More egg solids! - a review of Farm Frenzy

Today, I review the oldie-but-goodie, Farm Frenzy! This was the first in a series of 4 Farm Frenzy games.

What I liked Streamlined gameplay Cute, colorful design Lots of things to work for Fun economics and strategy What I didn't like I wished there were even more upgrades No ending to speak of

Quick Plot

Get good at managing farms by feeding animals, producing goods, and making money!

Features

• 5 types of animals to buy (geese, sheep, cows, dogs, cats)
• 3 types of goods to develop (eggs, wool, milk)
• 10 things to build and upgrade
• 16 awards to earn
• 48 levels
• You control everything from a first-person perspective, rather than controlling one character from a third-person perspective (as is common in many time management games)

The map. The blue dots are levels.

Highlights

The great thing here is the mechanics. This is an economic time management game, and the developers came up with something wonderfully original. Gameplay Here are the basics of how the game works.

• Collect the products that animals drop (geese drop eggs, for instance)
• Build buildings that can process these products, making them into more valuable products (turn eggs into egg solids, then into muffins)
• Ship products into town by truck to earn money
• Use money to buy more animals and upgrade your buildings
• Lock bears in cages when they come to attack your farm animals
• Achieve the level's goals within a certain amount of time to earn stars
• Spend stars to buy better buildings and resources at the shop between levels

Music The music is simple and cute. It matches the bright mood of the game. The only issue is that the music is the same for every level. If you don't like the music, this might drive you nuts. You might want to turn it off. I didn't mind it. Degrees of Challenge One feature that made the game so fun for me is the medals you can earn. You are given Gold and Silver goals at the beginning of each level. If you finish the level quick enough to meet the Gold goal, you earn the gold medal and a bunch of extra stars, which allow you to purchase upgrades more quickly in the shop. Silver goals are the same, but easier to accomplish. This challenge was what kept me playing. I played each level as many times as it took to master it and earn the gold medal. It seems there's one best method for each level, and if you can figure it out, the gold medal shouldn't be too much of a problem. I have one gripe though. Eventually, all those gold medals earned me enough stars to purchase every available upgrade in the store. This gave me nothing to use my hard-earned stars on for a big chunk of levels toward the end of the game. I thought they should have allowed more upgrades, like a single-click bear cage (a 3-click bear cage is the best available).

A level in progress.

Suitable for the family?

If there's one thing kids love, it's animals. My kids liked watching the animals roaming around the screen munching grass and dropping goods. They liked watching the cats collecting the goods and the dogs barking to keep the bears at bay. This one is cute and bright - great for kids! Maybe not for my wife so much - she didn't like hearing the same music playing constantly from across the room...

The family man's final ruling

Despite my minor gripes, this is easily among my favorite casual games of all time. It is just so fun to play! There is something elegant about these mechanics. The design is superb. It combines time management with economics and strategic planning in a fun and engaging way. There are always upgrades to work for, and it is so satisfying to send a batch of cheese to town and watch huge money roll in. While there isn't really any ending to the game, the last level makes all the previous work worth it. You'll see. If, like me, you aren't as interested in restaurant-based time management games, give Farm Frenzy a try. You might find that this is a welcome new take on the genre. And if you like it, there are 3 more games in the series!

You'll like the game if... You like strategic time management games You like cute games You like farm-themed games You like economic games You won't like the game if... You prefer less strategy in your time management games You prefer to control a character who runs around serving food

My rating:

The blue monkey has spoken! - a review of Ancient Quest of Saqqarah

Rarely will you hear me say I enjoy a Match-3 game. Ancient Quest of Saqqarah has proven to be the exception to the rule. This can probably be attributed to the fact that this is not your ordinary Match-3 game.

What I liked Excellent graphics and animations Fitting music Ancient Egyptian theme Lighting effects/atmosphere Variety of mechanics Great voice-over work Relaxed mode What I didn't like Longer levels as a means of increasing difficulty

Quick Plot

A secret underground oasis holds the temples of 7 ancient Egyptian deities. With the help of Khufu, the blue humanoid monkey, restore the temples of the 7 good deities so that they can combine their power to keep the evil Seth locked in his prison forever!

Features

• 7 temples, 7 deity statues to restore, 7 different Match-3 mechanics
• 9 trophies to earn, with Stone, Silver, and Gold ranks for each
• 24 normal levels and 24 hard levels within each temple
• Several magical power upgrades for Khufu, with 3 upgrade ranks for each
• 2 types of minigames
• Timed or Relaxed modes
• Expandable by downloading SaqPacks from the developer's website
• A talking blue monkey

Khufu - the magical blue monkey

Highlights

The thing that immediately drew my attention was the uncommonly high level of quality that the developers built into this game. The atmosphere of the game is wonderful. They first put you in the oasis scene, where you choose a temple to play in. This underground oasis is beautiful. There are animated torches and waterfalls, with bridges, palm trees, and undergrowth. This idyllic and mysterious scene is very attractive. Then, inside each temple, it's dark, but the dim lighting shines from somewhere onto the stonework framing the level. It's a fun place to be. This atmosphere alone made the game enjoyable to play. You are always accompanied by pleasant and memorable Egyptian music, which is likely to remain in your mind throughout the day (beware!). To polish off the audio presentation, the game boasts excellent professional voice work for Khufu and each of the deity statues. While the level boards are always set up in the same way - a series of points connected by threads - the mechanics for clearing the board change with each temple, and each board is arranged differently. This is what keeps the game interesting. Within each temple, there are difficulties added every 6 levels so that, as you proceed, gameplay becomes more challenging. To offset the difficulty, Khufu, your magical aid, also gains power-ups periodically. As you collect power (every time you make matches of 4 or more), Khufu's magic meter goes up. Once the meter is full, he casts all of his available spells, breaking pieces and helping you clear the board. Not only is this game completely non-standard in it's approach to the Match-3 idea, but they give you 7 different ways to clear the boards. By my calculations, this base game offers 336 unique levels without counting the simple minigames that are thrown in from time to time. One minigame is just clicking on 6 scurrying scarab beetles. The other is a searching puzzle. A wall is covered with hieroglyphics and you have to locate a number of certain glyphs.

The secret underground oasis! (trophies at the bottom)

Suitable for the family?

There's a talking blue monkey in the game. What more could you ask for? Kids love watching Khufu as he makes various motions in the corner of the screen during levels. He also speaks when he casts his spells. My kids also liked the animal heads on some of the deity statues. There's nothing weird, scary, or disturbing in this game. It's fun, cute, thematic, and family friendly.

What a level looks like

The family man's final ruling

I had a lot of fun with this game. I don't imagine Match 3 could be done with any more innovation, variety, and polish. Some companies make excellent games, and some make weak and boring games. Ancient Quest of Saqqarah is among some of the best-produced games I've played, which puts it in the "excellent" category for me. Plus, if you like the game, finish it, and decide you want even more, you can download SaqPacks from the developer's website. SaqPacks expand the game with more levels. Read about them here.

You'll like the game if... You like Match 3 You are looking for an innovative new appraoch to Match 3 You like ancient Egypt as a theme You like only the best in terms of production quality You won't like the game if... You get bored playing puzzly games with minimal story

My rating:

My current gaming thoughts

Devil's Triangle

As I mentioned in a couple recent posts, Big Fish Studios released a new game in their Hidden Expedition series: Hidden Expedition - Devil's Triangle. My wife and I have had a little bit of time to start testing this game out. So far, it's beautiful, as would be expected. The music is good, the puzzles are interesting so far, and the story is pretty cool. I like the gadgety feel to the game. Submarines and mysterious locations are fun topics for a game. So, as of now, I give this one a thumbs up. We'll see how it holds up as I find time to progress further into the game.

What I'm Playing

Currently, I'm trying to get through two games so I can review them. Those games are:

Ancient Quest of Saqqarah	Farm Frenzy

Expect very high marks for both games once I review them. I'm having a blast with these gems.

Needles in the Haystack

As you know, there are always a load of new casual games being released. Due to the nature of such a market, not every game can be great or even good. As casual gamers, we look around, hoping to invest our hard-earned money in only the best of these games. I haven't tested every new game, but I've tested some. I'll list my favorites for you here. I recommend you try these. They are my personal highlights from the last few months. I haven't finished any of these, but I'd like to.

Girl HOGs and Girl TMGs?

You'll remember that I recently posted about what I call Girl HOGs - that is, hidden object games which either

• put you in the position of a young female, or
• are advertised by an image of a young female

Well, I've recently noticed that the majority of time management games have you playing as a young female as well, though they are usually not presented in the same way as Girl HOGs, which seem tailored to attract male players. In the case of Girl TMGs, you'll typically play as a cartoony young lady. This is just interesting to me. Are the audiences for these games that different? I would have thought that the younger players would prefer finding hidden objects and older players would prefer managing time, money, and other things. But the advertising of these game categories seems to be the reverse of my assumption. I guess, no matter what the market is, females sell. The marketers at these game companies know that, and they simply can't help themselves. Girls like playing as girls, and guys like playing as girls. What a world.

Speaking of HOGs

Hidden object games were what drew me into the casual games world. I remember years ago when my mother-in-law introduced me to Mystery Case Files: Huntsville. But I've noticed in recent weeks that I've actually grown somewhat tired of finding hidden stuff. I've found much more mental stimulation by engaging in time management and building games. I like that such games require you to manage resources, while always giving you the opportunity to improve in your skills. Some of these games are just so fun. I've realized that I don't really get into the restaurant games like the Dash series. I prefer the emphasis on building things and making money from them. These games seem to have more things to manage and control, which adds more layers of depth. Have you grown weary of any types of casual games? Post a comment to share!

Junky magic school! - a review of Abra Academy

Today, we look back at an older hidden objects game: Abra Academy!

What I liked Memorable and fitting music Never too difficult What I didn't like Returning to the same rooms all the time Crummy art outside of hidden objects scenes

Quick Plot

You're a young witch training at a magic school (obviously inspired by Harry Potter's Hogwarts). Pass your exams by - you guessed it - finding stuff in messy rooms.

Highlights

The best thing about this game (for some people) is the simplicity of it. If you're a fan of games like Mystery Case Files: Huntsville, then this game will be right up your alley. In the same tradition, Abra Academy has you going back to the same several scenes over and over to find new batches of things. This is just a straightforward hidden objects game. You'll be finding stuff - lots of it. The only thing that breaks up the monotony is two mini games which have you pulling items off an assembly line and dropping them into a cauldron, or putting letters onto a stone to make words. You'll have to finish 4 years at the magic school, with 6 levels per year. Each level consists of finding objects at a bunch of locations on the school grounds - laboratory, observatory, conservatory, etc.

The simplicity of the game also happens to be the game's biggest weakness. For many of you, this game just won't present enough variety in the gameplay. If you've played every other HOG, you won't find much new here, except for the theme. One more negative: While the hidden objects scenes have good graphics, the character art looks pretty amateurish. There isn't much graphical beauty outside of the hidden objects levels. One more positive: I was surprised that the music in this game was actually quite good. It has the whimsical sound you'd expect in a game about a magic school. I found myself whistling tunes from the game throughout the day after playing. In fact, the music is probably the best thing about the game.

Suitable for the family?

Sure. My kids joined in to help me find things - especially animals and bugs. The game is about kids, so there's nothing offensive or creepy.

The family man's final ruling

I could take or leave this game. While it was a pleasant diversion, there's nothing really unique or shiny about it. I only recommend this game to die-hards who want to find MORE STAWF!

You'll like the game if... You're a die hard HOG fan, especially if you like Harry Potter and magic schools You won't like the game if... You want something unique, engaging, challenging or complex You don't love HOGs

My rating:

Stay outta my garden! - a review of Magic Farm: Ultimate Flower

I decided to give this lesser-known time management game a try, and I don't regret it. Read on to find out what I thought of Magic Farm: Ultimate Flower!

What I liked Lovely scenery Experience-based growth Buy-and-sell economics Good level length Adequate game length Cute music What I didn't like Forced money-loss Poor English

Genre

Time management / economic / roleplaying

Quick Plot

Save your missing parents by building a handful of successful farms from the ground up and employing the aid of people who can help you.

Highlights

Experience-based development Everything you do in the game earns you experience points. In this way, the game has a roleplaying element to it. Periodically, as your experience points accrue, you are given the opportunity to upgrade one of yours, or your pet dragon's, stats. This allows you to choose what you and your dragon are most skilled in. This includes skills like fighting off pests, watering plants, and making a better profit from your plant sales. Each flower you plant also improves with experience. As you water and harvest flowers from a plant, it will grow to a second level, and eventually a third level. The higher the level, the more valuable the flowers produced. You also grow in your bouquet-building ability. You start at experience level 1 and grow to levels 2 and 3. Higher levels just mean less clicking and dragging. By level 3, you click on the bouquet order and it fills itself. Music The cute, catchy music in the game was a nice accompaniment for many hours of pro gardening. It reminds me of the music in Gunbound. Graphics The artwork in the game is really good. The scenes are pretty and well-drawn. All the plants look cool, and they grow in coolness as they change form into better plants. The characters you meet in town look pretty good as well. The comic-book-style art in between sections of the story is the only weak art in the game. Time Level length: each level counts as a "day" in the game. Some time management games have levels that feel too long. That was how I felt with Mystic Inn. But in this game, the level length is like the littlest bear's porridge - it's just right. Game length: I've rarely played a game that's too long. But some casual games run on the short side. This game seemed to be a good length, and it stays fun right up to the end. Time management element: Big Fish calls this a time management game. This is because you have to do a whole lot of stuff with the time you have each day. This includes:

• watering plants
• harvesting flowers
• fighting off pests who come to eat your plants
• directing your helper (a mini pet dragon)
• refilling your water buckets from the water source
• using the special item for each farm (statues and such)

As your farms grow, you will find yourself clicking like mad all over the place, especially in the later levels. There is a lot to track at certain times. You'll never be bored. Economics This is very much a money-making game. You have to work hard in your garden, and then sell the flowers you harvest. After each level, you can:

• fill orders for bouquets, which earns you more money depending on the complexity of the bouquet.
• buy water to refill your buckets
• buy new upgrades for your garden
• buy and sell plants
• talk to people in town

Most of the game has you fulfilling requests for people in town. You bring them flowers or money and they do favors for you. This is the story element of the game, which takes you to the five different gardening locations on your quest. My gripes No savings: The thing that got me all rankled was the fact that the game robs you of the opportunity to save up some capital in preparation for your next farm. I would save up tons of money on my current farm before moving to the next one and then a story event would "explain" why I lost all my money. The game forces you to start fresh for each new farm (with the exception of the second farm), and it gives you no warning before you lose your hard-earned bankroll. It would have been cool to have the freedom to save (if you're willing to put in the work) and then have an easier time starting your next farm. I also thought it would have been cool if they let you go back to all your previous farms, but once you get to the 3rd farm, the first two farms are off-limits for the rest of the game. Poor English: The thing that bothered my wife most of all was the poor English. I don't know what country this game comes from, but the English is bad. You can (almost) always understand what they're trying to say, but it's usually choppy and awkward. While this language issue doesn't hurt the game too much, it would still be nice if these developers would get a fluent English speaker to edit the game text before the game goes on the market.

Suitable for the family?

Yes. My wife enjoyed playing it, and our kids enjoyed watching both of us play through the game. It was actually helpful to have the little ones at my side pointing out things I'd miss, like a glowing statue or a pest chomping on one of my plants. They liked all the various creatures that came to attack my gardens, from bees to crabs to lemurs. And they liked the little helper dragon named Robin. Everything in the game is colorful and bright.

The family man's final ruling

This is a fast-clicking economic time-management game that my wife and I both really enjoyed. We found that once you sit down, you want to keep playing and playing because there is constant advancement. There's always something new and better to achieve. It's fun to watch your farms grow and become successful. The friendly music contributes to the light-hearted flower-plucking experience. Expect hours of fun with this game.

You'll like the game if... you like quick-clicking time management you like games with a "happy" atmosphere you are a fan of gardening and flowers you like business-building games You won't like the game if... you don't like fast-paced games you don't like economic games

My rating:

Find the pirate! - a review of The Spirit of Wandering: The Legend

Being a fan of Artogon's Treasure Seekers games, I jumped at the opportunity to play this lesser known title from the same developer, a pirate-themed game called The Spirit of Wandering: The Legend.

What I liked Good music Wonderful graphics Pirate theme What I didn't like Lack of variety Weak ending

Genre

Hidden objects

Quick Plot

You (a female from a pirate crew) are searching for the spirit of your pirate lover who was lost at sea. Talk to the spirits of the other dead pirates from your crew to find out where your man is.

Highlights

Eye candy When graphics and interface are sweet-looking, I pay attention. Great graphics are a sign of a developer who took time to attend to the details of the user experience. Artogon hasn't failed yet in this department. Whether it be the their hidden objects games or the cute marble-popper, Charma: The Land of Enchantment, Artogon has one of the best graphics teams out there. Everything is polished, sleek, and realistic. They take the time to put various animations here and there, adding atmosphere to the hidden objects scenes. One thing that always pleased me was the little pirate ship which resides in the center of the title bar at the top of the screen during the game. A little oval frame houses an animated ship which goes up and down on the waves, sails flapping in the wind. The jeweled mouse pointer was also cool-looking. And I couldn't help but take a few minutes to admire the overhead map which shows all the areas you've visited - ports, islands, ocean, etc. I appreciate anyone who can create graphics like that. Music The Artogon team always gets good music. In this game, the music is fittingly piratical. I especially liked the music in the treasure-grabbing scenes, in which you look at a room piled with scattered gold and jewels and try to grab as much as you can in the time allotted. List of objects Hidden objects games all have some method of listing the objects hidden in a scene. This game used a method of describing each item using riddles. So, instead of "pipe" it would say something like, "a smoker's instrument." Once you have found all of the items in the list, you pick up a magical magnifying glass and move it around the screen until it lights on fire. This means you've found a magical hidden item. Once you've gone through a few lists of items and located all the magical items, you're done with that scene. Lack of variety I have one gripe about the game - things don't change much. You'll find the same objects over and over as you go from scene to scene. Another mask, another telescope, another jug of water. I really wish they would have included a much more varied assortment of objects. Similarly, whereas Treasure Seekers: Visions of Gold took you to diverse locales and a few different types of puzzles to solve along the way, The Spirit of Wandering: The Legend doesn't give you any variety besides moving to new locations and giving you a treasure-grabbing fest every so often. Accordingly, you'll probably want to play this in short chunks of time rather than tackle a bunch in one sitting.

Suitable for the family?

Yes. Except for the starting screen, which looks like a mushy romance novel, everything seemed fine for kids. My kids came over frequently to help me locate items. I just quickly clicked past the image of the bare-shouldered desperate woman clinging to her ghost-man each time I started the game. Otherwise, it's pirate stuff galore!

The family man's final ruling

The scenery is just so well done in this game. It's a beautiful game to look at, and finding the objects is pretty fun. Once you finish the game one time through, you can play through again, but the items aren't listed as descriptions. The second time through, they're listed as silhouettes. So the game has some replay built into it. If only the developer would have spent a bit more time adding variety to the game. Unfortunately, the experience doesn't change or develop much as you play. Still, if you like Artogon's other hidden objects games, you might want to try this one out. I'd put it on the same level of fun as Treasure Seekers: The Enchanted Canvases, except for the variety problem. By the way, have you noticed that Artogon's design team seems to be obsessed with humans communicating with ghosts? I think this is a theme in all of their hidden objects games.

You'll like the game if... You like pirate stuff You like top-notch graphics You just love finding hidden objects You won't like the game if... You require lots of variety in the gameplay experience You want lots of puzzles

My rating:

Here's mud on your face! - a review of Nancy Drew Dossier: Resorting to Danger

Before Nancy Drew Dossier: Resorting to Danger, my favorite casual game was Nancy Drew Dossier: Lights, Camera, Curses. Well, this new sequel is now my other favorite casual game. Read on to find out why!

What I liked Top-notch music Fun and original mechanics Great story Multiple endings Mini games / puzzles Excellent voice acting (for the most part) What I didn't like A few of the voices The reward for achieving Master Detective rank Short allotted time for bomb puzzles Too short of game length! Give me more!

Genre

Adventure / Mystery / Object-combining

Quick Plot

Someone at the luxurious Redondo Resort and Spa is planting bombs. Your job as the illustrious girl detective is to track down the perpetrator. Which of the six mysterious suspects is responsible?

Highlights

Mechanics I love the original object-matching mechanic used in the Nancy Drew Dossier games. Most of the game puts you in one of many rooms where there are various objects to locate with your magnifying glass (mouse cursor). You hover the mouse around the room until it sparkles on some object or area, at which point you can click to reveal a usable feature of the room. You are told how many of these objects exist in each scene. As you find these objects, you can match them by clicking two of them in a row. If the match is successful, you earn points. If not, you get nothing and your points counter resets. With each successive correct match, the number of points you earn increases. For this reason, I always make sure to find every object in a room before attempting matches. It is too easy to make a mistake if you don't know what all of your options are. Once you've found all of the matches in a room, the game progresses. Puzzles and mini games Throughout the game you'll face various puzzles and mini games including (but not limited to):

• Bomb-diffusing (connect one end to the other end, like the pipe game)
• Mud masking spa clients (logical sequence puzzle)
• Getting correct answers in conversations (requires you to be observant as you go)
• Animal-catching
• Riddle-solving
• Unlocking various objects

Music You know I'm picky about music in games. Fortunately, Her Interactive has hired Matt Sayre to compose the music for the Dossier series. I respect Mr. Sayre. He's one of the few good composers out there working on casual games. The music is fitting and fun in both Dossier games. This helps push the game to the "great" category. Production The best thing about the Dossier games is the attention to quality. So many casual games feel as if they were thrown together, with a terrible lack of quality writing, editing, and English in general. In this game, the music, graphics, writing, voice work (except for maybe 2 exceptions) are all as good as it gets. It's so fun to play a game with a well-written story! Her Interactive has my confidence that they will always deliver the goods, whether it be with their adventure game series or their Dossier series.

Suitable for the family?

Yes. The kids really enjoy this game. The geniuses at Her Interactive put a recurring dog character in the game, which is perfect for drawing the attention of the little ones. Additionally, the game is always moving and changing, which keeps the halflings from growing bored.

The family man's final ruling

It doesn't get better than this, friends. Go download Lights, Camera, Curses first, and then play Resorting to Danger. My main gripe is that, knowing how tricky it was to achieve Master Detective rank in the first Dossier game, I was very careful to avoid mistakes this time around so I could earn enough points to unlock whatever tasty morsels they had for me at the end. I was very disappointed. All that work turned out to be for nothing, really. Grrrrrrr. In my mind, Master Detective rank should unlock some great 10-minute movie to wrap-up the plot or show you what happened afterward or something. As it is, it was a huge letdown. The payoff for Master Detective rank was much better in the first Dossier game. In my mind, the reward should be spectacular. Couldn't Her Interactive have polished this element of the game just a bit more? On the other hand, they offered multiple endings this time around, which provides replay value. You may find yourself wanting to go back and play it again immediately, just to find out what happens in the other endings. So, this is as much fun and quality as you'll find on the casual game market.

You'll like the game if... You like Nancy Drew games You like solving mysteries You like a variety of puzzles and mini games You like a good story You won't like the game if... You don't like matching or combining things You don't like Nancy Drew mysteries

My rating: