I have a bit of a problem with computer games from time to time. While I normally avoid playing them (I'll never look back on my life and wish I'd played more), I occasionally lose big sections of my life to a particular game. In the past, I've wasted precious brain cells and my limited time on earth on Age of Empires and MechWarrior, but recently, it's been Harvest Moon: Friends of Mineral Town.

Not exactly a macho game, it's a GameBoy title that my boys play. You basically run a farm in a small town, trying to make ends meet, make a local girl fall in love and marry you, and raise lots of kids. In the meantime, you raise crops, chickens, cows, etc. and try to keep them all happy (you need to talk to your chickens or they get cross.) There are a bunch of little side games and a surprising amount of depth for a handheld game.

It's a very simple and charming game, not unlike Animal Crossing (another sordid tale of addiction and self-loathing). There's a GameCube version as well that interacts with the GameBoy version via a special cable. I'm resisting the urge to go out and buy the GameCube version, but I'm afraid I may fail.