I review a handful of casual games and desktop arcade games every year, typically because I’m looking for a way to stall on other writing projects. Sometimes they are well received, sometimes the games I write about were merely a passing distraction for me. Simulation games and hidden object puzzles were far and away the most popular of downloads. Arcade style games merely made a blip on the radar by comparison. Below is the list of the most downloaded games by you, the reader, for 2007.

1) Virtual Villagers – a runaway hit downloaded thousands of times more than every other game on the list.
2) Mystery Case Files: Ravenhearst – the sequel to Mystery Case Files: Prime Suspects remained popular through most of 2007.
3) Virtual Villagers 2: The Lost Children – not nearly as popular as the original Virtual Villagers, but equally challenging in leading your band of villagers through a series of puzzles while keeping them happy and healthy.
4) Hidden Expedition: Titanic – the underwater hidden object adventure.
5) Mystery Case Files: Huntsville was the first of the popular Mystery Case Files series of hidden object games.
6) Risk 2 – a variation on the classic Risk boardgame makes a solid showing on the top download list.
7) Kitty Luv is a variation on the NeoPets craze and remained popular during 2007 after debuting in late 2006.
8) Little Shop of Treasures offered a slightly different spin on the hidden object game, debuting earlier in 2007.
9) Mystery Case Files: Prime Suspects is the second in the series and held strong in the list of top games for 2007.
10) Diner Dash – debuted over 2 years ago and remains a highly popular download, with a solid showing at #10 this year.