I found the premise to be a little creepy in Mac hidden object game Faded Reality, but I think that was the main objective so it was effective. The story is about Monica who wakes up from a cornea transplant. Something that is routine from donors who have died. The weird thing about Monica’s transplant is that she starts seeing things when she closes her eyes. Things and places she has never been to or seen before. Somehow she knows it is connected to the donor’s environment. She goes in search of these places…..

Each location in this hidden object game has another location to search for many objects and letters. You cannot click on an object if the word is not complete. You search for the letters (A, B, C, etc.) to complete the word. Once the word is completed that object will be removed from the scene revealing another object you are searching for. The list of the objects is at the bottom of the screen. You cannot click on items or letters unless they are listed. This is a little frustrating since you see letters and objects you know will be on the list later when you find the present listed things.

In addition, you may have to go back and forth from one location to another. When you reach a house, you will search outside and inside for objects. Another thing I found annoying was when I took the cursor over an object, sometimes the incomplete word of the item would appear and get in your way. The letters are important to this game because the letters will help Monica recall the words.

A side game is to unscramble the found letters to send you to a location for more things. Other mini games are the solitaire plays, matching 2 halves of torn playing cards and logic puzzles like shining lights in the correct direction to unveil a scene.

I give Faded Reality credit for an original story and creative hidden object play with letters. Sometimes the words of an object will obstruct your search because I like to take the cursor across the screen looking for the items and the pop-ups kept getting in the way. The music was appropriate and the artwork good. The story did keep you interested in going on in the game. I give it a 3 out 5 for all of the above.

Features of Faded Reality:
-Engaging Story
-Lots of Mini Games
-Hidden Object Play with a Twist

Rating: 3 out of 5 stars

I like the title of this Mac logic puzzle: Boulder Dash – Pirate’s Quest. It’s fun and somewhat descriptive. The puzzle itself is also fun to play with its short story and intricate mazes. You do have to think a little to escape the many networks of passages avoiding the obstacles and villains so be sure to use your brain muscle.

Crystal and Rockford finds an old chest in their attic with a secret in it. Upon opening the chest, the spirit of their great, great, great grandfather Captain “Lost Em” Stonewall appears and pleads with them to recover his treasure scattered throughout 3 worlds. You first decide whether you play as Crystal or Rockford. The first location is the hull of the Captain’s pirate ship. You will find a maze with blocks to impede your success in completing your tasks and eventual exit. The blocks are cannonballs that roll and can crush you or sacks of goods that just fall on top of you. If that isn’t enough there are spider webs (just walk through them) and when there are webs, you know the spider is not far away. The diamonds you need to collect can also fall on you so be careful. The play is gravity based so things will fall down on you. An interesting aspect of this game is that you can rotate the screen so you are on the side avoiding some of the things ready to fall on you by moving the steering wheel. You can use the arrows or cursor to move your cartoon character around carefully dodging all the pitfalls.

On the right side you will find the different helps you may need to get through the mazes. If you think you cannot clear a level, you can press the skip button to skip that part of the game. You have 5 of these moves, but you will lose the diamonds you collected on that level. The boot when you select it will change your cursor to a boot, and you can kick cannonballs out of the way.

The other locations are the underwater scenes where the diamonds will float and the jungle sites where you will need tools to get through the mazes. With the many blocks and upgrades in this logic game you will be entertained for hours scratching your head trying to figure out the correct passageway to the exit door, and don’t forget to collect all the diamonds.

As I stated earlier I like this game with its colorful and cartoon scenes, the minimal tale, simple but pirate like music and easy to difficult logic puzzles. Get your mind fit and save the treasure for your ancestor in this logic game. Aaargh! You can only use that word in pirate games. I give it 3.5 out of 5. You may also enjoy Doulber Gold and Crystal Cave if you are into these types of games.

Features of Boulder Dash-Pirate’s Quest:
-Logic puzzles
-Normal, Expert, and Zen Modes
-Diamonds

Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars

The saga of the Sea people continues in Mac game World Mosaic 2. A colleague of Dr Remington (from World Mosaic) somehow breaks a hourglass and in that moment is transported back to a past world of dinosaurs and ancient plants. In order to get back to the present he reads a note left by Dr. Remington in his bag advising him to fix the hourglass in order to return, and to do so he must solve logic puzzles to form mosaic tiles.

The tutorial for this game is very explicit and clear. The logic puzzle’s grids start out as simple 5x5 board and increases in number of boxes and difficulty as the levels go higher. There are numbers at the side and top of the grid. These numbers tell you the pattern of each row and column. Start with the largest numbers to begin your quest. If the row or column is a 5, then each square will be turned over to display an icon. Going on to the other squares, you must remember that there is always at least one space between the groups of flipped boxes. For instance some rows or columns will have more than one number listed (1,3 or 1,1,1). This will tell you there is at the very minimum 1 space between each group of flipped squares. In the first instance, you will flip the 1st box, skip the next and then flip the next 3 boxes. You can change your cursor by clicking on the shovel to the right to put in the space box. It will mark it with an X. In doing this it makes it easier to figure out the rest of the grid. If you should make a mistake, the square will make a terrible noise and put the correct item in the box. It will also show the number of your mistakes on the right.

If you should get stuck and you earn hints, you can use them to help you along. You can earn a maximum of 4 hints so if you have them, use them.

I found World Mosaic 2 just as enjoyable as the first version. If you have never done logic puzzles, this one is non-threatening or frustrating to learn, and you’ll enjoy seeing the tile pictures as you go along. I liked World Mosaic 2 and could see playing it over and over.

Features of World Mosaic 2:
-7 Different Eras
-90 Story Puzzles
-152 Extra Puzzles

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

Finally a unique logic, strategy match Mac game for all ages!  It's in a category by itself. You might say it's a little like Tetris and a little gem match 3 game. It's addictive, there's action, great sounds and fun bonuses.  Mac game Zen Stones is a smart, relaxing play for everyone to enjoy.  And, the best part is it's free online and download for only $3.99.  Not just the demo but the entire game! You can't beat that. Macgames.org is proud to offer this new puzzle to anyone who is interested in having a good time.

The game board is set up with tiles on the periphery of the square. There are a few scattered tiles on the board, and the goal is to remove all the tiles in the center.  In order to accomplish this feat you must click on tiles on the border, they will fly out either across, up or down and when you match 3 or more like color tiles, they will disappear.  When there is not a match, that tile will stay on the board with the direction arrow on it to show you which way it will go if and when it is released. In addition, if there is a tile next to an available tile on the outside of the game board, you cannot move it. If you fill the board completely with tiles, the game is over.  It's not as easy as it sounds.  It takes a little strategy, a little logic and a little luck.  The luck comes in the form of bonuses or power-ups.

As you can see there are a lot of bonuses. My favorite one is the UP button. Get it to the edge of the board and when you press it, it will take you to the next level. Of course, if you are trying to increase your points, this button is not for you. The double-sided arrow will shoot across the entire row or column eliminating all the tiles in its way. The strategy comes in when you press the black button with small squares. It will remove one tile of your choice, and it will darken the board and highlight the tiles you can take out. The direction arrows come in handy when you make this move.

The first few levels are easy, but as you continue more colors are added and the difficulty level rises. The bonuses also become fewer and far between. The challenges in these levels are more interesting to play because you must think and plan your next few moves in order to conquer the stones. The great thing about this game is the tiles are not advancing continuously to take you down in a limited time period. The game is for you to relax and enjoy the play. If you have a need for competitiveness, you can see the highest level you can complete or how many points you can garner. Maybe in the future you will be able to post your high scores or post them yourselves on Facebook or Twitter.

The tiles will sometimes stick and if you click more than once on one tile, it will eventually release 2 tiles. This would be catastrophic if not for the undo button. I found that if a tile sticks, click on an open area on the game board and one tile will release. This is a minor annoyance because the game is free online and download for just $3.99. Another thing is that this game is addictive and will take up a lot of your time so be sure you have cleared your schedule to master the Zen Stones.

We, at Macgames.org, are happy to launch Zen Stones for your enjoyment.  Also this game is being developed as an app for the iphone so be sure to check back with us for further news of its release.  Have fun and zen out.

Continental Café is a conglomeration of puzzles, story and delicious recipes. It is cleverly held together with an unlikely tale about Laura winning the lottery, buying a restaurant with a mystery behind the former owner, a sinister character and then traveling the world to learn how to cook recipes made famous by other foreign chefs. It somehow works.

Your play begins on an airplane clicking on lit stars for hints. You click until you are suddenly stopped. Hopefully you will get far in this mini bonus game but you can also lose everything. The world map will take you first to France to meet Kallie Crotteau, a well renown French chef. She will help you with new recipes after you do some favors. Running errands for the chef consists of multiple puzzles – all different with some easy and others difficult. There are jigsaw, match the shape, word, slide, and tasks to complete puzzles before you can play the hidden object scene. One logic game is similar to World Mosaic and fun to play. The rewards for completing these puzzles are the real recipes you can use and make a delicious meal for your family. This is similar to the latest cooking Mac games like Top Chef and Hell’s Kitchen.

Each puzzle is different and all may not be something you are into so the game provides a rain check if you are lucky enough to earn it. This rain check will allow you to pass on a game if you want. This feature is great because I do not like all the puzzles and opted to skip a game. Unfortunately, I couldn’t play the Word Wheel because it kept timing me out. I later learned that if you play it in the hard mode, the game will progress normally.

I enjoy this game even with the minor flaw. The puzzles are diverse making it feel like you are getting a variety of games and the recipes are bonuses on top of the excellent graphics and well thought out puzzles.

Features of Continental Café:
-Challenging Puzzles
-Recipes
-Top 5 Chefs

Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars

Remember the creepy movie Chuckie? Well, Puppet Show: Souls of the Innocent Collector’s Edition has the same macabre vibe. The menacing heads with mechanical legs will have the hairs on your arm sticking straight up. That’s a good thing.

This is a sequel to Puppet Show: Mystery of Joyville and your adversary the evil Felicia once again may have some hand in the massive evacuation of this small town. You find yourself in a deserted village looking for the home of little Jane who will not wake up. Her mother called you to investigate this horrific mystery. The other people have fled the town with their children in fear of the same thing happening to their own kids. Jane’s mother could not leave without her so she stayed behind in hopes that you will find the cure. Recently the local fortune-teller warned the village that something horrible will happen to the girls in the town if they do not leave quickly. Soon after this announcement the town doll shop sold many beautiful dolls at a reduced price. You find poor Jane asleep in her bed clutching a headless doll. You promise her mother you will do everything in your power to find the answers to this mystery.

You point and click through the deserted streets until you find the fortune-teller’s place and the puppet maker’s shop. You use your logical thinking to get into each area. Sparkling areas may bring you to hidden object games where some of the items may be useful in other places. Keep your eyes open for things you may need later. There’s a dripping spout where water is pooling. You may need that in a later puzzle. Remembering where these things are located will help you in the game.

Mini games and puzzles will get your brain working by trying to logically figure everything out. Any helps will be in the strategy guide to assist you if needed in the Collector’s Edition. In addition there are wallpapers, animated screensavers, bonus game and a behind the scenes making of the game.

Puppet Show: Souls of the Innocent Collector’s Edition can be played without playing the first, but if you like this game, you might want to check out the first as well. The artwork in the form of Victorian era scenes of the town and shops to the broken down castle is colorful and detailed. The music is appropriately eerie. The game gives you that uncomfortable creepy feeling but it is not scary. The play with balanced puzzles and hidden object games, good artwork and music are what make this game entertaining and interesting. Try it and find the dark secrets of this lonely town.

Features of Puppet Show: Souls of the Innocent Collector’s Edition:
-Intense Storyline
-Puzzles and Mini Games
-Strategy Guide and Screensavers

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars