More than a sci-fi visual novel, Bionic Heart, is an interactive anime inspired movie with you controlling the plot and eventually the ending. The year is 2099 AD and it is raining in London. This is not an unusual scenario for London but now it rains every day in this modernistic, space age city with high rises spiraling towards the dark skies. The entire planet is wrapped in this rain soaked atmosphere. Global warnings so prevalent today were ignored due to greed and fighting so the earth became unstable with violent weather patterns (seen today with the current unbalanced meteorological conditions). The only lights in the city are artificial with solar panels placed around the planet for energy. A dark and murky beginning for an action-packed thriller involving humans and robotics to unmask many mysteries surrounding this story.

The hero or main character is Luke Black, 35, a bio-informatics expert and manager at Nanotech, a large corporate organization in the production of nanotechnology. There are many scenarios in this play from Black’s love life to his profession, his friendship with his co-worker and his involvement with a robot called Tanya. There are other characters who make their presence known from time to time in order to tie this suspenseful, futuristic tale of corporate espionage or is it? There are so many unanswered questions overshadowing this narrative that it’ll take hours to unravel and discover all the nuances of each conversation.

There is a holomap you can use to visit different locations in London and uncover information from either humans or robots you encounter or just get data from different objects in a place. Some conversations will direct you to act a certain way or go to a different site, but a lot of the game depends on your choices.

Bionic Heart gets you involved almost immediately clicking on conversations and choosing different options to take. This play is completely foreign to anything I have played. Emerald City Confidential Mac sim game comes closest to this play. ECC also has great graphics, but is more like a cartoon feature while Bionic Heart is more like a full-length movie. Maybe someone will one day make a movie out of this game since everything is already here in this play. The voices in the scenes are professional and Luke Black’s voice sounds like the popular actor, Patrick Warburton of the recent TV hit show Rules of Engagement and the cartoon movie, The Incredibles. After finishing the intensive demo, you feel like you are left hanging and must complete the game to find all the answers to Luke’s complicated and soon to be troubled life. Will he marry his girlfriend, Helen Hughes? Is there anything between his best friend, Tom Sparks, and Helen? Who and what is Tanya and who is she hiding from? What is the connection between Richard Meier IV and Nanotech? Why did Tanya seek Luke out? Find all the answers playing Bionic Heart.

This is an adult rated theme with its sexual innuendos and harsh language. The game does give a warning at the beginning of the play. It states it is for kids 14 and up. Maybe it’s just me but I think it is for kids 17 or more years so you need to make your own decisions to allow kids to play this game. The only thing I didn’t like about this play is the constant clicking back and forth from one room to another (going from the bedroom to bathroom to kitchen and back) trying to find answers. Eventually you get to where you need to be and the game proceeds to the next scene.

The great draw to Bionic Heart is the suspense and thriller of this story and the fantastic anime-like artwork with interesting animation of a dark, foreboding future of planet earth done in by global warming gone haywire. Take a look into the future and discover answers to Luke Black’s dilemma.

Features of Bionic Heart:
-24 Different Endings
-High Replay Factor
-Interact with Humans, Robots, Objects and Environments

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

Galcon is a Mac game based loosely on Galactic Conquest, and is an exciting and challenging a play as any. Send your swarm of spaceships to other planets and conquer them. A risk game without countries but entire planets instead. How much fun is that to control many other orbs in the universe? The king of the galaxy!

The play is to send spaceships from your green (looks a lot like earth) planet to the other orbs (red, your enemies and gray, neutral planets) to conquer and take over outer space. To send your ships out left click on your planet and then right click on the planet you want to attack or drag and drop the cursor. Sounds easy, right? Wrong. You must also deal with the attacks from your enemy planets. They can take over your planets as well.

A possible help could be from changing the percentage of your fleet you are sending out to attack. This can be done by the number keys or the mouse wheel. The % can be viewed on the lower right side of the screen. The % and which planet you attack is very important strategy to acquire in order to win this game. Another good help to use is re-directing your swarm of ships when you need to have them go to another location. It may be going the wrong way for the most effective attack, and to re-route, you click on the fleet and then click where you want to change their course.

Another interesting move is the multi attacks. To activate an attack from multiple planets you drag a box around the orbs to select, then right click on the planet you want to send the fleet. Also you can reinforce your own planets by sending a fleet there. Since you cannot see how large a fleet your enemy (red) has, you need to try to take over the larger planets first, because they have a higher production level than the little planets.

The game allows for single player and multi player modes. The Classic play is you against the computer. The Beast is with you controlling only 2 planets, and in the Vacuum your goal is to get all the neutral planets before your time runs out. A different play is the 3-Way where it is a 3 player game, and one player will pick sides for a while, usually against the strongest planets. The difficulty comes in when this player attacks you when he gets a chance. The Stealth play is when you cannot see each other's ships until it is too late and you are captured. If all these plays are not exciting enough for you, try the Net which will bring a whole new level of action from the players online.

Galcon is such an exciting and action-packed, fast-paced play, not just from the actual game but also you get the same level of feeling with the great graphics (although simple orbs and triangular spaceships) deep, astro colors and the appropriate sound effects. What more can you ask for in a game? The smart play and intense strategy combined with your quick and nimble moves, that’s what! It’s easy to learn through the step-by-step tutorial and each game is so fast you automatically must play more so you can conquer the galaxy and rule the universe in this ultimate arcade, space strategy game.

Features of Galcon:
-Single or Multi Players
-Different Types of Play
-Action and Excitement
-Attack Online Players

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

A graphically beautiful Mac game The Great Tree is different from the usual arcade play. If you can say a game is elegant, this is the one, even the creepy bugs have an air about them.

This is a story about the Great Tree that is the source of strength and magic for a group of fairies. The tree must be supplied pollen from the Smees, who collect the yellow substance inadvertently on their legs, nesting in the Great Tree. For some dark reason the colony of Smees have been decreasing and the tree has not been supplied with sufficient pollen causing havoc in the fairy world. This scare caused the fairies to split into 2 clans. The Wren who grew sapling from the tree and survived, and the Ixies who went looking for magic and found dark forces that turned them into horrific, tormented creatures full of hate towards the Wren. The only person who can help the Wren survive is one of their 1000 year old child – you. Your job is to collect pollen floating through the air and take it back to the transient star in the middle of the screen, which in turn, will take it to the Great Tree.

The play is simple. You fly around collecting a string of pollen and get it back to the shining orb without encountering any of the flying insects. If you should run into the insects all your pollen will be scattered, and you will have to start all over again collecting the specks. The longer the string of pollen the more points you will garner, and eventually you will be able to purchase powers like health, strength, agility and magic. In addition to all that there are power-ups like the deep freeze where it will freeze all the flying insects giving you time to collect, and the extra that will attract all the pollen to you. In addition to the insects, frogs, Venus flytrap, and other obstacles you need to free the Smees from their bubble prison.

This game is quite fun to play, easy to pick up and entertaining for everyone. It wasn’t frantic but you must work at collecting all the pollen, avoid the flying bugs and free the Smees. The best part of The Great Tree is the extraordinarily gorgeous artwork.

Features of The Great Tree:
-Save the Wrens from the Ixies
-10 Environments
-Insects and Creatures
-Power-Ups

Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars

The Story: Jessica is home from LA and overhears her Aunt Margaret talking about hers and Uncle Fred’s woes about their failing bakery. Bright-eyed, ever ready Jessica suggests updating the bakery concept and start a cupcake café to bring in the customers and also make a profit. Aunt Margaret is thrilled with the idea since all the buzz is about cupcakes (even Martha Stewart devoted a week to cupcake making on her top-rated TV show, and everyone knows Martha can turn a profit). However, Auntie M is astute enough to know that a conversion of the shop will take a lot of work and assistance, so she asks Jessica to lend a hand to get things started.

There will always be a need for your typical neighborhood bakery making breads, birthday cakes and cookies or even the fancy French patisserie with their, oh so decadent, ganache frostings and croissants, but the latest craze in bakeries is the cupcake shops that are everywhere nowadays. My favorite cupcake shop is Magnolia in New York City, and I hear Vanilla in LA is quite good. I’ll have to check it out next time I’m in town. Jessica’s Cupcake Café is an updated sim play like Ice Cream Craze and Mystic Emporium.

The Play: Making cupcakes appears to be a straightforward, easy play or it it? The play is to click on the type of cake your customer wishes to buy (this is shown to you with the number of cupcakes in a bubble next to the client). The highly innovative machine will place the correct amount of batter into the baking sheet, you click on the pan, click on the oven to bake, wait, click on the baked cupcakes, click on the counter, click on the requested frosting, click on the completed tube of frosting, click on the tray of cakes to frost after completion click to pick up the pan, click on the customer and finally on the cash register to collect the money. These are a lot of steps to maneuver, but once you get into the groove, everything will flow nicely. However, in these plays there are always things that may slow your play down such as a decoration candy piece to top the cupcake. It can be a bear, daisy, heart or sun. The customer may request a special order causing you to throw out a batch of cupcakes or frosting.

However the game will always give you great upgrades to help you increase your speed to beat the level. You may get additional stoves, more icing machines and candy makers. Another added plus is you can design your own cupcakes to sell to your clients. Don’t worry about the extra cupcakes since they will be sold at a bake sale in a side mini game. Your goal is to sell as many cupcakes as possible in a limited time.

Jessica’s Cupcake Café, although similar to many of the sim plays, is an entertaining Mac game for everyone. In addition you will unlock many great cupcake recipes to try out and enjoy. The graphics is good and the music will keep you in sync with quick speed to meet your goals.

Features of Jessica’s Cupcake Café:
-Run a Cupcake Café
-Design Your Own Cupcakes
-42 Levels in 9 Locations
-Cupcake Recipes

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

The mystical land of Atlantis was a blissful, idyllic place where Poseidon created for his people, but as time past they neglected the god and darkness fell throughout the kingdom. The altar of Poseidon was separated and 7 crystals were sent to 7 countries and 7 cities to be sealed forever.

The hero will be the one to remove the spells and bring the crystals back together to resurrect and bring the power back to Atlantis. The hero is you, and you need to swap 3 or more like items in a row to conquer and win back the jeweled encrusted altar. In the match game there is an amulet of Poseidon power-up which must be used in the level. There are bombs once brought to the bottom of the game board can be used in a hard to destroy area.

This game is very similar to Around the World in 80 Days with a different story line, but somehow Call of Atlantis is not as an engaging of a tale. The play although is a match game like many match games, it was not as exciting to play. I thought it was good but not enticing enough to play it again. Maybe it is because I didn’t play the previous Atlantis games, but I think other match plays are more interesting. However, the artwork is excellent. If you are into Poseidon and Atlantis, this may be the game for you.

Features of Call of Atlantis:
-Part of the Atlantis Series
-66 Levels
-7 Lands to Explore
-7 Crystals to Recover

Rating: 2.5 out of 5 stars

Nanny is on vacation when she reads about Sofia Ashford, movie star, and terrible mother in the gossip rags. She decides to help her and goes to Hollywood to start her new employment. Nanny’s motto is whatever the problem, begin by caring.

This Mac sim game is played by clearing one room at a time. The object is to click on the red framed items for Nanny to clean and clear. The clothes spewed throughout the house must be picked up, taken to the washer to wash, then click on the dryer and finally click to pick up the basket of clothes, and click on the dresser to put away the items.

There are only 3 people who reside in this house: Sydney the baby, Lucas the 3rd husband, and Sofia the movie star. They are probably the messiest people in the world who need a lot of attention, especially the baby. When the baby cries above the crib will show you what it needs. If you see a diaper, you click on the crib for Nanny to change the baby, then click on the dirty bundle next to the bed and then click on a trash bin to throw it out. If you see a a bottle above the crib, the baby is hungry, and you click on the small refrigerator in the nursery, then click on the bottle warmer, then again on the bottle to pick up and click one more time on the crib to feed the baby.

It’s hectic just writing about it. See how frantic it gets in the first few levels, and remember, the levels are timed so you must hustle. In between the levels you can go to the store to buy anything that is unlocked, you have the money for it, and you need to make your work easier.

Nanny Mania is like Baby Sitting Mania with a few more perks like the shop, more people and a little story to get to know the messy slobs to make it a little more personal. Sim plays are not my thing, but this one has a few more activities than a lot of the games out there. Try it out for a little work out in this play.

Features of Nanny Mania Goes To Hollywood:
-Help Celebrity Family
-Sequel to Nanny Mania
-Time Outs, Pets and More

Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars

Coyote Tales is a very complex story about saving the world from annihilation. There are 2 sisters who come across 2 gods, one a coyote and the other Max. The 2 sisters are commissioned to save the world. You choose one of the sisters as your person. Tlethl is the impatient sister of fire and the game is timed. The other is Alt and she is the calm sister of water and hers does not have a time limit.

Long ago the gods kept the world in order but there was an unbalance and problems needed to be solved. You must challenge the 15 gods to earn the right to face them. This is a hidden object game with excellent graphics and interesting colors to reveal the mysterious items. If Max feels you need help or you messed up, he will surround the item with petals. In addition to that help you need to look for flowers since every 5th flower will get you a heart to help you look for objects (all on the upper right side of the screen). A great help is the list where you view the words or the picture of what you need to find if you are having trouble locating any one item. If you are looking for a pumpkin and when you change the list to view image and find the pumpkin is green, then you look for the green background to search for it. This really helped a lot. After finishing your level, your magical staff gets more powerful so you will soon be able to face the gods.

The hidden object play is the main part of this game, and there are many side puzzles to solve as well. One side puzzle is to match 3 or more items game, and another is to fill the water jugs to the precise measurement. Some of the mini puzzles are more than challenging, but you can skip them and continue on with your main play.

Coyote Tales has great hidden object games with many mini puzzles. All the games are interesting and clever, but the dialogue from the cartoon characters is a little annoying. Of course, if you are into that kind of cocky humor, this game may entertain you. However, you will find the puzzles themselves are good, solid plays in Coyote Tales.

Features of Coyote Tales:
-Aztec Theme
-17 Mini Games
-Save the World

Rating: 3 out of 5 stars

The town of Aravorn experiences stronger magic under the glow of a full moon and when you see a shooting star, a creature is born. It can be human, elf or demon. Each character will carry its own mysterious attributes. This is the setting for your new adventures in RPG Mac game Spirited Heart.

The play for Spirited Heart starts with you selecting your person for this play. If you choose a human, they are common in Aravorn with strength and toughness but lacking in charisma and dexterity. Sounds like a few humans I know. The elven race is thin and graceful, not suited for manual labor, but excels in concentration and dexterity. The demons are rare creatures with charisma and creativity but are shunned by the others so will try to hide their identity. Each character has their own advantages and disadvantages, and their destiny is different from each other. This game has a long playability factor due to the many choices. The decisions you choose will also determine the end result or fate of each girl. I chose the demon girl whose farmer parents found her under a tree and decided to raise her as their own. She spends her days with animals and nature, and her parents are worried about her personal growth and sends her to the next town, Triberg to find her own path. She is a strong person with faith, cooking and gardening skills.

You begin your tasks with a value of 5 in your skills, and it will change depending on the choices you make. Your attributes will be modified each week with the type of jobs you choose. Each month the rarely used attributes will decrease so be careful. If you pay someone to teach you a skill, the faster your attribute will increase. However, the cost will be higher, the higher the skill. From time to time you will have special events that can dramatically change your stats. Both your morale and health are very important for your well being. Taking breaks from work will help you in these 2 factors.

You must watch your budget for the money is needed for skills, and in addition, the triannual tribute to the king will tax your earnings. It can be as high as 44%! You must be in Europe because as high as taxes are here in the U.S., it’s not that high. You will have random encounters with men who may one day become your husband.

Spirited Heart is an engaging Mac game, and you get into the well-written storyline with its many options to vary your play. The game is similar to Cute Knight, but I think the anime-like graphics are much better in Spirited Heart. Also the game doesn’t abruptly end your play as it does in Cute Knight. However, the game comes to an end when you get married or 10 years passes. You will be 28. So under the full moonlight create some magic in the land of Aravorn.

Features of Spirited Heart:
-Many Storylines
-Choose Your Destiny
-Attributes and Skills

Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars

A historic view of the American gold rush in a match 3 Mac game Gold Fever is an unique play for all ages. Travel through the northwest in a smoking, wood burning locomotive of the time period (circa 1850) looking for that one huge mother lode to retire on. Gold Fever takes you on a ride far from the usual gold rush scenario with interesting tidbits of information that you do not always know. You only hear about the California gold rush in Sutter’s Fort so the journey through Oregon, Montana, and Colorado came as a surprise to me.

Gold Fever is your usual match 3 or more like symbols to destroy Mac game with a little twist. You do not slide or swap the gold coins but you flip the like colored, 2-sided coins to match the symbols. There are gold nuggets you must get to the bottom of the screen and the wooden cart will take your prize away. To complete the level you must make matches over the entire gold background. As the levels increases, the gold coins will have more variety of colors and western symbols like the sheriff’s badge, pistol, cowboy hat and horseshoe.

The dynamite at the bottom of the screen with the long burning fuse is the timer for each level. There are 3 helps you can earn by getting enough matches to buy either the pick, timer or hammer. The pick will destroy 1 coin, the timer will get you 30 seconds more while the fuse stops, and the hammer will destroy the coin and the gold background. You start with 5 lives, and you can lose a life if you do not complete the level before the dynamite is set off.

Gold Fever starts off slowly for me because of the flipping the coin method, but I enjoy it more in the higher levels. What I like about match games is the action and explosions of the power-ups. This game’s demo does not have them. Perhaps it gets more active in later levels. I do not like the music, but I like the artwork. I found this play to be pleasant but not very dynamic or exciting.

Features of Gold Fever:
-Gold Rush
-160 Levels
-Power-Ups and Challenges
-Gold coins

Rating: 3 out of 5 stars

Jump into the big blue ocean and swim your way to the top of the food chain in the Mac game Feeding Frenzy. Andy the angel fish must eat smaller sized fish in order to grow and reach the top of the fish kingdom. When you are small you are eaten by the larger fish so it’s imperative for you to quickly work and eat as much as possible and grow larger while keeping away from the bigger predators.

There are 2 modes of play in Feeding Frenzy: New Game and Time Attack. New Game is easier way to the top, however has limited lives. Time Attack is more difficult with unlimited lives, but it is timed. You use the mouse to guide Andy through the blue waters of the sea. By using the left click you can speed the feeding action faster using the Fish Dash attack, but you must beware of the larger fish or Andy will get eaten very quickly. The bubble above Andy’s head will let you know when you are large enough to eat bigger fish. When going on to the next level, there are interesting and educational facts about the sea. You are so into the game, you have to scan these facts quickly so you can get to the next level faster.

The bonus stage allows Andy to eat all minnows before time runs out for points. The Frenzy Meter will fill up for double points. The starfish do not help him grow but will give you points. Watch out for the Lion Fish, it can chase Andy down. Pearl will give you extra points also, but the clam can clamp down on him for lunch. Eating a school of fish will garner you 500 points.

Although Feeding Frenzy is a very simple Mac game, it is darn fun. When you have a few moments to spare, play this game just for enjoyment. You only have to think when you have to avoid the big fish. I was so into this game I didn’t check out the screen savers. This game is fun and addictive for everyone.

Features of Feeding Frenzy:
-Eat to the Top of the Food Chain
-Many Levels
-Sea Life
-Power-ups
-Screen Savers

You may also like:
Tasty Planet

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

A prehistoric twist to the shoot rocks at a chain of stones snaking down the tube towards the skull head Mac game. These match games are always fun to play. Stone Loops! Of Jurassic has 3 modes of play. The Classic will unlock Strategy and Survival.

In Classic there are three difficulty levels: easy, normal and challenge. The play is simple. You grab a stone from the chain and shoot it back to rocks of 2 or more of the same color to destroy them. All this must be completed before the chain reaches the skull head or the level is over. If you complete the level you will receive an upgrade to your jungle home.

There are many power-ups in this game from lightning exploding through the rocks to changing color extras. After finishing a level jewels will float down and you must catch them for extra points. After completing a few levels the Strategy mode is available. This play is different from the other 2 modes because the chain of rocks do not move until you make a move by taking a rock and shooting it back. This could be a little frustrating because the chain may stop at a point where you cannot get a good aim at the rocks. They slowly move forward and this give you a chance to strategize.
Completing a few more levels will open up the Survival mode. In this mode you can select the different game board to play and it also gives you a rank to increase and improve.

Stone Loops was an okay play for me, but I didn’t see anything special to differentiate it from other match and shoot games except you can get the rock and shoot it back. The only way you can tell if one is more fun than the others is by trying them so go ahead and shoot away.

Features of Stone Loops of Jurassic:
-75 Levels
-9 Power-ups
-Upgrade your House in 5 Different Lands

Rating: 3 out of 5 stars

It’s bingo. No, it’s slots. It’s SLINGO QUEST! This Mac game is a marriage of bingo and slots joined together to make one fun game. You do not have to move too much so it’s really, really relaxing.

This bingo and slots with a strange twist will hold your attention for a few hours with its easy and addictive play in Quest or Classic modes. In Quest you travel from island to island on your adventure for treasure and ,of course, points. There are different play cards to Slingo Quest: Multicard, 7x7 and Pirate Fortune. You begin by customizing your own character. If you don’t, then you have a choice of a blond cartoon boy or girl. The object of this game is to get as many Slingos as you can in 20 spins. You click on the spin tag or right mouse or space bar and numbers in circles will show up at the bottom of the card. If any of the numbers match the card, then you click on the number on the card to place a star on top of it, and if you make 5 in a row, up and down, left to right or diagonally then you have a Slingo. Also there are some red squares forming patterns and if you get all the red squares that also is Slingo.  Classic is just straight  play and no story line.  It's also timed.

There are a lot of extras and bonuses along the way. Look for Cell Super Jokers, multipliers, Slingo Vision, Bounce Slingo. Also a secret key can open Bonus levels and gold coins gives you points automatically. When you complete certain Slingos, you get stamps similar to passport stamps. These little extras add to the fun play of this game. Your character is helpful in that she/he will cry if you do not have a match. Also the spin button will blink when you need to spin again.

I found Slingo Quest to be relaxing and sometimes hypnotic like playing slots. If you ever sat in front of slot machines, you know you do not have to think much but wait for your return. Slingo Quest doesn’t give you a big jackpot, but you still wait for the gold coins, stamps and points for your gratification. You can save a lot of money playing Slingo. The sound effects were excellent and the graphics with its deep, bright colors and cute cartoon characters were great. I would recommend playing Slingo Quest for a entertaining evening.

Features of Slingo Quest:
-60 Levels
-5 Slingo Stars
-New Game Modes
-New Stamp Rewards
-Power-ups

Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars

Another spin on the hidden object Mac game is the Hidden Object Show. It is in a form of a TV game show complete with $5,000,000! In this game you are a contestant in a TV game show. You need to find the hidden object in a scene to complete the round. There are hint chips throughout the screen to find and then use if needed. The round after completion is tallied for Time Bonus, Combo Bonus, Bonus Cash and overall time. The Prize Standings show you where you are in your winnings.

Between rounds you get to spin the Wheel of Puzzles. Where it lands you play that game. Some of the puzzles are locked until you reach a certain level. Some of the puzzles are the 2 scenes with 10 differences, solve the riddle and find that object, find the silhouette and place pieces of a picture on the complete scene. If you are lucky enough to get a bonus, you can opt out of some of the games.

The Hidden Object Show has a lot more than an I Spy play. It has plenty of options you can find to engage in. I think that makes it more interesting of a Mac game. I just started playing hidden object games and found that even though the play is similar there is a different feel to the game with the story line involved and the extra mini puzzles. Some are better than others and the Hidden Object Show is one of them. I found it to be quite entertaining.

Features of Hidden Object Show:
-Become a Millionaire
-330 Object Rounds
-Prizes
-30 Scenes

Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars

Fairy Treasure has it all—it is a breakout, action game, it has 120 levels, power-ups, magic, fairies and trolls. This Mac game is a good time no matter how you look at it.

Fairy treasure given to the good knights of Trollandia from the Fairy Queen upset the evil troll Dronk who raided the villages plundering food and precious items from the homes. He became bolder and invaded the castle for the fairy treasure. Knights and magicians were sought to recapture the royal gems. This is where you come in and save the day. You travel along the Fairy River fighting hags, goblins and evil things. Your only assistance is from the river fairies.

The play is to move the bat at the bottom of the screen left and right hitting the stone up to walls, power-ups and extras in order to pass the level. If the ball should fall into the water you lose a life. By hitting the rock up to the bricks the level will be completed when all the bricks are gone. By hitting the bat’s right side will move the orb to the right and hitting the bat on the left will move it to the left.

There are many bonuses to garner in the meantime. The extra bat either left or right, extra bat, 3 balls, fast balls, slow balls, extra life, strong balls and fire balls are among the few of the extras you’ll need to complete a level. In addition, there are magic bottles: the blue one is magnetic, red one is wacky and fire is explosive. Mushroom spores makes the ball sticky and the brown mushrooms explode when hit.

On top of all those bonuses there are more good and bad extras. The magic scroll if you get 8 you can enter the bonus level. The chain ball can be unlocked by collecting 5 keys, and be sure to get all the gold coins because 100 will get you an extra life. Frogs can be good or bad so beware, and fairies can be good if you release them from their bubble.

If you can believe it, there are more extras to discover in this action-packed fun game. All these bonuses and the fairy theme remind me of the Mac game Pixie. However, the 2 games are completely different, but both are fun to play. I enjoy playing this breakout arcade game with its flying bat breaking the brick walls. Moving the bat back and forth is reminiscent of the old time game Pong.  The graphics are good, but I can’t remember the sound effects or music due to the engrossing play of Fairy Treasure.

-Features of Fairy Treasure:
-Fairy Themed Breakout
-120 Levels
-Power-ups and Bonuses
-Bonus Levels

Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars

Vicky became so fit she wanted to open her own gym to help people become healthy in Fitness Frenzy. This sim Mac game is a colorful, cute play for children and casual gamers. They will enjoy learning to greet the customers at the door, giving expert advice, assisting when needed by clients and handling the money matters of the business.

As Vicky you do all the work at a rather rapid clip when the game gets going. When you greet the people, they let you know what kind of exercise regimen they want, and in the bubble above their heads you can see how many machines they must utilize to meet their requirements. You quickly learn to move from the door to the machines assisting the users with their exercises by clicking each area. If the client is satisfied, you will get a large tip. Afterwards you go to the desk and handle the cash transactions for the fees and tips. You continue to do this over and over until you have enough money to upgrade your existing machines and possibly buy more equipment. Eventually you get enough money to hire employees to help you out.

This game would be a great educational tool for kids to learn time management, customer service and finances. However, I am not a sim game type of person, so I didn’t really get anything out of  it. The play is repetitive with very little action involved except when you are swamped with demanding customers and have to run around satisfying everyone or lose money. The simple cartoon figures and background are colorful and lively. If you are into sim Mac game play, it should be enjoyable and fun for you.

Rating: 2 out of 5 stars

If you like to play poker or if you don’t even know how to play, Pirate Poker will engage you in its addictive play whatever your level of expertise. However, be forewarned, ye mateys, for this is an habit forming play once you get started. Without losing your shirt or walking the plank, this game is easily playable for an enjoyable time.

There are 6 video poker plays in this game: Deuces Wild, Jack or Better, 2 Pairs or Better, Joker Poker, Aces and Faces and Tens or Better. Deuces Wild, as the name implies, is a play that makes the 4 deuces in a deck wild so do not discard any of the 2s. Jacks or Better, Tens or Better and 2 Pairs or better is just that. Anything better than the title suggests will win you the hand. Joker Poker is when the one joker acts as a wild card so do not discard it. Aces and Faces wins when you have a pair of jacks or higher so do not discard any face cards or aces. As you play, you will get used to what the winning hand is, and your play will move faster. To begin your play you decide how many hands you like to play at a time. It can be from 1, 3, 5 or 10 hands. If you are a novice, you might want to start out with 1 hand until you get your sea legs. After making your bet, click on the deal button to view your hand. Depending upon which mode you choose, click on the cards you wish to keep or hold. Hit the deal button again to receive new cards. The computer will automatically show your winnings or losses on the right side bar. That’s basically all there is to it except you can change the card deck from your standard cards to the pirate theme to any other decks available.

The only side game is when the computer flashes the bonus button for you to win double or nothing. It is the coin under the cup game. The 3 cups will rotate around quickly to trick you, and you must decide which cup has the coin under it. Not a difficult game if you keep your eyes on the cup. This mini game will help you get back some of your money.

Pirate Poker is a relaxing, fun, addictive card game for experienced players as well as the uninitiated. Play this game in search of buried pirate treasure by winning as many hands as possible.

Features of Pirate Poker:
-Six Video Pokers
-Color Graphics
-6 Decks

Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars

Who wouldn’t want to grow up in a magical pet shop? Tommy Broombucket is not living up to his full potential as an up and coming wizard apprentice to his Uncle Artem the pet shop owner. All Tommy has to do is deliver pets to customers, clean bat cages, feed unicorns and do well in wizard school. Alas, Tommy does not do well in any of those things upsetting his uncle so much that he puts Tommy in a book of spells to fend for himself.

It is up to you to help Tommy escape this imprisonment by creating a word path to exit the book. In a Scrabble like fashion you make up words from the given letters at the top of the screen. Each new word must connect to the old words forming a link or path to the gate to the right. You click on a letter and drag it to the game board, place it on a square  and when a word is made the pink letters will turn green. There is a Stamina gauge that goes down when you do not make a word, but will fill up again when you do form a word. The more dots on the letter pieces will garner you more points. The helps on the right top are locked until you save an animal by forming your words to their island. The helps are hammers, clear, magic tile and hint hat.

There are 2 modes of play in Thomas and the Magical Words: Adventure and Survival. In Adventure the time fills up when you make a word and you can easily complete a level at your leisure. The Survival mode is locked until you pass several levels in the Adventure mode. The Survival mode has the Stamina Gauge continuously running out so your play must be made quickly or you will lose the level. In this mode there are a lot more extras and is a more exciting play. There are certain squares on the game board that will give you more points (2x, 3x, etc.).

In between the levels are mini puzzles to give you a break from thinking up words and to try and get more helps. The game is to guess what the keyword is at the top of the page. You get certain number of guesses on what the letters might be in order to figure out the keyword.

Thomas and the Magical Words is a wonderful and educational Mac game for both children and adults. It can be easy if you make very short words, but the trick is to make the longest word possible from the letters given to you, and on top of all that rescue cute little animals and Tommy on the different islands throughout the Book of Spells. I really enjoy playing the Survival mode with its many extras and the timed factor. Try out both modes and see which one fits you the best, but do try it. Don’t let the cartoon characters and story line hold you back. They are just as fun to view as playing this Scrabble like word game.

Feature of Thomas and the Magical Words:
-Adventure and Survival Modes
-48 Levels
-Guess the Word Mini Game
-Unravel the Exciting Story

Rating: 4 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

The girls on a fun outdoor outing are sitting around the campfire telling scary stories late at night. One of the girls starts telling the tale of The Hookman....  Christine’s parents’ cabin deep in the forest will make a romantic weekend getaway for her and her boyfriend. Christine arrives at the destination first to find that all is not well at the cottage. Just trying to enter is presenting an obstacle for her.

Campfire Legends: The Hookman is a interactive hidden object game with the story slowly unraveling as you proceed with the play. You must find the key to enter the cabin. The screen may be larger than what is presently there. The arrow on the right will let you know that you can scan to the right to see the entire room. You must search for fireflies for hints. You may need to go to different sites to collect all the needed items. The side games are all integrated into thestory line. You may need to collect fuses to turn the lights on. Once you find all the fuses, you must correctly place them in the box. Once you are in the cabin, you find that someone has been in the house and has scattered all your belongings everywhere. Anything broken must be fixed by finding the necessary tools and parts. Once you have fixed the radio, you hear that there is a killer loose in your vicinity: The Hookman Killer.

All of a sudden there is an ominous shadow of a man in the doorway, but before you can scream, you find out it’s Patrick, the boyfriend. He reassures Christine and tells her to wait in the car while he searches the home for anyone. In the messy car you search through his garbage only to find a medical file…

I won’t go any further in the story since that’s 50% of the fun in this hidden object play full of tasks and mini puzzles. This game is so interesting you get confused whether you or Christine is the person in danger. This is a good campfire story to tell to people sitting in the dark night. It’s also a little scary for young kids to play because there are moments of surprise. The graphics and eerie sound effects are great, and the story very engaging. Sometimes the extra tasks slowed down the story line due to the intricate pieces you may need to find before anything else can happen, but don’t let that stop you from enjoying this mysterious and scary game.

Features of Campfire Legends: The Hookman:
-Surprises
-Piece Together Events to Stay Alive
-Search Locations for Clues

Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars

Peggle Nights is the second installment in the Peggle series, after the original Peggle Deluxe. Although not much has changed, the developers of Peggle have definitely done something right. This game is awesome and as much as it is luck, it takes a good amount of skill to complete this game. Peggle is at heart, a pachinko game but revolutionizes the genre. Instead of dropping the ball into the game, you shoot at your target and let the ball control the rest.

The goal of Peggle is to remove all the orange dots on the board. Once a pinball hits the peg, it disappears during the next turn. Once you hit the last orange peg (there is a cool Matrix-style bullet time) wherever the ball falls in the bonus, adds to your total. You can only complete the level if you get rid of all the orange before you run out of pinballs.

There are other colored pegs as well in Peggle. Green pegs have special powers, depending on who your character is. In the beginning, you start with an unicorn that has a special bounce vision that tells you where your ball will go after hitting the first peg. The next stage is a gopher who shoots a second ball out when you hit the green. There are about 10 different characters, each with his or her own special bonus. There are also purple pegs. These are not quite as interesting but give you a boost in points (when you hit a certain amount each shot, you get a free ball). Finally, there is a bumper at the bottom of the screen. If your ball falls into the middle hole, you get a free ball.

This was one of the best MacGames that I have ever played. It was both fun and interesting, as the gameplay was simple, yet absorbing. I could not stop playing once I had begun and even though it was easy at first, it got much more challenging as the game progressed. I would absolutely give Peggle Nights five out of five stars.

Rating: 5 out of 5 stars