Fish food

Every now and then we enjoy mindless computer games, the sort that allows us to focus on a particular task and kind of zone out at the same time. Feeding Frenzy is one such program, a basic game of eat-or-be-eaten. There's not much to it, but we found it to be surprisingly addictive. This underwater adventure should provide hours of entertainment to both kids and adults.

The game's premise is simple: the player is a little fish in a big pond, and can increase in size by eating other smaller fish. The player can also be eaten by larger fish, so a careful balance must be struck between offensive and defensive action. With each level new challenges and bonuses are added; predatory fish get bigger and scarier, but opportunities abound to earn extra points and lives. On the whole, there's nothing particularly impressive about this game; the graphics are decent but not outstanding, and it doesn't require much in the way of thought or skill, aside from some quick moves with the mouse. We feel that among PopCap's many outstanding offerings that Feeding Frenzy is a bit lackluster, but we found the game to be challenging and enjoyable. Feeding Frenzy doesn't have a Help file per se, but before each level it does provide tips about new items that users will encounter, so it's easy enough to figure out.

Feeding Frenzy has a 60-minute trial period. The program installs and uninstalls without issues. We recommend this program to all users.