Latest Reviews

We now have casual games about weddings, nannies, bird watching and flipping burgers - so why not farming? You can indeed get your hands dirty with Arcade Lab's Alice Greenfingers, a new strategy/simulation hybrid that will have you tending to a farm and selling your goods so you can afford better equipment, new kinds of seeds and other aids to help nourish the soil. Read more»

Take an '80s arcade hit like Q*Bert, add a Mayan theme, and then throw in some classic mini-games such as Memory (a.k.a. Concentration) and Whack-A-Mole and you'll end up with something like Mayawaka, a new casual game that - while unoriginal in its design - ends up being more than the sum of its mediocre parts. Read more»

If you thought your food-serving or gem-swapping puzzle games were tough exercises, wait until you're asked to play four different games - all at the same time. And you will, if you've downloaded and played Arcadia Remix, a very clever - and increasingly challenging - retro arcade game with a few new and fun twists. One thing's for sure - you haven't played anything like it before. Read more»

For many, the 80's was a golden era, a decade when pop was king, action movie stars could blow up a car with a single bullet and women wore shoulder pads so huge that NFL quarterbacks would gaze enviously at them before getting squished by William 'The Fridge' Perry's supersized gut. Harking back to the era of Madonna and Jackson's heydays, Downbeat resurrects several classic tracks from the 80's and places them into a colorful and entertaining game that'll test your rhythmical skills to their max and have you grinning with joyous nostalgia for countless fun-filled hours. Read more»

I've often fantasized about being rich enough to own a nanny - someone to cook my meals, do my laundry, clean up after my pets, and generally leave me to enjoy the carefree high life where chores are things of the past. Nanny Mania offers a glimpse into that life, but not from the perspective of the leisure class. Instead, you'll be down in the trenches with the hard-working nanny herself. Combining some of the time management features of games like Diner Dash with the look and feel of The Sims, Nanny Mania is an interesting concept that is certainly fun for a while, but that has trouble maintaining interest across its 150 levels. Read more»

Profitville, like many other towns in America (and no doubt elsewhere), are experiencing the "mega mart" pinch - a huge, do-it-all store with dirt-cheap prices that is single-handedly shutting down mom and pop stores one by one. We don't need to name names, but we all know which corporation we're dealing with here. Ahem. And so it's your job to save these smaller stores in the fictitious town of Profitville, a new casual game from savvy developer Myth People. Read more»

Congratulations! You've just won the Bar-o-Matic lottery! You're now the proud own of the Cocktail-o-Matic 6000, an experimental cocktail-mixing machine and a rundown bar called John Doe's. And so this is how iWin.com's Happy Hour begins, a new downloadable micromanagement "serving" game a la Diner Dash or Burger Island - but this time you're slinging cocktails instead of food. The end result is a "refreshing" bartending simulation that proves both fun and challenging. Read more»

Hungry for excitement and adventure? Dig into Burger Island, the coolest electronic exercise in slinging food to unruly patrons we've spied in several weeks. Despite the frantic pace at which the game unfolds, and the inevitable onset of repetition, it's a surprisingly polished and gratifying experience that's sure to satisfy any craving for spastic, arcade-style fun. Read more»

Even if you've not watched an episode of the TV show The Apprentice, you've probably seen clips in which Donald Trump points a beefy finger at some unlucky schlep and barks, "You're fired!" In fact, Trump's catchphrase has become almost as famous as his comb over. It was just a matter of time, then, until the show went interactive, as it does in The Apprentice: Los Angeles. Read more»

Stealing bananas from a monkey is like taking candy from a baby. It may be easy to do (if the monkey's not looking), but that doesn't make it right. I mean, really. What else do primates have to enjoy in life beyond their tasty yellow fruit? Not much. And, that's true of Darwin. Read more»

Who knew recycling could be so much fun? You know, all that sorting of bottles, cans, paper and plastic. Well, believe it or not, but the recycling craze that's sweeping much of the country has even caught on in the computer game world - and it's a unique game that doesn't "recycle" ideas found in the other casual games you download these days. Read more»

Feel like your medulla oblongata's in need of an overhaul? Is your grey matter about to splatter? If that's true, you may need a good mental flossing to clear your brain of its accumulated gunk. Yes, you read that right -- a mental flossing! That's the premise of gamelab's Out of Your Mind, a frenetic action puzzler that takes a "dental approach" to restoring mental harmony. It's a wacky and addictive lampoon at spa culture, and a game that's sure to engage your mind. Read more»

Two things many modern women dream of: The chance to escape reality by spending long, leisurely days sunning themselves on a remote tropical isle and the opportunity to rub elbows with big-name Hollywood celebrities. Pleasingly, you'll get the opportunity to do both in Cathy's Caribbean Club, in which the titular star - stranded in paradise after a cruise ship accidentally leaves her behind - must wait on the seaside getaway's most exclusive customers. Read more»

As a given rule of thumb, if you've played one block-breaking arcade game, you've played them all - general mechanics and extended features typically vary little between standard genre selections. Thankfully, what they lack in ingenuity, recent titles like Fairy Treasure more than make up for in production values, relying on charm, personality and good, old-fashioned entertainment value to carry the day. Read more»

What do you get when you combine magic, martial arts and hard-shelled reptiles? Nope! It's not Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles! The correct answer is Turtix, a charming yet challenging, classic-style platform game. Read more»

Now here's something you don't see every day, let alone within the casual games arena: A side-scrolling spaceship shooter with a candy-colored visual style that's seemingly been ripped from a Claymation short. Read more»

What came first: the chicken or the egg? Well, they're equally as important in Big Fish Games' latest casual game, Chicken Chase. Consider it a "whack a mole"-like arcade with a little more story, depth and variety. Read more»

Thirty- or forty-something gamers likely have fond memories of dumping quarters into their favorite arcade game in the '80s. To some, it was all about Pac-Man, while to others the addiction of choice may have been Frogger, Space Invaders or Centipede. For me, it was Galaga. Who could resist those swirling, insect-like aliens you can shoot out of the star-studded sky? Read more»

The enormous popularity of Nintendogs for the Nintendo DS handheld system has opened the floodgate for other "pet sims" - games designed for people who want to take care of a virtual pet without the real-life time and money commitments. Kitty Luv lets players adopt a kitty of their choice and interact with it in real-time while looking after all its basic needs such as feeding, brushing and petting. Read more»

Ah, fast food. Americans spend more than $120 billion on it each year (yes, that's billion with a "b"). So, despite any moral dilemmas on contributing to the country's obesity pandemic, why shouldn't you cash in on our hamburger-craving society? This is precisely what you can do in Stand o' Food, a new casual arcade game that challenging players to feed a stream of hungry customers. Read more»

We here at Gamezebo often say you don't need to reinvent the wheel in order to create a fun, accessible and addictive casual game. Such is the case with Teddy Tavern: A Culinary Adventure, a game that doesn't pretend to be completely original - because it's not - but it takes the "Diner Dash"-style food-serving game-play and adds a few new twists to keep it fresh. Read more»

Belle's dream is to open a salon so she can "make the world a more beautiful place, one person at a time." She gets her wish in Belle's Beauty Boutique, where she gets to run her very own beauty parlor and do her best to satisfy the demands of the assorted customers who walk through the door. Read more»

A good casual game should not only be hard to turn off when it's time to get back, to, well, life - but it should also tug at your thoughts to the point where you're itching to sit back down at the computer and resume playing whenever you have a spare moment. Realore Studios' Turtle Odyssey 2 is this kind of game. Read more»

If it were measured by graphics alone, Alawar's Magic Ball 3 would receive an undisputed A+ on the Gamezebo report card. It's a visually stunning adventure with colourful 3-D visuals that will truly impress even the most finicky of players. But after you strip away the eye-candy, the game-play is simply a barely-above-average brick-breaking arcade game that's not too different than similar titles, and with relatively low replayability. Read more»

The concept behind Tasty Planet, a new causal game from Dingo Games, will be immediately familiar to fans of Namco's PlayStation 2 hit, Katamari Damacy or PopCap's popular Feeding Frenzy games: you must grow bigger and bigger by absorbing objects smaller than you, until you reach a predetermined size. But despite the lack of originality and a few other annoying niggles, Tasty Planet is quirky, fun and strangely addictive. Read more»

Most games require fast thumbs, but in Flower Shop, you need only a green one. After Meg has a hard day at a noisy design firm in the city, she exits the building, screams, and sits down on a park bench amid the traffic and construction noises. What's this? A newspaper advertising a florist shop for sale on a remote island? Just what the doctor ordered. Read more»

Who says octogenarians lead tranquil, sedentary lives? Apparently, those who haven't met the hyper-powered, grey-haired and lavender jumpsuit-wearing star of hilarious arcade outing Super Granny 3 - that's who. Read more»

Those who grew up dumping quarters into arcade games in the early '80s may smile upon launching Reaxxion (pronounced "reaction"), a new downloadable diversion based on the classic brick-breaking game-play found in titles such as Breakout or Arkanoid. Read more»

For those who haven't already gobbled their fill of Diner Dash and overdosed on holiday cheer, there's no better way to ring in this Christmas than with similarly-styled outing Believe in Santa. Read more»

As wonderful as babies are, they're also hungry, fussy, noisy and often stinky. And if you thought taking care of one was a handful, imagine trying to juggle up to eight of them at the same time! That's the challenge behind Carrie the Caregiver, a new download from Shockwave and The Article 19 Group. Read more»

Take a 25-year-old arcade game formula and weave in a cute story and attractive graphics and you'll end up with something like Fizzball, a fresh new take on the Breakout or Arkanoid games from the early '80s. Read more»

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. Read more»

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. Read more»

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. Read more»

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. Read more»

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. Read more»

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. Read more»

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. Read more»

The 80s arcade classics Breakout and Arkanoid have inspired a slew of titles that all use the premise of breaking blocks with a bouncing ball using a paddle that slides along the bottom of the screen. Each new Breakout-inspired game tries to introduce new innovations to keep the formula fresh, whether it's 3D graphics, state-of-the-art physics, unique power ups, or immersive storylines. Treasure of the Deep's twist is combining 3-D graphics with an underwater theme. Read more»

Let's get philosophical for a sec. If a game is far too easy for an adult, does that mean the developer probably had a younger audience in mind? Or is it just a game that's not challenging enough? That's the question regarding Kenny's Adventure: In Search Of Family Treasures, a breath of fresh air for lovers of Mario-like platform games. Read more»

I'm no skateboarder. I don't know the difference between a fakie and a goofyfoot, a cave and a grind, or an ollie and a nollie. If I ever tied using one of those "wheel boards" I would certainly land myself in the local ER and end up on America's Funniest Home Videos. Even so, I had an entertaining and pain-free experience skating my way from one delivery to the next in Pizza Panic. Read more»

Faithful followers of block-busting arcade action, rejoice! You're hereby invited to worship at the altar of the Temple of Bricks. While play hardly proves a religious experience, rest assured none will walk away disappointed from a jaunt amongst its hallowed (and heart rate-boosting) halls. Or, for that matter, fail to find themselves tempted by the prospect of tithing in exchange for a complete look at the game's 200-odd, habit-forming levels. Read more»

The more things change, the more they play the same. Need proof? See Bugatron Worlds, a frantically-paced spaceship shooter that successfully apes 1981 arcade classic Galaga to excellent effect. Read more»

Sometimes the deepest and most challenging digital diversions are also the simplest. Case in point: Super Slyder from Sandlot Games. A deceptively shallow outing at first glance, this adorable little cartoon puzzler quickly reveals itself to be one of the most fiendishly diabolical outings in ages. Read more»

It's only taken 162 years for Alexandre Dumas' famous story of the Musketeers to become a computer game -- but now you can step into the shoes of Porthos, the heroic swashbuckler from the early 17th century, who vows to save his kidnapped brethren from the evil Count Xavier. After all, it's "One for all, and all for one!," remember? Read more»

I love the weird and wacky. That's why I'm a science fiction aficionado. So, I spend a lot of time watching the Sci-Fi channel. If you do the same, you've seen their unusual and, at times, bizarre commercials. You know, ones like the multi-armed ping pong players, spiky woman and dragon playing fetch. Well, Bliss Island is the casual game equivalent. It's quirky, curious and...different. It's also fun to play. Read more»

While I've worked many jobs over the years, I've never rolled up my sleeves at a restaurant or diner. Nonetheless, I'm ready to "wait" my buns off to please the clientele in Delicious Deluxe, the latest offering in the world of digital dining sims. Read more»

'Chalk' it up to clever design, thoughtful planning and an eye for the sport's subtle nuances: Backspin Billiards will make a hustler out of you yet. Read more»

The drive-in diner is one of the iconic images of 1950s America: the flashy neon sign, big shiny cars pulled into the parking lot, the latest doo-wop band crooning on the jukebox and waitresses on roller skates scooting around with trays of root beer, milkshakes, burgers and fries. That setting comes to life in Roller Rush... Read more»

Kids of all ages love LEGOs... even those who refuse to admit they've grown up. So it's no surprise Large Animal Games, creator of the critically-acclaimed Saints & Sinners Bowling, has joined forces with the world-famous toy manufacturer to bring audiences LEGO: Bricktopia. Read more»