Check that mate with Spb online mobile game suite

I've been having a lot of fun playing checkers with my distant friend via MSN Messenger lately, and thought it would be cool if we could do that during the commute.

Well, wouldn't you know it? Spb Software, a maker of Windows Mobile applications, announced on Wednesday the release of its Spb Online Games, a separate suite consisting of four online games.

(Credit: Spb Software)

These games include two versions of checkers (yes!), plus Hexagon, and Reversi. They allow you to play against real people from anywhere in the world, in real time.

The games, of course, require a Windows Mobile phone, such as the ATT Tilt, with an Internet connection, via cellular data, Wi-Fi, or ActiveSync. All these games are designed to launch fast (within 30 seconds or less) and players can continue from the spot were they left off.

Apparently, according to Spb, each of the games has been available separately, and each is getting more and more popular. The Wednesday release marks the company's effort to offer thousands of its online mobile game players a suite so that they can meet all of their gaming needs in one place. This also includes better management of game profiles: avatar, name, type of handset, and so on. Just like gaming via MSN Messenger, you can also further taunt your opponent through real-time chatting via typing or using preselected messages.

If this is new to you, like it is to me, you can just download the software, and try it free for 15 days. After that, the games cost $14.95 each. Existing registered users of Spb Online can get the games through an automatic "push" update to Spb Online version 1.1.

Spb Online Games is compatible with Windows Mobile 5 and later, and supports qVGA, VGA, Square QVGA, and WVGA screen resolutions, which basically covers almost all of current Windows Mobile smart phones. I do have one problem though--I sold out and bought myself an iPhone 3G a while ago.