We’ve all found ourselves at one point or another discovering a video game, whether by deliberately looking for a distraction from work or school, based on a friend’s recommendation, or from something we’ve read. And while games labeled “casual” don’t have the complexities and level of commitment of something like World of Warcraft or Halo, they are nonetheless certainly entertaining and most definitely addicting.

Below are 7 addicting games that have us hooked:

Bejeweled

About Bejeweled:

Dubbed the most popular casual video game of the 21st century and available across all platforms including cell phones, game consoles and even in-flight entertainment systems, Bejeweled is a must play for the casual game seeker.

In it, players line up same-colored jewels in rows or columns of three or more in order to eliminate them and match up more same-colored jewels. Players can move jewels around, but only if moving the jewel will complete a set of three or more.

Two modes, normal and timed, allow players to choose between playing until all possible matches have been found (normal) or playing until the timer goes off (timed). In the timed mode, the more matches a player continues to make, the more time they’re given to make more matches.

What critics say:

GameZone gives Bejeweled a 9.6 for its highly addictive nature and calls it a “great game for someone who needs a quick break from the repetitiveness/boredom of work or school.”

Game identifying sound that will give you away to your boss or teacher:

Bookworm

About Bookworm:

Bookworm is a fun-filled word game, where players connect adjacent scrabble-like letter tiles to form words. Players start with a screen of random letters, and as they create words, the bookworm eats the tiles, building up his library and advancing the game to harder levels. The old eaten tiles are replaced with new tiles, some of which are jeweled and represent extra points, and some of which burn and will end the game if not used in a word before they reach the bottom of the screen and burn the library.

What critics say:

IGN Entertainment gives Bookworm a rating of 8.5, calling it “exceptionally addictive” and encouraging players to “get the hang of checking out the surrounding tiles of letters in hopes of seeking out some magical chain.”

Game identifying sound that will give you away to your boss or teacher:

Text Twist

About Text Twist:

In Text Twist, players are given 6 letters and 2 minutes to come up with as many word combinations as possible. The goal is to figure out the six-letter word, which will advance them to the next level. Clicking the “twist” button rearranges the letters, helping players discover more word options.

What critics say:

Casual Gameplay writes that Text Twists’ “good presentation and simple rule set make this game perfect for a quick break.”

Game identifying sound that will give you away to your boss or teacher:

Motherload

About Motherload:

In Motherload, players use a mining pod to dig deep into Mars’ soil. The object of the game is to dig as deeply as possible collecting minerals along the way, which can be sold to upgrade and enhance the mining pod. One of the game’s biggest challenges is digging deeply enough while saving enough fuel for the return trip to Mars’ surface.

What critics say:

GotoAndPlay calls Motherload a “beautiful masterpiece,” a game that players can play for hours-non stop. “This game has all the qualities to make it a very fun, exciting, and enjoyable game to play for a long, long time!”

Game identifying sound that will give you away to your boss or teacher:

Chuzzle

About Chuzzle:

In Chuzzle, players drag rows of furry, round, Koosh-ball like creatures, called Chuzzles to make groups of three or more same-colored Chuzzles. Once matched, the group of Chuzzles explodes, and their eyeballs fill a beaker, which, when full advances the player to the next level.

Challenges to the game include the appearance of padlocks which will lock an entire row or column and prevent it from being moved, as well as the appearance of giant Chuzzles which take up two rows, causing those two rows to move as one.

What critics say:

Gamezebo calls Chuzzle a “well-designed and endlessly fun puzzle with a cute edge.” IGN Entertainment calls Chuzzle a game “that will keep players entertained and engaged for hours on end as they struggle to conquer a classic game with a new and lively twist.”

Game identifying sound that will give you away to your boss or teacher:

Fishy!

About Fishy!:

In Fishy!, the premise is simple – eat fish smaller than you in order to grow, and avoid getting eaten by bigger fish. The bigger the fish you eat, the more points you will earn and the bigger you will grow, allowing you to eat even bigger fish.

Navigate through the deep blue sea using arrows, moving out of the way of big fish, and chasing smaller fish to eat.

What critics say:

Despite its simple set up, staying alive in Fishy is harder than it looks, making it all the more addicting! And once you’ve succeeded in becoming a big fish in the sea, the need to become an even bigger fish, the next time around is even stronger.

Game identifying sound that will give you away to your boss or teacher:

Zuma

About Zuma:

In Zuma, players aim a marble-spitting frog at a line of moving colored marbles with the goal of matching the shot marble to the line of marbles. When a string of three or more like-colored marbles is created, that string disappears. The object of the game is to eliminate the string of marbles before it grows and reaches the sun god.

What critics say:

IGN calls Zuma “Im-damn-possible to put down,” writing that it relies on game play with an incredible hook. Game Mile calls out Zuma’s “gorgeous design, performed in the style of ancient Maya” as well as its addictiveness.

Game identifying sound that will give you away to your boss or teacher:

Now that we’ve shared our list of addicting causal games with you, we challenge you to play any of these and stop after just 5 or 10 minutes of game play.