Bored at Work: Bow knows

Time to head off to medieval times...

Game Bowmaster

Website Lost Vectors

Object You're in control of a castle that shoots arrows. There are a few ways to aim, ranging from point and click (the easiest) to dragging back from the circle situated at the top of the highest tower (the second hardest only to being able to drag from anywhere on the screen...try it and you'll see what's so difficult). Tiny enemy units come at you from the castle on the other side of the screen, marked as evil by its choice of red brick design and, um, spikes. Your arrows can pierce enemy units, take down the castle itself, or innocently slaughter your own men. Defend against the enemy's wave, or take control of the enemy's flag, and achieve victory, gold and the opportunity to purchase upgraded arrows and new units.

Upon closer inspection During the first level, it's just you and your arrows vs. wave after wave of evildoers. You're rewarded after lots of repetitive dragging motion with some gold and a few new toys to buy. I went for the fire arrows (ooh!), which turned out to be kinda lame. They took a long time to load up, and they deal only slightly more damage than a regular arrow (with some residual from the burning). Not to fear: After the next level, I went with the ice arrows (double ooh!). They were even lamer—just as long to load, just as minor the damage. Yes they slowed down the unit they hit, but I was still having trouble aiming straight, so most of the time my well-deserved arrow hit the ground. My advice is to purchase footmen and cavalry early on—having people on your side reduces the feeling that you're sitting alone, at your computer.