Alien Flux

If you enjoy shoot-em-up games set in outer space, chances are you ll like Alien Flux. You are cast in the role of an intergalactic zookeeper, who must protect an adorable race of creatures called Fluffies from malevolent intruders. To do so, you pilot your ship all around each level using your keyboard, then blast away at your enemies with your mouse button. Alien Flux s graphics are nice enough, though you may have to slightly strain your eyes to see your spacecraft. For a space-shooter game, this one has some decent configuration options, letting you adjust the screen brightness, contrast, and gamma. You also can reconfigure the keyboard to your liking, though the default setup is logical enough. While actual gameplay doesn t deviate wildly from most programs such as this, Alien Flux still is quite addictive. It may be too basic for hard-core gamers, but younger players in particular will find it amusing.