Happy in the traffic

It was a long drive back from a tech park on an expressway that suggested speed, but delivered long stationary periods and moments of inch forward bumper-to-bumper traffic. The mood was angry. Drivers willed cars to irrationally edge out of lanes into impossibly tiny spaces best left to the ways of steel hearted motor bike riders.

It was singularly appropriate that the next morning I discovered Trafficator. Log on to www.gamenode.com and head straight to “management games”. There’s so much to choose from between familiar action, RPG, racing, shooting, fighting and arcade games. Leave these delights for another time. Trafficator is about managing traffic smoothly, without running into people or other vehicles. Click on any vehicle to stop it. Click on it again to let it move on. That’s it! Three degrees of difficulty, and 15 levels of play.
Trafficator is understated elegance and design delight. The music track is lovely. The pace of the game is disarmingly gentle. Complexity lies in the number of vehicles, intersections, multiple things happening all at once. Many accidents later, I inched my way up a few levels. The detailing is glorious. A helicopter passes overhead. There isn’t much time to marvel at the different types of vehicles on the road. Brakes squeal loudly. Engines rev. There are moments when all goes smoothly. I’m happy in the free online traffic!

The author may be contacted at arup_kavan@yahoo.com

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