear power plant. Talk about diverse! We learn from each other increasing our game skills and our life experiences as we play. We have debated the finer points of hot topics in the world all while building our towns up together. There are highs and lows as you conguer and are attacked, but it is the wisdom of your alliance that helps see you through it all.

Even the small touches in Evony are nice. There are translucent clouds that float past the fields of your city. There is a multi-tabbed area that shows you your resouce levels, hero roll, troops, and fortifications all at a glance. Your population, gold, and loyalty are alway shown rather than having to dig for them in other games. The interface is clean, the quests make sense, and the amount of help available from the gamemakers, the forums, and from other players is outstanding. Evony even shows wisdom by protecting beginning players from attack until they have a chance to get a feel for the game and check off a good number of the quests.

If you have the fortitude to build and empire somewhere on the web, build it in Evony.