Ice Breakers: Penguin Pirates

Game Description: Welcome to the next chapter of Ice Breakers! In Ice Breakers: Penguin Pirates you will have to sharpen your matching skills to beat the clock. Games.com has added some new twists to the game such as changing the color of tiles and clearing a path for special items like maps to drop off the board. Don't let the first few levels fool you. Ice Breakers: Penguin Pirates will challenge you! Get to it, Matey. Penguin Pirates await!

How to Play Ice Breakers Penguin Pirates:

• You are looking to match 3 or more identical objects either across or up and down on the board.
• Use your left mouse button.
• Click on 2 adjacent objects (or use a dragging motion) to attempt to swap their positions to make a match.
• The objects will only swap if there is a resulting match of 3 or more in-a-row.
• If you take too long to make a match, Ice Breakers Penguin Pirates will show you a possible move you can make. Look for the small penguin that will pop up on the board and show you where to click.
• If there are no more possible matches available on the entire board the game will tell you that there are no more matches, and then automatically scramble the board for you. Then, just keep playing as usual.
• At the upper left you will see two meters. The top meter, that has a clock symbol on its left, is called the 'Shift'. The shift is green and moves from right to left. It tells you how much time you have to complete each level. Your goal is to complete each level before the shift runs out.
• The second meter, just under the shift is the powerup meter. It has a lightning bolt symbol on its left. The powerup meter is blue and moves from left to right. Each time you make a match of 4 or more objects, the powerup meter will gain strength. When the powerup meter gets all the way to the right, you will earn a powerup that you can use to affect the game. (You can learn more about the powerups in the next section).
• Your goal on levels 1-4 is to make matches over every square on the board. As you do, the squares will turn to gold. You must turn every single square to gold before time runs out.
• After you complete level 1, you may skip the dialogue at the beginning of each subsequent level by clicking the 'Go To Next Level' button. The dialogue really doesn't give you much useful information. And, quite frankly, it gets boring really quick.
• On level 5 a new element is introduced into the game for the first time: map pieces. For level 5 you must drive all 3 map pieces through the bottom of the board by making matches on the squares beneath them. This allows the map pieces to drop all the way to the bottom. Once there, they will fly off the board and fit into their respective placeholders below the board. You must drive all 3 map pieces from the board before time runs out.
• On levels 6 and 7 it's back to turning all squares to gold again, just like you did on Levels 1-4.
• Beginning on level 8, you have dual objectives. In addition to turning all squares to gold, you must also drive every single map piece through the bottom of the board by making matches on the squares beneath them. You must accomplish both of these goals before time runs out.
• When you fail a level you have a choice to make. You can either choose to go back one level lower and continue playing. Or, start the game completely over from the very beginning. (Before deciding what you want to do, you will want to submit your score on the Penguin Pirates Leaderboard. You can learn more about submitting your score below). After submitting your game score, click either 'Restart One Level Back' or 'Restart From Beginning'. Either way, your score will be lost and you must start again at zero.
• There are 25 levels of play.
• Ice Breakers Penguin Pirates will automatically save your game progress as long as you use the same computer as before. When you come back you will see a message that says: "Since you have previously played, you may resume your game where you left off." Click the 'Resume Game' button to continue your game.

The Ice Breakers Penguin Pirates Powerups:

• The powerups are shown on the left side of the game, just under the score. There are 3 kinds of powerups. The powerup on the far left is the TNT powerup (it looks like a bunch of steel balls). The one in the middle is the Color TNT powerup (it looks like a bunch of colored balls). The powerup on the right is called the Scrambler powerup. It looks like a blue whirlwind.
• Each time you earn a powerup, you will see a number in a pink square just to the lower right of the powerup. These numbers indicate how many of each powerup you currently have.
• All unused powerups carry over to the next level. You also retain your powerups when a level is failed, and you choose to go back one level. (If you fail Level 1 however, your powerups cannot be saved).
• You are allowed to have a maximum 12 powerups (4 of each kind). You can use your powerups anytime you want and then earn new ones. However, if you already have the maximum 12 powerups and you get the blue powerup meter all the way to the right, nothing will happen.
• The first powerup you will earn is the TNT powerup. You will have to earn the maximum 4 TNT powerups before you can earn your first Color TNT powerup. To earn your first Scrambler powerup you must first have 8 powerups (4 TNT powerups and 4 Color TNT powerups).
• The TNT powerup can destroy a maximum of 9 objects on the board in the shape of a square. To use the TNT powerup, drag the TNT powerup unto the board. As you do, you will see faint balls on the squares of the objects. When you get the TNT powerup in the exact position you want simply release your mouse to destroy the objects.
• The Color TNT powerup is more powerful, though not as precise, as the TNT powerup. Use it to destroy a lot of objects at once. Like the TNT powerup, you drag the Color TNT powerup unto the board. As you position the TNT powerup over each single square you will see a faint ball on every other similar object. Once you decide which type of object you want to destroy (for example, all blue diamonds), simply release your mouse to destroy the objects.
• The Scrambler powerup is different than the other two powerups. First of all, you don't drag it with your mouse... you simply click on the image. Second, it will not destroy any objects. But, it will change all the objects on the board by scrambling them up. Sometimes this will help, and other times it won't. You just have to take your chances.

Play Ice Breakers Penguin Pirates on Full Screen

Please Note: Before playing Ice Breakers Penguin Pirates in Full Screen mode, you may want to take a moment, or two, to read my review. Then, after playing your game, simply click the back button on your browser to return to this page.

Ice Breakers Penguin Pirates Game Options:

• While playing a level you may pause the game, and take a break, by clicking the 'Menu' button located near the upper left corner. To resume, click the 'Resume Game' button. (Be very careful not to accidentally click the 'Restart From Beginning' button or you will lose all of your game progress!).
• The music may be turned on or off by clicking the musical note icon located just to the right of the 'Menu' button.
• The game sounds may be turned on or off by clicking the microphone icon located just to the right of the musical note icon.

Ice Breakers Penguin Pirates Playing Tips:

• Do yourself a huge favor and play Ice Breakers Penguin Pirates on Full Screen mode by clicking the link below the game. It will save your eyes, and you will also have a lot more fun!
• There are two ways you can approach, and play, Ice Breakers Penguin Pirates. One way would be to try for a high score. The other way would be to simply see how far you can get in the game (which, by the way, is my favorite way to play).
• Whichever way you decide to play the game, don't forget to make matches of 4 or more to get new powerups.
• If you are trying for a high score to submit on the Leaderboard, keep this in mind: Whenever you fail a level your score goes back down to zero. So you will want to use as many powerups as you need to survive each level. You will also need to restart the game from the very beginning whenever you lose a level because you will need the points from the lower levels to get a high score.
• If you are like me, and you want to simply see how far you can get in the game, here is the best tip I can give you. When you reach the tougher levels, say, level 13, make sure you have your full arsenal of 12 powerups at the ready (4 TNT's, 4 colored TNT's, and 4 Scramblers). You are going to need them! If you are an experienced Match 3 player, you will find that these powerups are easy to get on the lower levels. (Just a reminder, you get new powerups by making matches of 4 or more). On the middle, and higher, levels you are not going to have the luxury of concentrating as much on building powerups. You will be fighting, like crazy, just get to make it through each level. Try not to use any powerups on levels 10, 11, and 12, even if you have to go back one level lower and repeat. Beginning on level 13, try to use just enough powerups to make it through. Try to save as many powerups as you can for the remaining levels.

Richard's Rating: 4 out of 5.

Pro: Ice Breakers Penguin Pirates is definitely not for the faint of heart. It is a very, very, tough Match 3 game. I would say, because of the addition of the map pieces, it is even tougher than the original Ice Breakers game... which is saying quite a lot. Don't let the beginning levels lull you into a false sense of security. You will be challenged! And, you will likely have to go back and repeat levels many, many, times. If you are up to the challenge, Ice Breakers Penguin Pirates may be just what you are looking for. You may also curse the day you ever started playing it! lol.

Con:

• If you have never played Match 3, or have no idea what Match 3 is all about, Ice Breakers Penguin Pirates is not the game for you. Try one of my other Match 3 games. Jewel Quest, although not that easy, may be a good place to start.
• Sometimes, Ice Breakers Penguin Pirates will act a bit erratic. For instance, sometimes a square will become blank and there is no way to turn it to gold. This usually happens after you use a powerup. These occurrences are rare. But, they do happen often enough that I felt I needed to tell you about it. When something like this occurs you will have to play the level over again; and maybe even have to refresh your browser to get back to the game.

Other Games: If you enjoy playing Ice Breakers Penguin Pirates, you may also like to play the original Ice Breakers game. Ice Breakers is, in my opinion, get a little bit easier than Ice Breakers Penguin Pirates. Of course, that means it is still plenty tough!

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Sebastopol Dominoes

Game Description: Play the game of dominoes against three imaginary computer opponents named Aristotle, Socrates, and Plato.

How to Play Sebastopol Dominoes:

• In this computerized version of dominoes there are 4 players: Aristotle, Socrates, Plato, and you.
• At the beginning of every round each player is dealt 7 dominoes. (You will see your 7 dominoes to the right of the board. You will not be able to see any of your opponents' dominoes).
• The player dealt the double-six domino goes first by placing the double-six in the center and then takes another turn. (If you receive the double-six, Sebastopol Dominoes will tell you. Then, just click 'OK' and the double-six will automatically be placed in the center).
• Play proceeds clockwise with each player taking a turn.
• Dominoes can be played on all four sides of the initial tile (the double-six), but all four edges of the double-six must be filled before any other domino can be played.
• Remember, you must play a domino that has a six on one of its tiles until all four sides of the star are filled. After that, you may match each domino from your hand with any of the four outer tiles of the star. For instance, if the outer tile on one of the four sides of the star has a five, you can play any domino in your hand that has a five on at least one side.
• When it is your turn to play, simply drag the domino you want to play unto the domino that matches it. Don't worry about turning the domino around. Sebastopol Dominoes will automatically turn the domino in the correct direction for you.
• If a domino cannot be played, then the player must pass on his/her turn.
• The player to play all of his dominoes wins the round.
• The winner of the round receives the total number of points in the other players' hands.
• Rounds are continually played until someone wins the game by reaching the agreed upon point total.
• After the game is over, click the 'New Game' button to play again.

Sebastopol Dominoes Game Options:

• The game may be set to any of the following theme colors: soot, smog, azul, fresh, forrest, army, olive, grape, beach, red wine, coffee, or clay. (The theme colors may be changed at any time).
• The sound may be turned on or off. (The sounds, which are minimal, may be turned on or off at any time).
• The game may be played to 50, 100, 150, 200, 250, 500, or 999 points. (The points needed to win option must be set from the main menu before the game begins).

Richard's Rating: 3 out of 5.

Comments: Sebastopol Dominoes is a nice game to play, with clever graphics.




Play Sebastopol Dominoes on Full Screen

Please Note: Before playing Sebastopol Dominoes in Full Screen mode, you may want to take a moment, or two, to read my review. Then, after playing your game, simply click the back button on your browser to return to this page.

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FMX Team

Game Description: Try to make it through 15 levels of freestyle motorcross!

How to Play FMX Team:

• Select 'New Game' to begin a brand new game, or select 'Load Game' to resume your previous game.
• If this is a new game, you will be asked to enter your name. Just type in your first name, or whatever you want. Then, click the 'OK' button.
• The Up arrow is the throttle. Use it to increase speed.
• Use the Right arrow to lean forward.
• Use the Left arrow to lean backward.
• Press the numerical keys 1-5 to perform tricks.
• Choose one of the 3 bikers to run each race: Dyson, Travis, or Rossi. To select a biker just click on his picture. (Sometimes a biker will be 'Tired' and temporarily out of commission). Each biker has their own unique abilities.
• Each level shows the tricks you can do. (The available tricks are numbered as 1, 2, 3, and so on, and are pictured vertically on the left side of the game just under the level number).
• The clock is shown at the upper right corner. This shows how much time you have to complete each race.
• Each level has a 'Qualification task' which shows the required number of points you must earn to make it to the next level.
• The required points are shown at the very top of the game in the center of the screen. For instance, on Level 1 you are required to earn at least 200 points. As you start Level 1 you would see 0/200. The first number, zero, shows how many points you start with. This number will increase as you perform tricks during your run. The second number, 200, is the required point total you must reach to complete the level.
• Earn huge points for performing tricks by using the numerical keys 1-5.
• Do flips and big jumps to earn extra points.
• If you are able to finish the race without crashing within the alloted time, and if you are able to earn enough points, you will advance to the next level of play.
• There are 15 levels of play.
• FMX Team should automatically save your game progress. Then, as long as you use the same computer, just click 'Load Game' to pick up right where you last left off.

FMX Team Game Options:

• Click the microphone icon, located in the lower left corner, to turn the game sounds on or off.
• Click the Pause icon, located just to the right of the microphone icon, to pause the game. Click 'Continue' to resume your race.

FMX Team Playing Tips:

• Be sure to use the numerical keys 1-5 to perform specific stunts. Not only will this earn you huge points, but it will allow each biker to gain experience points. When a biker has enough experience he will learn a new trick. Try to unlock all the tricks and score maximum points!

Richard's Rating: 5 out of 5.

Comments: FMX Team has outstanding sounds and graphics! Unlike some motorcross games, this game is easy enough for anyone to play and have some success; yet it is still challenging for even advanced players. This allows everyone to play at their own ability and still have fun. Overall, it is a very nice game!

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Letter Blocks

Game Description: Spell enough words fast enough to advance to the next level of play.

How to Play Letter Blocks:

• Click the first letter of the word you are going to spell.
• Each succeeding letter must be adjacent to (touching) the previous letter.
• Once you click the last letter of the word you are going to submit, click the last letter a second time to submit the word.
• All submitted words must be at least 3 letters in length.
• If your word is unacceptable, Letter Blocks will show a message that says "This word does not exist in our dictionary" and you must try again.
• If, while forming a word should you change your mind, click anywhere else on the grid to begin again.
• The longer your words, the more points you'll score!
• At the left side, you will see the words 'Next Level' with a number underneath. That number tells you how many words you must spell before the entire grid fills with letters. (Each time you successfully submit an acceptable word, the number decreases by 1).
• Your goal is to form the required number of words to make it to the next level before the entire grid fills up with letters.
• Should the entire grid fill up with letters... it's game over!
• After the game ends, click 'Cancel' to play again.

Letter Blocks Game Options: The game options may be accessed by clicking the object that sort of looks like a gear shaft; located just to the right of the question mark near the lower left corner of the game. (This also pauses the game if you want to take a break). The game options are as follows:

• The game sounds may be adjusted.
• The music volume may be adjusted. (This game does not actually have any music. So, just ignore this option).
• Full Screen mode may be turned on or off.

Letter Blocks Playing Tips:

• Try to spell longer words, especially on the lower levels when you have enough time, to get a higher score.
• On the higher levels you will need to spell words more quickly, so you will probably have to spell mostly shorter words of 3 or 4 letters just to make it through each level.

Richard's Rating: 3 out of 5.

Comments: Letter Blocks starts out rather slow but becomes much more challenging as you hit level 9 and beyond. Word game aficionados should enjoy playing this one!

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Bricks Breaking II

Game Description: Destroy the bricks by clicking same colored groups with at least 3 bricks.

How to Play Bricks Breaking II:

• Use your left mouse button to click same colored groups with at least 3 bricks.
• If you destroy a group with at least 15 bricks, then you can get a bomb!
• Click a bomb to destroy surrounding bricks.
• The more bricks you break, the higher you will score!
• The game ends when any brick reaches the top!

Bricks Breaking II Game Options: The game options may be accessed by clicking the object that sort of looks like a gear shaft; located just to the right of the question mark near the lower right corner of the game. (This also pauses the game if you want to take a break). The game options are as follows:

• The game sounds may be adjusted from high to low.
• The music volume may be adjusted from high to low.
• Full screen mode may be turned On or Off.

Bricks Breaking II Playing Tips:

• Try to click large groups of bricks. Not only can this earn you a bomb, but you will score more points per brick too! And, obviously, when you break more bricks this helps you stay in the game longer by preventing other bricks from reaching the top.
• You are likely to get at least a couple of bombs on the lower levels. Don't click on these bombs until you need them; when the levels get more difficult.
• Watch the next row of bricks coming up from the bottom. This can help you anticipate your next move.

Richard's Rating: 3 out of 5.

Pro: Bricks Breaking II starts out slow, which gives you a chance to get used to the rhythm of the game. The pace gradually quickens as you progress through the levels. Personally, I like to play the game using the full screen mode with the music turned off.

Con: None.

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Super Mario Brothers Crossover

Game Description: Super Mario Brothers Crossover is a flash game that recreates the original Super Mario Brothers from Nintendo and allows you to play the game as characters from other classic Nintendo games.

How to Play Super Mario Brothers Crossover:

• Click the game screen anywhere with your left mouse button to begin.
• Press the 'z' key when the next screen comes up.
• Use the arrow keys to move the cursor to select a character. (Make sure your mouse pointer remains somewhere on the game, or you won't be able to use the arrow keys to move the cursor).
• Select your character from 6 classic Nintendo games. Each character behaves differently and has unique abilities that are reminiscent from their original games. There is Link from the Legend of Zelda, Bill R. from Contra, Simon from Castlevania, Mega Man, Samus from Metroid, and of course, Mario himself. Once you have the character you want to use, press the 'z' key. (You many have to press the 'z' key more than once).
• On the next screen click the 'z' key to begin play. (Once again, you may have to press the 'z' key several times. Just keep pressing 'z' until all the text messages disappear).
• The main idea of Super Mario Brothers Crossover, of course, is to get through each level (which, just like in the original Nintendo, are called worlds) before time runs out.
• Use your arrow keys to move your character.
• Use the 'z' key to jump.
• Use the 'x' key to attack or run.
• For some characters, you can press 's' for an alternate attack.
• Turtles are bad, and should be stomped.
• Mushrooms and flowers are good, and should be collected.
• You begin the game with 3 lives.
• At the end of each level, or when you lose a life, you have the ability to change to a new character.
• The game ends when you lose your last life.

Super Mario Brothers Crossover Playing Tips: Here is a YouTube video I found for Super Mario Brothers Crossover. Obviously, it was made by someone who is an expert (and probably has way too much time on their hands). Even though you or I can never hope to be this good; at least it may inspire you, and possibly give you a few ideas on how some of the characters can be used in the game. Besides, it is rather entertaining to watch too. Enjoy!




Richard's Rating: 5 out of 5.

Pro: For anyone who was a big Nintendo fan back in the 1980's Super Mario Brothers Crossover should bring back a lot of happy memories. Of course, this game has much more to offer with the marvelous addition of the 5 other classic Nintendo characters. I certainly applaud the game's creator, Jay Pavlina, for his innovation and talent. It truly is quite the game!

Con:

• As most of my regular readers may know, a pet peeve of mine is when a game has no sound control or mute button. Super Mario Brothers Crossover certainly could have used one, or both. So, alas, you will have to adjust the speakers on your computer.
• If you have never played any of the old Nintendo games there may be a slight learning curve to get used to the controls.

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Plants vs. Zombies

Game Description: A mob of advancing zombies is about to invade your home, and your only defense is an arsenal of zombie-zapping plants. Use Peashooters, Squash, Cherry Bombs and more to stop the zombies dead in their tracks before they can reach your front door!

How to Play Plants vs. Zombies:

• Plants vs. Zombies has 4 different game modes: Adventure, Survival, Puzzle, and Mini-Games. As I write this review, I have only tried the first 6 levels of Adventure mode. (I have not, as of yet, tried any of the other game modes). So, that is what my review will be about... the first 6 levels of Adventure mode.
• The main idea of Plants vs. Zombies, in Adventure mode, is to position your plants in such a way so as to protect your home from the invading zombies.
• If you are successful in protecting your house, you go on to the next level. If you fail, and the zombies get into your house, then the "zombies eat your brains" and it's game over, (but not really). Just hit the 'Quit' button after you lose a level. On the next screen you see, click the green 'Quit' button. This takes you back to the main game screen. Then, click the 'Adventure' mode button again, and you will be right back at the level you failed... to try again!
• Plants vs. Zombies should automatically save your game progress as long as you use the same computer. So, you can always pick up right where you left off.
• This free version of Plants vs. Zombies that I have here on Richard's Game Reviews has 14 levels of play on the Adventure mode (Levels 1-1 through 1-10, and Levels 2-1 through 2-4). To play the entire game would, of course, require a purchase. I never encourage, or discourage, anyone from buying a game. I am simply letting you know the facts, before you begin to play. That this is a free demo version, and not the full game.

Plants vs. Zombies Game Options: The game options are accessible by clicking the 'Menu' button located in the upper right corner. After you make changes, click the 'Back to Game' button to resume play. The main game options are:

• The game sounds may be turned on or off by toggling the first green check mark.
• The music may be turned on or off by toggling the second green check mark.

Plants vs. Zombies Playing Tips: Since I am brand new to Plants vs. Zombies (I am currently playing Adventure mode and I am only through level 1-6), I can only offer you advice from the prospective of a beginner. If you have played the game before, you undoubtedly know much more than I do at this point. Anyway, here is what I have learned in my brief play so far:

• Your plants will grow in rows, left to right. (As you click your mouse to position a plant, it will automatically go to the row closest to your click).
• Plant lots, and lots, of Sunflowers. Each Sunflower produces suns that you will collect. Each sun you collect gives you 25 points. You use the points you collect to buy other plants that will fight the zombies. So, having numerous Sunflowers is key to your success.
• Positon your Peashooters to the left, near your house. Then place the Sunflowers farther up in the row closer to the zombies. (In Adventure mode, the zombies march from right to left). It is better that the zombies first chew on your Sunflowers rather than your Peashooters.
• A Cherry Bomb blows up all zombies in an area. Try to save your Cherry Bombs, if you can, until the final big zombie attack; which comes at the end of each level.
• The Wall-Nut blocks off zombies for a while and protects your other plants. Place it in front of the other plants, closer to the zombies. It will protect your other plants for a longer period of time because the Zombies have to chew on this plant longer, although certain zombies can simply jump over it.
• The Squash, like its name indicates, can squash a zombie. Place it directly in front of, or behind, a zombie and it should squash the zombie immediately.
• If you make a big strategic error, Plants vs. Zombies will sometimes provide a written message explaining your mistake. Pay attention to these tips. They can really help!
• Well, that's all I have in the way of advice. The game does an excellent job of explaining each new element as it is introduced. Just start playing. I am sure you will have tremendous fun figuring out everything for yourself.

Richard's Rating: 5 out of 5.

Comments: Plants vs. Zombies is total pure fun. I really can't say enough good things about it to do it justice. It is quirky, imaginative, and most of all tremendous fun! I can't wait to try the Survival, Puzzle, and Mini-Games modes.










Please Note: Plants vs. Zombies is quite a large game file. It may sometimes, though not always, load a little slow. After you see the initial sponsor advertisement, don't be alarmed if the screen goes blank and you see an empty white space. This may last up to a full minute, or more. Then, suddenly, the game will appear. But it still needs to load, which could take up to 2 more full minutes. (While the game is loading, you can view the progress of the game load by watching the green lawn unroll near the bottom of the game screen). Once it unrolls completely, click the 'Click to Start!' button to begin play.

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Gin Rummy

Game Description: Play a game of Gin Rummy against the computer.

How to Play Gin Rummy:

• The game of Gin Rummy is played with a standard deck of 52 cards.
• In this version of Gin Rummy you will play against the computer.
• For each deal, you and the computer will be dealt 10 cards each.
• Your cards are dealt face up at the bottom of the screen.
• The computer's cards are dealt face down at the top of the screen.
• You get the first play. (Unless the computer has an exceptionally good hand and knocks immediately. If you are familiar with the game of Poker, think of knocking like 'calling' in Poker. What this means is that a player is confident enough, and ready, to compare their hand with that of their opponent. More about knocking later).
• At each round you will see two yellow arrows. One arrow points to the top card on the discard pile (the face up card). The other arrow points to the top card of the stock pile (the face down card).
• For each round you select which card you want to place in your hand by clicking either the top card in the discard pile, or the top card in the stock pile.
• To complete the round, you will discard one of the 11 cards in your hand to the discard pile by clicking on the card you wish to discard. This brings your total cards back to 10.
• After the first round, play alternates between the computer and you.
• The cards in your hand form melds and deadwoods.
• A meld is 3 or more cards of the same rank; or 3 or more consecutive cards of the same suit. Here are some examples of melds: 3 sixes, 4 jacks, the Ace, 2, and 3 of diamonds, the 7, 8, 9, 10, and Jack of clubs. Note: When forming melds, the King and Ace cannot be matched together to form a meld. For instance, if you have the Queen, King, and Ace of hearts this would not count as a meld.
• Each card can only belong to one meld. The remaining cards are deadwood cards. (Note: Gin Rummy will automatically place your melds on the left side of your hand. Deadwood cards will be placed on the right side).
• Cards that form melds do not have points.
• Each deadwood card has a point value as follows: Ace=1, 2=2, 3=3, 4=4, 5=5, 6=6, 7=7, 8=8, 9=9. Each 10, Jack, Queen and King=10 points.
• The object of the game is to reduce your deadwood points as quickly as possible before either you or the computer knock and compare hands. (Gin Rummy will constantly calculate your deadwood points for you and display the result at the lower right side).
• After discarding, if your deadwood points are less than or equal to 10, then you can choose to knock. You may also choose to wait if you believe it will be to your advantage.
• When a player (either you or the computer) knocks, the other player can then lay off his deadwoods if they form melds with the knocker's melds. This is called 'laying off'. For instance, lets say that you knock and you have 3 tens in your hand. If the computer has the fourth 10 in its hand, it could lay off its 10 and that would reduce the computer's deadwood by 10 points. You don't need to worry about laying off. The game will automatically do all of the laying off for both you and the computer after the end of each hand. Note: The knocker himself cannot lay off. It is only the opponent of the knocker that is allowed to lay off cards.
• Scoring: When a player knocks, and after the laying off takes place, if the knocker's deadwood points are lower than his opponent's, then the knocker will receive a score equal to the difference between their deadwood points and their opponent's. But if their opponent has lower deadwood points, then their opponent will get 25 points plus the difference between deadwood points.
• If you knock while having zero deadwood (this is called 'Going Gin'), then your opponent cannot lay off his deadwoods, and you will get an extra 25 points!
• If you can have zero deadwood with your 11 cards even before discarding, then you will get an extra 6 points.
• The first player to reach 100 points wins!

Gin Rummy Game Options: The game options may be accessed by clicking the object that sort of looks like a gear shaft; located just to the right of the question mark near the upper right corner of the game. The game options are as follows:

• The game sounds may be adjusted.
• The music volume may be adjusted.
• The game may be played in full screen mode (a very nice feature to make the cards nice and big).

Gin Rummy Playing Tips:

• Even though Gin Rummy will automatically calculate your deadwood points for you, it is important that you learn to do this for yourself. Here's why. You can knock at 10 deadwood points or less. So, you need to be clear on how to get down to 10 points. Remember, melding is only one way to reduce your deadwood. The other way is to place lower cards in your hand. Let me give you a simple example. Let's say you currently have 15 deadwood points and you also have a nine in your hand that is not part of a meld. You see a three on the discard pile. If you pick up the three and discard your nine this reduces your deadwood points by 6 points (9 minus 3). This now gives you 9 deadwood points (15 minus 6). Now, you have the option of knocking. Do you now see why it is important to be able to calculate your own deadwood before you make each play?
• It isn't always the best idea to knock when you can. Knocking is a judgement call. Remember, you do run the risk that if the computer ends up with less deadwood than you, the computer will get 25 points plus the difference between deadwood points.
• Try not to keep too many high scoring deadwood cards in your hand for too long. The reason is obvious. If you get caught with high scoring deadwood, these points go to your opponent. This not only includes tens, jacks, queens, and kings; but also includes eights, and nines. Of course, you may be tempted to keep a pair of high scoring cards, such as a pair of kings, hoping you will get that third king. This is another judgement call you will have to make. But, I feel it is probably better to replace these cards with lower cards as soon as possible rather than waiting for that third king that may never come.

Richard's Rating: 4 out of 5.

Comments: I have been searching, for a long time, for a good Gin Rummy game for my site. And this version of Gin Rummy fits the bill quite nicely. If you enjoy playing card games, you should really enjoy Gin Rummy especially when played in full screen mode.

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What's New? Page 3

The main purpose of the What's New? pages is to tell you about any news, and any changes, here at Richard's Game Reviews. However, I also use these pages as sort of an online journal; and I sometimes talk about day-to-day things in my personal life too.

I don't post to these pages regularly, or follow any certain schedule. In fact, I have been known not to post here for weeks, and occasionally even for months at a time. As I said in my very first What's New? post: I will post "as the spirit moves me." So, just check in here every once in a while to see if I have anything new to say.

What's New pages:   1  2  3  4  5  6  7  8 

Friday, December 10, 2010

Due to routine server maintenance the following games will be down tomorrow, Saturday December 11, for approximately 30 minutes beginning at 9am Greenwich Mean Time: The Ace of Spades 2, Bridges, Chess Master 2, Shoot 15, and Tic Tac Toe Trivia. I apoligize for this minor inconvenience. There is really nothing I can do to avoid this, short of temporarily switching servers and then switching back again, which would be way more trouble than it would be worth. Hopefully, the outage will only last about 30 minutes like the people who run this particular server site tell me. No other games will be affected. Now, if somebody can figure out when 9am Greenwich Mean Time is. Hopefully, for most of you, it will be during the middle of the night. lol

Friday, January 14, 2011

I just downloaded Google Chrome. It really is every bit as good as Goggle claims it is. If you have an older computer, like I do, the first thing you will notice is the lightening quick speed. There is simply just no comparison with Google Chrome as compared to either Internet Explorer, or Firefox. The speed is amazing. I absolutely love it! I just wish I would have done this 6 months ago. If you have a slow internet connection, try Google Chrome. The download, of course, is free so you have nothing to lose by trying it. By downloading Google Chrome, you will also get to keep your current web browser. But, once you try it, like me, you probably won't want to ever go back again.

Tuesday, March 1, 2011

Perhaps you have wondered why two of my sidebar gadgets, Top 10 Games and Popular Posts, seem to sometimes display what appears to be contradictory information. First of all, the Popular Posts gadget shows the ten most popular pages. Though these are mostly game pages, all pages are considered including game category pages. So occasionally, you may see a category page in the Popular Posts. For instance, you could see Card Games Page 1 in that list. On the other hand, the Top 10 Games are just that. That gadget only lists game pages. A second thing is, the Popular Posts gadget displays its information based on the previous 7 days while the Top 10 Games gadget bases its information on the last 30 days. Finally, the Popular Posts gadget is automatically updated while the Top 10 Games gadget requires me to manually input the information. I hope this clears up any confusion.

Hi, this is Richard again. As you can see by the date, this is an old post. When I redesigned my site in January of 2012, I decided to drop the Top 10 Games gadget and only go with the Popular Posts gadget.

Monday, May 9, 2011

Well, as you can see it has been more than 2 months since my last post on the 'What's New' pages. I did say, from the beginning, that I would post infrequently. But 2 months is kind of stretching things a bit, don't you think? For those of you who are not familiar with the purpose of 'What's New', it is sort of like my own personal online diary. Mostly, I talk about things related to Richard's Game Reviews. But sometimes I talk about other things too.

If you read my previous post on 'What's New' from January 14, 2011 (scroll up a little, if you have not); you can see that I was pretty gung ho about Google Chrome. Well, after several months of using it my enthusiasm has waned somewhat. It now seems to be as slow, and to crash as much, as Internet Explorer. I still use Chrome for most of my browsing, but I also use Internet Explorer because it has some features that I am familiar with and still like.

Speaking of browsers, I could no longer ignore Safari which now accounts for about 6% of my traffic. I have read many comments on other blogs where people have said that certain features do not display correctly, or in the same way, as the other browsers. So today I got up the courage and downloaded Safari to see if everything here on Richard's Game Reviews looked okay. I am happy to report that everything looks just fine. (The last thing I wanted to do was a major overhaul). My first impression of Safari is that is seems very user friendly. Hopefully, I will enjoy it. By the way, in case you were curious, my visitor traffic by browser breaks down like this: Internet Explorer 59%, Chrome 19%, Firefox 15%, Safari 6%, and other browsers 1%. That's all for now. Thanks, for reading this post.

Thursday, June 2, 2011

For the last few days I have been working behind the scenes on some of the technical aspects of Richard's Game Reviews. You may, or may not, have noticed some design changes at the top of my pages. I have to say that I am very pleased with the results.

Something you may not know, is that it takes literally thousand of files to produce this blog. I have to say that I am extremely well organized when it comes to my blog files. I just wish that I was as organized with the rest of my life. I will not admit to being a pack rat. I don't think I am quite at that level. But, I guess I do have to cop to being a clutter bug. As such, I spend a lot of time looking for things around the house which can be quite frustrating.

What's New pages:   1  2  3  4  5  6  7  8 

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Ancient Jewels

Game Description: Make matches of 3 or more in a row to destroy all stone slabs.

How to Play Ancient Jewels:

• Use your left mouse button.
• Click on 2 adjacent jewels one at a time (or use a dragging motion) to attempt to swap their positions.
• The jewels will only swap positions if there is a resulting match of 3 or more jewels of the same color in-a-row, either hortizontally or vertically.
• Matched jewels will disappear. If there is a stone slab underneath a matched jewel, the stone slab will be destroyed.
• A few jewels have chains. Some jewels have single chains. Other jewels have double chains. Before you can destroy the jewel you will have to first remove all of the chains. Remove a single chain by matching the chained jewel with at least two other objects of the same color. For a double chained jewel, a second such match must also be made to remove the second chain.
• There are also some double stone slabs. These are darker in color than regular stone slabs. A double stone slab has to be destroyed two times before it can be removed from the board.
• Should you run out of moves, Ancient Jewels will tell you that there are no more possible moves available and will reset the board. Then, just keep playing as usual.
• The clock is located at the upper right corner of the game. This tells you how much time you have to complete a level.
• To advance to the next level, you must destroy all of the stone slabs before the time runs out.
• If you fail a level, you may repeat the level as many times as you need until you are able to successfully complete a level.
• Ancient Jewels has 20 levels of play. The game does not save your progress as far as I can tell. If you want to complete all 20 levels be prepared to play for about one to two hours, depending on your progress.

Ancient Jewel Bonuses: Ancient Jewels has four different bonuses that can help you win the game. You will encounter these bonuses as you play. Each bonus may be swapped just like a regular object.

• Bomb -- A bomb will explode the surrounding jewels when you match it with at least two other objects of the same color. A bomb appears each time you match five colors in a row in the form of the letter "L".
• Clock -- The clock bonus looks like an hourglass. This bonus will add 60 seconds to your level time when it is matched with at least two other objects of the same color. A clock appears each time you match five colors in a row in the form of a straight line.
• Dynamite -- Dynamite will explode objects in the form of a cross when it is matched with at least two other objects of the same color. It appears after combo5x.
• Lightening -- When lightening is matched with at least two other objects of the same color it will emit lightening to destroy 7 cells. Make a match of 5 or more in the form of the letter "T" to get it.

Ancient Jewels Game Options:

• The game sounds and music may be turned on or off by clicking the controls at the bottom center.
• To pause the game, click the 'Menu' button also located at the bottom center. To resume, click the 'Return to Game' button.

Ancient Jewels Playing Tips:

• Ancient Jewels helps you to identify which jewels have a stone slab underneath them by producing a glowing effect. Watch for this.
• When each level begins, try to quickly identify the positions of the slabs you think will be the toughest to destroy. These are usually the ones at the very top, bottom, and sides of the board but depending on the layout they can sometimes be in the center too. Try to destroy some of these harder positioned slabs for about 60 seconds. Then, start concentrating on the rest of the board and come back to them later. Don't spend too much time on these harder ones, because if you do you will find that you have simply too many other slabs to destroy at the end with not enough time. Also, you may find that some of the more difficult slabs got 'accidently' destroyed all on their own!
• Try to remove chains from jewels as soon as possible. Many times a chained jewel will need to be unchained before a large group of jewels can drop to the bottom. Remember, you can break a chain by making matches in any direction: from the top, bottom, or from either side of the chained jewel.
• Try to make lots of matches near the bottom. This will cause lots of other pieces to drop down and sometimes can cause a large chain-reaction of unforseen matches.
• If you should get stuck for a period of time, Ancient Jewels will show you a possible move with double arrows that move back and forth. Remember, this is simply a random move. It may be a good move, or a poor move. If you have enough time look around. You may find something better.
• I think the clock bonus is probably the most valuable bonus to have because each one can add 60 seconds to your time. Learn how to make matches of at least 5 in-a-row in a straight line to get the clock bonuses.

Richard's Rating: 5 out of 5.

Pro: Ancient Jewels has excellent graphics and sounds with many other outstanding features. If you enjoy Match 3 games, you'll want to play this one again and again.

Con: It appears that there is no way to save your game progress (at least none that I can find), which is certainly a shame. If you want to get through all 20 levels, just be prepared to spend about an hour or longer.

If you like this game please link to this page, and share it with your audience.

Instructions: Simply copy the code inside the box. Then paste it into your blog or web page. The link will open this page in a new tab or window, and leave your own page open. So you will not lose any readers!

<a href="http://richardsgamereviews.blogspot.com/2010/12/ancient-jewels.html" target="blank">Play Ancient Jewels</a>

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Wordspector

Game Description: Solve Mystery Words with the help of color coded clues. Words get longer as the game progresses.

How to Play Wordspector:

• Your task as a Wordspector is to solve Mystery Words with the help of color coded clues.
• Enter a word using either the mouse or the keyboard.
• After each submitted word you'll be presented with color coded clues. The clues reveal whether or not the letters in your word are found in the mystery word.
• A GREEN letter means the letter appears in the mystery word, and the letter is in the correct position.
• An ORANGE letter means the letter appears in the mystery word, but the letter is in the wrong position.
• A BEIGE letter means the letter does not appear in the mystery word.
• A BROWN letter is a given letter. The letter appears in the mystery word and is already in the correct position.
• Create the subsequent words based on the clues, and the mystery word should expose itself before long.
• Proper nouns, abbreviations, and misspelled words are illegal and will not be accepted.
• The less time and fewer guesses you need to solve each word, the more points you'll get!
• If the time in the hourglass runs out before you solve the Mystery Word you lose. However, you may retry the last level after losing as many times as you want.
• On Bonus and Sunob levels you can forget about solving Mystery Words for awhile. Your goal is to create as many words... any words... that start with the given first letter. Each word is worth more than the previous word!
• When the Hint button is charged up you may click it to reveal one letter you haven't figured out for yourself. But beware. Using the Hint button decreases the word value and also speeds up the hourglass giving you less time to solve the Mystery Word.
• The game is saved automatically at the start of each level (Flash cookies must be enabled).
• You can quit and continue the saved game at any time. However, if you make it through all 15 levels without quitting your score will be DOUBLED!

Wordspector Game Options:

• Turn the music on or off by clicking the musical note icon located at the lower left corner.

Wordspector Playing Tips:

• If you make a typing mistake, click the incorrect letter. The letter will disappear. Then, just type in a new letter rather than retyping the entire word.
• Use the Hint button liberally. Even though you will lose points, and speed up the hourglass, it is still easier to get through the levels when you use the Hint button often.
• Carefully watch the letters at the bottom. All letters at the bottom begin as beige letters. After you submit words, some letters turn to grey. Grey letters do not appear in the mystery word. Only the beige letters are in play. So, once a letter turns grey do not use that letter again.
• As you attempt to solve each mystery word, begin by first trying the more common letters such as the letters: r, s, t, l, m, n, d and vowels: a, e, i, o, u... if they are available. This will increase your chances of success.
• Remember, some mystery words use the same letter more than once.
• There seems to be no pause button, at least as far as I can tell. If you want to pause the game, click the question mark located at the lower right corner. This will stop the hourglass from emptying. To resume play, click the 'Close' button.

Richard's Rating: 4 out of 5.

Pro: Wordspector is quite fun, with outstanding sounds and graphics!

Con: The big flaw with Wordspector is this. Often, there is enough time allowed to use the Hint button to reveal every single letter, one letter at a time. Then, just type quickly to enter the revealed mystery word before the hourglass runs dry. Although doing this is effective (at least as far as getting through the levels is concerned); it really does take the fun out of the game.

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Tic Tac Toe Trivia

Game Description: Play a Tic Tac Toe trivia game that's fully animated. There are 10 categories of trivia including sports, movies, pop culture, history and more.

How to Play Tic Tac Toe Trivia:

• Click the 'Play' button.
• Select your mark. Click either "X" or "O".
• Choose one of the 10 trivia categories by clicking on the category of your choice. The categories are: Arts & Literature, Food, Geography, History, Movies, Nature, Pop Culture, Science & Math, Sports, and Potpourri.
• After selecting your trivia category, click the 'Play' button again.
• Choose one of the 9 boxes from the board by clicking on it.
• A trivia question will appear at the upper right of the game screen.
• Each question has 3 possible answers.
• Click the button next to the answer you believe to be correct.
• If you are right, you get the box.
• If you are wrong, the computer gets the box.
• If you get 3 boxes in a row vertically, hortizontally, or diagonally... you win!
• If the computer gets 3 boxes in a row... you lose!
• If neither you, or the computer, gets 3 boxes in a row... the game ends in a tie.
• Click 'Play Again' to begin a new game.
• Tic Tac Toe Trivia will track, and show you, your number of wins, losses, and ties, at the top of the game.

Tic Tac Toe Trivia Game Options:

• The game sounds may be turned on or off by clicking the microphone icon located at the upper right side of the game screen.

Tic Tac Toe Trivia Playing Tips:

• If you start to get a lot of repeat questions, try switching to a different trivia category.

Richard's Rating: 3 out of 5.

Pro: Tic Tac Toe Trivia has fun animations and sounds.

Con: The questions are somewhat on the easy side.

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