Once upon a time there was a game called Bejeweled. It was fun. You moved colours jewels around and when you made a line of three they disappeared. It was a Facebook application and you could play it against your friends. That turned a slightly addictive game into a competitive one and I got a bit hooked. For a while, I played it a lot. I was pretty good, obviously. And one day I decided I really should just stop, and so I did.

I went a long time without playing Bejeweled. And then, last year, I got an iPhone and discovered the Bejewled iPhone app. Brilliant: you can play by touching the screen – much easier than with a mouse or trackpad. And, even better, the app could connect to Facebook so you could still play your friends.

My competitive side got the better of me. I was hooked. Again. Train journeys in particular were given over to playing Bejeweled. And I was good. I often topped the weekly league of my friends. I got lots of medals and stuff.

And then I started thinking that maybe I could be doing something with all that time. Apart from a sense of satisfaction and general superiority – and let’s not underestimate that – the game achieves nothing. Possibly it keeps my brain in shape, but I doubt it; it’s no kakuro. It occurred to me that train journeys could be better spent reading teh internets, or a book, or just thinking – which sounds wet but isn’t, as Lord Arnopp explains.

So today I have removed Bejeweled from my phone. This will be welcome news to those I have conquered. I judge not ye who choose to retain it, but no longer shall I allow it to sap my time.

I’m free! Free to read! Free to think! Free to use my time for positive, life-affirming ends!

So I’ve just installed Carcassonne…