In the gaming world everyone loves the shiny, new thing. But when that fascination gets in the way of appreciating enduring quality, it should be resisted. Even though several years past its release date, now, I still say that, in the category of free games, still the top of the line in the best games for PC remains this swell bossa nova noir game, as I like to call it, Gravity Bones. A delightful standalone game, it immerses the player in a kind of avant garde art piece, functioning as a first person player mode, where we find ourselves strolling through a world of spy-like intrigue.

There are only two levels and you can play through the entire thing in probably about 20 minutes - at least once you figure out how the heck to get to that fourth bird. It is mission based with a learning arch embedded into the process, which is executed quite cleverly. It comes in a zip file and needs no installation. It requires about 20MB of disk space.

None of that though really gives you a sense of what's so great and fun about this game. It is experience-based and beautifully realized. Though technically a first-person game that description is misleading. This one kind of busts open a genre all of its own: bossa nova noir!

Ascribing a story to it is a bit tricky. There are certainly tasks and as you uncover and accomplish them, a unity emerges, but for all that, this game functions more as a work of slightly avant garde art: it's open to a lot of interpretation.

Right from the start you're thrust into a kind of Euro-spy scene as you find yourself wandering amid elegantly dressed blockheads (really, you have to see it, to understand) all making merry at some black tie cocktail party spread out over a series of terraces with spectacular views of a lake and surrounding mountains. A smooth bossa nova sound track follows you among the crowd. You're already on your first mission the moment you're out of the elevator.

This first level, really more a test run, is rapidly completed. Then you're coming off a second elevator and things are a little more elaborate and complicated this time, as you have to find your way through back corridors and across catwalks on an ominous and stormy night.

There's little to dislike about this exquisitely put together game, but I do have one complaint: I could have done just fine in the absence of the clue cards. Personally, I entirely ignored them and figured out the missions just through investigation and exploration. That was way more fun. The cards weren't needed and I would have preferred not having them as a distraction in the corner of the screen. At the very least they should be optional. It is just a minor complaint, though.

The aesthetics of this game are almost as much fun as the play. Boldly foregoing the usual polygon realism the game conjures up a vivid world of its own that works beautifully with an espionage sensibility that stops just short of being self-mocking. It's maybe ironic without descending into cheesy.

Though short and sweet, for play and aesthetics alike, this game is a real treat. It's definitely still our number one choice among the best games for PC in the free category.