More sites to see:

www.communitygames.ie

Joe Connolly established the Community Games in 1967 and the event has since helped tens of thousands of young people feel a sense of belonging and achievement. It opened a Belfast office in November 1997, with the aim of breaking down barriers between communities through games activities. Many Irish Olympians, including Sonia O'Sullivan, got their start at the Community Games. This is an organisation worthy of great respect. Good website too.

www.monopoly.com

If board games rather than field games are what you're looking for on the Internet, Monopoly is a good place to start. The best-selling board game in the world was invented in Pennsylvania, in 1934, at the height of the American Depression. The rules section has everything and is designed for easy access (wish that had been around to solve my teenage Monopoly-related fights). The only downside is that parts of the site are specific to the US edition.

www.scrabble.com

The other great board game's site is not as Amero-centric, with the homepage giving you the choice of America and Canada or the rest of the world and a language choice of Spanish, German and French as well as English. The tips sections has the vital information that there are 109 two-letter words in English and that makes them the most important ones to learn. Again I wish this had been around when I was younger. The children's section is especially good.

ireland.iol.ie/ jghurley/

This is the homepage of chess Ireland, a regular unofficial information service covering the Irish chess scene and the activities of Irish chess players. The site has been in existence since April 1995 and attracts between 400 and 800 readers each week. The site is a labour of love for John Hurley, who is immortalised in its name. The clubs/contacts link gives basic contact information about all of Ireland's chess clubs. If chess is your thing, this is the site for you.

www.pokemon.com

The Pokemon phenomenon is something that baffles me, but I loved The Incredible Hulk when I was a kid, so what do I know? The Frequently Asked Questions section is very good (particularly useful to me was the "What the heck is Pokemon" one). You can download a Pokemon image as a screensaver, something that will doubtless thrill and delight the Pokemon lover in your house. The path to a greater understanding of Pokemon starts here.