A short list for the time between meetings, trains and dinner.

Five minutes is an awkward amount of time. It is too short for a proper game and too long to stare at the wall. The best small games understand this. They give you a clear first move, a visible goal and an ending you can reach before the next thing starts.

These five are from Crux , a free iPhone and iPad app with daily word, logic, number, geography, trivia, colour and arcade games. Each has a daily puzzle, and a few play in the browser as well. None of them needs an account, and none of them shows ads.

1. One Line

One Line gives you a grid of numbered dots and one rule: draw a single path from one to the last number, visit every square, and do not lift your finger. It is a calm puzzle with a sharp little edge. You can see the whole board, but the order still catches you out. There is no clock. If you paint yourself into a corner, undo and try again.

It is the game to reach for when you want to think about one thing and nothing else.

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