Sometimes I like to play Flash games. They're quick, easy to run and generally require little-to-no commitment. I've recently found a program called Flash Offliner. As the name suggests, it allows you to play Flash games offline.
Good sites to visit: Download the Flash Game:
Firefox
- (OPTION 1) On the FF Menu Bar, click TOOLS -> PAGE INFO -> MEDIA -> find the SWF file and click SAVE AS
- (OPTION 2) Download an add-on called Download Helper for Firefox. There are other programs that work similarly, but I've had the most success with this one.
On the IE Menu Bar, click TOOLS -> INTERNET OPTIONS -> GENERAL -> SETTINGS (under browser history) -> VIEW FILES.
You'll need to find the SWF file through a mess of other files, so choose VIEW -> ARRANGE BY TYPE. You'll also need to go to TOOLS -> FOLDER OPTIONS -> and uncheck HIDE EXTENSIONS FOR KNOWN FILE TYPES. Once you've found the SWF, click COPY and PASTE the file wherever you want.
Opera
- (OPTION 1) Go to TOOLS -> ADVANCED -> CACHE, find the SWF file and choose either SAVED LINKED CONTENT or SAVE TO DOWNLOAD.
- (OPTION 2) Type OPERA:CACHE in the address bar, find the SWF file and choose either SAVED LINKED CONTENT or SAVE TO DOWNLOAD.
At the upper right-hand section of the toolbar, click on an icon that resembles a "turned page." Click on DEVELOPER -> VIEW SOURCE. Find the SWF file, right-click on it and choose SAVE LINK AS...
Flash Offliner:
Once you've downloaded your SWF, activate Flash Offliner. An icon with a stylized "F" should appear in your SysTray. Right-click on the icon and choose FLASH OFFLINER MENU -> CREATE NEW FLASH OFFLINER PACKAGE.
You can name your Flash Offliner package whatever you want (I'd suggest the actual name of the Flash game) and you can fill in the other areas if you wish, but none of those are required.
Click SELECT GAME FILE, choose the SWF and then click START PACKING. A new file with an extension of "FOP" should appear.
Now right-click on the Flash Offliner icon and choose FLASH OFFLINER MENU -> INSTALL FLASH OFFLINER PACKAGE. Select the FOP file and that's it!
You can now play that Flash game whenever you wish, whether or not you have an Internet connection. This is also good for traveling since you might not always have online access.