If you or someone you know is learning English as a second language (ESL) there are many online resources that can help. Online ESL flash games can be can be both fun and educational. Even kids' games can be beneficial to adults who are just beginning to learn English. There are numerous free ESL games on the Internet, including word-matching, quizzes and fill-in-the-blank games.

Memory & Match
The ESL website 1-language.com has a timed memory and match game for English language learners. The game's first level displays a picture which is divided into 24 tiles. When you click on a tile on the first level, it flips over and displays a word, such as a type of food, animal or body part, along with its corresponding picture. An audio track pronounces each word. The goal of the game is to find each tile's match until all are matched. The game is timed and keeps track of how many flips you've used along the way. You can challenge yourself by trying to keep your time and number of flips as low as possible. Each game has three levels; in the higher levels you will be required to either match written words to one another or match a written word to its corresponding picture. This game will help develop your ability to read and pronounce English words and may even improve your memory.

World Capitals Quiz
ESLTeachersBoard.com has an online quiz game for English beginners. This true/false quiz features questions about world capitals. For example, the game will display a statement such as "The capital of the Philippines is Manila." When you click on the true or false button, the game will immediately display whether your answer is correct or incorrect. The game keeps track of your correct answers. This game will help you improve your English reading skills and will increase your knowledge of world capitals.

Preposition Basketball
Marks-english-school.com has a basketball-themed ESL game which will help beginners learn about prepositions. Englishclub.com defines a preposition as a word that usually comes before a noun and gives information about things like time, place and direction. Examples of prepositions include "to," "over" and "at." In this flash game, you are presented with three basketballs on a court, each of which has a different point value. Clicking on a ball causes a phrase that is missing the preposition to appear along with several prepositions from which to choose. If you click on the correct one, you'll get to shoot the ball and score. If you choose the wrong word, you'll miss the basket and get to try again. Your score appears on a scoreboard, and the goal is to beat the home team's score and win.