Latest Reviews

Defined as symbols with meaning, "glyphs" have long since been a popular topic of study, whether it's the Egyptian hieroglyph writing system or Western astrological glyphs, such as the pitchfork for Neptune or the circle shooting the arrow for Mars. But for our purposes, Glyph is a new puzzle diversion that challenges gamers to unveil ancient glyphs carved into stone. Read more»

Good news for anyone dreaming of the Orient. 10 Talismans, new from NevoSoft, allows you to explore the mysteries of the Ancient East right from your desktop. Added bonus: At only $19.95, it's also cheaper and easier than doing so via your next best alternative - a day-long transoceanic voyage. Read more»

Unlike those "other" video games you buy at retail, downloadable casual games all share one unique and unmistakable quality: they're easy to pick up but hard to put down. Read more»

Choosing a game for the entire family is a lot like planning a vacation. Puzzle fans would like to relax by a mountain lake while fast-paced arcade fans are most likely scouting out the ski slopes. Fortunately, just about everyone loves the beach and Tropix is an oasis for all gamers. Plus, you get to bring along a monkey! Read more»

Before we begin, let's go through our beach vacation equipment checklist. Swim fins? Check! Snorkel and mask? Check! Bomb squad gear? Err ... check? We're going to need it all for Big Kahuna Reef 2: Chain Reaction. With Reflexive Entertainment's explosive new entrant into the match-three arena, and sequel to their 2004 super-hit Big Kahuna Reef, they seem intent on disturbing the peace of the seas. Read more»

While all sequels arrive with a fanfare of sorts, some greet us with more of a hoarse whisper than a bang. But for one series' return, "bang" (or, in this case, "boom") is the only description that could possibly apply. Fans will be happy to hear that the wait is over. Super Collapse 3 has arrived and is fantastic! But first, a few words for the uninitiated... Read more»

Taking a cruise on Ocean Express requires the requisite packing -- but not for dancing on the luxury line. Rather, barges are readied for a possible grand tour of ten port cities. This is where you come in, sailor. Read more»

We all know Kellogg's lovable Tony the Tiger and that beautiful Bengal from Esso ("Put a tiger in your tank"), but you're about to meet another cool cat - and this one has a heck of an arm. Read more»

f you think you've got it takes to defeat the nasty Tabu to become the Tiki Master, then you might want to try using your Boom-Boom Boulder. What's that, you ask? Nope, no one left the cap off the glue at the Gamezebo office. This all won't make sense to you unless you've clicked through a few rounds of Tiki Boom Boom, a new game that challenges you to face off against primal evil in seven tropical islands. Read more»

The match-three genre has become a staple of our beloved casual games. Line up or group three of the same shapes or colors and eliminate them from the game board, with all the accompanying bells and whistles. The bigger the chains of combinations, more points you earn. It's a very relaxing experience. Read more»

You can't go anywhere these days without hearing about the Da Vinci Code, Dan Brown's gazillion-selling novel which has spawned numerous "me too" books, a feature film, and now - you guessed it - a computer game. Read more»

Who knew running a toy factory could be so much work? You'll quickly learn this to be true after spending time with Teddy Factory, the latest downloadable casual game on the scene that is as challenging as it is fun. And talk about addictive - despite the fact this game is tough to progress through, it's nearly impossible to put down. Read more»

Somewhere, the pirates had a party and painted all their cannonballs pretty colors. Then, lined them up and rolled them down some rails while taking potshots at them with their biggest cannon. Well, that's not actually the back story of this game, but I tried to imagine what might be going on in some logical sense ... and that's about as close as I could come. Read more»

Boy, just when I thought the puzzle genre wasn't my bag, along comes a game like Eets. It turned my expectations on their heads. Read more»

Changing the familiar to create something new is a tantalizing, but potentially perilous endeavor. It risks alienating purists and intimidating newcomers (some "real time" chess games come to mind), building a significant audience with neither in the process. Happily, Poker Pop, from PlayFirst and Say Design, is a unique hybrid that should appeal to poker enthusiasts who want (or need) to step away from the tables for a bit, as well as puzzle game fans who don't mind learning a few poker hands. Read more»

The developers would probably like you to think they called this game Shroomz because of all the tumbling mushrooms in the game. We suspect that it probably had more to do with the wacky mushrooms they were consuming while building this wonderful puzzler that won Billboard's 2004 Web/Downloadable Game Of The Year award. Read more»

Anyone who's bought a diamond wedding ring, or seriously contemplated its implications, is familiar with the Four C's - carat, color, clarity and cut. In simplest terms, the larger the weight, the purer the color, the more flawless the stone and the better its proportions, the higher its quality and more stratospheric its cost. Jewel Thief, a gem-based puzzler, offers the game equivalent of a rare diamond. All facets of its creation work together to make it a stand out. The clincher? It can be had for the price of a cubic zirconia. Read more»

It's a tale as old as business itself: the small business man gets gobbled up and spit out by the big bad Mega Mart when it moves in next door. People, see bigger and faster as better, and ignore the businesses that have served them well for years. Read more»

Sometimes a game comes along that redefines a certain genre. Not a re-invention per se, but a game that sets a new standard in terms of play, theme and polish. Reflexive Entertainment's Mosaic: Tomb of Mystery has done just that for "Inlay"-style games. In the same way that driving a Porsche differs from driving a Chevy, playing Mosaic provides a gaming experience unlike any other "Inlay"-style game we've played before. Read more»

If it were Captain James T. Kirk at the helm of the Picolyte spacecraft, none of this would have happened. Except it was the bumbling Captain Bloom, who was busy reading a magazine instead of steering the ship, that caused their UFO to smack into our planet's satellites and send little Picolyte creatures falling haplessly to Earth. Read more»

The best casual games are easy to pick up but difficult to put down. 7 Wonders of the Ancient World is one of these games that - despite its lack of originality - can be figured out how to play in mere seconds, but proves to be a huge time sink. Read more»

Among the most popular conventions in puzzle gaming is something that I like to call "match three and smile." This applies to any game that has the player matching three or more like things to make them disappear. Of course, if you're blessed with actual triplets there's no option to have them stop crying, let alone disappear. Read more»

They squeak, they squeal, and they're just as cuddly as all get-out. In fact, if you could hug them and take them for a walk, they'd no doubt make great pets. But until "Chuzzles" are available at your local pet store, you'll need to have your fun with them in the "match-three-in-a-row"-type game from PopCap that bears their name. Read more»

If the metric by which a game can be called addictive is the number of times you forget to blink while playing it, then Karu by GameGekko should have its own twelve-step program. This game requires such constant attention that even a split second of looking away can spell disaster. The heightened tension it brings to a now classic gameplay model cannot be denied. Read more»