Gamezebo Archives - September 2007

Forgotten Riddles: The Mayan Princess is a new hidden object game developed by Blue Tea Games and published by Big Fish Studios. As the name implies, lots of riddles to solve. Check out our tips and tricks for this game followed by lots of spoilers. GENERAL TIPS   If you lose the round, you will have to start all over again with different riddles.     You can only click on an item for the riddle that is shown. If you find an object for an item from a previous riddle,... Read more »

There's nothing that devoted pet lovers won't do for their furry friends, including pampering them with a day at the spa - something many humans can't even afford to do for themselves. It's all in a day's work in Paradise Pet Salon.

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A Luxor-style game with a dash of Breakout isn't likely to win awards for originality, but Neopets: Codestone Quest - based on the Neopets online virtual pet craze - goes to show that sometimes it's just as much about fun, challenge and presentation.

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Use these tips & tricks to learn gameplay hints and advice for creating your own customized layouts in Cafe Mahjongg.GENERALThe object of Cafe Mahjongg is to remove all of the tiles from the game table as quickly as possible, in order to "solve" the puzzle and pass the level.When you click on a tile, it will automatically move to an available cell in the holding area at the top of the game screen. Click on a matching tile to remove them both tiles from the puzzle, and continue to make matches ... Read more »

Straight from the developer's mouth, we bring you these tips & tricks that should get you well on your way to growing a healthy nursery and finding the Magic Plants in Plant Tycoon. Got your own tips to share? Want to tell us about the exotic plants you managed to grow and how you grew them? Leave a Comment or contact us and we'll add your words of wisdom to the guide.TUTORIAL MODE The Tutorial Mode offered at the beginning of the game will guide you through early game play. While you c... Read more »

Consider them "Where's Waldo" for the 21st century. One of the most popular genres in casual game space is the "seek-and-find" or "hidden object" games, where players must find a number of well-hidden objects in a cluttered scene, within a predetermined time limit.

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Welcome to the third installment of our Women in Gaming series, where we introduce you to some of the women who are working behind the scenes to create the games you love to play. Carla Humphrey is the co-founder of Last Day of Work, the folks responsible for the Virtual Villagers series, Fish Tycoon, and, most recently, Plant Tycoon. Read more »

It's Friday, which means it's time for our weekly casual games news roundup. Among the highlights: Square Enix and 2K Games are the latest video game studios to jump onto the casual band wagon (following in the footsteps of EA, Ubisoft and others), and the Casual Games Association is offering $200,000 in prizes to indie game developers. Read more »

To celebrate the launch of Carrie the Caregiver 2, Shockwave has created a $10 off coupon for the oiginal Carrie the Caregiver game just for Gamezebo! Click here to download the game from Shockwave, and enter the coupon code GAMEZEBO10OFF at checkout. The offer is good until Sept. 30, 2007. Read more »

Pop culture meets ancient puzzles in Cafe Mahjongg, the new game from iWin and Jenkat that is sure to give a "jolt" to casual game fans.

Essentially, it's the mah jong solitaire tile game you know and love, but is now wrapped in an entertaining Starbucks-esque theme, where you must fill up punch cards - earning new drinks such as White Chocolate Mocha and Chai Tea - by playing through various tile layouts. In the main House Blend mode, you're greeted by a cafe employee, Katie, who explains how to earn new drinks.

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Help Carrie care for her preschool class with these tips and tricks for Carrie the Caregiver 2.GENERALChaining is the key to attaining higher scores. Try to assign toddlers to tables in such a way that you can chain as many actions as possible.Take advantage of the "speedy-service" bonus points! You need to treat a baby within one second (that's fast!).Speedy-service points can be chained up to 4 times.Don't forget to eat! Carrie slows down as she expends energy. Eating or drinking will... Read more »

Confession is good for the soul, so here goes: I like watching Antiques Roadshow on PBS. I enjoy seeing someone's jaw drop when they learn the ratty piece of furniture they bought at a garage sale for twenty bucks is actually worth a few grand. These days, that's close to the feeling I get when I play a casual game that takes a worn-out formula and injects it with new life. Case in point: Mahjong Roadshow from publisher PlayFirst and developer Zemnott.

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Battle your way to underwater supremacy with our tips & tricks for Deep Quest.Be prepared for battle: By and large, every fight you have in Deep Quest is going to be easier if you have numbers on your side. But if you don't grow your army quick enough, you could be suceptible to an early first strike by the enemy. So, what follows is the order that I normally work in. If you want to tweak something, feel free.1. Get more gnomes - Gnomes could be the most important unit in the game, because ... Read more »

We first met Carrie as she bustled around nurseries looking after babies in Carrie the Caregiver. The former nurse is back for more in Carrie the Caregiver 2, but now she's set her sights on running a classroom of toddlers as she trains to become a teacher. The good news is that Carrie 2 isn't just a sequel that maintains the status quo; instead, it breaks new ground and expands the franchise in a positive new direction.

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Check out out tips and tricks for Build-a-lot and become your own real estate mogul while you build, upgrade and flip houses. This document is divided into three sections: GETTING STARTED, GENERAL TIPS, and WALKTHROUGH, which contains detailed instructions for how to beat levels 15 - 35. GETTING STARTED Familiarize yourself with the main screen, it will have all the information that you need concerning your goals for that level and how many materials and workers you have. The game will rem... Read more »

Plant Tycoon is a lot like the film Pan's Labyrinth: you might not have heard of it, or you might have written it off as not your cup of tea, but it's an example of entertainment done right.

Considered the spiritual successor to Fish Tycoon, Last Day of Work's Plant Tycoon puts you in charge of a nursery, where you must breed and sell plants for profit. Monies collected can then be used to buy better soil, seeds, equipment and so on.

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Many people might find the world of real estate intimidating, but HipSoft's tycoon game Build-a-lot makes it seem easy. With a few clicks of the mouse you'll be building, buying, renovating and selling properties in no time - and having a blast doing it.

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Answer: The Jeopardy theme. Question: What song was running through my head as I tried to write a clever lead for this review? While my intro might remind you of the popular quiz program -- and put a catchy tune in your head -- it doesn't capture its spirit. To do that, I'd need music and visuals from the series, along with the charismatic personalities millions of fans have come to adore. So how does the new Jeopardy game stack up against such demanding criteria? Let's find out.

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To celebrate the launch of Cake Mania 2, RealArcade is selling the original Cake Mania for 50% off. RealArcade is also giving away a free Mahjong game, Safari Island. iWin has a large variety of classic (and some new) games for sale and for free in their Game Vault. And SpinTop Games is offering Mystery Solitaire at 50% off until September 11, 2007. Read more »

Somewhere deep within the ocean, two underwater forces are battling for supremacy. It's a war that will rage from one end of the ocean to the other, and you're invited to take part. But take heed: This isn't a fight for the timid.

Deep Quest is a rarity in casual games: A real-time strategy (RTS). If you're not familiar, think of it as a war game where you control all of the forces. You decide which units go to war, how many of certain types of fighters are trained, which resources you'll harvest to aid in your effort, how you'll use them, etc.

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