Metro Driver

Metro Driver puts you in the cab of a three-car metro train, seen from the side as it runs through a busy cartoon city. All you have is the lever: four power notches, neutral, four brake notches and an emergency notch at the bottom. Motors and brakes take a moment to bite, so a good stop is read a few seconds ahead. Round signs set the speed limit, yellow boards warn of a slower one coming, and as the platform comes into view a precision meter counts the last metres down to the centimetre. Stop on the mark, open the doors, let the passengers on and close up again.

Forty segments run along eight lines, ordered from a gentle first stop to a long express. The Harbour Loop teaches the lever, the Viaduct Line climbs over arches above the street, Old Town hides short platforms underground, the Hill Line drops steeply into its stations, Riverside's wet rails stretch every stop, the Signal Box line holds you at red signals and the Night Line puts it all together in the dark. The Express runs fast past stations it does not call at. Every stop earns three stars: on the mark, on time and a smooth ride with no emergency braking and no speeding. Overrun the platform and the safety brake steps in with a soft oops, then the train backs up for another try. Nothing ever crashes.

Each segment is a quick run of a minute or two, and your stars and best scores are saved in your browser. When you want something endless, start a shift: stop follows stop as the day turns to evening and night, the lines get trickier, and every late or bumpy arrival costs you passenger goodwill. Keep it up as long as you can and chase a high score. Arrow keys or W and S move the lever and Space works the doors; on a phone or tablet, drag the lever on the right and tap DOORS.