I hope you’re ready for some casual Nook games, because Astraware has four ready for you. The developer has just announced and released a line of Nook Color games, so your Barnes and Noble ereader can now handle more than books, magazines and newspapers. All four are classic casual games, which means you’ll know what you’re getting into even before you pay $4.99 each for them.

Astraware Casino, Astraware Solitaire and Astraware Sudoku are all ports of existing Astraware games…

Joystiq is reporting a rumor that free Windows games such as Solitaire, Freecell and Minesweeper are soon to receive Microsoft Live functionality. That would mean that after registering for a Games for Windows account (it’s free to do so) players of those games could access to leaderboards, chat and of course, Xbox Live Achievements.

Here’s a brief review of all the Android-based games (and apps) I downloaded from the Android Market and tried while reviewing the T-Mobile G1 phone.

They are presented in alphabetical order to help make it easier to find in the Android Market. While a few are demos with fuller versions you can purchase, all of these are free to download and try with most being free to keep. The applications are at the bottom of this post and I’ve taken screen shots of almost every game and app listed.

Click through for a list of 39 games and 10 applications for the T-Mobile G1 phone…

Title: Travel Games for DummiesPrice: $29.99System(s): DSRelease Date: October 28, 2008Publisher (Developer): Electronic Arts (Electronic Arts and Beanbag Studios)ESRB Rating: “Everyone”Pros: Three different games, 100 Crossword puzzles, 500 Sudoku puzzles, 10 kinds of Solitaire. Informative.Cons: You have to go back manually clear Crossword boards when you’re done. Solitaire is very hard. Sometimes the letter/number recognition is a bit off. Only one player profile allowed per cartridge.Overall Score: One thumb up, one thumb sideways; 80/100; B-; *** out of 5

EA Games’ Casual Entertainment division recently teamed up with Beanbag studios to create three instructional/casual games, two for the PC and one for the DS. The DS game, Travel Games for Dummies is actually a collection of three popular puzzle games – Sudoku, Solitaire and Crosswords. The goal of the endeavor is to teach people how to master these three games, and then offer a wide variety of puzzles to test their newfound skills in.

Its very straightforward, since it is supposed to be educational, but also is surprisingly fun. While it isn’t as diverse as say, Crosswords DS, it is better than the shovelware sudoku and casual game compilations you see cluttering GameStop shelves. And, surprisingly enough, it can help you become a better player. At least, the Crosswords and Sudoku segments can – I’m still on the fence about solitaire. Travel Games for Dummies would make a good gift for casual gamers this holiday season – I know my mom would adore it…