We've had our missteps when dealing with online software distribution, with confusion over licenses and versions of the software for different platforms leading to a frustrating and disappointing experience. We're not totally soured against the idea, though, as some implementations, like Valve's Steam and Microsoft's Xbox Live Arcade work pretty solidly, like they're supposed to.

The latest company to get on board with a digital distribution sales model is Amazon, which now offers around 600 titles through the aptly-titled Amazon Game Downloads. What we really dig about its implementation is the trial period, letting you play any of the games for half an hour before you decide to sink the cash on them. This isn't some restricted demo mode; for 30 minutes you have access to the full game, to really get a sense (even if you have to hurry) of if the title's worth buying.

Unfortunately, the only games Amazon is selling through the service are "casual gaming" titles — quick-to-pick-up, colorful games, often puzzles and the like. You won't see any big titles like Call of Duty up here, but console games don't really fit the 30-minute-trial model very well, so we'll let it slide. We haven't looked through all the games individually, but from the ones we peeked at, everything looks to be Windows-only.

The whole selection of games is available priced at $10 or less, so you can pick up a few without breaking the bank. To kick things off, Amazon is offering three titles as free, full downloads. You can check out Build-a-lot, Jewel Quest II, and The Scruffs for free, as long as you remember to download before the end of the week.

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