Image: Rainstorm
'Move the umbrella and keep the robot dry!'

I don't know what it's been like with you, but we've seen a lot of rain lately, so we thought we would bring you ten rain games (and if you haven't had much rain, watching and listening to RainyMood will get you into the right frame of mind…)

Put up your brolly, get into your oilskins, souwester and galoshes, and get playing!

Small but important print: 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.

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

• Rainstorm
Very simple little game – use your mouse to move the umbrella and keep the robot dry, and don't forget that robots don't like getting wet…

• Let it Rain
Click to add balloons – these will lift and lower objects to guide enough raindrops to the cloud so that it rains on the plants.

Try to keep the number of clicks to a minimum. This is a classic puzzle game and is harder than it looks – but it's still this month's favourite game, and totally addictive!

Click on 'restart' to have another go, and 'solution' if you need a walkthrough.

• Spider in the Rain
You are a spider on the wall in the rain – catch flies by running up and down the wall (arrow keys) and jumping from one wall to the other using the space bar.

You lose lives if you fall of the bottom, or if you get too wet – surprising fun!

• Toto in the Rain
Toto the puppy has been caught in the rain. Use the arrow keys to keep him away from the raindrops and hailstones as he wanders round the forests.

Catching umbrellas will also keep him dry.

• It's Raining Cats and Dogs
Very silly… You don't want to fall off the bottom of the screen, so use your mouse to bounce off alien creatures to slow you down (but not all the creatures will slow you, and some will bite!)

Catching cats will award you bonus aliens (obviously…) Ridiculous fun!

• Birdy's Rainy Day Skipathon
Another puzzle game. Use the arrow keys to move around – red platforms disappear when you jump off them, and yellow platforms turn red when you jump on them.

Get Birdy to the end, and get all the red platforms to disappear. It's not as easy as it looks.

• Acid Rain
It's raining acid rain – try to get home as quickly as you can. The arrow keys move you left and right, and use X to jump. Done that? Try an acid rain crossword.

• The Rain Game
Use your mouse to follow the rain cloud and try to catch the droplets on the umbrella.

• Rain Symphony
Rain onto the landscape to make the flowers and plants grow. Start by choosing some music.

Moving the cloud into the notes will make it rain, and clicking the mouse will make it rain harder. Catch the orange spheres for a rainstorm.

• Ma-ku the Rain Cloud
Grow your flowers to maturity before you run out of time. Hold down the space bar or 'S' to rain on the flowers.

Ctrl or A will shoot lightning and fry bugs – flying bugs will eat all flowers, ground level bugs can only eat smaller ones. Look out for power-ups to give you extra powers.

And a few extras – find out how to make a sound rainstorm, make your own tornado, watch some clouds, and play The Chase – your aim is to get as close as possible to the tornado and carry out your objectives, starting with taking pictures of the centre of the storm.

Choose your vehicle, look for the storm on the tracking map, and then use the left and right arrow keys to navigate. The up arrow accelerates and the down arrow reverses.

• Suzanne Elvidge is a freelance writer and Surefish Ethical Living Editor

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