You set up, shoulders square with the foul line; you eye the target, aligning yourself with the dots on the lane; you raise the ball in preparation, stepping to move forward, slide, swing and let go. The ball travels just as you had envisioned it; and knocks down the split pins at the far end of the alley. The crowd cheers. You've won the tournament! - All from the comforts of your home.

Yes, practically all sports have a digital version of the game available for playing on the computer. It is now possible to "bowl" virtually through a number of computer games available on the Internet.

Some games are serious with considerations for physics as detailed as speed of approach and spin. Then there are others that are purely for cathartic fun. Here's a short list of bowling-based online games that have been making the rounds lately:

There are many free games online that build on the basic alley, pins and ball setup, with little variations. To check out some, try tapping out key bowling phrases on your favorite search engine to find games such as Polar Bowler, Pot Bowling Around the World, It's Raining Pins, and Bowling Evolution. Some details on select games follow:

Gutterball 2 Its creators claim it's the most realistic 3D bowling game. Building on the success of the first version, this one has an added 5 new lanes to its existing library. Rendered in 3D, the game makes for a fun coffee-break companion.

Rocketbowl The traditional bowling game with an explosive twist! Bowling balls are powered by rockets and can propel over all sorts of obstacles like water traps, bridges, and tunnels before knocking down pins. Some pins carry money points with them letting you earn points to buy more exciting balls!

Elf This game was a runaway hit just before the year 2000, when it made its debut during the holidays of 1999. It features Jolly Ol' Saint Nick knocking down toy factory elves on "strike" (can the pun get any more obvious?). With its funny cartoon like graphics, it has developed a niche following and has spawned different versions since its inception. Unfortunately, the game is only for downloading and an online version doesn't exist yet.

So there you are, even if you're not on the lanes, you can still bowl and have fun with the click of a mouse. Albeit there is little comparison to the real game, it does come quite close. Now all that's missing are the sodas and fries!