When I was a kid, the genre of computer video games was just emerging. I remember having a TV hooked up to a console with rotary-type joysticks. One could only play what they called 'tennis' or shoot a white rectangle with a lighting gun. That was about it: no fancy graphics, no sounds other than 'beep', and no color. Great things about these games were that they didn't have any violence, and they lacked the ability to harm a TV.

Things changed significantly with the release of gaming computers such as Amiga, Commodore, and ZX Spectrum. They run all kinds of arcade games in color and with what was, at the time, good sound. Those computers were quite limited in their reproduction of motion and graphics, so no exposed violence there. Also, there were no computer viruses at those times, so every game was safe to play.

Now I am quite too old for that kind of fun, but let us face it: our kids do love computer games. With modern computers capable of hyper-realistic graphics and high-definition sound, the possibilities of entertainment are limitless. The kids now have much wider choice than we did at the time. In fact, they have so much choice that parents should be cautions: there's simply much too much meaningless and explicit violence out there. I am cautious when it comes to games my kids play.

Many companies try to get the kids' time with computer video games. So much so that they even offer their games for free! But do they always have good intentions of safely entertaining your kids, or do they have intentions of their own? Dare I say evil intentions?

That's a valid question, despite the frivolous names and entertaining subject. I am perfectly fine with the fact that free computer games bring good profit to these companies, sometimes more than the games they charge for. That's business, after all. What I do mind, though, is harming my kids with things that are inappropriate for them. Why would these companies care about my kids, anyway? They often plaque my computer with things that kids are supposed to fight in these games: the evil stuff. I mean spyware. Unfortunately, it is just too easy to get kids downloads and install a pretty game, which will plead your computer with advertising of adult of gambling sites. I also mind stealing my passwords or modifying the results of my Web searches, things that many spyware products typically do.

So what do I do to protect my kids from games I don't think are appropriate and myself from malicious software and other threats bundled with the games intended for kids?

I use tested sources to get the games.

One of these sources is My Play City www.myplaycity.com. Their games are perfectly suitable for my kids. The company does not have a single game on their Web site, out of several dozens, that has violence or profanity. That's certainly good for my kids. These games are also good for me because they don’t install any unwanted 'extras' on my computer. Are the days of great classic arcades back again?

For example, I recently tried their latest game, Demon's Doomsday. With its cartoon graphics it highly resembles the arcades of the old days. The script is nice and suitable for the kids: they are supposed to fight the evil. No blood, no exposed violence, and kids play for the good guy, and fight witches and ghosts. Quite reassuring, I would say after watching some modern 3D shooters. Added fun is a touch of competition: kids with greatest high scores can upload them to the Web, and compete against their counterparts.

After all, the days of classic arcade games are here. At least with the games made by www.myplaycity.com.

Here it is: you can get Demon's Doomsday for free at http://www.myplaycity.com/demons_doomsday