If you’re into web games, have a look at UK-based Doof. Web browser games aren’t really my thing - I find them too repetitive and mechanistic - but Doof is pretty slick-looking so I had a bit of a poke around.

It’s basically a collection of web games with a flashy interface and some social networking features thrown in. As I write this, there are 52 web games available. They range from the standard fare like Sudoku and variations on Bejewelled to the oddly relaxing Amoeba. Even though most of the games are classics, they’re usually drawn with enough style that you don’t really mind.

The best thing about Doof is that you can play against other users. I’m not entirely sure how the matching system works but here’s the gaming experience. You buy credits. Playing a match against someone else requires you to bet a fixed number of credits on yourself. Winner takes all slightly less than all. You can also play all the games in single-player mode for free.

OTOH, they’re still in development so there are a few downsides. For one, you get popunder advertising. I hate any kind of pop-out advertising. It’s a small mercy that these ads are silent. Next is email spam. I played one competitive game and got two emails with commiserations and an invitation to try again. And this WITHOUT responding to the address confirmation email.

Worst of all, there was an error in the competitive game which meant that neither my, nor my opponent’s scores were saved yet our credits were still deducted. Boo! Glad I was using the introductory 10 credits.

No matter, I’m sure these problems will be ironed out soon enough. It’s definitely one of the nicer gaming portals I’ve seen lately.

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