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

Jennifer a strong willed recent graduate of Environmental Protection University is looking for employment. As a marine biologist she has many talents and skills to be useful at the world’s foremost aquarium run by Old Barney a close friend of her grandpa. However, Jennifer wants to prove herself and get the job on her own merits, but with no or little money, she cannot produce the kind of aquarium to impress her cat. At her grandpa’s suggestion, she goes diving for the many treasures sitting at the bottom of the sea. With these finds she can make enough money to buy necessary fish, plants and equipment to make an fantastic tank to win her the job at Water is Life Foundation.

Fishdom H2O is an underwater hidden object play. After clicking on all the listed items in 3 minutes, you reach your goal and move on to the next level. In between the levels you can purchase the supplies for your aquarium. At the top right there are 3 meters you must increase to 100% before moving on to another project or aquarium. The 3 meters are fish, beauty and comfort. The fish category lists all the different species of fish that is available for purchase. The beauty section will allow you to buy plants to beautify your tank and the comfort will let you put in lights and air filters to make your fish at home. After filling up all the meters, you will win a star.

Mini games are fun and played very quickly. You get 2 minutes to click in all the vases in the scene, collect all the gold items (including gold bullions, gold coins, golden bowls and vases) from the bottom of the ocean, find 10 items such as hourglasses, guitars and more. You may dive without your oxygen tank and must look for 1 of 3 items listed as quickly as you can.

Fishdom H2O is a lively and fast-paced hidden object game. Each scene is 3 minutes. Quite fast for most hidden object plays, but it is enough time to find all your items. If you can’t find your object before the time runs out, use the hint button to have the seahorse point out your item. In addition look for more seahorses in each scene to increase the number of your hints.

This is a great game and the scenes are doable in 3 minutes, however there always the relaxed mode. I like the colorful graphics and underwater scenes. The aquarium and screen saver are fun to create and enjoy. The only suggestion I have is to add a couple of match games from the first Fishdom for variety.

Features of Fishdom:
-Underwater Hidden Object
-20 Sea Creatures
-Accessories and Decorations
-Bonus Screensavers

Rating: 4 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

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

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

The tale of the wicked spider continues in Rainbow Web 2 at the royal palace. This time the play is varied with a mix of mini puzzles interspersed among the match plays. The match games are very similar to the first Rainbow Web where you click on an orb to match 3 or more of the same colored ones on the web. You are to match the balls with the letters to retrieve the names of magic things the spider has stolen from the castle.

The only blocks in this game comes when there is a break in the link of the web (same as the first game). This will interfere with you making a match. I noticed there are more chain reactions in this game and the sound effects when the orbs popped are better.

After each level you receive your statistics: # of balls you used, # of combos, score, time. This is a new feature to the game. I don’t know if it is needed, but it is interesting to note your scores. Also in between the plays are mini puzzles to breakup the matches. One is a puzzle where you slide the pieces to form a picture of a clue. Another was a hidden object game.

Whereas this Rainbow Web 2 game is much better than the first, I never felt challenged in doing the match games even in the timed ones. The 2 modes appear the same. It is a relaxing game to sit back and play, so if you need some R & R, try Rainbow Web 2.

Features of Rainbow Web 2:

-82 Levels

-7 Web Patterns

-Mini puzzles

-Fun Story Line

Rating: 3 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

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

Do you like to cook? Do you like to play video games? Do you watch TV? Then Top Chef is the game for you! Take one part hit TV show and combine it with one part Sim and one part cartoon and voile, you have Top Chef. Forget what you learned in culinary school because all that is going to be put to the test in a grueling competition that challenges both the mind and the stomach. This intro may be a little cheesy, but in Top Chef that isn't necessarily a bad thing.

The game is very straightforward: compete on the show to become the best chef you can possibly be. You have a kitchen at your disposal and whatever you decide to make is up to you. At the beginning of each challenge you have a sidebar that gives you a list of what types of ingredients you need (spicy, sweet, salty, savory, etc.). You then have the ingredients on a shelf in the back. Depending on which one you choose, you can get different bonuses. For example, combining apples and bacon gives you a "classic combo" bonus. After you choose the corresponding ingredient, you bring it to the work station where you begin the preparation. You can only prep one thing at a time, but ingredients sitting on the work station slowly become finished as time goes on. Naturally the station that you are working at goes faster, so timing is very important.

After you complete your "masterpiece," you are off to be judged. Each dish is computer generated to show exactly the ingredients that you put into it. This was actually pretty funny, as the first time I played I put some weird combination of food together, and they showed up in the judging (like mango and anchovies). Due to the fact that there is a gigantic number of possible foods to make, this game can have a great replay value. Although it is based on a show that I have never personally seen, I truly enjoyed the game because it was fun to see the food I had put together. The only complaint I had was that each ingredient did not look as it should when being prepared. However, that would have taken a long time to actually program, and they did get the final plating correct. Overall I would give Top Chef four out of five stars.

Features of Top Chef:
-45 Challenges
-Pick the Ingredients
-Multi-Task in the Kitchen
-Become the Next Top Chef

Rating: 4 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

The last time I was in New Orleans there was a shop called Marie Leveau’s House of Voodoo on Bourbon Street. Even during the daylight hours, this place looked mysterious and spooky with no one on that side of the street. Needless to say I didn’t go in. Maybe on another visit I’ll explore that shop. The entire city is full of mystery and charm and is still recovering from the ravaging rains of Hurricane Katrina. Many wonderful stories are about this original city. Voodoo Whisperer: Curse of a Legend Collector’s Edition is based in this incredible city in the early 19th century.

The story is about young Lillian who is studying the secrets and spells of Voodoo with Madame Leveau a well known (even to this day) high priestess with more knowledge and skills than anyone at that time. You play as Lillian who displays a strong spirit for someone so young. Nanna, her grandmother, had the talent and knew Lillian had the same power. Unfortunately a dark force fell over the entire city and everyone, including your teacher Madame Leveau, is cursed. You are the only one who can restore normalcy back to your friends, family and teacher before it is too late.

This point and click adventure is full of hidden object games and puzzles to solve in order to free each person of the terrible curse. Keep an eye out on your cursor for changes: an eye will have you looking closer at an area, a hand will grab and put items in your inventory, and moving feet will take you to another location. You’ll also get inventory items from the hidden object locations. In fact, sometimes you can get more than 1 useful item to use later in the game. The HOGs are beautifully detailed and drawn. The play itself is easy and you can find the objects without any problems. In addition, most of the items should be in that era and location. You will not find a sports car neatly tucked away in a cupboard. You will be going back and forth from one location to another but once everything have been cleared in that location, it will post it at the top so you do not have to waste time searching for more things.

There are 2 modes of play in game: Regular and Advanced. The Regular mode has sparkles and faster recharging hint and skip buttons. The Advanced for the experienced player does not have sparkles and the buttons take a longer time to recharge.

Most of the game is the usual or standard type of play like the jigsaws, match and unlocking rotating wheels. You point and click your way through many scenes for clues and items to pick up. The HOGs are your basic find the item and click on it game. The difference in this game comes from reviewing the Grimoire at the bottom right for spells, recipes and more. Opposite of the Grimoire you’ll find the mortar and pestle so you can combine found items to mix your potions. You must get information from both alive and dead people. You’ll also need to make allies of some of the people to help you on your adventure through New Orleans (hotel, banks, saloon, and the mayor’s home).

Some of the cons of this game are that the HOGs are fairly easy, the overall game is short (5 chapters), and the usual cliffhanger for a sequel to come. However, that’s just being picky because this game is good and fun to play. Try it out and see for yourself if you dare to speak to the dead.

Features of Voodoo Whisperer: Curse of a Legend Collector’s Edition:
-5 Chapters of a Fascinating Tale
-Hidden Objects, Mini Games and Puzzles
-Collector’s Edition (extra chapter with more hidden object games, wallpapers and in-game strategy guide)

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

Travel back, back, back in time to the ancient times of the silk road. Set somewhere around the 13th century, Tradewinds Caravans is an exciting look at how traders made their living traversing the dangerous Silk Road. In order to bring the best and most exotic items from the Far East, travelers had to cross this ancient road, the only known way to China and beyond. Discover some of the items that made this a desirable profession despite the known risks which include brutal hikes and rampant thieves.

The game starts off with a quick tutorial that gets you prepared for choosing your own path. After completing the easy tasks, you can then choose one of six unique characters (you must unlock 2 of these through gameplay) and begin the task of becoming rich and famous. I chose a slave who worked for an important Venetian family. My job was to care for my master and help him help his warlord friend gain the political presence that would make his village a prominent stop along the road. This description is hardly enough to explain all there is to Tradewinds Caravans, though, as the game is really centered along the dialogue that the characters engage in. After discovering what tasks you must undertake, you buy supplies and guards to join your caravan. You can then travel to different parts of the Middle and Far East buying and selling to earn a profit.

I thought the idea of this game was really novel. The idea of taking this historical time period and making it an interesting and humorous RPG was something that I had never even thought of. The best part of the game, besides the funny dialogue, was the bartering and battling that took place in the marketplace and the road, respectively. The game also has a huge amount of villages and storylines, so replayability is basically limitless. I would give this game three and a half stars out of five.

Features of Tradewinds Caravans:
- Build a Powerful Trading Caravan
- 6 Unique Characters
- Dozens of Individual Storylines
- All new Weapons And Character-Specific Powers

Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars

World famous scientist, Chanel Flores, crashes plane somewhere in the Bermuda Triangle. Thus begins the tale of a mysterious island unbeknownst to everyone until now. The government sent Chanel out to investigate a new island that popped up out of nowhere. In an electrical fog Chanel had to bail out before her plane crashed into the island. She must search for equipment from her plane and try to get off the island. However, she finds that there is more to the island than meets the eye.

Her search finds her in front of an unusual tree that has trapped a 13th century ship captain and his love for all these years. Noah Hawkwood was on his way from England to find a trade route to the Indies when he became stranded alone on this island. He fell in love with the chief’s daughter and a curse was put on him and the maiden. They are asking Chanel to search for magical crystals to free them from this prison. Now Chanel must find a way to get off the island and search for gems to free the lovers.

The hidden object scenes are of lush tropical areas of the island with many objects to search for in each location. You begin by choosing the Easy or Hard mode. The Easy mode has a tutorial, help, additional hints and quick recharge. The Hard mode has no tutorial, limited help, limited hints and a slow recharge. Each scene will lead you to other areas by showing an arrow. You can go back and forth from the other areas to search for your items. The items placed in the inventory can be used to complete needed tasks like hooking a wooden crate floating in the ocean and dragging it to the shore or blowing up part of a path to enter the jungle. The HOGs will list the items at the bottom of the screen and the hint button at the lower left. You need to search for blue crystals for exra hints. The map of the island will display the areas you can search but the locked locations will be fogged in.

There are many mini games to play in between the HOGs and the story. Some of these games are the maze, open a chest and using logic. Most of these games are easy but some are challenging. All can be skipped if you want to proceed with the game.

Secret Mission: The Forgotten Island is a good solid hidden object game with mini puzzles. Only thing that is frustrating is the wait from one scene to another. The story begins with the usual plane crash on island theme with a ghostly twist. The artwork is very good with lots of lush green vegetation. It is nothing out of the ordinary but still fun to play. I give it a 3.5 out 5 for a good play.

Features of Secret Mission: The Forgotten Island:
-Hidden Object Plays
-Lots of Mini Puzzles
-Mysterious Storyline

Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars