If you're hell-bent on killing several hours by staring at a computer monitor, what better way to do it than by playing a good ol' fashioned video game.
(Screenshot taken from Moby Games.)
DX-Ball is/was a popular late 90's version of the Atari classic Breakout. There seems to be something very satisfying about bouncing a little ball around the screen and making stuff break up or blow up.
You can download the game from the author's website, but you'll have to screen down and hunt for it a wee bit to find it. I've mirrored the file here:
- DX-Ball "Classic", version 1.09 with speed/highscore/sound bugs fixed (EXE file, 820 kb) (Windows 95, 98, or NT 4.0 -- runs OK on 2000 and XP as well)
There is also a DX-Ball 2 available for free download, which boasts updated graphics, etc., but I don't really like it as much -- some of the graphic effects are inconsistent, and the sound doesn't sync up properly with the action onscreen. Also, it has a limited number of game levels (the idea is that you're supposed to buy more).
True DX-Ball enthusiasts will also find this list of cheats and hints useful for enhancing game play.