Ever wonder where you could purchase Windows based games for yourself? Or do you have loved ones or a friend who is blind or visually impaired and are not sure where to find the right place to get them a gift of a game they can play on their own? Well, look no further. Here is just a few of the companies out there who sell accessible games for the blind and visually impaired. While some of these games only offer audio output, others present great graphics as well as audio, making them fun for both blind and sighted players. These games can be purchased on CD-Rom or by downloading them from the web sites. There are s ome sites that offer free trials such as a 15 day trial of their games. Some of the games in the list below require the use of a screen reader while others are self-voicing applications.

In the list below, we have included contact information and a brief description of the games each company offers. We have also indicated which games require the use of a screen reader.

All inPlay

P.O. Box 335
Oxford , MA 01540
Phone: 413-585-9690
General questions?: info@allinplay.com

This web site is an equal playing field for sighted, visually impaired, and blind people. They can play games like Crazy Eights and Poker together and against other people from all over the world. It is a subscription based web site, but they do offer a 15 day free trial.

Description of games

All inPlay Poker is much like the game Crazy Eights in the way it is set up, but of course there is gambling involved! Each player is equipped with 1000 chips and they can try their luck against other blind, visually impaired, or sighted individuals from all over. Required Screen Reader: Yes

Games for the Blind

This is another web site that offers Windows based games and also offer a free 15 day trial. The games can be purchased on CD-Rom and by downloading them from the site for less than $20. The games that are offered range from card games, word scramble games, and action.

Description of Games
1. Accessible Battleship; is a 1 player game in which you play against the computer. You and the computer both have six ships each. You take turns shooting at one another’s ships, and the first one to sink all six of the opponent’s ships is the winner. Required Screen Reader: Yes

2. Accessible BlackJack; is all in the name. It is like the popular card game BlackJack but with an electronic twist. There is no need to shuffle the cards, because the computer does it for you. Enjoy hours of trying to get to 21 without going over. Required Screen Reader: Yes

3. Accessible FreeCell; is much like the card game solitaire that is included with most computers. It differs in that you are able to see all of your cards, but the catch is that you still have to move the top card to get to the ones you need to complete the suit. There are four empty cells that can be used to move the cards that are not needed. Required Screen Reader: Yes

4. Accessible Memory; this game is a listening game and also is a race against the clock. The objective of this is to see how quickly you can find all pairs of sounds before the clock runs out. Required Screen Reader: Yes

5. Accessible Simon; is like the popular game where it was required to follow the colors and sound and then hit them in the same way they showed up. Well, this game is yet another sound game without the colors! The strategy is to hit the right keyboard key that corresponds to the right sound. If you are good you should be able to get all the noises in the right order. Required Screen Reader: Yes

6. Accessible WordPlay; is a guessing game. You need to try and guess the right word that the computer has chosen for you to guess out of the database of well over 3000 words. Required Screen Reader: Yes

7. Accessible WordScramble; is another game where you are racing the clock. You need to unscramble 5 words in the least amount of time, before the clock runs out. Required Screen Reader: Yes

8. Accessible Yahtzee; this game requires the skills of rolling the dice. There are 5 dice and 13 categories to score in. When you score the dice in all 13 scoring categories, the game is complete. Required Screen Reader: Yes

Bavisoft

Web Site: http://www.bavisoft.com

Looking for games with more of a challenge? Well this is the place to find such games, such as Grizzly Gulch and Chillingham. Grizzly Gulch is more for those out for a good time in the Old West. Chillingham is more for those up for a hunt for a friend and other things that might pop up. Both games are geared for totally blind players.

Description of games

1. Grizzly Gulch Western Extravaganza is an arcade style action game that is made purely from sound imagery. One thing about this game there could be anything from whacking rats, gun fighting, and losing your money at the gaming tables in the casino. You will never know until you give this game a try.

Grizzly Gulch Western Extravaganza: CD-ROM: $43.90 USD (price includes shipping)

Required Screen Reader: Yes

2. Chillingham: Looking for a game with many twists and turns? Well give Chillingham a try. This game is full of mystery, action, adventure, and humor.

Chillingham: CD-ROM: $43.90 USD (price includes shipping)

Required Screen Reader: Yes

Blind Software

Web Site: http://www.Blindsoftware.com
Software downloads for the blind and visually impaired
Telephone Number: 559-224-2436
Blindsoftware.com LLC c/o Justin Daubenmire
P.O. Box 3716
Boardman , OH 44513

E-mail: comments@blindsoftware.com

This site offers three categories of downloadable games. They arrange from arcade, educational, and FREE! Before purchasing their arcade and educational games they need to be downloaded.

Description of Games

ARCADE GAME DOWNLOADS

TROOPANUM 2.0
Troopanum 2.0 is a space invader style of game. The objective of this action packed game is to defend your star base with a laser gun and fight off the evil space commander, and many breeds of ships. Demo download available.

Troopanum 2.0: $34.95

Required Screen Reader: Yes

Hunter
Hunter is an arcade game packed with lots of action. The mission is to hunt through 10 back to back levels of intense play gathering as many points as possible while trying to travel to the ancient land of Bobo! Demo download available.

Hunter: $34.95

Required Screen Reader: Yes

Pipe
Pipe is a game that tests your ability to fix underlying leaky pipes. The player goes through three world cities with a tool box full of different sized pipes and a hammer. Each city has twelve levels to go through and the player needs to pick the right size pipe before the water spills onto them. As the levels go on the water drips faster and faster, so the player needs to choose the right sized pipe before they get hit with it. If the player thinks fitting pipes is hard, they haven’t seen anything yet! There are other things to fight against while trying to fix pipes.

Pipe: $29.99

Required Screen Reader: Yes

15 Numbers; is a great brain teaser. It is an educational puzzle packed full of fun and great sound effects.

15 Numbers: $12.99

Required Screen Reader: Yes

Word Strain Volume 1
This game has two games in one. There is Word Blast, which is a great game to try and form another word by just using the one word that is given to the player. Then there is Word Jitter, which is a beat the clock kind of game. The player is given a scrambled word which they need to unscramble and make a real word before the clock runs out.

Word Strain Volume 1: $14.99

Required Screen Reader: Yes

Word Strain Volume 2
This is another 2-pack of fun word games. There is Word Battle, combining Hangman and Battleship together to make a great duel against the computer. The objective is you choose a word and the computer chooses a word. The player and the computer give one another hints by giving one letter or shot off at a time. Do you think you can beat the computer? Only one way to find out! Then there is Word Replica. This game allows you to choose any words you want and then try and match them to a hidden list without making any mistakes. Eac h game is equipped with well over 100,000 words in their databases.

Word Strain Volume 2: $14.99

Required Screen Reader: Yes

FREE Downloads

Deekout; is a game where you try to avoid the computer. By using your four arrow keys, you move around the playing field trying to stay out of the computers way. You achieve points for how long you can stay out of the computers way.

Required Screen Reader: Yes

Finger Panic; is yet another race against the clock style game. This time you are racing around a 5 inch square grid trying to gather as many crackerjacks as possible, but the thing is once you get one there is less time to gather the rest.

Required Screen Reader: Yes

Sonic Match; is a listening game where the player needs to match the sounds they hear. The player uses the four arrow keys to match the sounds they hear. But, as time goes on the noises get faster and faster. The longer they can keep matching the right sounds, the more points they receive.

Required Screen Reader: Yes

Bobby's Revenge; is humorous and shooter style game put together. Bobby, an eight-year-old did not get what he wanted for Christmas so he goes after Santa Claus. The way to win this game is to splat Santa and his sleigh 50 times with a paintball gun.

Required Screen Reader: Yes

Crazy Darts; is yet another listening game. There is a dart that will pan either from left-to-right or right-to-left. The strategy is to stop the dart before it gets to the other side. By using the spacebar, the player can stop the dart as close or “bull’s eye” in the center of the board. By getting the dart close or in the center of the board the more points they will receive. There are ten rounds and after the ten rounds the score is given.

Required Screen Reader: Yes

Draconis Entertainment

This web site offers games arranging from a great game of bowling to the favorite arcade game Pinball. Each game can be purchased and downloaded from the site.

Description of Games

Ten Pin Alley
Ever dreamed of going to a bowling alley where you didn’t have to lift the bowling ball to get that perfect score? Well, try this game out. Enjoy hours of bowling without that arm getting tired. In this game a player can play by him or herself or against friends or family. There is a spectator who gives the play by play and there are lots of different background noises that would make a player believe they were really at a bowling alley.

Ten Pin Alley: $24.95 plus shipping and handling.

Required Screen Reader: No

Change Reaction
Well, here is yet another game that is a race against the clock. Change Reaction is a game where a player tries to connect as many similar coins together to form a chain reaction. A nice thing about this game is that a player can compete each month at Adora Entertainment to win ESP bucks. The ESP bucks are good for discounts on other existing ESP games.

Change Reaction: $19.95

Required Screen Reader: Yes

ESP Pinball Classic
Ever dreamed of playing that great classic game of Pinball but can’t find an accessible version? Well, look no further. Here is Pinball brought to the computer age and accessible for the blind and visually impaired. Now the blind and visually impaired can make that little ball fly up ramps, hit targets, and jump all over the table.

ESP Pinball Classic: $14.95

Required Screen Reader: Yes

G M A Games

E-mail: GMA Games, davidgreenwood@gmagames.com
Web Site: http://www.gmagames.com/

The web site offers games for the blind and visually impaired. Their games are full of action, surround sound quality, and realistic noises. Their sound effects for their games would make a player believe they were out in the middle of a true battle! They offer free demos of their games and their games can be downloaded from the web site and also purchased on CD-Rom.

Description of Games

GMA Tank Commander
This game is for all of us who have ever dreamed of being in command of a fully armed tank rolling through enemy territory. Your assignment is to do as much damage as possible to the computer-generated enemy while you complete several missions. You are equipped with two types of missiles, two types of shells, a machine gun, and other high-powered weapons. Your ultimate goal is to complete all six missions and meet up with a tank transport.

GMA Tank Commander Version 1.0

Price: $35 U.S.

Required Screen Reader: No

Shades of Doom
Yet, here is another action packed style game. This time you must guide your character through a research base and try and shutdown the ill-fating experiment. This game has great sound quality and graphic noises.

Shades of Doom Version 1.0

Price $35 U.S.

Required Screen Reader: No

Lone Wolf
Looking to participate in a simulated World War II battle? How about operate a submarine? Well, this game might be just the one you have been looking for. Lone Wolf gives you the chance to figure out your naval strategy and operate a submarine.

Lone Wolf Version 3.22

Price: $30 U.S. Free upgrade for those with versions 3.0 and later.

Required Screen Reader: No

Trek 2000
Enjoy the TV show Star Trek? Ever dream of commanding something like it? Well, this game should be right up your alley. The object of this game is to protect your star ships and space stations against attacking Tholians, Klingons, and Romulans.

Trek 2000
Price: $25 U.S. Free upgrade for those with version 5.0.

Required Screen Reader: No

Pacman Talks
This game is produced by PCS Games, but is offered to buy from GMA Games. Pacman Talks is much like that popular arcade game that everyone loves to this day Pacman. There are ghosts, power pills, escape tunnels, and exciting noises to keep you entertained for hours. It is a fast paced arcade game for those who love the fast track.

Pacman Talks - A PCS Game.

Price: $30 U.S.

Required Screen Reader: No

Conclusion

Now that we have given you a look at companies who offer accessible computer games do you have an idea of what to get that friend or loved one as a gift? Or, did you see something that you just can’t wait to try out yourself? Whatever the situation, you can see that playing games for the blind and visually impaired is possible. They can enjoy a great card game, a race against the clock game, or maybe a great battle. There is a wide variety of games to suit just about everyone out there. Just give it a try and you will be surprised of how much fun will be had by all. There are even games that the blind, visually impaired, and sighted can participate in playing together.