Fashion Craze

Fashion Craze is the release of the day at Big Fish Games. Of the preponderance of fashion themed games that hit the market recently, Fashion Craze is one of the better ones. (One of the two that I enjoyed - along with Fashion Fits!)

In this game, you run a trendy clothing store. Instead of selling finished items, you need to make the clothes to order while the customers wait. Select the fabric, deliver it to your seamstress, collect the finished garment and deliver it to the customer, along with any accessories they may want. Show them to the dressing room, wait while they try it on and then collect the cash!

You can earn upgrades for the shop as you successfully complete levels and customize the look of your store. The graphics are decent, but not stunning. There is a varied array of customers to tend to, each with their own patience level, likes and dislikes, which adds a bit of a challenge. Overall, the game was rather easy to play and enjoyable. Definitely worth downloading the demo.

Download a free demo of Fashion Crazy here!

I give this game a 7 out of 10!

Farm Frenzy!

Farm Frenzy

Slip into a pair of overalls and try your hand at running a farm! From tending to the fields where your cows graze to gathering eggs for sale at the town market, Farm Frenzy is as stimulating as the real thing, only you won't have to experience the nasty smells! You will, however, be required to invest the money you earn in new equipment. Building a cheese dairy, for example, allows you to process your milk on the spot and make even more cash!

To beat a level in Farm Frenzy, you must complete a specific task, such as producing a certain number of eggs. Each new level is more challenging than the last, so you must increase the capacity of your warehouse and improve the performance of your production facilities. You can even buy a larger truck capable of delivering more goods to market! All of this makes dealing with the occasional bear easier. Featuring compelling and enjoyable gameplay, Farm Frenzy lets you give Old MacDonald a run for the money!

I really, really love this game! It's quirky, creative and fun! The graphics, storyline and music are all well done and I had a great time playing this farm-themed time management game!

I give this game a 9 out of 10!

Download a free demo here!

Buy the full game for $19.95 here!

The full game features:

• Over 45 levels to beat
• Five animals to care for
• Nine farm products to sell
• Six buildings to purchase
• Unlimited game time
• Free upgrades to newer versions
• Full technical and customer support

Additional Info:
Version
1.0

File size
17.3 MB

Requirements
PIII-750 / 128M RAM / 3D Video 32M

License
Price: $19.95

Limitations
Limited play time

Newly Released at PlayFirst

I'm behind! I took some time off this week for the holiday, but I've fallen behind in the daily releases. Here are the games released at PlayFirst this week! Give them a try! :) Click the images to download a free demo or to purchase the games.

Heroes of Hellas

Travel through Ancient Greece and take back the scepter of Zeus! Click and drag your mouse across objects on the game board to create chains of 3 or more identical items. When the going gets tough, draw from the powers of 7 mythical heroes and use special bonuses. Explore the history behind nine classic mythologies as you progress in this visually stunning and challenging game!

Neptune's Secret

Help a young archaeologist uncover the secret of a lost kingdom and discover the truth about herself. Abandoned as a newborn with only a mysterious amulet, Hannah became an archaeologist specializing in ancient artifacts and symbols. Dive deep beneath the waves to the lost city of Atlantis and join Hannah on her search for the true story of Neptune's demise and the mystical secrets of her own lineage and the power of her amulet.

Fashion Fits

Help Francie run a fast-paced clothing store by stocking tables, cleaning fitting rooms, providing customer service, and more! Set the fashion trends by purchasing new styles to sell. Once you complete the first year at Uber-Mart, help Francie open up her own line of clothing stores - from a sunny beach boutique to a posh department store! Be a trendsetter now!

Abra Academy - Returning Cast

Unknown creatures have broken into the campus and are wreaking havoc. The children are frightened and the school is in total disorder. It's up to Wanda and her friends to put a stop to the attacks. Return to Abra Academy with new levels to conquer, hundreds of objects to hunt and a crystal ball to help you!

Chocolatier™ 2 - Secret Ingredients

Chocolatier™ 2: Secret Ingredients has been released from PlayFirst! This highly anticipated sequel really delivers the goods with tons of levels, lots of new chocolates and recipes, new hidden ingredients, an improved chocolate-making mini game and more!

There's deceit and deception in the new chapter of the Chocolatier saga. A mole is controlling Baumeister Confections and it's up to you, along with the granddaughter of Evangeline, to build a new empire from the ground up and take over Baumeister Confections. Rise up in this industrial age of innovation and seek out secret ingredients to create rich new recipes!

• 2 exciting game play modes: story and freeplay
• 20 cities to travel to, and 72 recipes to acquire and create
• 6 chocolate factories, 4 shops and 1 tasting laboratory all available for purchasing
• Secret ingredients and hidden ports

I will post more about this game soon, but I want to play it through first!

Download a free demo or purchase the game here!

Need help? Come to the Game Cafe forums and post about the game!

Ice Cream Tycoon

Today's release from PlayFirst is a cute time-management / sim game called Ice Cream Tycoon.

You play as an aspiring ice cream salesman and have to build your frozen treat empire! You begin with a small push-cart and if you do well, you can upgrade to the best ice cream truck around! Learn your neighborhood's likes and dislikes, take the weather into consideration, hire helpers, cleaners and security people to aid you in your quest for ice cream supremacy!

The game is definitely more challenging than it looks. It could become a bit boring as well, but with the ability to speed up time, the game keeps moving at a decent pace!

The graphics are a bit old-school, but fun!

Download a free trial or purchase the game here.

Looking for help? Start a thread at the Game Cafe forum!

I give this game a 6 out of 10!

The Office

New release from Mumbo Jumbo Games!

So you think you could survive the zany workplace of NBC's Emmy Award-winning comedy series The Office? Put yourself to the test as you dive into the hilarious environment by maneuvering through the quirky and frenzied fun of The Office game. Play pranks on your rivals to slow them down, earn points by helping out your co-workers, and avoid getting distracted by the office visitors, all while competing to be the best Dunder Mifflin paper salesperson you can!

Key Game Features:

• In-game caricatures of cast favorites
• Season variations at the Scranton office
• Collectible in-game items inspired by the show
• Computer-controlled rival competition
• Humorous pranks

• 
  

Download a free trial or purchase the game HERE.

I haven't played it yet, but I'll review the game as soon as I'm done!

• 
  

Fashion Fits!

Fashion Fits! is a new time-management game published by Big Fish Games and available for a free trial download.

You play as a new clerk in a fashion store and have to sell the items to a variety of customers. You have to restock the displays, retrieve clothing from the changing rooms and help customers with special requests. As you complete successful days, you can purchase upgrades for your shop! A "dress the mannequin" mini game in between some of the levels can earn you extra bucks for upgrades.

One of many new fashion-themed games that are slated for release soon, Fashion Fits! is one of the better ones! The overall game play is smooth and easy to learn. The graphics are decent and the variety of characters is amusing.

To download a free trial or to purchase this game, click HERE.

For tips, tricks and more information, check out the Game Cafe!

I give this game a 7 out of 10!

Game Downloads

I'm not going to write lengthy reviews for many of the older games that have been released for some time. However, for those that would like to download or purchase them, I'll add the links here in this post with a brief description of each game.

Adventure Games

Tradewinds 2 - Be a master commander, defeating pirates and plundering their gold or play it safe and trade goods, gradually amassing wealth and power. Trade contraband for larger returns but risk seizures, it's up to you. Play Tradewinds 2 and explore your new world.

Puzzle Games

Subway Scramble™ -This fast-paced thinking puzzle puts you at the switch guiding subway cars through miles of mazes as you tunnel your way around the world from New York to Seoul.

Oasis™ - Discover Ancient Egypt from the comfort of your chair - take five minutes and travel back in time 5,000 years! With every click of the mouse, your empire grows stronger. Spend your turns wisely to conquer the barbarians and reunite your kingdom. Will your empire stand the test of time?

Cubology - Beautiful minerals, which have helped this Mars mining colony stay in power, are beamed from the surface of Mars to the orbiting station. Help the aging I-ZAC droid sort minerals so he can take a break and be restored to operational capacity.

Circulate - Zip the spheres through the puzzle by deftly turning it this way and that and master gravity as you guide spheres through a spinning chamber. Like marble mazes of old, Circulate lets you tip, twist and spin your way to winning!

TriJinx-A Kristine Kross Mystery™ - Join Kristine Kross, adventurer, world-traveler and puzzle-master, as she winds her way through a mysterious labyrinth of ancient tombs in search of her missing father. Puzzle your way through 68 unique levels and unlock the ancient gates of TriJinx.

Cubis® Gold - Move fast as you skillfully make chains of three or more cubes to remove them from the board before time runs out. Score big with a chain that sets off another chain and you have a Cubis. 200 exciting levels will keep you busy for hours!

Cubis® Gold 2 - With two new game play modes, new difficultly settings, beautiful new cube sets and amazing new level designs...you'll be hooked all over again. Use the Bomb Cube to rearrange level layouts but watch out for the teleporting Ghost Cubes!

Splash - Splash is an action, puzzle and strategy packed game that is both addictive and fun. Control Squirt, your water shooting super fish, to keep those pesky wooden balls out of your serene pond. Amazing backgrounds and special effects abound!

Diner Dash Games

Diner Dash® - Ditch your desk job and serve up some grub! Help Flo™ grow her fledgling diner into a five-star restaurant in this game of skill, speed and savvy.

Diner Dash 2 - Restaurant Rescue™ - Join Flo™ as she returns from Nirvana to help four fellow restaurant owners defeat the greedy tycoon, Mr. Big. Seat customers, take orders, serve drinks, deliver food, and collect tips - expert scores earn you more decor upgrades!

SpongeBob™ Diner Dash® - SpongeBob SquarePants is here with an undersea diner twist! Mr. Krabs is expanding his Krabby Patty kingdom one restaurant at a time. With 50 levels of culinary chaos in five unique underwater restaurants, it's up to you and SpongeBob to seat, serve and satisfy even the squirmiest of patrons.

Word Games

Spellagories™ - Weave your magic words to save the kingdom! Spellagories combines immersive fantasy with classic puzzles that provide a fresh twist for word game fans. 3 different levels of difficulty exist for wordsmiths of every caliber.

Super Text Twist™ - Make as many words as you can with the letters you're given. Use all your letters to make a word and you'll move on to the next round. If you get stuck, just click on Twist for a hint. Don't worry, we've already thought of all the words, just tell us what they are!

Word Slinger™ - Word Slinger combines elements of Scrabble with a crossword style puzzle to form an unforgettable gaming experience. Word Slinger is packed with bonuses and power-ups and is fit for puzzle and word game lovers alike, Word Slinger will have you hooked!

Word Mojo™ Gold - Prepare yourself for an exciting new word game that takes spelling and creating chains of words to new levels of fun. Create intersecting words over the random colored tiles to acquire 3 or more Mega Mojo Letters, and you'll advance to the Mega Mojo round!

Board Games

Chessmaster® Challenge - Based on the award-winning Chessmaster® series, with over 5 million copies sold, Chessmaster Challenge is your teacher, mentor, and ultimate opponent. Improve your game and discover the chess genius in you!

Collapse Games

SpongeBob™ Collapse™ -What's more fun than watching SpongeBob SquarePants, or playing Collapse!? SpongeBob SquarePants Collapse, of course! Our latest game offers you the best of both! Think Super Collapse, but with SpongeBob and all his whacky friends!

Super Collapse II® - Those little cubes you see in your sleep are back in three amazing new versions to take you to even greater heights of fun and excitement. Play Collapse! in Puzzle, Strategy, or Relapse mode and, if you're feeling nostalgic, there's Traditional mode as well.

Cards, Vegas, Gambling Games

Slingo - Slingo is the exciting combination of classic favorites Bingo and Slots. It features sharp graphics, saved stats, top ten lists, custom backgrounds plus a brand new challenging "pattern" mode. Slingo appeals to anyone who enjoys having fun!

Super GameHouse Solitaire Vol. 3 - This collection of Solitaire games will keep you occupied for hours! Games include: Scorpion, Clover, 40 Thieves, Concentration, Towers, Tricky, Ocean's 11, Osmosis, Sultan of Turkey, and Kings and Aces.

Aloha Solitaire - Immerse yourself in the idyllic Hawaiian Islands of Aloha Solitaire. Relax with a mix of classic card games and Mahjong on the golden sands of Hawaii. Power-up cards will help you get to the next level, but use them wisely, as they are limited.

Shape Sorting Games

Shape Shifter - Ladies and gentlemen, step right up and witness a delightful convergence of action, intrigue and fun. Drag shapes into matching cutouts and clear the screen before time runs out or before the shapes get too high. The action never stops!

Puzzle Inlay™ - Puzzle Inlay is the game that lets you make beautiful creations while you solve puzzles. Just place the interlocking colored tiles to form shapes, but move quick because the tiles are coming fast and you don't want to let them get stacked up.

Magic Inlay™ - Choose from three environments inhabited by magical creatures to challenge your jewel arrangement skills. Play one of three difficulty levels with a choice of three game speeds in one of three different environments and save your progress as you go.

Adventure Inlay™ - Take the trip of a lifetime! Adventure Inlay has levels that span from the Serengeti to the ocean floor. Over 60 gorgeously rendered wildlife scenes fill the Adventure Inlay landscape and four unique game modes provide hours of game play.

Marble Shooter Games

Luxor - Isis has enlisted you to battle Set and his evil minions. Use your mystical winged scarab to shoot magical spheres and destroy the approaching spheres by making matches of three or more. Stop them before they reach the pyramids...or all of Egypt is doomed!

Arcade Games

Feeding Frenzy™ - It's survival of the biggest in this action packed deep-sea challenge. Eat your way to the top of the food chain as you swim through stunning underwater environments and encounter deadly predators. Use power-ups to unseat the vicious Shark King!

Pizza Frenzy™ - Pizza Frenzy is a wacky action puzzle that puts you in charge of your own pizza delivery empire! Match incoming orders with your pizza kitchens to deliver your pizzas fresh and on time. Careful, if customer satisfaction gets too low, it's Game Over!

Iggle Pop!™ - The Land of Fuzz is being invaded! The evil Zoogs are rounding up peaceful Iggles for some mysterious, diabolical purpose. Iggle Pop takes familiar elements from addictive classics like Pac-Man and Snake and combines them with a cast of irresistibly cute characters.

Snail Mail™ - Guide Turbo the Snail through the furthest reaches of the universe to deliver Intergalactic Mail in this fast-paced racing game. Play through all 50 levels in Postal Mode, test your reflexes in Challenge Mode, and get the fastest time in Time Trials.

Cosmic Bugs - Stop these creepy critters and put an end to their destructive path in this outer space adventure! Set the trap, fill the map and advance to the next level! Simple, addictive and fun to play, the free version comes with a full set of 50 levels.

MahJong and Tile Matching Games

Mah Jong Medley™ - The long-awaited successor to Super Mah Jong has arrived! Choose from over 300 layouts, all distinctly original, ranging from super easy to extremely challenging. This is not the Mah Jong your mother grew up with but she'll love it anyway!

Cake Mania 2

The long awaited sequel to Cake Mania and Cake Mania - Back to the Bakery was released by Sandlot games recently. Be sure to check out my post about the Cake Mania Halloween Contest!

Help Jill save her friends' bakeries in this much anticipated assembly-management game! Bake a wide variety of cakes and decorate them with fancy icings and cake toppers! Fill the orders quickly before the customers run out of patience and leave!

Some new features for this installment of the Cake Mania series include new bakeries, each with their own theme, such as under the sea, arctic winter and outer space. A new cast of customers with unique personalities, likes and dislikes. New cake shapes, icings and toppers. New upgrades including a very useful multi-tiered cake display stand! You can even swap the cake in your hand with one on the frosting station, cake stand or oven by right-clicking! This was VERY useful!

A choose-your-own path style storyline allows you to collect a series of trophies depending on which path you take. You can replay the game and choose alternate paths to collect them all!

I found this game slightly more challenging than the original, though the expert scores for all of the levels was attainable with a little effort.

Some tips and tricks:

• Get to know your customers! Each type of customer has a particular set of likes and dislikes. Understanding them will help you keep them happy in line!
• Use the cake display stand! The old ladies with the cats are particularly prone to buying the cakes on display and this can save a lot of time!
• Use the treats. Giving the treats to the customers in line can really help, especially in the later levels.
• Plan your actions. Collect menus on your way to the ovens or the frosting stations. Try not to waste steps, as Jill moves very slowly at first!
• Use the right-click cake swapping feature. Grab a cake from the oven and take it to the frosting table, right click to switch with a finished cake to save a lot of walking!
• Use the television. Figure out which characters prefer which channels and keep that TV going.
  

For more information, tips and tricks visit the Game Cafe and PlayFirst forums!

You can download and / or purchase the game from PlayFirst by clicking HERE.

I give this game an 8 out of 10!

Delicious 2 Deluxe

I'm always a little nervous when a sequel game comes out. Just as with movies, the game sequels can sometimes lose the magic of a successful premier game. Thankfully, that is not the case with Delicious 2 Deluxe from Zylom Games!

The original Delicious Deluxe and the Winter Edition were very good games and I enjoyed them immensely. Delicious 2 Deluxe was so much better!

The object of the game is to serve customers in a variety of restaurants to earn enough money to bail out your struggling relative. As the income increases, you can buy upgrades and eventually open new restaurants. If you pick the right combinations of upgrades, you'll even earn bigger bonuses from the customers.

New helpers and improved graphics make the second (third?) installment of Delicious Deluxe a pleasure to play. The storyline is engaging and the characters are intriguing. This is one of my top ten favorite games!

The game is available from several game portal sites, including Zylom, but we must say that the game is $29.95 at Zylom and $19.95 elsewhere... just sayin'.

Downloads available at:
Yahoo Games! D2D Download
GameHouse D2D Download
GameFools D2D Download
Zylom Games


Some tips and tricks:

• Chain actions whenever possible. If you have someone waiting to pay their bill at the counter, if you can wait until someone else is ready to pay as well, you can chain the action and make a bonus!
• Use the helpers! They can keep the customers happy at their tables while you focus on getting the orders out as quickly as possible. Also, the helper that will clean the dirty tables is one of your biggest assets!
• Choose your upgrades carefully. If you pick the right ones, you will get an extra bonus tip from the customers.

I give this game a 9 out of 10!

Big Island Blends

Big Island Blends is a new time management / service game. You play as a young woman who has inherited an orchard. Deciding to make a profit from this orchard, you open a series of fruit drink juice bars.

The object of the game is to mix and serve drinks to waiting customers as quickly and efficiently as possible, purchasing upgrades to improve your business along the way.

Very similar concept to "Cathy's Carribean Club", Big Island Blends is far from an original or unique game.

The game mechanics are clumsy and until speed upgrades are purchased, frustratingly slow. I had some trouble getting the game to run smoothly and the music kept stopping and starting in odd places.

Although I like the idea of this game, it just isn't very good.

If you'd like to download it and give it a try, you can get it HERE.

I give this game a 2 out of 10.

Sneak Peak! Fashion Fits!

I tried a preview of the new game Fashion Fits! today, courtesy of Real Arcade Evaluations.

In the game, you play a sales clerk in a series of clothing stores. Your duties include stocking the clothing displays, removing clothes from the changing rooms and serving the customers in a timely manner.

Upgrades are plentiful and creative and the overall game plays very well, though not it's not too easy! I had to replay several levels to get the expert score.

The game can quickly get out of hand if you're not paying very close attention, which I liked, challenging though it was, lol.

Some tips and tricks -

• Not many yet, as I was only able to play a limited time demo, but...
• Restock the clothing shelves as soon as possible.
• Don't try to wait and see if the customers leave the clothes in the changing rooms, hoping to use those to restock, that takes far too long and it is much faster to dump those on the other rack!
• For upgrades, save up to buy the speed increase first. This will really help! The second upgrade you should get is the dresses as there is a certain level that the customers will prefer that item over the others.

I give this game a 6 out of 10, at least until I can play the full version!

No download link available yet, though if you are a member of Real Arcade's Evaluation program, you can get it there!

Sponge Bob Diner Dash 2

Spongebob and his friends are back in this fantastic sequel! Help Spongebob, Patrick and Squidward save their favorite restaurants from the greedy Sharkey Two-Times in this cute undersea adventure!

Serve a variety of diners in a series of underwater restaurants, each with its own customizable upgrades. Later on in the game you can even choose which character to play as and each one has their own cute animations. (I prefer Patrick!)

Based on the popular Diner Dash game, SPDD2, Diner Dash fans will love the similar game mechanics and the new scenery! This is another fine time-management / service game from PlayFirst that appeals to the younger crowd. (My kids all love it and I admit, I do too!)

Some tips and tricks:

• Chain your actions! Take orders, deliver meals and collect the bills without breaking the chain. Chaining is a huge part of your overall score!
  
• Time the seating of the diners to make chaining actions easier. Don't seat new diners right away, let the line grow until you have enough to fill most or all of the tables.
  
• Match the color of the guest to the color of the seats for BIG bonus points!
• Use the podium! Try to make time to stand at the podium in between all of the chained actions!
• Get an expert score on every level to unlock a hidden restaurant!

I give this game a 7 out of 10!

To download a free trial or to purchase this game, please click HERE.

For more information and tips, please visit the PlayFirst SPDD2 Forums!

Wedding Dash

Meet Quinn! The ambitious friend of Flo (Diner Dash) who is starting her own wedding planning business! Help her grow her business by choosing the decor and food for the weddings, as well as the honeymoon destinations, and serving all of the guests in quick fashion! Avert wedding disasters by keeping Quinn on her toes and save the day!

Similar to the Diner Dash game series, Wedding Dash will not disappoint fans of the time management / service oriented games. In each level, you must first pay attention to the likes and dislikes of the wedding couple and choose their menu, decor and honeymoon location. You can earn 300 points before the level even starts by selecting just the right items! Once the level begins, you play the waitress who seats the guests, delivers their gifts to the bride and groom, serve the appetizers, main course and cake.

At the same time, you have to keep an eye on potential wedding disasters such as fighting bridesmaids and swarms of bees! Certain guests, such as a drunken uncle and sobbing aunt, will create problems as well.

Some tips and tricks:

• Make sure you get all three wedding planning choices right - those 300 points can really help!
• Pay careful attention to the seating arrangements. A good portion of your total points comes from properly seating the guests!
• Chain everything! Take all the gifts, deliver the appetizers, main courses and desserts without interruption.
• Use the champagne bottles to keep guests happy in line.
• Use the confetti blaster when the guests are mad at the tables for a mood boost.
• When selecting upgrades, focus on the ones that give point bonuses as well as the faster cooks and more comfortable seating. These combined will help on the rough later levels!

I thoroughly enjoyed this game and still play it! The replay value for this game is in trying to beat your own score and attain expert for each level, not as easy as it may sound!

To download a free trial or to purchase this game, please click HERE.

I give this game a 9 out of a possible 10!

For more help and tips, visit the PlayFirst Wedding Dash Forums!