SpecialEffect's accessible GameBase

The big G. Golf. I've never really understood the appeal. Silly rules about wearing a collar, rain, and flailing about in a sand-pit. But Crazy Golf. I get that. That is fun.

MiniGolf Accessible is crazy golf given an accessibility make over. Putt the ball into 18 different holes in as few shots as possible. You can choose from three different ways of playing: One-switch, Mouse Pointer or Keyboard.

PC (can be opened in a separate window) - The Game Kitchen/ AccessAble Games

Slalom, The Videogame is a virtual version of 'Wheelchair Slalom,' a sport in which wheelchair users compete by completing courses which test their handling of their chair. The gameplay requires a high level of skill and control to move your character successfully around the courses.

Developers The Game Kitchen and AccessAble Games have included a wide range of accessibility settings, including:

- Adjustable Game Speed
- Adjustable Wheelchair Speed
- Hint Lines (show course route)
- 3 choices of control (joystick/keyboard, mouse and one button mode)
- Control sensitivity for x and y axis
- Closed Captions

  "Something Special" (on-line and free) from the BBC

To celebrate the 100th episode of children's Makaton based television show, Something Special,  the BBC have just launched a fantastic accessible on-line area.

It includes UK signing, symbols, songs, art activities, stories and of course games!

Almost all of the games work nicely in a cause and effect manner. Some are switch accessible, some for the keyboard, some eye-toy like for using the web-cam and some point and click accessible. That covers all the main input devices so far as I can see.

The most accessible of these games are in the Something Special: Out and About section, being Balloon Pop, Spotty Bag, Dress Up Mr Tumble and Tumble Faces.

Hugely recommended for very young kids, and anyone with an interest in Makaton, which is a reduced version of British Sign Language created to support learning disabled people.

In 1987 a little-known fighting game crept onto the arcade scene. It featured the player controlling a single martial artist who fought his way through 10 increasingly harder opponents in several locations around the world.

The game's main selling point being 2 large pressure-sensitive buttons that the player could whack to determine how hard their fighter kicked and punched. The game was 'Street Fighter' and the fighter's name was Ryu . . .
 
1991 saw the release of the now-famous sequel: Street Fighter II  - The World Warrior. This game turned the fighting game genre on it's head with it's large colourful sprites, the choice of 8 vastly different fighters to pick from, and the seemingly huge array of secret special moves known only to the Grandmasters of the Arcade!

Fast-Forward 20 years through a multitude of reiterations and CAPCOM finally give us Super Street Fighter IV: Arcade Edition (SSFIV:AE).

XBox 360, PS3, Tested on PC (opens in a separate window) - Codemasters

Dirt 3 brings back the excellant fully re-mappable control options from Dirt 2 and with them a big bunch of extra  accessibility features included in their 'Difficulty and Assists' settings.

Amongst them is 'Corner Braking' which acts as an auto brake. This can be used as a driving 'assist', but also as a way to reduce the amount controls required to play. By holding down the accelerator, either manually or using a latched switch, you are able to race controlling the steering alone whilst you braking is done automatically.

PC - VTree LLC (Powered By EA Sports)

VTree have created a highly accessible, high quality game which would be at home amongst any of the mainstream sports games you could pull off the shelf at any high street videogame shop.

That is until you load up the game and see the range of playable control options available, which you wouldn't ordinarily come accross in your standard game. The main ways of controlling the gameplay and menu's are using either a  pointer, switches (or keyboard) or an XBox 360 controller.

Tested on XBOX 360, also available on PS3 and PC - codemasters

''Immerse yourself in the glamour, pressure and exhilaration of the world’s most exciting motorsport as F1 2010 roars onto the track.''

With a embarassment of riches in terms of driving assist features in it's precursor (F1 Championship Edition), F1 2010 again offers plenty of modes to help keep us on the straight and narrow.

In a sport where lightening quick reactions and a mastery of your car are a given, features such as full traction control and a very welcome return of brake assistance allow a game which would otherwise be impossible, or at best discouraging to many, to take part and enjoy racing the fastest cars on some of the most challenging tracks on the planet 'taking you to the heart of Formula 1 like never before'.

PC Windows - Graeme's Free Games (freeware)

JazzBall was written after a suggestion was made to us by Sandra Robertson. She wondered if the old Microsoft game JezzBall might suit a more accessible interface and could perhaps become a fun game that both her children could play. Thanks to Graeme Singh taking up the challenge, they now can. Nice.

The aim of the game is to draw horizontal or vertical blocks across any available gaps, avoiding being hit by balls whilst you do so. If you manage to reach both sides of the gap without being hit, a section of a hidden picture will be revealed. Manage to reveal the majority of the screen and you'll progress to the next level. You can use your own pictures too, which can be immense fun.

PC Windows - Graeme's Free Games (freeware)

As I write this, teams are slowly being pared down and being given their marching orders from the 2010 World Cup. It's a nerve wracking time for many football fans.

For those looking for a less stressful World Cup themed diversion, Graeme Singh's highly accessible matching pairs World Cup gives you a bit more control over which teams go out first.