8 Great Games to Improve and Practice Mouse Skills

Games are a great way for new computer users to get acquainted with this new-and-sometimes-scary environment. Games are a fun distraction, that can also help the player upgrade his or hers basic computer skills. This is true for all levels of computer users - from mere beginners to advanced users - anyone can benefit from a good game.

Recently I found myself giving computer lessons to adults over 60 years old. Some of them are totally new to the computer world. One of the most difficult skills for them to master, is the use of a mouse - pointing, clicking, double-clicking, right clicking and dragging. For regular users, it's a natural thing. For those who take their first mousy steps, it's not that obvious.

So, I have assembled a list of simple games, that don't require a lot of thinking or strategics, to help new computer users practice the basic mouse skills they need for every-day computer use.

1. Bubble Shooter (Point and Click, Mouse movement and accuracy) - Serious gamers will ridicule this one, but it's a lovely, simple game that really requires just the movement of the mouse. It's also an easy, rather addictive game, which makes sure the player won't stop playing too soon.
   
   
2. Solitaire (Drag and Drop) - One can only guess how many work hours have gone to waste because of this heinous game. It's not very complicated and it's great for practicing drag and drop with your mouse - a skill which isn't easy to master if you are a new computer user. It's also available on any Windows computer.
   
   
3. Same Game (Double Click) - Simple and easy, and helps a user practice quick double-clicking.
   
   
4. Pong (Mouse movement, Speed) - Oldie, goldie and very useful for when you need to practice mouse movement, improve working speed and enhance hand-eye connection.
   
   
5. Sheep Dash (Reaction Time) - Sometimes users find it hard to connect between the eye and hand movement. This game enables the player to speed up their reaction time and to improve hand-eye connection.
   
   
6. The Maze (Dragging and Accuracy) - This is a generic game that has many forms. Basically, you have to carefully drag the dot with your mouse in order to pass through the maze. It requires precision and concentration. For intermediate users.
   
   
7. Music Catch 2 (Mouse movement and accuracy) - Another great game for intermediate users. It only requires of you to move around with the mouse - no clicking is necessary. However, you have to be rather quick and accurate - and it becomes more and more challenging as you advance. Plus - cool music :-)
   
   
8. Diner Dash (Multitasking, Time Management and Speed) - This game is actually for more advanced users. Use it to learn time management, multi-tasking and improving the speed of your mouse movement.

5 Great Time Management Games

Ready to dash around, dish out food, serve customers and run your own business - only as a game? In that case, you are looking for Time Management Games. These games require you to complete multiple tasks in a limited period of time. You have to balance quickness and efficiency, customer service and cleaning up; You have to keep all of your clients happy, serve them quickly, give them the correct order and serve as many people as possible for high scores.

Don't forget the chains if you wanna score big - do similar actions in a row, and you'll get bonuses that will help you reach your target score.

Here are 5 great time management games:

#5
Cake Mania




















Cake Mania is a lovely game, in which you have to serve cakes to your impatient customers. Every cake is different - the shape, the frosting and the additional decorations - and each action takes a different amount of time. You have to keep your customers happy while serving them their desired cakes. The game had two sequels - Cake Mania 2 and Cake Mania 3.

As with most time management games, the first levels are very easy, but the difficulty increases rapidly. It's an enjoyable, colorful game, and it gets very challenging at the high levels.

>> Download Cake Mania
>> Play Cake Mania Online for Free

#4
Diner Dash



















This immensely popular game was first published in 2004 and became a major hit. Diner Dash is one of the classics in the time management genre. The game involves seating customers and guiding Flo (the main character) around the restaurant to serve customers. The game got a lot of attention for a casual game, and even got mentioned in the NY Times.

The graphics are not impressive and the games can get a bit "more of the same", but we're still talking about a classic with many sequels, and generally a good game to try out as your first time management game.

>> Download Diner Dash
>> Play Diner Dash Online for Free

#3
Burger Shop



















Burger Shop is a seriously cool game. It's looks like a regular time management game - serve the costumers, keep them happy, be quick etc., but it has its twists and winks, and it also has very cool music and sweet graphics. The humor isn't bad, either. It's also one of the more challenging games in this list - probably the hardest of them all. I really enjoyed it and recommend it as one of the best time management games around.

>> Download Burger Shop
>> Play Burger Shop Online for Free

#2
Cooking Dash



















This rather new game feature the same main character from Diner Dash - Flo. This time Flo has parted from her cook and has to run the entire diner herself (with the help of her grandmother) - including cooking. Cooking Dash is harder than Diner Dash and requires a bit more speed and concentration. It's challenging and fun, and getting those expert scores isn't easy at all.

>> Download Cooking Dash
>> Play Cooking Dash Online for Free

#1
Miriel the Magical Merchant



















Miriel is an ordinary girl with extraordinary talents. In this time management game, you need to help Miriel manage her busy shop and fulfill her dreams. There's also a story line with quest-like choices, but it doesn't contribute much to the game itself. The game is unique and captivating in its different design and music. Miriel needs to serve customers but also cook - which complicates things further. There are also recipes of everything Miriel learns to cook, which is a lovely addition.

I really like this game, especially because of its uniqueness, cool music and different story line and approach. If you tried every possible time management game and you are hungry for more - Miriel the Magical Merchant offers a refreshing breeze of gameplay.

>> Download Miriel the Magical Merchant


That's it - hope you enjoy the games! If you your own favorite games, you are more than welcome to tell us in the comments!