Zone of War

Game Description: You are under attack! Defend your base through 14 enemy waves.

How to Play Zone of War:

• After the game fully loads, click the 'Play' button.
• Use your mouse to aim and shoot.
• Press your Space bar for air support.
• You are only allowed to use air support up to 3 times for the entire game.
• Your base health is indicated by the blue bar near the upper left corner.
• Your base health will decrease each time you are hit.
• Your goal is to destroy all of the enemy assets before your base is destroyed. If you do, you earn points and you go on to the next level.
• Between levels, you may use your points to buy upgrades. (Just click the plus sign to the right of each upgrade to spend a point).
• After you buy your upgrades, click the 'New Wave' button to continue on to the next battle.
• There are 14 levels of play.
• The game ends if your base health (the blue bar near the upper left corner) is completely destroyed, and disappears, during any level.

Zone of War Upgrades: You earn points for each level you complete. Points can be used to purchase the following upgrades.

• Damage -- Increases the damage to the enemy.
• Firespeed -- Increases the speed of your shots.
• Defense -- Decreases the damage done to you by the enemy.
• Mobility -- Increases the mobility of your tank's turret. (Makes it easier to swivel your gun).
• Repair Base -- Increases the health of your base from damage done from any previous level.

Zone of War Game Options:

• Press the Esc or 'P' key to pause the game. Click the 'Resume' button to continue your play.
• The game sounds may be turned on or off by clicking the microphone icon located at the lower right corner of the game screen.

Zone of War Playing Tips:

• Always spend all of your points as soon as you get them. All upgrades will help. Each upgrade you purchase will last for the entire game, so there is no advantage to saving any points.
• It seems to me that it is good strategy to usually spend a point to repair your base after most levels. Although you probably will not need to do this after some of the early levels, if you only sustained minor damage, it is important to keep an eye on your blue bar at the top which indicates the health of your base. Just don't allow it to get too low before starting a new level. After all, it is the health of your base that will keep you in the game, so you will always want to start each level with the strongest base possible.
• Each time you play the game, try some of the different upgrades to figure out which ones you like the best.
• Use your air support (Press your Space bar) when you are getting overwhelmed.

Richard's Rating: 3 out of 5.

Comments: Zone of War is a simple, yet fun game.

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WordKool

Game Description: It's getting hot with every passing second. Cool it down by forming words with 3 or more connecting letters.

How to Play WordKool:

• After the game fully loads, you will see a flashing 'Click to Play' button. Click anywhere on the game screen to continue.
• On the next screen you will be asked to choose your mode: Normal, or Difficult. (Hint: Do yourself a huge favor and choose the Difficult mode. The Normal mode is much too easy, and you will become bored very quickly. The Difficult mode is really not that hard, especially in the early levels, but it will gradually become more challenging as you go up through the levels).
• Click adjacent tiles (that is, each tile must be next to the previous tile and share a common side, or even just a corner) to link the letters into words.
• Words must be 3 letters or more.
• To submit a word you may either click the 'Go' button located at the bottom of the game screen, click the last letter of your word a second time (my favorite way), or press the 'Enter' button on your keyboard.
• If your word is accepted, WordKool will display your word on the panel at the left and remove the letters from the board and replace those letters with new ones.
• If you word is not accepted, nothing will happen, and you will simply have to try to spell a different word.
• If you should change your mind, and want to begin spelling a different word, simply click any non-adjacent letter on the board. This will erase the word you were working on, and allow you to begin a new word.
• When you create a word of 4 or more letters a Spin tile will appear. Click the Spin tile before time runs out to place the indicated letter.
• Tiles have different colors. In general, blue tiles are good, and pink or purple tiles are a sign of trouble because those tiles are getting close to becoming frozen. (Hint: Try to form words with pink or purple tiles to turn them back to blue as quickly as possible).
• When a tile becomes frozen, it can be unfrozen and turned back into a blue tile, if the frozen tile is either the first or last letter of an accepted word.
• Click the 'Shuffle' button, when you have dark pink or frozen letters, to change the letters of a single row or column.
• Each round begins with 60 seconds on the clock.
• The clock counts down automatically as you play.
• Each time you submit an acceptable word, more time is put back on the clock. (60 seconds is the maximum amount of time allowed for the clock, so the clock will never increase above that number).
• Your level progress is shown as a percentage right below your score. Each accepted word you submit increases the percentage of your level progress.
• Your goal is to get to 100% to get to the next level.
• When you get to a new level, you start with a fresh board of all blue tiles.
• The game ends when all tiles become frozen, and the clock gets down to zero.
• When you lose, click the 'Reset' button to play again.

WordKool Scoring:

• The score of each word depends on the number of letters used. Longer words score more points.
• Hard to use letters like J, K, Q, V, X, Y, and Z are worth extra points.
• Shuffling letters will reduce your score. Each reshuffle will cost you 5 points.

WordKool Game Options:

• Click the 'Menu' button to pause the game. Click the 'Resume' button to continue your game.
• The game sounds may be turned on or off by clicking the microphone icon located at the upper left corner.
• The Graphics Quality may be set to either High or Low by checking or unchecking the 'Graphics Quality' button located just to the right of the microphone icon. The default setting is for High quality. If the game is working okay for you, there is no reason to change this setting. However if you do have problems, you may want to try the Low quality setting.

WordKool Playing Tips:

• The game clock is located adjacent to the upper left corner of the game board. This is one game where you really don't need to keep an eye on the clock. Your main objective is to keep enough tiles unfrozen to make it to the next level. You do this by paying close attention to the color of the tiles. When you see pink and purple colored tiles, you will want to form words with these as quickly as possible, and turn them back to blue, before they become frozen. Frozen tiles are more difficult to use because you have the additional requirement that they can only be used as the first or last letter of your words. Also groups of frozen tiles clog up the board, eventually making it impossible to continue.
• It is always good strategy to unfreeze frozen tiles when you can, and turn them back to blue tiles. You do this by using the frozen tiles as either the first or last letter of your word. (Hint: You may unfreeze two tiles with a single word. Simply make one tile the first letter of your word, and make the other tile the last letter of your word).
• Use the 'Shuffle' button, when you have dark pink or frozen letters on the board, to change the letters of a single column or row. This can sometimes make a big difference, and help you get through a difficult situation!

Richard's Rating: 3 out of 5.

Comments: WordKool is a fun and challenging game, especially when played at the Difficult mode. If you like playing word games, you will probably enjoy this game.

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Sneaky's Road Trip Istanbul

Game Description: Sneaky, the Super Sneaky Spy Guy, is in the mysterious and exotic city of Istanbul, Turkey. There are several hidden items that need to be found. Use your magnifying glass to take a closer look!

How to Play Sneaky's Road Trip Istanbul:

• There are 145 items to be found.
• All of the items you are searching for are listed on the left side of each game screen.
• Click on the magnifying glass to turn it on or off. You can use the magnifying glass at any time.
• When you find an item, click on it with your left mouse button. The found item will disappear from the screen.
• Try not to click anything other than items, or you will be penalized 5 seconds.
• The more items you can find, and the faster you can find them, the higher you will score!
• Once you find all of the items you will automatically move on to the next level of play.
Should you be unable to find every item you may click the 'Skip' button to move to the next level. However, once you click 'Skip' you cannot go back.
• There are 5 fun-filled levels of play.

Sneaky's Road Trip Istanbul Game Options:

• Click the 'Pause' button, at any time, to take a break and rest your eyes. To resume, click the 'Play' button.
• Click the 'Sound' button to turn the music on or off.

Sneaky's Road Trip Istanbul Playing Tips:

• Don't forget to search near the edges of each picture. Sometimes, the hidden items are there.
• When you click, make sure that you click directly on the item, or else you will get a 5 second penalty.

Sneaky's Road Trip Istanbul the Complete Walkthrough: If you would like to see the complete solution to Sneaky's Road Trip Istanbul here are the links. I suggest, that if you get seriously stuck, that you take a quick peek at each solution, and then try to do it on your own.

• Level 1
• Level 2
• Level 3
• Level 4
• Level 5

Richard's Rating: 4 out of 5.

Comments: It has been a while since I published a Sneaky's Road Trip game. What I like most about these games is the consistent high quality you get. The pictures are always beautiful and crystal-clear, and there is always a nice combination of easy and hard to find items. Since Sneaky's Road Trip Istanbul is one of the later additions of this series it also has the two big improvements that were made along the way. Namely, there is now a 'Skip' button that allows a player to skip to the next level. (The earliest Sneaky Road Trip games did not have this convenient option and players could not move on to the next level of play until they found every single item. I remember how frustrating it was not to be able to finish your game if you could not find those last one or two items. Well, thankfully, with the addition of the 'Skip' feature now you can. This undoubtedly was the biggest, and most important, improvement that was made). The other improvement was adding the 'Sound' button that allows you to turn the sounds on or off. Although I love that enchanting music, it is certainly nice to have the option of being able to turn it off should I wish to do so. If you are a Sneaky's Road Trip fan, you already know how fun these games are and Sneaky's Road Trip Istanbul will definitely not disappoint. If you have never played a Sneaky's Road Trip game, get ready to be delighted!




Play Sneaky's Road Trip Istanbul on Full Screen

Please Note: Before playing Sneaky's Road Trip Istanbul 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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Zuma Mania

Game Description: Destroy the balls by making groups of 3 or more.

How to Play Zuma Mania:

• Click the 'Start' button.
• Next, click the orange dinosaur.
• Shoot each ball into the string of advancing balls with a left mouse click. (Hint: For a more accurate shot, use your mouse pointer and position the pointer on the area where you want to shoot).
• Press your space bar to exchange the current ball with the next ball.
• Form groups of 3 or more balls to destroy them.
• Your goal is to destroy all of the balls before any ball reaches the end. If you do, you go on to the next level of play.
• If any ball reaches the end, it is game over!
• I cannot tell you for sure how many levels there are. There may only be 5 levels, or perhaps there are many more? I played three times and I failed to make it past level 5. If anyone gets through level 5, please post a comment below and let everyone know if level 5 is the final level, or if there are additional levels to play. Thanks -- Richard

Zuma Mania Game Options: All game options may be accessed by clicking the 'Help' button on the main game screen. The game options are:

• The music may be turned on or off.
• The sound may be turned on or off.
• The graphics quality may be set at high, medium, or low. (The default setting is high. So leave this setting on high, if the game is operating okay for you).

Zuma Mania Playing Tips:

• For a more accurate shot, use your mouse pointer and position the pointer on the area where you want to shoot. This will really imporve your accuracy.
• Look for combinations. For instance, lets say that there is the following sequence of balls: pink, pink, blue, blue, pink, pink. If you shoot a blue ball into the two middle blue balls, seven balls with be destroyed with your single shot! The blue ball you are shooting will form a group of three with the other two blue balls, and the two pink balls on each side of the blue balls will collapse together and form a group of four pink balls. If you are an experienced Zuma player you already know this. If you are new to Zuma, it will only take a little experience until you easily recognize these combinations.
• You can always see the next ball that is coming up. Don't forget to press your space bar to exchange the current ball with the next ball when it is to your advantage.
• If you do not see a match with two other like-colored balls, the best thing you can do is probably to shoot that ball into a single ball of the same color. Now, you will have another combination of two like colors ready to be destroyed the next time that color comes up.
• Another technique you may use when you don't see any match of two, or even a single ball of the same color, would be to simply fire the ball off the screen should that be possible. That way, at least you are getting rid of the ball and you will have one ball less to deal with.

Richard's Rating: 4 out of 5.

Comments: What I like best about Zuma Mania is that even I can get through the first four levels of play. That fifth level is much more challenging though. The game sounds, and special effects, are quite lively. If you are a Zuma fan, I think you will probably enjoy playing Zuma Mania.

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Word Drop

Game Description: Make as many words as you can from letters that drop. Progress through 6 challenging levels if you are fast enough.

Please Note: There are now two different Word Drop games here on Richard's Game Reviews. Though both games have certain similarities, they are actually very different games.

Select a Difficulty Level: You may select one of four difficulty levels at the start of the game from the main game screen. The four difficulty levels are:

• Beginner -- Letters drop the slowest and uniformily across all columns.
• Intermediate -- Letters drop faster and uniformily across all columns.
• Advanced -- Letters drop at the same speed as Beginner but randomly across columns.
• Supreme -- Letters drop at the same speed as Intermediate but randomly across columns.

How to Play Word Drop:

• Click the letter tiles to make words according to the rules for each level (see below).
• Tiles containing an asterisk (*) are "wild", and may be used for any letter.
• To accept a word, either press the 'Submit' button or press the 'Enter' key on your keyboard or click the last lettter in the word again.
• Only words in the Word Drop dictionary are acceptable (proper nouns are omitted).
• To clear a partial word, press the 'Clear' button. You may also click the last letter two times if you know a word is not spelled correctly and Word Drop will quickly let you know that the word is not acceptable.
• Clicking any tile in the word prior to the last will reset the letter selction to that point.
• The object of Word Drop is to score as high as possible by making words.
• If you find enough words (to fill the level meter completely from left to right), you will progress through six possible levels, each one getting more difficult.
• Letters continuously drop into each column and when a column is filled with letters, it will glow red. You then need to use letter(s) from that column before another letter is to be dropped on that column. If that happens, the game is over!

Word Drop Keyboard Options: It is not possible to play the entire game with just the keyboard because entering a letter does not identify which one you are targeting if there is more than one occurrence of that letter on the board. However, you may use the following keyboard shortcuts to speed up entry:

• 'Enter' will submit the word.
• 'Space bar' or the 'Delete' key will clear the current word.
• 'Backspace' will cancel the last letter clicked.
• The 'Down Arrow' key will drop tiles immediately. This can be useful in early levels.

Word Drop Level Rules: There are 6 levels, each with their own rules as to words you can make. The rules are displayed in the game at all times. Here are the rules:

• Level 1 -- Any letters may be selected and words can be 3-8 letters long.
• Level 2 -- Any letters may be selected and words can be 4-8 letters long.
• Level 3 -- Only letters from the same column or row may be selected and words can be 3-8 letters long.
• Level 4 -- Only adjacent letters (horizontally, vertically or diagonally) may be selected and words can be 3-8 letters long.
• Level 5 -- Only letters from the same column or row may be selected and words can be 4-8 letters long.
• Level 6 -- Only adjacent letters (horizontally, vertically or diagonally) may be selected and words can be 4-8 letters long.

Word Drop Scoring: Words are scored according to three factors:

• The frequency of the letter in the dictionary (similar to Scrabble) -- Letters such as J, Q, V, W, X, and Z appear in words less frequently and will score higher.
• The length of the word -- Longer words will give a much higher score.
• The current level -- An increasingly higher percentage is added to the word score for each level.

Word Drop Game Options:

• Click the 'Pause' button to pause the game. Then click it again, or click the 'Resume' button to continue.
• The game sounds, which are minimal anyway, may be turned on or off by clicking the microphone icon located at the lower right corner.

Word Drop Playing Tips:

• If this is your first time playing this particular version of Word Drop, first try playing at the Beginner difficulty. If you can make it through all six levels of the Beginner difficulty, then you may want to try some of the more difficult levels.
• Words of 5 letters, or more, will delay the speed of the next letter dropped proportionately. So, this is another advantage of spelling longer words when you can.

Richard's Rating: 4 out of 5.

Comments: As I previously mentioned in my review, there are now two versions of Word Drop here on Richard's Game Reviews. The other version of Word Drop, which you can check out here has always been the most popular word game I have on my site, and is almost always in my Popular Posts list. Although this Word Drop version is quite different, I think it has the potential to be just as successful as its popular namesake.

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Puzzle and Logic Games Page 3

Puzzle Game pages:   1  2  3

Word Drop		Discover Egypt		WordKool
Make words from letters that drop. There are 6 challenging levels.		Discover the monuments of Ancient Egypt in this beautiful Mahjong and Spot the Difference game.		Spell words as fast as you can to keep the letters from freezing.
Diego's Puzzle Pyramid		Wordstacks		Wild West Treasures
Help Diego solve the puzzles and open the pyramid door.		Create words out of the cards you're given, and make the highest score possible.		Click a group of three or more bricks of the same color to make them disappear.
Rainbow Web		Discover USA		Puzzle Prince
Collect all letters from the web to make a magic phrase.		Travel the USA while playing three types of games.		Battle against zombies, monsters and other bad guys in this amazing adventure game.
World's Greatest Places Mahjong		Ice Shape Master		Color Trail
Visit some of the most beautiful places on Earth while playing the classic game of Mahjong.		Select and grab the ice figures from the pipeline and drop them into the empty holes with the same shape.		Make trails by matching pieces by color or shape. There are 25 levels of play. How far can you go?
DropSum Colours		Triple Rotate		Embed Mahjong
Click on groups of at least two tiles to make them disappear.		Rotate the figures to match identical shapes. Turn the entire board to gold to pass to the next level.		Play the game of Mahjong with no time limits! Score 2 points for each match you can make.
The Rise of Atlantis		Restore Dracula's Castle		Tiny Fish Factory
Travel through the ancient world of Phoenicia, Babylon, and Egypt in this Match 3 adventure game.		Unscramble 10 pictures to Restore Dracula's Castle before time runs out. Challenging and fun.		Play a Match 3 game and try to turn the entire board blue before time runs out.
Brain Waves		Match Around the World		Eagle Eye
Test yourself in a series of seven different challenges designed to focus on different areas of your brain.		Drive special puzzle pieces off the grid to complete a picture before time runs out.		Find and click the one picture that is different than the others before time runs out.

Puzzle Game pages:   1  2  3

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Mahjong Games Page 1

World's Greatest Places Mahjong		Embed Mahjong		Discover Egypt
Visit some of the most beautiful places on Earth while playing the classic game of Mahjong.		Play the game of Mahjong with no time limits! Score 2 points for each match you can make.		Discover the monuments of Ancient Egypt in this beautiful Mahjong and Spot the Difference game.

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Spot the Difference Games Page 1

>

5 Spots		Castle Solitaire		Discover Egypt
Find the 5 differences in each picture set before time runs out.		Visit up to 10 enchanting castles while playing tripeaks solitaire and spot the difference games.		Discover the monuments of Ancient Egypt in this beautiful Mahjong and Spot the Difference game.
Isis		Discover USA
Help Isis reunite with her dead lover in this spooky spot the difference game.		Discover the USA while playing Spot the Difference and other types of games.

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Discover Egypt

Game Description: Discover the monuments of Ancient Egypt in this beautiful Mahjong and Spot the Difference game. There are 10 levels with the great Pyramids, the Sphinx, the river Nile, Egyptian Temples, and more.

How to Play Discover Egypt:

• After the game fully loads, click the 'Play' button.
• You will now see a map of Egypt.
• Click the 'Play' button once again.
• Each level has two games: a Mahjong game, and a Spot the Difference game.
• Each level starts with a Mahjong Solitaire game.
• In the Mahjong Solitaire game you can only click tiles that have at least one side (left or right) free and have no other tiles placed on top. These are called 'free tiles'.
• Match two identical free tiles to remove them from the board.
• Score 30 points for each match that you make.
• If you get stuck you may click the 'Hint' button and Discover Egypt will show you a match. (Each time you use a 'Hint', 100 points will be deducted from your score).
• Should there be no more possible moves on the entire board, each time this occurs, Discover Egypt will let you know and then automatically reshuffle the tiles for you.
• You may use the 'Shuffle' button to rearrange the tiles, but 500 points will be deducted from your score.
• Their are two styles of tiles you may use. You may click the 'Tile' button to change the style, but the position of the tiles will remain the same. So, the 'Tile' button really has no effect on the game play itself. It is purely for aesthetics. (I personally prefer the default tile style. For me, when I use the default style, the tiles are much easier to distinguish from one another).
• The clock is located at the upper left corner.
• For level 1 you are given 10 minutes. Keep in mind that you must solve both of the games: the Mahjong game and the Spot the Difference game, before the time expires. In other words, any time you have remaining after you complete the Mahjong game will be used to complete the Spot the Difference game without the clock being reset.
• For each succeeding level, you will be given 10 seconds less time, and the mahjongs will become increasingly more difficult.
• Your primary goal is to remove all of the tiles from the board before time runs out and leave yourself enough time to also complete the Spot the Difference game. Your secondary goal is to score as many points as you possibly can.
• If are able to remove all of the tiles, you will immediately play a Spot the Difference game to try to complete the level.
• In the Spot the Difference games there are two pictures side-by-side, and 7 differences to find.
• When you find and click on a difference it will be removed from the picture, and 10 seconds will be added to your available time.
• When you click anywhere other than on a difference, 5 seconds will be deducted from your available time.
• If you are able to find all of the 7 differences, before time runs out, you will go on to the next level of play.
• There is a 'Hint' button for the Spot the Difference games. (I originally wrote: "I am not sure how it is supposed to work. Each time I click it I lose 5 seconds of time, however I do not see any help or hint as a result." However, the game developer himself, Bram Schoonhoven, was kind enough to post a comment below and explain how the hint button works. As he explains, when playing the Spot the Difference games, you must press the hint button with the mouse hand and not with the decorated pointer. This will give you your hint, and Discover Egypt will encircle a small area where you should click. Thanks again Bram for clearing this up for me!)
• There are 10 levels, and 20 games.
• If time runs out on any of the 20 games it is game over, and you must restart the entire game back at Level 1.
• There seems to be no way, that I can find, to save your game progress.
• Important: After you begin your game, do not ever click the 'Menu' button at the top of the game screen. If you do, you will permanently lose all of your game progress!

Play on Full Screen

Please Note: Before playing Discover Egypt 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.




Discover Egypt Game Options:

• The background music may be turned on or off by clicking the musical note icon, which is the second to last icon, located near the upper right corner.
• The game sounds may be turned on or off by clicking the microphone icon, which is located just to the left of the musical note icon.
• Click the 'Pause' button to take a break. Click the 'Continue' button to resume play.

Discover Egypt Playing Tips:

• If you are like me, and brand new to Mahjong play, you will want to click the 'Hint' button frequently. Even though you may end up with no score, or very little score, using the 'Hint' button is the best way to quickly learn the game. Of course, after you get good at it, you will only use the Hints when you actually need them.
• Use the 'Shuffle' button sparingly, because you will lose a whopping 500 points!
• An obvious bit of strategy is to try to remove the top tiles as quickly as possible to free up the other tiles underneath.
• Remember, you must finish the Mahjong game quickly enough to give yourself enough time to also complete the Spot the Difference game. So, work quickly!

Richard's Rating: 4 out of 5.

Pro: As I already mentioned in my review, I am brand new to Mahjong. Discover Egypt is the first Mahjong game that I am bringing to Richard's Game Reviews, and I assure you it will not be the last. I had no idea what I was missing! Discover Egypt has made me an instant Mahjong fan. It is visually stunning, and it is a beautiful game to play.

Con: If you fail on any of the 20 games you must begin the entire game over again, and it's back to Level 1. To me, this seems like much too great of a penalty to pay, and very unfair. I mean it takes quite a bit of effort, and time, to win the Mahjong games. Why not allow a player to simply repeat any game that he or she fails?

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