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Travelogue 360: Paris Review
If you've ever dreamed of climbing the Eiffel Tower, taking a stroll through the Champs-Elysées, or breathing in the aroma of fresh baguettes from the local boulangerie, Travelogue 360: Paris is probably the closest you'll get to the City of Lights without actually buying a plane ticket.
Dracula Twins Review
It's that creepy and kooky, mysterious and spooky time of year. Halloween! The season to light a few candles, dust off the organ, whip up your favorite brew and sink your teeth into something tasty...like pumpkin pie or candy. Mmmmmm!
It's also a good time to avoid garlic, crosses, holy water and pointy wooden objects. Especially if you're a vampire, as is the case in Dracula Twins.
15 Minutes of Game: Featured Web Game of the Week
Trick or Treat! It's Halloween so today we pick two ghoulish games as our Featured Web Game of the Week.
Know of a good Web game that deserves 15 minutes of fame on Gamezebo? Tip us at editor@gamezebo.com.
D.N.A. Review
If you've watched CSI on television, you're familiar with DNA. A coiled pair of nucleotide strands forming a double helix, a twisted ladder-like arrangement, its sequence of nucleic acids determines hereditary characteristics and offers the key to catching criminals and identifying their victims.
Nucleotides, however, can also be manipulated to create biological hybrids -- the basis for D.N.A. A blender, if you will, for whipping up new creations at the molecular level.
Week in Review
The Gamezebo Week in Review is the one place for you to go on the weekend to find out what you missed on Gamezebo this week and to get a sneak peak at what's coming up next week.
Aztec Ball Review
When it came to creating original games, the Aztecs had everyone beat hands-down. They invented a game called ulama which was one of the first to use a rubber ball. It also gave players quite an incentive to win; losers were decapitated.
Here the penalty for losing Aztec Ball isn't quite so severe. But it sure could have used a stronger incentive to keep gamers playing after the first few levels. For while the game seems like a hoot for the first hour or so, it becomes old much too fast.
Friday Casual Games Weekly News Wrap-Up
It's Friday, so its time for our Casual Games News Weekly Round-Up. Aside for a lot of cool games launching this week (see What's New & Hot). . . not much is happening in the news. Boonty did buy a game company in China, which could be very interesting.
Nancy Drew: Danger By Design Review
Many computer gamers - even casual ones - may recall the popularity of "adventure" games in the '90s. These story-based titles, from the likes of Sierra and LucasArts, whisked away players to interesting locations to solve puzzles and interact with characters.
What's New & Hot!
Every week, Gamezebo scours the web searching for the latest and greatest games across the world's leading casual sites so you don't have to.
Haiku Journey Preview
Haiku - a well-aged form of Japanese poetry comprised of short, but sweet three-line stanzas highlighting topics including nature and spiritualism - might not seem like the most intuitive subject to base an engaging videogame on.
But word-building puzzler Haiku Journey, coming soon from 7 Wonders of the Ancient World creator Hot Lava and publisher MumboJumbo (known for smash hits like Luxor 2), proves initial appearances can be deceiving.
Insaniquarium Review
Few natural wonders are as serene and beautiful as the portable undersea world of the average, everyday fishtank. Of course, as those who maintain such setups at home versus just admiring them at the local Chinese restaurant can attest, fewer still are as tough to maintain. Ironically, best-seller Insaniquarium Deluxe manages to successfully capture all the fun and frustration associated with both sides of the coin. And, while we're at, continues to captivate and enthrall generations of casual gamers with its addictive, hair-pulling charms.
15 Minutes of Game: Featured Web Game of the Week
50 States
Where does Maryland go? 50 States is like a Jigsaw Puzzle of the United States of America . . . and it's a lot more fun than 8th grade geography class. Presented by Addicting Games.
Know of a great Web game that deserves its 15 Minutes? Tip us at editor@gamezebo.com.
Jig Art Quest Review
Every so often, after a hard day at school or work, you desperately need time to unwind. An antidote to all the frantically crazed arcade-style adventures out there, leisurely-paced jigsaw puzzle challenge Jig Art Quest serves as just such an opportunity to chase the blues away. Despite a few minor setbacks - e.g. eccentric backdrops, a slightly cumbersome interface and curious New Age styling - it's a fine way of catching your breath between everyday emergencies, and idly passing the hours.
Westward Preview
The "Golden Age of the Western" began in the 1930s and lasted through the '70s. Stagecoach, A Fistful of Dollars, The Good, the Bad and the Ugly, My Darling Clementine and High Noon epitomize the best in films. On TV, it was shows like Wagon Train, Bonanza, Maverick, Rawhide and Gunsmoke that kept viewers in the saddle.
For PC pardners, however, no "Golden Age" appeared. A handful of decent mainstream titles sauntered into town over the years, but nothing to placate the more "refined" tastes of the casual gamer...until now.
Diner Dash: Flo on the Go Review
Poor Flo can't catch a break.
In the smash hit Diner Dash, this young restaurateur built up her small eatery into a thriving business, while in Diner Dash 2: Restaurant Rescue, she helps out friends ward off a new "Mega Multiplex" food plaza.
Finally ready to take a vacation with her friend Darla, the two climb aboard a cruise, only to find the food staff has quit. So, Flo and Darla are offered the job to feed passengers in return for reimbursing their trip and a little extra cash on top.
Blasterball 3 Review
Two types of forces drive change in this world: Invention and innovation. Like most brick-breaking arcade outings, the multimillion-selling Blasterball series relies on the latter to captivate and enchant. Three installments into the critically-acclaimed franchise, we can see why originality continues to take a backseat to pure fun and playability. Blasterball 3 doesn't do all that much new per se - it just takes the same, time-honored block-smashing formula you know and love and does it better.
What's New & Hot!
Every week, Gamezebo scours the web searching for the latest and greatest games across the world's leading casual sites so you don't have to.
Cloning Clyde Adds Platform Puzzling to Xbox Live Arcade
Despite a promise by Microsoft that Xbox Live Arcade games would provide new casual game experiences for a console audience, the large majority of games for the service have been ports of arcade classics like Pac-man or popular PC casual games like Zuma Deluxe. So it's nice to see a game like Cloning Clyde that brings an original experience that is well-suited to the console.
Sproink Review
Despite the copycat mentality common to our world, every so often a twitch-happy brainteaser comes along that dares to break the mold.
Enter Sproink, one of the most eccentric and original takes on pattern-matching puzzlers we've had the pleasure of sitting down with in many a moon. Although geared toward expert-level players and not without its fair share of quirks and inconsistencies, enthusiasts will quickly warm to the bizarre little outing's singular charm and humorously adorable audiovisual presentation.
Cute Knight Review
With intricate subplots, playtimes of 30 hours or more, complex menu-driven interfaces and hundreds of different items and character stats to juggle, the role-playing game (RPG) is not a genre typically associated with casual gaming.
Cute Knight, however, strips away a lot of that weightiness while remaining true to its RPG roots. The result is a light adventure that's easy to get into and can be played in short spurts - in other words, it's perfect for the casual gamer.
15 Minutes of Game: Featured Web Game of the Week
Nightmare at Hoover High
It's football season at MTV Games. Dodge mad defenders, stiff arm hordes of tacklers, and throw passes to knock down cheerleaders.
Know of a good Web game? Tip us at editor@gamezebo.com.
Pat Sajak's Trivia Gems Review
The Pat is back.
As one of - if not - the most beloved game show hosts in recent television history, Sajak has made the transition from Wheel of Fortune host on the boob tube to his own game on the PC screen. Not a bad way to celebrate his 60th birthday this month.
Diner Dash - Flo on the Go Preview
Some folks are workaholics, Flo for example. After successfully establishing her own diner, she helped several other restaurateurs create profitable eateries. Now, setting sail on a cruise, you'd think she could finally kick back and relax. Guess again.
Seems there's no rest for the weary in the latest entry in the Diner Dash series, Diner Dash - Flo on the Go. Even on holiday, Flo can't say no to a culinary emergency.
Friday Casual Games Weekly News Wrap-Up
It's the Friday Casual Games News Wrap-Up. . . and nothing much new happened this week. Nothing, except for an excellent story on Margaret Wallace of casual game developer Skunk Studios. Nevertheless, here's all the casual games news fit to print.
Dino & Aliens Review
You just can't tell a book by its cover or, in this case, a game by its graphics. What looks like a kiddy action game at first blush turns out to be a quite entertaining puzzler for the whole family. Go figure.
What's New & Hot!
Every week, Gamezebo scours the web searching for the latest and greatest games across the world's leading casual sites so you don't have to.
The Naked Gamer
Light. Colors. High contrast patterns and soothing musical tones. Movement. Texture. Repetitive motion and intermittent surprise. Sound familiar? It sounds like I'm describing the formula for the basic criteria for a casual game, but I'm actually describing an early childhood development toy hanging above an infant's bed. And as I was looking at this thing, watching it play music and spin, it occurred to me that casual games function to stimulate a gamers' brain much like a Fisher-Price mobile works on the mind of a small child.
Sudoku Latin Squares Review
Unless your face has been buried in between the pages of a crossword book over the past few years, you've no doubt heard of the latest puzzle craze: Sudoku (pronounced "su-doe-ku").
LUXOR 2 Review
There are casual games, and then there are juggernauts - titles so popular, awe-inspiring and addictive they literally serve to define entire genres. Case in point: Action-packed puzzler Luxor, which prompted 40 million-plus downloads and sold upwards of 500,000 copies last year on the strength of its addictive ball-blasting, Egyptian-themed play.
15 Minutes of Game: Featured Web Game of the Week
Bird Snatchers
Birds have been taunting cats for years. That is, until now, when the cats have invented a flying machine.
Know of a good Web game that deserves 15 minutes of fame? Tell us about it at editor@gamezebo.com. If we post the game, we'll mention it came from your tip.
Scrabble Review
Don't try to use Bart Simpson's made-up word "KWYJIBO" in this digital recreation of Scrabble -- it ships with a built-in Official Scrabble Player's Dictionary - therefore you won't get away with butchering the English language to rack up points!
Introducing the downloadable Scrabble game from GameHouse.
Week in Review
The Gamezebo Week in Review is the one place for you to go on the weekend to find out what you missed on Gamezebo this week and to get a sneak peak at what's coming up next week.
AquaPark Review
Alright, something smells fishy here - and it's not just AquaPark's watery theme.
Maybe it's the fact that we're wholly addicted to this frantic, finger-numbing exercise in collecting rare and exotic undersea life.
One of the most pleasant surprises in recent memory, kids and adults alike are encouraged to see for themselves. We promise you won't be sorry; although, in fairness, your hands may be noticeably sore afterwards.
What's New & Hot!
Every week, Gamezebo scours the web searching for the latest and greatest games across the world's leading casual sites so you don't have to.
Jewel Quest Solitaire Review
What do you get when you mix Jewel Quest, one 2004's most popular puzzle games, with Solitaire? Simple. Jewel Quest Solitaire, the latest puzzler from iWin.
So, don your fedora, tuck your journal in your rucksack and prepare to be dealt a winning hand. It's a jewel of an adventure!
Hook, Line and Sinking: How Fish Tycoon Became a One Man Show
Think managing a bunch of hungry, breeding animals in Fish Tycoon is difficult? Try managing a studio full of game designers.
Much like the hero of their smash game, Last Day of Work's CEO and lead designer Arthur Humphrey soon found himself with too many mouths to feed and not enough to show for it. The result was a mass downsizing of the operation, and a future casual gaming smash placed squarely on one man's shoulders.
Luxor 2 Preview
How do you improve on one of the hottest casual games of our time?
If you're MumboJumbo - the makers of the incredibly popular Luxor puzzler, which has been downloaded more than 40 million times since its 2005 debut - you create a sequel that's bigger, better and more beautiful.
Luxor 2 is the stellar follow-up to the hit game, due out on October 10 (mark your calendar, kids!).
DS Casual: Landing in the Drop Zone
I love puzzle games! I can play them for hours on end...and usually do. It's just so easy to lose track of time when I'm "hard at work" on a mind-bender. If that's your story, too, read on as we get our handhelds dirty with a pair of addictive brainteasers, Tetris DS and Pokémon Trozei!
Paparazzi Preview
While it may not be the most prestigious job in the world, a tabloid photographer sure can make a lot of money by snapping photos of celebrities.
Um, how much is a photo of Tom and Katie's baby going for again?
You will soon be able to get a taste of this exciting life in Paparazzi, a downloadable Windows and Mac game that lets you travel the country to uncover juicy stories and sell them to tabloid newspapers for big bucks.
Bugged Out Review
Finally - an insect encounter that doesn't bite.
To wit: Despite featuring a colorful array of creepy-crawly critters from grasshoppers to snails and fireflies, pattern-matching puzzler Bugged Out will get under your skin in an entirely good way.