In Snood, your goal is to clear the screen of Snoods, little alien creatures, by shooting more Snoods at the existing ones from a rotating cannon at the bottom of the screen. You can only shoot one Snood at a time, and cannot choose which Snood you want next. When three or more Snoods of the same type touch, they explode, causing any other Snoods that are no longer attached to other Snoods to also fall away. Sounds simple, right? Wrong. The more Snoods you fire, the higher the Danger bar on the right of the the screen rises. When the Danger bar is full, a row of brick wall appears at the top of the screen, pushing all of the Snoods down closer to you. If the Snoods ever reach the cannon, the game is over. The only way to make the Danger bar go down again is disconnecting Snoods that are not the same type as the Snood you are shooting. The game is won when the screen no longer has any Snoods attached to the top of the screen, and bonus points are awarded for clearing the screen using a small number of Snoods.

As if strategizing and aiming your cannon carefully is not enough, there are many other obstacle to make your life more difficult – and the game even more addicting. On higher difficulty levels, there are skull-shaped Snoods, that can only be cleared by having them fall off. The latest version of the game features special Snoods such as "wild card" ones that will turn into whatever they touch first. 

In additional to normal play, there are two other modes that are played on more than one screen. The Journey mode takes you through all the levels, starting on Child and progressing in difficulty until you lose. The Puzzle mode – one of my favorite features – takes you through progressively more difficult puzzle levels where you have to ricochet trick shots around walls of skulls to complete the level. In normal mode, you can create your own levels, choosing the number of rows and columns of Snoods that will appear, as well as the Snoods' size. Here you must truly strategize how to make the Snood icons fall in order to advance, and a single poorly aimed shot can mean the end. 

With insanely addictive gameplay, infinitely replayability, and excellent customizability, Snood is one of the best coffee break games ever made, ideal for four-to-five minutes of play at a time. It is well worth the registration price, because you will be playing hundreds of games for hours on end. A modern classic, and a well-deserved entrant into our Hall of Belated Fame.

Note: The official site, linked below, sells versions of the game that have come out since, for all kinds of platforms. Check it out!