Sprite Life

This innovative program strikes us more as pet-ownership simulation than an actual game. In Sprite Life, you must ensure your three pets have all the love, food, water, and energy they need to stay healthy and happy. This first-person game puts you in charge of a dog, a tabby cat, and a rather bizarre-looking creature called a spriteling. However, when you first start the game, it's not immediately clear what you're supposed to do to find your pets. Though the bundled-HTML manual eventually gave us the skinny, we really would have preferred built-in help files or a full-blown tutorial. The 3D graphics were mostly favorable, but may be too intense for older PCs. We also think some users may want to disable the sound effects, which can be oppressive after playing for a while. Sprite Life gives you a number of toys to entertain your pets, such as a Frisbee, a ball, a teddy bear, and an airplane. If you want to know what your friends need most, right-clicking them will display their current desires. However, since the trial version only allows you to play for an hour, you may need to register the program if you really want to forge a lasting bond. If your landlord won't allow flesh-and-blood pets, Sprite Life can help fill the void.