Most accounting software packages are designed around a general ledger. The other modules (accounts receivable, for example) share information with the general ledger to allow automated posting. This modular approach allows smaller businesses to start with a general-ledger package and add additional modules as they are needed.

If you have modest accounting needs, you should investigate home finance applications. Some of them are sophisticated enough for small-business accounting, and they're usually easier to learn and use than full-blown accounting packages.

OK, games. There are several kinds of computer games, including shoot-'em-ups, eat-'em-ups, adventure games, simulations, board games, sports games, and some that are harder to classify. You may find that computer games improve your concentration and reflexes, teach you to be a more persistent problem-solver, help you relax after a hard day at the office, distract you during a hard day at the office—but it's OK if all they do is entertain you.

Shoot-'em-ups are modeled after the video games in arcades. They test your hand-eye coordination and your reflexes against invading aliens, enemy missiles, and falling meteors.

Eat-'em-ups, also called maze games, are modeled after Pacman^® The object of an eat-'em-up is to eat your adversaries before they can eat you.

Adventure games—also called fantasy games, role-playing games, or interactive fiction—transport you to a fantasy land where you try to accumulate the right combination of weapons, tools, keys, and companions to conquer whatever monsters stand between you and the treasure. You communicate with the application by using one-word or two-word commands like GO WEST or OPEN DOOR.

Unlike shoot-'em-ups and eat-'em-ups, adventure games don't require fast reflexes. These games can last for hours or even days.

Fortunately, there's usually a way to save your game-in-progress so you can take a break and pick up where you left off.

Figure 5-10
Computer as entertainer

Recreation

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