The Classic Microsoft Game You Can Play In Your Google Browser Right Now

Back when the internet wasn't an all-encompassing hub for entertainment, built-in games on Windows were a go-to pastime for many. There's the strategic card game Solitaire, thought-provoking Chess Titans, and ever-exciting 3D Pinball. But the crown jewel of Microsoft's game collection was the incomparably frustrating but addicting Minesweeper. This puzzle game was all the rage, and you will literally feel that if you happen to step on a mine and blow your chance to win. It was so entertaining and challenging that it became the game that led to the creation of the Xbox!

Unfortunately, you won't find Minesweeper pre-installed on the recent versions of Windows. To play it now, you need to install the app from the Microsoft Store first. Although the game is free, the extra step is still a bit of an inconvenience. And if you're looking for an alternative to a download, you can play Minesweeper from your browser instead, thanks to Google's playable Doodles.

If you're using Google Chrome, you can play Minesweeper by simply typing the keyword "minesweeper" in the search bar. You will then find the Google Doodle for Minesweeper at the very top of the search results. To start the game in the middle of the screen, just click on the Play button. If, however, you prefer a more immersive, full-screen experience or are on a browser other than Chrome, you can also visit the Minesweeper Doodle website to play.

The Doodle Game version of Minesweeper has three levels of difficulty: easy, medium, and hard. The number of hidden mines (and therefore the size of the field) increases as you advance through the levels. Easy has ten mines, medium comes with 40, and hard challenges you with 99. The controls are straightforward — left-click to uncover a tile and right-click to plant a flag.

A quick refresher on the rules:

• Your goal is to reveal the safe tiles while avoiding all the mines on the board.
• Pay attention to the numbers on the tiles as they provide hints as to where the mines are placed. For instance, a "1" means there's one mine on one of the tiles next to it, a "2" indicates two mines on the adjacent tiles, and so on.
• If you suspect that a tile hides a mine, plant a flag on it to avoid it later.
• The game ends the moment you click on a mine.