Need good computer games for DS with ASD

[countdowntoxmas]

Not Apps, just good old-fashioned computer games that are available free for my DS, aged 5. Any suggestions?

Around that age, DS2 found games on the cbeebies/cbbc website.

Club Penguin for an online game?

I would recommend Scratch which is free to download. info.scratch.mit.edu/About_Scratch
link is to a very simple programming system - at its most basic level works like slotting jigsaw pieces together on screen and lets you produce mini animations. All 3 of mine enjoy it from Ds asd 13 to dd nt 7 - has used it since she was 5.

My boys loved lots of the games on miniclip.com which are all free. They may be for a bit later on, but 'crypt raider' was a big hit. Not educational, just fun. CBBC for more educational games. We got some cd roms of educational games fairly cheaply. Any children's tv character games mixed educational bits with fun.

Some of the Lego games seem popular with children on the spectrum.

Dd1 is hooked on 'moshi monsters' but was not as impressed with 'club penguin'.

There are lots of game web sites (with free games), dd2 (5) likes cbeebies and nic jr as well as moshi's (with help from her sister).

DS2 (4 1/2) likes the CBeebies games and some of the ones on the Lego website - although not sure if he is playing the Lego ones or watching his brother.

Neopets has lots of games as well as the looking after a pet bit. My DS happily lets the 'pet' starve but really enjoys Hannah and the Ice Caves and some of the other games.

My gang love the Woodlands Junior games. Which is a bonus, as they are all educational.

I also bought a load of games from that cheap bookshop The Works for a couple of quid that both boys really liked when they were a bit younger and again they were, for the most part, pretty educational. We had a Clifford the Big Red Dog one, several Garfield ones and some others, which I can't seem to remember at the moment.

A good place to pick up cheap games would be somewhere like Game Exchange, if they have one in your town. People trade in their old games to win points towards new games and they sell everything from PC games through to the latest console games. Both my boys save any money they have to spend in there.