Snowy the bear is the coolest little guy ever.  Your goal in this classic arcade platform Mac game is to get him back home safely from the myriads of monsters attacking him from all sides.  Is that too much to ask?

There are 3 modes to choose from in this challenging game of many levels.  The Kid’s mode will give you 100 (!) lives with fewer monsters.  Normal has 10 lives and double the monsters, and Hard is crazy with lots and lots of monsters and 10 lives.  You must bring your game face for this mode in order to beat it. 

This is your typical platform game where the monsters can come at you from all directions and all sizes, including the bosses.  You use your control key and arrow keys to throw snowballs and maneuver around.  I had trouble using the control button and arrows so I went into options and changed the control button to the space bar by clicking directly on control and changing it to any key.  I chose the space bar since it’s centrally located and it’s bigger than the other keys.  I use a MacBook Pro with Mac OS X, version 10.5.6.  If you do not change this key, your screen will disappear.  That was my only mishap I had with playing this Mac game.

The play is to move Snowy facing the enemies and clicking either your control or space bar to throw snowballs until the monster is completely covered and then kicking him out the game board.  Be careful though the snowball may come back and take Snowy down losing a life.

This game is fast and you must move even faster to either avoid the bad guys or by throwing the snowballs.  This action, shooter arcade play is more than awesome, it’s a challenging, strategic game with an upbeat music and happy character like Snowy.  What more do you need for an exciting and electrifying play?  Beat those monsters and get Snowy home.

I would definitely recommend this game to all the quick moving, coordinated (with practice) platform gamers who may enjoy a fun story about a fearless polar bear.  Also kids and inexperienced gamers can learn from the 100 lives you have to practice this awesome game.  The colors are so bright and intense and the artwork is imaginative.  I didn't know you could do so much with platforms.  Don’t let the cuteness factor put you off.  Snowy is one tough bear.   

Features of Snowy the Bear’s Adventure:

-Tons of Snowballs and Levels

-Great Adventure

-4 Worlds

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

Bud Redhead is an action-packed, side scrolling fun platform Mac game for all ages. Its story begins with Bud and Rachel strolling through a park, and a green creature appears through a light and kidnaps poor Rachel. Bud could only grab part of the creature’s arm before the two disappear through another light. Bud is then approached by 2 grey aliens who explain to him that the green monster is Feyatta, and they, from the Cosmic Federation, are chasing him for galactic evil deeds. The electronic piece Bud grabbed from Feyatta will prevent the creature from escaping to his space ship and leaving for the unknown. They could track Feyatta, but the 2 grey men cannot chase the criminal on earth due to galaxy restrictions in interfering with earthlings. It is up to Bud to help Rachel get back and put away this desperate galactic criminal.

Bud’s adventure will take him to 4 different locations and 4 different time periods. Music also changes in each location. The places vary from a forest over 8000 years ago to a spaceship orbiting Saturn way into the future with Medieval Castles and Ancient Egypt in between.

The play is easy to pick up using the arrow keys and jumping with the control button. There are helps in forms of monitors along the way. You can stop and view them or you can ignore them. There are thousands of coins (which you need to exit the portals), jewels and fruit to get for your score. This is your basic run and jump game where you will find secret areas in each land, moving platforms, many tiered trees, levers, ropes and the dreaded but fun slippery floors.

Bud Redhead is an awesome play in the style of the Mario games. The artwork and graphics were great, and some of it reminded me of Japanese anime. The backgrounds were drawn in detail and rich colors. The ending is a big surprise. So if you are looking for an excellent family fun, try Bud Redhead and venture out into the timeless unknown.

Features of Bud Redhead:
-20 Levels of Adventure and Fun
-5 Levels per Different Worlds
-Thousands of Coins, Jewels, and Fruit
-Secret Areas
-Big Boss Levels

Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars

Cat lovers rejoice! Here’s a Mac platform puzzler with 3 mischievous cats that get into everything and everywhere. Figure out how to get these 3 cats pass the obstacles and get the scrumptious sausages in this fun physics based game.

You use the 3 cats with 3 different skills to overcome the many different blocks. The goal is to get all the sausages by getting one of the cats to jump and snag one of these delectable treats. The cats’ faces are at the top left of the screen. When you click on one of them, you can use your arrow keys to make that particular feline move about. The right and left keys move the cats horizontally and the up arrow makes them jump. The yellow fat cat can muscle his way through most barriers like boxes, walls and more. The blue sleek cat jumps high but has problems getting through low spaces. The red kitten can go through these areas because of its size. Alternate the cats and you can succeed in getting the plumb brown sausages and get to the exit. All 3 cats must reach the exit to end the level.

The many obstacles can be a challenge but once you figure out the play, it becomes relatively easy. The wall with the knobs is a door and the only way the cats can open it is to move an heavy object on top of the automatic button located near the entrance. A stack of crates is no problem for the heavy set cat who can move tall barriers and topple them so the rest of the crew can go through. The cats will travel through different locations in the city including the sewer system in order to find food.

This puzzler is a fun, easy game to play. The 2D artwork is delightful and the cats are reminiscent of the felines in those famous Disney movies. They have personalities to match their amazing skills. The music is a joyful, goofy upbeat tune that makes you feel like playing the game. It may be more of a challenge for children but adults may enjoy the cute aspect of this puzzle. Try it out and help the cats get to the yummy sausages by working together.

Features of Cats Inc.:
-30 Levels of Puzzles
-Cats with Skills
-Happy Music and Great Artwork

Rating: 3 out of 5 stars

Phelios the maker of Pixie, Doulber Gold, Kaijin and many more  Mac games made Abracadabra a few years ago. We are reviewing this simple but popular game for all those who may have missed it the first time around.

Abracadabra is an action packed arcade platform puzzle game. You take the little wizard through a magical trip finding gold, potions, keys and evil creatures. The wizard with his enchanted wand uses it to make or break bricks and can help save his life. You do not want to see him die. You use the arrow keys to direct him through all the mazes with many obstacles to prevent him from proceeding to the next level. Find the key and exit through the door. The space bar will let you use his wand, and use the arrows with the wand to direct the appropriate action to the right object or creature.

It takes a little practice for non-gamers to get used to the key movements but can grasp the play very quickly just by doing. It is a great starter game for all who are new to Mac games or video games, because the tutorials (in many languages) will take you step by step through the play. However, the higher levels are quite challenging and entertaining enough for even the seasoned gamers.

This game is reminiscent of the very first 2D Mario games, and you know they are always entertaining to revisit and play again. Abracadabra is just a fun play when you do not want to think too hard. I say too hard because there are some mazes you have to strategize to exit the platform. An added bonus is the easygoing jazzy music and colorful scenes to enhance your mood to play. So meet the spellbinding challenge with Abracadabra and spend some time playing this old time Mac game.

Features of Abracadabra:
-115 Levels
-Fun Arcade, Action Puzzles
-Wizards and Mystical Creatures
-Tutorials in Many Languages

Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars

Everyone knows cats are needed for evil witches’ brews so it should not have been a great surprise when Orlando, Jasper’s favorite pet, is snatched by a wicked hag on a lovely, sunny afternoon. Jasper may not be your typical hero type, and he may not be the smartest, swiftest or the bravest person in his small hamlet, but he is loyal to his friends and must go on a treacherous journey fighting and avoiding monsters of all sorts to save poor Orlando’s hide in Mac game Jasper’s Journey.

This is an old time scrolling platform play that everyone can enjoy. If you are new to this type of arcade play, use the easy mode until you get the hang of it. There are 3 modes for all levels of expertise. Initially the game is easy going and no problem accessing hidden areas for fruits, coins, stars, gems, golden orbs and shields. The game progresses quickly and your skill will be put to the test with the many high jumps you must make in order to get all your supplies, keys and treasures.

The blocks at first are also easy to handle especially the spikes where all you need to do is time the jump. The gnome-like guards can be shot down with ease using the X key and speed through the stone throwing birds overhead. After a couple of levels, it does get harder and more challenging. You will find that you must keep going back to search for all your objects. Nothing is too good for Orlando. Jasper is risking his life for him over and over again. There are also locked and secret areas you must explore. This is part of the enjoyment of platform games like Mario and Sonic.

The play is the fundamental platform maneuvers with the arrow keys managing your movements, Z is for jumping and X is for shooting. The fruits will give you energy and you’ll need it since shooting will drain your energy. Garner all the golden orbs, shields and treasures to keep going in the game. The gold can be used in the inns to buy supplies like fruit and shields. Remember saving a game will cost you 10 gold pieces and there are 6 different potions to help you.

Jasper’s Journey is full of items and objects to get in all the high or underground places. Mastering the jumps will advance your play by many folds because all the great and necessary things are usually placed way up high. The level ends when you reach the blue dragon. The purple dragon will take you to the island for more items.

Jasper’s Journey is a retro, side scrolling platform fun play similar to Bud Redhead. This type of game has loyal arcade followers who enjoy platform games. Even the music is retro and familiar with nice background graphics to enhance your play. Take a stroll back to the arcade era and help Jasper fend off the monsters and big bosses to save Orlando from the evil crone.

Features of Jasper’s Journey:
-Hidden Treasure Chambers and Secret Levels
-Battle Monsters
-Flying Potions
-Magic Butterfly

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

The Tuttles: Madcap Misadventures begins with the Tuttle family embarking on a family vacation to the Alamo. Join Barry Tuttle (voiced by Bob Saget), his wife Barbara (Jamie Lee Curtis), his daughter Jess (Ashley Tisdale), and his son Zach (Dominic Scott Kay) and their "smart" car Vance (voiced by the great William Shatner) as they attempt to make it to Texas in their flying automobile. Unfortunately not everything goes as planned and the family is sidetracked with zany side-stories. With an allstar cast like this, who needs a good game (Just joking)?

After flying around in the family minivan, the Tuttles run out of gas and have to crash land in the desert. This is where Barry has to leave his family and look for more gas to restart the car. The game takes on a platform approach, similar to Donkey Kong, where the goal is to collect all the necessary items and then make it to the exit. The controls are very basic, you can walk, jump and attack. These can be carried out on either the arrow keys or the mouse. I thought the mouse feature was pretty cool, but definitely felt more comfortable using the traditional arrows.

I looked into this game, because it seems like it is pretty big with movie and TV stars' voices, and I found that it has ties to the Starlight Foundation. So when you buy this game, part of the purchase price goes right back to the charity, bettering both your gaming experience and the general community. Having celebrities like Bob Saget, Ashley Tisdale and William Shatner create an interesting experience that many people will like. The game additionally won many awards and can be played by the whole family for hours and hours of fun.

Personally, I thought this was a good game. The actors voices were a nice touch, but their lines were somewhat limited. When I would jump, they would repeat annoying noises that at times became a nuisance. Other than that, I had no other complaints as the game played very smoothly and the graphics were nice. The story line was funny without trying too hard and with 40 levels of fun, there is plenty of replayablility. I would give The Tuttles: Madcap Misadventures four out of five stars.

Features of The Tuttles: Madcap Misadventures:
- 40 levels of side scrolling action
- Celebrity voice overs
- Multiple characters
- Part of the Purchase donated to Starlight Foundation

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

And Yet It Moves is an unusual name for a unique and different physics based platform game. Although visually simple with its paper mache like appearance the landscapes of caves, trees, mountains and volcanoes are brightly colored and well done. The play itself is also simplistic but can be challenging and fun.

You need to use 2 hands to move your character around. Use the letter A to move him left, W for jumping, D to move him right. The arrow keys will rotate the entire screen. This will take a little practice since most platform games move you in one direction jumping over obstacles. In this game you may need to move the screen 90 degrees to avoid blocks, move another 90 degrees to advance your play and possibly go all the way around.

Blocks will come up and rotating the world may not be enough to clear the path. Rocks may rotate with you and possibly hit you over the head, sending you back to the beginning of the section. There are bats, a toad, bees, chimps and bananas to deal with. Some paths are easier to figure out than others but you can take your time and solve the puzzle when it comes up. This puzzle will take you up, down, upside down, climbing walls and ceilings. The shadow person will point the way and you only need to do is get to the next checkpoint. If you should fail, you will break into many pieces and return to the previous checkpoint.

There are not a lot of levels in this laid back game. 20 levels to be exact, but when you complete a level, you feel great and want to keep going in this addictive and fun platform game. Just watch out for the moving platforms in this puzzle with a tremendous twist to it. Just reach your goal! I give it a 3.5 for a great challenging platformer with a big, big twist. Turn your world upside down!

Features of And Yet It Moves:
-20 Mind Bending Levels
-Platform Fun with a Twist
-Obstacles to Overcome

Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars

This is a story about the weird cat lady who lives down the street. Granny is sitting around relaxing in her backyard with all her cats she rescued from unspeakable hardships; I’m guessing. She is wondering what happened to Twinkletoes when Twinkletoes or aka evil Mr. Meow appears at the front doorsteps. Mr. Meow has been working in the basement laboratory he created to somehow get rid of Granny and the other cats. He’s a great inventor because he made a machine to zap poor Granny and her cats into small creatures.

The play is an old fashion 2D arcade platform game. The object of each level is for Granny to rescue all her cats on different level platforms. In order to reach her felines she must climb ladders or vines to get to them. You grow vines by collecting the water canister and water the small green plants to grow into tall vines. You move Granny with your arrow keys to go up and down and right and left. You begin with very easy levels where you can sit back and study logically how you will move Granny to reach every one of the cats and the items to collect for more points.

Easy, right? Well, add in crazy mad vegetables, spiders, ants, centipedes, bees, slugs, and water drops. Some of the baddies will move back and forth in one place but others will chase Granny down. What’s a Granny to do? Fight back that’s what! She will dig holes to trap the bad guys and walk all over them. In additions, she’ll use jackhammers, blowtorches, bombs, umbrellas, fans, baseball bats and the ever ready purse. There also will be floating leaves that can be used to reach other areas.

So what is that diabolical Mr. Meow up to? Help Granny rescue all the cats and get back to her normal size. This game is full of things to watch out for and accomplish. And, it must be done quickly and logically. The cute artwork is adorable and perfect for kids, but some of the levels can be more than challenging for young fingers and casual players. At least you have 5 lives to complete your level, but lose all 5 lives and go back to the beginning. Keep at it and bring Granny and her precious cats back.

Features of Super Granny 5:

-Over 100 Levels
-Win Trophies
-Go Back and Redo Levels

Rating: 3 out of 5 stars

Qwak is an awesome platform/puzzle action Mac game for all those old time arcade players and anyone who wants to have a good time. With myriad of upgrades, extras and baddies to beat, you can’t go wrong with playing 70 levels in 6 different worlds.

The object of Qwak is to collect gold keys to exit to the next level. Easy, huh? No way. Before you leave one level, you must collect fruits (either stationary or raining down from the top of the screen), gems, flowers (10 will get you an extra life), and more. At the end of the level the fruits convert to eggs, and you use them to shoot baddies. There are grey and purple potions and keys. The black keys open treasure chests and the gold keys open the exit gate.

There are a lot of baddies who can topple your duck over and send him to his demise. Qwak! Not only do you need to avoid the enemies, you need to make sure the duck does not get hit by a spike ball; both small and humongous. You have to time the bubbles to elevate you to higher platforms and at the same time avoiding all the bad things dropping down on your duck.

In addition to all that there are secret sections where you have to figure out how to enter this site. You may need to pull levers, collect the right keys to go through gates and in the right order. Good luck.

If all that is not enough, you can play as one player or 2. In the 2 player mode, this is the one I like, you play along side your buddy or against him and throw the eggs at him and let the baddies deal with him. Bye, bye friend.

Qwak, with its bright and cheery graphics and fun sounds, is a challenging, entertaining platform/puzzle play. You have to have quick reaction and nimble fingers in order to get through the many levels in this fast-paced Mac game, but it’s all worth it when you save the duck! Qwak!

Features of Qwak:
-70 Action-packed Levels
-6 Different Worlds
-Single Player or 2 Player Modes

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

The title itself makes you smile and the play will have you working for hours in this fun, new physics based puzzle game about outer space. Bob Came in Pieces is a side scrolling platform game that takes you through many puzzles before you reach your goal.

The story is simple but cute and just engaging enough to get you started in this game of puzzles. Bob is more than your typical 9 to 5 employee at the galactic call center. He is an alien green octopod who enjoys everything about his job. He’s your Spongebob Squarepants of space. Every day he travels the usually safe intergalaxy route from his home to the office, but on this fateful day his reliable Hyperdrive 2000 is hit by a huge meteor and plummets him towards the nearest planet. With no space depot or inhabitants to help him fix his ride that broke into many pieces leaving just the body of the ship, Bob must find all the parts and fix his vehicle himself. Bob travels through different environments of this earth-like planet, transporting himself through portal after portal gathering all the parts. Bob must solve puzzles to continue on his journey and rebuild his spaceship at ship builders (marked with 2 crossed wrenches). What is left of Bob’s ship will take you to places unknown on this little planet to find hinges, extenders and what-have-you to make a whimsical, but efficient, unit for returning to the job he loves most.

The play is to navigate what’s left of Bob’s spaceship looking for the missing parts. There are up to 5 pieces of your ship in each location. Each part of the ship helps solve new puzzles, so you need to track down as many pieces as possible. You get to a rebuild station to put these parts you find back on the ship. Some of the pieces will push, pull, or hook to enable you through the many environments such as the steamy jungles, cold icy or cavernous areas so familiar to many platform games.

The tricky part of this game is you must be careful where you place each piece on the ship. The round spaceship has 8 connectors where you can place your pieces. How your ship is weighted with these pieces is important. If you do not balance the parts, you may be flying sideways or even crashing. The different pieces perform many functions and each function is assigned a key on your keyboard by you so if you want to use your space bar for the pull feature, it will help you maneuver your craft a little more easily. There are 3 different thruster at a time and you must remember to balance out each one to travel smoothly. They also can burn through objects like bushes. Another useful maneuver is to speed through barriers like the ice. You’ll need gadgets to jockey around rocks. In the beginning, like other games, there are a lot of experimenting and trying out before you can get everything in sync, but weighing the devices so they are balanced will avoid gravity from pulling your ship down. You steer your ship to the portal or exit in each level as in most scrolling platform games.
Sometimes the game can be a little repetitive, but with being able to customize your own funky ship, it keeps you motivated to complete the tasks. Anytime your ship design is bad, you will get stuck or fly crooked, but if you hit enter, it will get you back to the last ship builder to reconfigure your vehicle. If you are really, really stuck, use the help button represented by a question mark on the upper right hand side of the screen.

Overall Bob Came in Pieces is one awesome and original game with great cartoon graphics and very interesting backgrounds. It’s different from any other platform game I played, and it’s refreshing to know that there are people out there thinking up great new Mac games. It is fun to play, enjoyable to look at the artwork and good listening to the music. Some of the puzzles are challenging but not impossible and Bob can’t die so you can keep going on the journey. There’s nothing like it out there, but the closest thing I could think of is that it is a cross between Bud Redhead, Mario and Crystal Cave Classic. There are a lot of puzzles to keep your mind active and in shape. It does take some thinking to put together the ship and to get by blocks created by obstacles. What more do you need in a game with a great title like Bob Came in Pieces?

Features of Bob Came in Pieces:
-14 Stages
-Medals
-Physics Based Puzzles

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

Making its grand debut on the Mac App Store is a new type of adventure puzzle game Light Quest. It’s a scrolling platform play using laser beams and a stranded robot named LQ.

LQ was headed home to his beloved wife and puppy when out of nowhere came a big blob. It turned out a dump ship was spewing debris all over the place and almost banged into poor LQ’s spaceship. Luckily LQ is skilled in dodging meteors and such. The console started beeping rapidly, and LQ realized all the expert maneuvering he performed drained the batteries of its power. Only thing to do was to land on a strange unknown planet and try to recharge at a refueling station.

Your adventure begins at the deserted station where LQ finds himself. He or you must follow the laser beam and lead it back to the spaceship to recharge. Using the arrow keys you can travel right or left and the up arrow to jump up. Also if you like to use your left hand the A, W and D keys will work the same way. While you are following this beam of light, you collect lug nuts, mirrors and beam splitters along the way. The lug nuts really do not do anything for you but it’s like any other platform game where you collect as many as possible some item usually fruit or coins. Also it’s just fun to do. Jump as high as you can, run as fast as you can to collect all of these things for another challenge.

The mirrors and beam splitters, however, are important and extremely functional. Without these items you cannot get anywhere. In order to enter doors, power elevators and move objects you will need to aim the laser beam you have been following at light receptacles. They usually are rectangular with a red and green light. Once you do that the doors will open, the elevator will go up or down, and you can use the other power equipment. The mirrors (2 sided and 1 sided red ones) and beam splitters will bend the laser beam so it hits the receptacles. It’s up to you to figure out the correct angle to reflect and bend it at the right projection. Just like the lug nuts you touch the mirrors and beam splitters to acquire them. They will go up to the right upper side of the screen until you need them. When you find these items, you know you have to use all of them to get the beam a certain angle and sometimes a lot of bending is required. However you must used them sparingly so you get to your final destination.

The difficult parts are when you have to go back and forth from one location to another to make sure the beam is aimed correctly because you may not be able to view the entire situation. Another hard part for non-platform players is the jumping to another elevation. Sometimes you need to continuously press the right or left arrow until the correct time to jump. When you press the big red button, it will move objects, but watch out because they may move back.

Light Quest is for puzzle playing platform gamers who want a new and exciting play to meet their thirst for a challenge. The different environments (although a little dark, but you need that for the laser) you will encounter will take some thinking on how to reflect the laser beam through different floor levels, out doors and through objects in order to refuel LQ’s little space mobile so he can return to his home planet and to his family. Light Quest reminded me of Mac game Bob Came in Pieces. It didn’t have the humor like Bob, but the feel of the game is similar. With Bob you also go through dark corridors and places to get him home again. Try it out and see if you have the skills to play this original and creative game by bending light.

Features of Light Quest:
-10+ Hours of Creative Gameplay
-5 Original Music Scores
-Collect the Lug Nuts

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars