Strategy or puzzle game for older gentleman

[Relztrah]

My 80+ year old father spends a lot of time on the computer but doesn't have a lot of options other than solitaire and hearts for games, which he enjoys. He's not going to get into the FPS or RPG games that my son and I play, but I think if he had some type of puzzle or strategy game that would run on his machine, he would play it. He's using an old box (a hand-me-down from me) with a Pentium 3 processor and 512MB of RAM running Windows 2K. The video is on-board, no separate card so it has the minimum of 4MB video RAM or whatever is standard. I think it's a Dell--I really don't remember. It has a CD-ROM but no DVD-ROM although I could install one.

I have an old GeForce FX5500 video card with 128MB of video RAM that I could stick in his machine next time I visit, but for now he only has what's on the mobo.

Years ago I played a game called Incredible Machine which is just the kind of thing he would enjoy with his mechanical mind. I also found one on eBay called Gadgets: Design it, Build it, Play it that I'm going to bid on because I think he would like something like that also.

I don't think he would play a Sims-type game and I'm not sure about sports games since you need a fast reaction time and good hand-to-eye coordination which he no longer has. Any other recommendations for an old game that doesn't require much system resources?

Thanks,
Relztrah

[Jiggy]

give this place a look - http://www.ebaumsworld.com/games/featured/

[awaj]

I have both of those games, and they are designed for earlier versions of Windows. I believe windows 95. you may have trouble getting them to work, it might even be for DOS. (wich you could get DosBox for.) You could go to http://www.the-underdogs.info/ to download abandoned games for free. Bassically, after 10 years of no service for a game, the people who make them don't care what happens to them. (or so I understand)

[Relztrah]

I'm not sure my father would do an online or multiplayer game, even one from Yahoo or eBaum's World, although I'll suggest that to him. In the meantime I found two upgrades to the original Incredible Machine on eBay: Return of the Incredible Machine and Incredible Machine: Even More Contraptions. Both are old and will play on anything ≥ Windows 95. They're marketed as children's games, but I'm sure they'll provide hours of entertainment for my 80+ year old father and his 50+ year old son.

Thanks,
Relztrah

[George Hallam]

A Strategy, puzzle game i found and still do are the Lucas art games like

grim fandango

escape from monkey island (any of them)


what about chess games?

[Ajmukon]

the abandonware is "illegal" but... most companies are not going to hunt you down if you download it...

as for games he might like...
Hoyle from sierra.... incredible machine (both have version which are "XP")
Wacky Contraptions, Myst?