• Many car games involve racing, but online games offer action that thinks outside the box.a car in a car show image by Gary from Fotolia.com
  
  There are plenty of action-packed car games out there on the Internet, and not all of them are limited to racing. Many games are available for free via game hosting websites and are played through the user's web browser. In some cases, the user might have to download an up-to-date version of Flash or Java technology to begin playing a particular game.
  
  

"Rocket Car"

• This is a 2D car game with a difference: The car you're controlling can fly. To fly, you need to power your car with fuel packs which are scattered all over the level, on various platforms and in the air. You'll need to steer your car around the level to pick these up; whenever you get a fuel pack, the power bar on the bottom of the screen will fill up. Whenever you fly, you'll use up fuel and the bar will go down again.
  
  The overall goal in this game is to get enough fuel to fly to the door at the top of the level. Get there, and you complete the level. If your car runs out of fuel, you're likely to end up crashing and burning by falling through one of the gaps in the platforms.
  
  

"Demolition Dodge"

• This frantic game involves the chaotic sport of the demolition derby. You begin by picking your car from a list including classic sports models and 4-by-4 vehicles. You're dropped into the thick of the action, inside a stadium filled with other vehicles intent on destroying your car. The aim of the game is to stay alive as long as possible by keeping your car away from other vehicles and the resulting collisions. You control your vehicle using the directional buttons on your keyboard; collide with cars, and your vehicle will take damage. It'll start to smoke and eventually blow up, and then it's game over.
  
  To help you out, there are various power-ups scattered around the course. These include invisibility, represented by an outline of a car, and car repair, which is in the shape of a wrench. Drive your car onto these to gain the benefits of the power-up.
  
  

"Park Master 2"

• A game about parking your car might sound a little dull, but "Park Master 2" is certainly a tense ride. In the game, you guide your vehicle from the left-hand side of the screen over to a parking spot in the car park using your keyboard's directional buttons. It sounds simple, but there are plenty of obstacles in your way--other vehicles, trees, people--and to make matters worse, you're under a time limit. Hit an obstacle or run out of time, and it's game over.