Switchboard — free browser game

Switchboard puts you in the seat of a mid-century manual phone operator. Eight 'caller' jacks line the top row; eight 'destination' jacks line the bottom. When a call comes in, the caller jack glows and a small bubble shows the number the customer wants; a thin patience bar underneath shrinks while they wait. First click the caller (or press 1-8); an orange cable end follows your cursor. Then click the destination (or Shift+1-8); a curved bezier cable is drawn between the two jacks and the connection holds for 4-10 seconds before auto-clearing. Pick the wrong destination and the cable flashes red, the connection never lands, and you lose a life. Let the patience bar empty and the customer hangs up — another life lost. Three lives and the board closes. Each correct connection scores one; consecutive errorless connections build a 'streak' multiplier (every third connection gives a bonus). The game ramps up: calls arrive faster, patience windows shrink, and up to four lines may ring at once. Esc cancels the current selection, R restarts. Tip: read the bubble first, mentally find the destination, then click the caller — picking the wrong jack costs more than picking it one second late.