Mini-notebooks: These relatively limited portables are small, but powerful enough to play some low-impact games. First, take a look at a new service currently in beta called Good Old Games. When it goes live, you’ll be able to purchase DRM-free old-school PC games optimized for XP and Vista and download them to any machine. If you still own some classic titles, emulators can also do the trick; my favorite for old graphic adventures is ScummVM. And be sure to check out a bunch of great freeware games that should work on your micro machine.

Nintendo DS Lite: Nintendo’s handheld is a fantastic travel companion because it lasts hours before needing a recharge and it happens to have a wealth of great games. Last week I jabbered about Lock’s Quest, so I’ll spare you here, but you should also consider Sonic Chronicles: The Dark Brotherhood if you’re in the mood for something a little different. Part action, part role-playing game, Sonic Chronicles has you controlling Sega’s speedster and pals through puzzles and battles with all sorts of baddies. The snazzy art style and slick presentation might have people looking over your shoulder on your next flight.

Laptops: Notebooks vary in size, shape, and power. Of course, anything that works on a mini-notebook will play on a regular laptop, but the best piece of advice I can give otherwise is to set up a Steam account. It has a wide variety of modern games, from multigigabyte first-person shooters to tiny casual games, and everything you get is linked to a single account. No discs to worry about losing. And when you need to hit the road, you just click the File, Go Offline option before you disconnect–any game that you’ve downloaded will then work on the go.

Sony PSP: Unlike the DS, Sony’s handheld has many more gadgety features (Internet radio and Skype support, to name a few). It also happens to have its fair share of unique games. Out of the titles that have come out recently, I still find myself playing three in particular: the action/role-playing game Final Fantasy VII: Crisis Core; the highly stylized rhythm strategy game Patapon (you need headphones for this one to help keep the beat–and beat down baddies); and Echochrome, an awesome mind-bender where you’re solving three-dimensional M.C. Escher-ish puzzles. Oh, yeah: Keep your charger handy.

iPhone/iPod Touch: Some early standout games for the iPhone, like Sega’s Super Monkey Ball, deserve all the attention they get, but I’m digging Fieldrunners. It’s a tower-defense game like PixelJunk Monsters and Lock’s Quest (mentioned above), but it has an amazingly crisp visual style.

Remember : All Work And No Play Makes John A Dull Boy…