Air hockey against the computer on your PC

Puck Smash gives you fast table air hockey against the computer, inside Games by Zaweba. You steer a blue mallet with the mouse, smash the puck into the slot at the far end and keep it out of your own, and the first to seven goals wins. It is free, works offline and is one of 82 original games in the app.

The computer is a quick opponent but not a perfect one, and learning where its weakness lies is the heart of the game.

Moving the mallet

Your mallet follows the mouse, and you must stay in your own half of the table. You can also move it with the arrow keys or WASD, though most people find the mouse more natural for a game this quick. The goal you are attacking is the slot at the right-hand end.

The important rule of the physics is that a moving mallet gives the puck pace. Simply placing your mallet in the puck's way blocks it, but swinging through the puck sends it flying. A good hit is a short, quick movement through the puck in the direction you want it to go, not a long sweep from the back of your half.

Catching the computer out

The computer reacts to where the puck was a moment ago, not where it is now. That tiny delay is everything. A straight shot gives it time to catch up, but a quick angle off the cushions changes the puck's path faster than the computer can follow. Bank shots, bouncing the puck off the side cushions into the slot, are the best way to score.

Aim for the cushion rather than the goal. A shot that hits the side cushion near the middle of the table and comes back across towards the slot is very hard for the computer to read in time. Try to vary your angles so you don't feed it the same shot twice.

Defending your slot

When the puck is coming at you, stay between it and your own slot rather than chasing it. Your mallet near the mouth of your goal covers most shots. When you get the puck back under control, don't hit it on the first touch if you are out of position. A short pause to line up a proper angle is worth more than a panicked clearance.

First to seven goals wins the match. Your plays, wins and best score are kept on the game's tile, in a scores file on your own PC, so you can see how your record against the computer builds up.

Starting a match

Puck Smash is on the Skill & sport shelf of Games by Zaweba. Open the shelf or press Ctrl+F and type its name. The title card explains how to play and lists the controls, F1 brings that back mid-match, Esc pauses and F11 fills the screen. If you click away to another window, the game pauses itself, so the computer can't score while you are not looking.

The table, the puck and every clack of it are made in code, so there are no downloads, no adverts and no account. For another quick head-to-head, Table Tennis on the same shelf is a rally against the computer with spin and angle to play with.