While I’m happy about the bit of WWDC news that more mainstream commercial games will be coming to the Mac -- it will give Windows PCs “switchers” one more reason to let go of the Dark Side -- I can’t say I’ll be playing them. (Okay, I might break down and get Madden NFL 2008.) I’m sure they’re great, but I rarely have the kind of extensive leisure time necessary to enjoy those kinds of games.

When I do get a few minutes to play, however, I prefer shorter, simpler games, which are fairly abundant for Mac OS X. One of my favorites is Monster Fair, a pinball simulation from Japan-based LittleWing. Back in the 1980s, my much younger self wasted countless hours (and quarters) on such pinball classics as High Speed, Comet and Pinbot. Back in the 1990s, I sought out Mac-based pinball computer simulations, but the experience left much to be desired. I found a few, two of them early LittleWing efforts: Crystal Caliburn and Eight Ball Deluxe. They were excellent for their time but the hardware of the era couldn’t adequately simulate a real pinball machine.

For years I paid little attention, though occasionally I’d stumble on a pinball simulation that departed too much from the classic table games by relying on gimmicks only possible in video games (Disney/Pixar’s Pinball Panic springs to mind). Then last summer I discovered Monster Fair and found that LittleWing had kept plugging along all these years releasing new pinball games, each time improving the graphics and simulated physics.

As LittleWing’s newest, Monster Fair boasts the most lush graphics and smoothest game play yet (and it's Universal Binary -- compatible with Intel-based Macs). It’s almost like I’m back at an arcade in the 80s, except I’m not blowing all my quarters. For those that fondly remember the days when you could still find a pinball machine in an arcade, Monster Fair will provide a welcome diversion when you have a few minutes to spare. And in a testament to the classic nature of pinball, my 7-year-old likes it, too.

You can download a time-limited trial (you get to play for only 60 seconds at a time) of Monster Fair or any of LittleWing’s older pinball simulations from the company’s Web site. Should you choose to buy a key code for a full version of the game, your credit card will be charged 2,980 Japanese yen, which converts to about 25 U.S. dollars or 100 U.S. quarters.