This month, Suzanne Elvidge looks ten paper-based games

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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. Don't forget, you can also find great games for kids at Christian Aid's Global Gang website

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Paper has been around since about 3500 BC, and I suspect it was only a few minutes later that someone folded it into a paper plane. Rather than cluttering up your lounge or office with bits of paper, here are ten paper games to play online.

Throw Paper

Ever spent a happy afternoon in the office trying to get crumpled balls of paper into the (recycling) bin? You can do it virtually now, which is a bit less messy. Click and release the arrow to throw the paper when its pointing in the right direction – take into account the wind speed and direction.

Rock Paper Scissors

Rock, Paper, Scissors is a traditional hand game, where you select a hand gesture (rock – clenched fist; paper – flat hand; or scissors – two extended fingers) to beat that of your opponent. Rock blunts scissors, paper covers rock, and scissors cut paper. In this online version, simply click the images of rock, paper or scissors. You can use Rock, Paper, Scissors to make decisions, perhaps when you don’t have a coin to flip.

Paper Way

A racing game – your paper motorbike is trying to escape the oncoming paper shredder. The bike follows your cursor, but keep out of the way of cars as every collision slows you down.

Paper Pilot

Start off by designing your paper plane – select a type, choose your paper weight, and add elevators and winglets. Have a practice by clicking on the plane and pulling the arm back to throw. You can virtually challenge friends to designing and throwing a paper plane. And if you enjoy building paper planes online, you could also build some for real.

Paper Cutting

Did you ever fold and cut paper when you were a kid? Now you can do it online. Choose how you want your paper folded on the right hand side, then press the arrow to go to the next page, where you can select a pattern to give you ideas, cut with the scissors, knife or stamp, paint with the brush, and then click ‘show’ to see what you have done. With Christmas not that far off, you can make virtual snowflakes, or find instructions to make non-virtual snowflakes, including 3D ones.

Paper Flight

Use the fans to keep your paper plane flying for as long as possible – use the space bar to scroll the map and click on the fans to turn them on and off.

The Paper Cup

Race across the Paper Islands Cosmos to win the Paper Islands Paper Cup. Select your competitor and race – pull your mouse left or push it right to change your speed and up and down to move you up and down the screen.

Paper Kids

Deliver newspapers to your paying subscribers – but only newspapers that land within each customer's mailbox count as being successfully delivered. Use the arrow keys to move, the space bar to throw, and p to pause. Pick up extra lives and extra papers on the way.

Paper Airplane

Fly your paper plane using left and right arrows – the hot air vents will give you height. Avoid crashing into furniture and other objects or enemy paper planes.

Paper Dolls

Dress up a paper doll with eyes, hair, nose, shoes, clothes and a hat.

And as an extra, Toilet Paper. Now, if anyone can work out the point of this one, please let me know…

Links

• Other games

• surefish.co.uk culture section index