This is one kind of spider you arachnophobes out there will probably don't mind having. It's darklight's mod version of  the famous solitaire, Spider Solitaire v1.04. Big change and details in full article.


Download: Spider Solitaire v1.04

Before, we've seen a handful of studies on video games and their varied effects on kids, teens, and even adults. Usually, the studies have to do with violence or sex or stress relief and whatnot. This new study is the first I've actually seen linking video games to civic development and political awareness. Check out the full article for an outline of findings that the research team has gathered. It's a treasure trove of interesting little snippets of gaming goodness.

Homebrew developer has released a new Solitaire Mahjongg game for the PSP. Solitarie Mahjong v1.0 was inspired by the Solitaire Mahjongg game released by Sjurk Kristiansen. This version was coded in C and features three different board types to give you an extra challenge. Check out the full article for more details

Download: Solitarie Mahjongg v1.0

  

Presuming you're old enough, you would probably remember that a small game called "JezzBall" is one of the top ten productivity killers in any PC-related work (school work or business), right up there with Solitaire, IM chats and pictures of Jennifer Love Hewitt. Twin891 decided to step up and port one of the ultimate productivity killers to one of the ultimate productivity killers, the PSP.

Ladies and gentlemen, meet Twin891's Jexx Ball, a C-based JezzBall clone for the PSP. Right now, it's an initial, though playable release: there could be (or may be) bugs to watch out for, but Twin891's working on it for a future update, interest permitting. Also, this brew has been tested on 1.0 and 1.5, but not on 2.0+, "so I'd appreciate some info from you guys if you could."

Okay, so for those who might ask, "What the heck is Jezzball?", just in case. The objective of Jezzball is to trap those bouncing balls in ever-smaller boxes using the wall-creating cursor. Your objective is to wall off up to 75% or more of each level to proceed to the next. Each successive level adds more balls to contend with. The wall-off tool must complete the wall - if the ball hits the forming walls, it interrupts that building wall and costs you one life.

Here are the controls for the game:

• R & L Triggers: Change Cursor Direction
• Cross: Create ray
• Analog Stick: Move cursor
• Up or Down: Change cursor direction to vertical
• Right or Left: Change cursor direction to horizontal
• Start: Pause/Menu

Download: [Jexx Ball for 1.0]
Download: [Jexx Ball for 1.5]
Discuss: [Forum Release Thread]

It has only been a couple of weeks ago when we first featured Techni's iPod Solitaire clone for the PSP. No introductions and instructions are needed when it's about Solitaire, so we would skip that part. Anyway, Techni informed us that he has released a new version of this homebrew game and from the looks of it, it sure looks like his Solitaire clone is coming along nicely.

He mentioned that in this new release, custom soundtracks have improved a lot. Plus, it now supports previous/next track, the PSP remote, and browsing subdirectories among other added features. And Techni isn't stopping there because he plans on adding an M3U playlist support and ID3 tags in the future releases of this game. You could also give him your suggestions on what you would like to see in the next release through the comments section.

And in parting, the dev wishes to thank Exophase, Yeldarb2k3, PDGB and Psilocybeing for helping him get into PSP programming. It's nice to see homebrew devs not hesitating to lend a hand and share their skills to aspiring devs. Keep up the great job, Techni! We hope to hear from you soon!

Download: [Updated version of iPod Solitaire clone]

Besides George Lucas' "Star Wars" classic, most people aren't really too keen on clones. Call 'em whatever you want: dupes, copycats, clones, whatever; the word always seems to have a negative connotation.

Well, we got one of 'em here, but we guarantee it's not the bad kind. Homebrew dev Techni just made a port of Solitaire from his iPod clone. What is it called? Choose from any of the options below:

a) iPod Solitaire Clone
b) Mean, Lean Killing Machine
c) Ponies and Kittens

Time's up! The correct answer's a, and as a treat, you get to test-drive Techni's 'brew.  To get it, just click the download link below, install it in your PSP and voila! You're good to go. This game is quite similar to the Windows version, and the dev's currently working on score-keeping, max deck rotation and deal 1, so be sure to check for updates.

Download: [iPod Solitaire Clone]

Coder synopsis76 has released two homebrew card games for the PSP: Solitaire 1.0 and Spider Solitaire 1.04.

First off is Solitaire 1.0. This here's the initial version, and since we guess pretty much everybody knows how to play solitaire, we'll just start off with the in-game controls. Here we go:

• D-Pad - Move the cursor.
• Cross + Left/Right - Move cards
• Cross + Down - Play from the pack to the selected stack
• Circle + Up or Cross + Up - Play from the selected stack to the suit stacks
• Circle + Right - Play from the pack to the suit stacks
• Triangle - Deal
• Left Trigger - Undo
• Right Trigger - Redo
• Select - Go to the menu
• Start - Save the game

Synopsis76 has also released version 1.04 of his Spider Solitaire homebrew game for the PSP. Like traditional solitaire, the aim of the game is to get rid of all the cards in the stacks in the fewest number of moves possible. To do that you need to move around the upturned cards until you end up with a suit of cards in descending order (King on top and Ace on bottom).

Here's the changelog for v1.04:

• Update grey theme to make playing at night easier on the eyes.
• Fixed odd hang bug.

Controls are as follows:

• D-Pad - Move the cursor.
• Cross + Left/Right - Move cards
• Triangle - Deal
• Left Trigger - Undo
• Right Trigger - Redo
• Select - Go to the menu
• Start - Save the game

The coder also included this note for installation of both games:

If you have a PSP with Firmware 1.0, 1.5 hacked or 2.0 to 2.6 then copy the contents of "firmware 1.0, 1.5 hacked, 2.0 - 2.6" to your PSPGame folder.

If you have a PSP with Firmware 1.5 then copy the contents of "firmware 1.5 (k-exploit) to your PSPGame folder.

Download: [Solitaire 1.0]
Download: [Spider Solitaire 1.04]

We have another PSP Flash portal we can all enjoy, this time out from Jaapie (thanks for the heads up!). Version 1.0 of Jaapie's Flash Portal was made with Swish 2.0 and contains four applications and 12 games plus an arcade pack. To use this application, just extract the files to your PSP then browse to /psp/jaapie's flash portal/intro.swf.

Battleship, Blackjack, Checkers,  ICDraw, Mahjong, Plane, Simon, Snake, Solitaire, Tetris, Tic-tac-toe, and Yahtzee - those are the games available with Jaapie's 'brew; don't forget the Arcade Pack that contains nine other games to keep you busy when you are just so bored. Of course, you also want to know about the applications included:

• Flash Selector v1.1 (by Nafogel): A simple HTML document that selection of flash games on a fw 2.7+ easier.
• PSPTunes v1.00: Formerly iTunes for PSP, PSPTunes is a music player for PSP that makes listening to music while using the Internet possible.
• Pic Viewer
• Text Reader

Jaapie will continue improving on this flash portal and promises more games, more apps, and some Flash movies in the second release. If you're liking this application already, then go ahead and click on the download below. Don't forget to let Jaapie know what you think of his Flash Portal's first release by leaving your comments below.

Download: [Jaapie's Flash Portal v1.0]

Chubigans has posted on his blog about his latest release for the PSPs firmware 2.7+ flash browser. PSP Complete Arcade Pack contains 12 Flash games for your PSP, and stops the 'clog' of bookmarked flash games PSP owners with firmware version 2.7+, or just those using the latest version of DevHook can experience. The Complete Arcade Pack's menu features a small screenshot or image from each game which hyperlinks to the game in question, loading it in the PSP's browser.

The pack features 12 games that range from Hangman to Solitaire to Tetris, and is bound to keep you occupied during the summer months. The great thing about this is that with DevHook v0.44, even firmware 1.5 users can experience the great PSP Flash browser and games. All you have to do is place the folders in the root of the memory stick, then type file:/yourfolder/psparcade.htm into your browser (preferably bookmarking it or setting it as your homepage) and game away!

Download: [Complete Arcade Pack for PSP flash Browser]

With the success of World Championship Poker titles, Crave Entertainment brings out a bonanza of classic card games with World Championship Cards for the PSP and PS2. With over 30 classic card games, including Bridge, Gin Rummy, Solitaire, Cribbage, Hearts, Spades, and Crazy 8s, the game will surely appeal to casual gamers. It supports multiplayer mode allowing up to eight players to compete online or wirelessly against others in the same room. It also supports the EyeToy USB Camera and USB Headset for the PS2.

The game features a create-a-character mode that allows you to add more personality to your card game alter ego. Change your skin tone, hair, clothing and hat to create a commanding presence at the table. Multiplayer capabilities allow up to 8 players to challenge others online, with PlayStation 2 and PSP users able to play against each other.

The game is expected to retail for $14.99 for the PS2 and $19.99 for the PSP.