The left brain handles conscious, logical matters. Without it we'd be unable to evaluate our inspirational flashes and turn the various worthwhile ones into reality (and one's head would tend to rattle – ed). But the left brain works in a relatively plodding fashion.
Left to solve puzzles
Games that involves the left brain and also require the creative right aren't too common. You can play many adventures simply by working out what objects are available and applying them to problems as and when they are encountered (a locked door and a key equals an open door).
The best adventures need ingenuity. This has seldom been seen more clearly than in Infocom's superb adaption of The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy (now available on the budget Mastertronic label from Virgin). Douglas Adams' trips into lateral thinking are far more than logical inversions, and to solve the game's puzzles you have to let your right brain roam free in a search for unlikely solutions.
Similarly, the open-ended nature of Maxis' god simulators Sim City (via Infogrames) and Sim Earth (via Ocean) take them beyond just simple resource management games, in which a mathematical model lurks just beneath the surface, into the realms of imaginative speculation. Their friendly user interfaces, considering the complexity of the programs, and real-time action encourage instinctive actions.
And, with large-scale simulations such as Sim Earth in particular, it is entirely possible to set the game going, then go away and get on with something else, leaving life to evolve at its own pace with only occasional interruptions from the divine PC owner.
Right-brain recreation
The purest forms of right-brain entertainment are ones that, once you've learnt the rules, allow you to switch off your logical brain. Star Wars character Luke Skywalker had 'The Force' and real-life air aces talk about 'sixth sense' that made them dive just before an enemy opened fire. Both are examples of instinctive reactions.
Shoot-'em-ups are ideally suited to stirring the right hemisphere's synapses. A game need only last for a few minutes, making it an excellent diversion, and the fast action requires lightning reactions, so there's no time to make conscious decisions.
Two all-time classics are Xenon (16 Blitz Plus/Virgin Mastertronic) and Xenon 2 (Mirror Image), and as both are available at budget prices, every executive should add them to the golf simulation they keep hidden behind the WordPerfect manual (still, we won't sneak on you).
Anybody who has any qualms about killing aliens (who knows, they may be coming in peace?) could try a driving game. Don't look for the complexities of an accurate simulation. Instead, you want a fast and smooth-moving game with a minimum number of controls.
Electronic Arts' Mario Andretti's Racing Challenge fits the bill nicely, but a budget release just beats it to the chequered flag. Though Out Run (Kixx/US Gold) is becoming a little long in the tooth on the graphics and audio side, its varied scenery and snaking roads make for an addictive drive. It may even enable you to unwind after the early morning automotive nightmare inevitably faced when attempting to drive to work.
