One of the first fruits of Electronic Arts' lauded partnership with toy manufacturer Hasbro, Operation Mania attempts to upgrade the classic board game for today's keyboard jock. Its strategic approach: to weave nearly two dozen "micro-games" (bite-sized diversions that can be played in roughly 10-15 second increments) into the standard time management equation.Happily, the setup works surprisingly well, staying true to the spirit of the original tabletop diversion. Nonetheless, extreme repetition - the bane of many a similarly-styled competitor - again rears its head, ultimately reducing the experience to a fun, but fleeting novelty best enjoyed in brief installments.
What do you do when you're the doctor and someone comes into your hospital with butterflies in their stomach, water on the knee, and a frog in the throat? Operate of course! Operation Mania is a new twist on Hasbro's classic Operation board game that will be launching soon courtesy of EA's casual games site Pogo.com.You'll play as Dr. Humerus, an up and coming surgeon, as he builds his reputation and is called to save the day at five different hospitals admitting, diagnosing and treating patiens with the zaniest ailments in healthcare history.