Pathians

Game Description: Create chains to remove all cards from the board.

How to Play Pathians:

• A chain consists of 2 or more matching cards. (A single card by itself cannot be a chain).
• Click on any card to start a chain.
• Click on any neighboring card that is the same rank, or one rank higher or lower. (For instance, if the card is a 6, any 5, 6, or 7 may be clicked next).
• Aces and Kings may be matched with each other.
• Jokers are wild and can be matched with any card.
• Once you begin a chain, Pathians will force you to keep building your chain until there are no more possible moves.
• When you complete a chain the cards in your chain will be destroyed in a blazing fireball! All cards above will drop down to take the place of any cards removed.
• When a column has only one remaining card, (and it cannot be matched with any card from a neighboring column), that card may be moved to the top of any other column. To move the last remaining card in a column first click on the card. Then, click on the blank space to where you want to move it.
• Your goal is to figure out how to remove all of the cards from the board and reach the next level.
• If you fail to remove all cards from the board... it's game over!
• When the game is over, to play again, click the 'Continue" button (right below where you see the text that says: Share my Score! facebook. Then, on the next screen click 'Continue' again.
• I am not sure how many levels Pathians has but at some point you are supposed to be able to free the Princess from the tower (although personally, I have not progressed that far in the game). If anyone knows how many levels there are, or how to free the Princess, please post your comment below and let everyone know.

Pathians Playing Tips:

• As you start each round, look for the cards that you think are going to be the toughest to remove and begin to plan your strategy.
• When you have a card that seems isolated, that is, there are no cards around it with the same rank or one rank higher or lower, there are three ways to remove it. The first way would be to get the card to drop into a more advantageous position by first removing cards in the same column below it. The second way would be to remove all other cards in its column. This may give you the opportunity to move the card to the top of any other column. The third way would be to move a card from another column next to it.
• You need to control things as much as possible. Keep in mind Pathians forces you to complete each chain. Because of this, it often it a critical decision deciding which end of the chain you start should from. You will understand this after you play the game a little.
• Watch out for Jokers! They can help you. But if you don't think things through, they can also hurt you because you may be forced to make moves you don't want to make (and didn't anticipate).
• Be careful! Once you click on a card, you cannot change your mind. Pathians will force you to make a move if any move is possible.
• As you hover your mouse over each card, pay attention. A card that currently can be matched with a card next to it will show a glowing yellow border. (Also a card that is the last remaining card in a column will always have a glowing yellow border because it will either have a match with an adjacent column or, if not, it is eligible to be moved). A card that currently has no match will not have this border when you hover.
• Remember, a chain must be at least 2 cards or more. You cannot end up with a single card (even if it is a Joker). If you do... you lose!

Richard's Rating: 4 out of 5.

Pro: I almost passed on this marvelous little gem of a game. I tried playing Pathians for about 5 minutes and I really didn't have any idea about what was going on. (The game's instructions are somewhat brief). I am certainly glad I stuck with it. Play this game for about 15 to 20 minutes and you, too, will come to realize what a wonderful strategic game this truly is!

Con: There seems to be no control (at least none that I can see) to adjust or turn off the game sounds. However, this really isn't a problem because the game is on the quiet side anyway.

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