10 Games You Can Play One Handed

      I have a wonderful pet. She is a very sweet little Warf who follows me where ever I go, often to the point of tripping me up if I turn around too quickly. I have stepped on her paw more than once as a consequence, but this has not deterred her from sticking to me like a furry little ball of glue. Unfortunately, she also has a bit of a nervous disposition, and in the right circumstances this can devolve into outright pet panic attacks. She gets anxious when the wind blows; if it rains (especially if it is a heavy rain) ; if there is thunder and lightning or vague rumblings in the sky, and sometimes if there are just loud noises outside my window that warrant sufficient concern from her. At these times her favorite place to be is on my lap. I try to console her as best I can when this occurs; and while I enjoy her company immensely I do find that it renders two handed games impossible - my left hand is busy trying to prevent her from sliding onto the floor, and accessing my keyboard is extremely difficult. Under normal circumstances this would effectively preclude playing computer games of any sort, Fortunately Neopets has a varied selection available, several of which are perfect for playing in the event of "Nervous pet occupying lap."

      Consequently, I have assembled a list of games it is possible to play with one hand. This includes mostly games that are played with only a mouse, although a couple will require quick forays to the space bar and/or arrow keys. They allow me to comfort my pet and earn Neopoints at the same time, which is something that I generally refer to as a "win-win". Here then is my top ten list of Neopets games to play one handed:

      1. Attack of the Snowager. You can easily play this game with nothing more than the left and right arrow keys - on the keyboard, yes, but on the extreme right hand side of the board, which is fairly easily accessed even with a Warf on your lap. You will have to click a mouse button to begin each round but it's no trouble to move from mouse to arrow keys. Three plays of this and you've made yourself 3,000 Neopoints.

      2. Zurroball. A simple game which requires nothing more than clicking a mouse to bounce a zurroball off the point of your cursor. It takes a little practice to get used to the timing on this one but once you've figured that out it's smooth sailing. Figure out how to do "grounders" and bounces off the side walls and the game will be even faster!

      3. Snowbeast Snackrifice. Another game which is controlled entirely with the mouse. Pitch Petpets into the Snowbeast's lair for some quick Neopoints! If your conscience bothers you just tell yourself that the Petpets are joining the Snowager for bridge or a dance party. That's all...

      4. Ice Cream Machine. No clicking is even required with this game. Maneuvering the mouse to guide Adee around and prevent her from taking a face full of ice cream is all you have to do: avoid the ice cream scoops and scoop up the rewards.

      5. Shenkuu Warrior I: Once you get the hang of it this it's an easy game to play. The trick is that you have you shoot in the direction indicated by the directional cursor within the game, not your mouse cursor. If you are so inclined you can press the space bar after every round to skip the end-of-round celebrations, which can be rather time consuming. It is, however, acceptable to celebrate the Neopoint rewards you will gain after playing this. I recommend a quiet "woo hoo" muttered under your breath.

      6. Shenkuu Warrior II. Use the mouse to point, aim and shoot for viable anchor points as you climb to the top of the training run. Again, the celebratory fireworks after each round are a bit tedious and can be skipped by hitting the space bar to advance to the next level.

      7. Kass Basher. Another game which requires nothing more than a few clicks of the mouse. Swing away - bash the Kass as far as you can and pick up the Neopoints you'll earn as a result.

      8. Jubble Bubble. Once again no control is needed other than using the mouse to guide Kelby the Maraquan Shoyru and to fire off his protective bubbles. Encase objects in the bubbles and let them fall gently to sea floor. Have fun, and remember to pick up your Neopoints on your way back up to the surface!

      9. Warf Rescue. Click the mouse to launch Warfs so that they land on top of each other and create a tower to rescue Kadoaties from the branches of a tall tree. I think my pet is especially fond of this one: I am fond of the Neopoints I earn from it.

      10. Sophie's Stew. Use the mouse to guide Sophies Wand as you bounce ingredients off of it into her cooking pot.

      This list is not complete by any means; this is simply a selection of flash games that I like to play that are relatively quick and easy. There are dozens to choose from, some of which may be more to your liking. In addition, there are any number of non flash games that you can also play, like Sakhmet Solitaire, Pyramids or Neggsweeper, all of which can be played with just one hand. Not only can they also be played with minimal limb involvement, they have the added benefit of frequent random events as they refresh the page after each turn during play. Ultimately you will finish up your playing session a few thousand Neopoints richer (barring unexpected visits from a mutant Kadoatie or the Tax Beast), and your pet will hopefully be soothed and ready to face the world on the floor again. Good luck, and happy playing!