'Fed up of all the talk about Christmas? Play a virtual ball game to get it out of your system.'

Suzanne Elvidge reveals the best ball games that are free to play and online

All games are free downloads or free to view online, and need the minimum of equipment.

Some games require your browser to have a 'plug in' for Shockwave, Flash or Java.

To play a game, simply click on its name. If you are a parent, we advise you to try the game and the site it's on first before letting your kids play them, to make sure you're happy. (And, don't forget, you can also find great games for kids in our own Global Gang area)

When downloading games from the Internet, don't forget to keep your anti-virus and anti-spyware software up to date.

Fed up of all the talk about Christmas? Play a virtual ball game to get it out of your system.

Paintball

Click the mouse to shoot the yellow faces – safer and warmer than the real version!

Slingstar

Use the slings to bounce the ball up as high as you can and collect points. Bouncing near the ends gets you more height. I thought this one was hard!

Ballbalancer

Simple premise but hard game! Use your mouse to balance the keyboard and guide the ball to the goal keys.

Dodgeball

You are the blue player. Walk over to the ball to pick it up, use the space bar to charge up the ball, and then throw it at your opponents. But watch out for the balls they throw at you.

Launchball

Solve the science puzzles to get the ball to its goal, using heat, ice, steam, conveyors, magnets and lots of other great science-typestuff. I loved this one – it made me feel like a scientist again!

Ball

Use your arrow keys to move the white ball around. Avoid the red balls – the green balls give you points and the yellow ones give you random surges of power.

Click Maze

Click start, then click your mouse and the small red ball will follow it in straight lines. The aim is to get to the large red ball. Starts easy but quickly gets harder.

Ultimate Golf Ball Frenzy

Combining pinball, squirrels and golf, this is the most fun I’ve had on a Friday night for a while (I don’t get out much…) Use z and / for flippers, and the space bar launches the ball.

The Simpsons Movie Wrecking Ball

Very very silly! Use the wrecking ball to hurl the armoured car in the air and save the Simpsons family. Use the left and right arrows keys to move Homer back and forwards, and up and down keys to move the wrecking ball up and down. It’s quite entertaining when he fails too!

Curveball

A bat and ball game. Control the blue paddle using your mouse.

• Other games

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