GAMES for free?

Nobody would be daft enough to just give games away, would they? You'd be surprised.

Freeloader.com is a website set up to do just that. Visitors to the site (www.freeloader.com) simply have to register and they are able to download a variety of games, and not just second-rate titles.

With big name games of the not-so-distant past such as Grand Theft Auto and Three Lions already available, and titles such as the excellent war action game Hidden And Dangerous on the way, Freeloader isn't to be sniffed at.

So... what's the catch?

Well, there's not one, particularly. The site aims to make its money from advertising. Once you register, you are awarded a certain number of Freeloader credits. You earn yourself more credits every time you visit the site, every time you click on the advertising banners on the site or when you fill in on-site questionnaires. The point of this is that Freeloader can then show their advertisers that they will get much greater exposure on their website - letting them charge more, and provide better games.

Freeloader isn't the only company out there giving away free games, though. Sega is also offering Dreamcast owners a tasty treat. Any Dreamcast owner who registers on Sega's Dreamarena website will land a free copy of the quite insane and hopelessly addictive puzzle game Chu Chu Rocket.

The reason behind this is that the Dreamcast is only now starting to make real use of its online capabilities, and Chu Chu Rocket is the first game to truly exploit internet gaming.

Chu Chu Rocket is not a cast-off title from Sega, either. Before the decision to give it away free to registered customers, it was expected to become a big summer hit for Sega.

To explain the game is to undersell it. Ostensibly, there's a bit of a plot in there, involving the Earth being invaded by alien space cats and you having to steer the planet's mice into escape rockets before they get gobbled up.

More to the point, it's the most addictive game since Lemmings. Iit is destined to be one of those landmark titles which people will either surrender their waking hours to, or hate with a passion.

With new games costing anywhere between £20 and £50, what is there to lose in this new era of free games?

Wetrix, published by Take 2 Interactive for Dreamcast

Wetrix is a fabulous variation on the Tetris games of old.

It is up to you to raise and lower land using falling blocks in such a way as to contain great lakes of water and stop any from leaking away over the sides of the landscape.

Graphics are crisp and sharp and, unlike many games of this sort, the music isn't so awful that you have to reach quickly for the mute button. It may sound simple, but with this type of puzzle game, simple is best and makes for good, clean fun that will keep you hooked for hours on end.

Overall 4/5

Victory Boxing Challenger, published by JVC for PlayStation

WITH the likes of Ready 2 Rumble bringing a genuinely fresh approach to boxing games, Victory Boxing Challenger is on the ropes from the start.

Fighting basically comes down to a fancy version of rock-scissors-paper.

Either you guess the right spot to hit your opponent, where he isn't blocking, or you simply pummel his gloves.

There's really nothing to make this title stand out from the crowd. This is a missed opportunity in a market with fairly few competitors.

Overall 2/5