Bowling Games

In bowling games you roll the ball down the lane and try to knock down as many pins as you can. There are almost 30, all free and with nothing to download, with realistic bowling alley games and others with cartoon characters.

How scoring works

A game has ten frames, and in each one you get up to two throws to knock down ten pins. If you take them all down with the first ball, that's a strike, and you add ten plus whatever you knock down with the next two balls. If you clear them with the second ball, it's a spare, and you add ten plus what you knock down with the next ball. The highest possible score is 300, which takes twelve strikes in a row. The games usually do the math for you, but knowing it helps you see why a strike is worth so much.

What's on the list

The classic bowling alley is in Bowling Masters, Classic Bowling Game, Pro Bowling 3D, 10 Pin Alley, The Bowling Club and Power Bowling. If you want original settings, Disco Bowling, Ghost Bowling and Bowling Night change the mood.

With characters, there's something for different tastes: Doraemon Bowling, Stitch Tiki Bowl, Sonic X Bowling, Bedrock Bowling (with The Flintstones) and Gato Bowling. The controls stay the same: aim and release. Bowling Hero Multiplayer, as the name says, has a multiplayer mode. Rope Bow Puzzle, on the other hand, goes the puzzle route.

How to knock down more pins

• Set the direction first, then the power. Throwing wildly usually leaves pins standing.
• If the game lets you add spin or curve, use it sparingly: a small hook helps you hit the pocket between the one and three pins.
• Full power isn't always the answer. A slightly slower ball is often more accurate.
• If you have one or two pins left on the second throw, aim at them calmly. They're the easiest points to lose.

If it's your first game, start with Bowling Masters or Classic Bowling Game, which are the closest to a real bowling alley. The character games, like Stitch Tiki Bowl or Doraemon Bowling, are more relaxed and can be played without knowing the rules. In the tenth frame, a strike or a spare gives you extra throws, so the last roll can change the result quite a bit.