I thought I might champion the little games today. Why not? It’s Friday and I’m feeling pre-weekend charitable. After all, they have been keeping me company of late during my coffee breaks at work. That’s the nice thing about Flash games – click and play. It’s not as if I have to lug my Xbox all the way to work and set it up (under the watchful, raised eyebrows of my co-workers). Yes, the big games usually grab our attention (not surprisingly, given all the marketing that trumpets their imminent arrival). These might be little minnows in the gargantuan pond of Call of Duty, Halo, Mass Effect, etc. But they can nonetheless provide as much fun and adrenaline as the big-hitters. Flash games that can stretch my scheduled 10-minute break into half an hour are worth a mention, but those that result in my coffee going untouched and cold are the ones that really interest me. If they can distract me from my caffeine rush, then they must be worth my attention. So without any fancy trumpets, dramatic drum rolls (or even a lone party popper), here are my three favourite Flash games of the moment (in no particular order):

Protector

Protector is a mixture of tower defense and tactical RPG. What a winning combination! To destroy the hordes of rats, ogres and other enemies, you need to employ wizards and knights. You can level the characters up, make them focus on special attacks and so on. Despite the simple gameplay, there is a good deal of strategy involved here, and it resulted in three mugs of cold coffee. Click here to play Protector.

SAS: Zombie Assault

Yes, a game that takes on more of the restless undead. Zombie Assault plays like the zombie maps in the Call of Duty series, and is generally addictive. So take up a defensive position in the abandoned army barracks and shoot at the walking corpses as they try to break down your defences. You can level up your weapons and fortifications, or simply run around and scream. (Tip: Don’t do this in a shared office.) Click here to play SAS: Zombie Assault.

Mud and Blood 2

Play as a squad leader in a dense World War II randomly generated battlefield. Try to hold your line of defence as long as you can. Customize your squad to fit your play style, with 14 types of soldiers, nine weapons and 30 power-ups. Set up your own defences with mines, barbed wire, trenches and bunkers, and fight with all you’ve got. Guns, uniforms, tanks, high explosives – what more do you want? I can blame this game for at least five cups of cold coffee and being late for two meetings (sorry, boss…). Click here to play Mud and Blood 2.

Hope these liven up your workdays. Feel free to post up your own favourites!