Restore Dracula's Castle

Game Description: Dracula has gone on an extended vacation and has left his castle in disarray. Rather than hiring a contractor, which as you know can be rather expensive, he has asked you to restore his castle before he comes home. There are lots of things to fix. You better get started right away. After all, Dracula is not someone you want to disappoint!


How to Play Restore Dracula's Castle:

• Once the game fully loads, click the 'Play' button at the bottom of the game screen (below the red horizontal line).
• On the next screen you see, click the 'Play' button again.
• On the next screen you will see a brief story. Click the white arrow at the bottom right corner.
• The fourth game screen can be a little bit confusing, at least it was to me the first time I saw it. It says: 'Click on the colored door icon to start the restore process.' Then, there is the word 'Ok' below that. Initially, I thought that the door icon was somewhere in the picture above the message. It's not. The colored door icon is actually on the next game screen, so just click 'Ok'.
• On the next screen you will see a picture. There are 10 icons below the picture. Each icon represents a game level. So, obviously, there are 10 puzzles to play. Now, click on the colored door icon to begin play on Level 1.
• Each puzzle has a scrambled picture. There is also a clock at the bottom. (The first puzzle on Level 1, 'The Door', does not have a clock. The other 9 levels will).
• Click any two puzzle pieces to switch their positions. The two pieces you click do not have to be next to each other, or touching. Any two pieces will do.
• Your goal is to restore the picture before time runs out. If you do, you will go on to the next level of play. (After you win a level, click the 'Ok' button. Then, when the next picture comes up, click the next icon to play the next puzzle).
• If time runs out before you are able to put the picture together, you may repeat a level as many times as you need until you succeed.
• As long as you use the same computer, and come back here to Richard's Game Reviews, Restore Dracula's Castle should automatically save your game progress. You can then either play the next level, or go back and repeat any level that you have already unlocked.
• After you complete Level 10, if you want to replay the game immediately, it may be necessary to first refresh the page.

Restore Dracula's Castle Game Options: All of the game options are accessed by clicking the three icons located near the lower right corner of the game screen. The game options are:

• Click the arrow icon to restart a level.
• Click the musical note icon to turn the game music on or off.
• Click the microphone icon to turn the game sounds on or off.

Richard's Rating: 4 out of 5.

Comments: Restore Dracula's Castle is not your typical scrambled picture puzzle. It has a really cool and rather unique feature, which you will encounter beginning on Level 2. Notice that some of the spaces are half the size of the other spaces in the puzzle. And here is the really cool thing. When you move a puzzle piece into a different sized space, the piece will shrink or grow according to the size of the space. This makes game play exceedingly fun and somewhat more challenging. Even though these puzzles are challenging, they are not impossibly hard. If you enjoy puzzles, you should really have fun with this one!

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

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All in One Solitaire

Game Description: Play nine of your favorite solitaire games all in one place! Games include: Crescent Solitaire, Cruel Solitaire, Tri-Peaks Solitaire, Pyramid Solitaire, Klondike Solitaire, Gaps Solitaire, Spider Solitaire, Freecell Solitaire, and Fortune Solitaire.



How to Play All in One Solitaire: If you are unsure about how to play a game, click the 'How to Play' button in the lower left corner. (It is the button that looks like a question mark inside of a circle). A screen will pop up and explain the rules. After reading this information, click the 'Resume' button (the green arrow in the lower right corner) to continue your game.

Richard's Rating: 4 out of 5.

Comments: All in One Solitaire has excellent graphics. There are also a lot of cool built-in features. For instance, when playing Gaps Solitaire, when you hover your mouse over a blank space, the card that can be moved into the blank space will grow bigger, which makes game play much easier. For each of the games, All in One Solitaire will tell you how many moves you can currently make. This information is displayed in a blue bar at the bottom center of the game screen. For most of the games this information is very helpful, but for a few of the games like Klondike Solitaire and Spider Solitaire the information can be more confusing than helpful. The cards are nice and big, and easy to read, which is something I always look for in a card game. (You can also play All in One Solitaire in full screen mode which will, of course, make the cards even bigger). I played all nine solitaire games, and the only one I didn't really like was the Pyramid Solitaire game. It does not have any reserve card spaces like, for instance, Pyramid Solitaire Ancient Egypt does. I always find that when a pyramid solitaire game does not have the reserve spaces feature, it makes the game seem rather dull because you simply do not have enough flexibility to make inventive and bold plays. However, all things considered, I definitely feel that All in One Solitaire is an excellent addition to my site.

If you like this game or post 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/2012/04/all-in-one-solitaire.html" title="Play nine of your favorite solitaire games for free!" target="blank">All in One Solitaire</a>

Please scroll down to play your game.

Please scroll down to play your game.

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Play All in One Solitaire on Full Screen
Please Note: Before playing All in One Solitaire 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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Hidden Objects Desk

Game Description: Find the hidden objects in four different scenes. Each scene has 10 hidden objects, so there are a total of 40 in all. Score 100 points each time you click on a hidden object. The faster you find all 40 objects, the more points you will score! But, be careful. Because if you accidently click anywhere other than on a hidden object, 30 points will be deducted from your score for each miss.


How to Play Hidden Objects Desk:

• Each of the four scenes has 10 hidden objects for you to find.
• The objects you need to find are listed at the bottom of the game screen.
• Use your mouse to click on the hidden objects in each scene.
• Each time you successfully find a hidden object it will disappear from the screen.
• Find all 10 objects to advance to the next level.
• Earn 100 points each time you click on a hidden object.
• Lose 30 points each time you click anywhere other than a hidden object.
• A perfect score would theoretically be 4,000 points. 4,000 points, however, is impossible to achieve because Hidden Objects Desk will always deduct points for time taken. However the faster you can go, the fewer points you will lose. So the trick is to try to go through all 4 levels without making any mistakes, as fast as you can, to achieve the highest score possible. Once you figure out where all 40 hidden objects are, this just takes a little practice!

Play Hidden Objects Desk on Full Screen

Please Note: Before playing Hidden Objects Desk 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.

Hidden Objects Desk Game Options:

• The game sounds may be turned on or off by clicking the microphone icon located near the lower right corner of the game screen.

Hidden Objects Desk Playing Tips:

• Do play Hidden Objects Desk on full screen. It will be much easier to find some of the smaller objects.

Hidden Objects Desk Walkthrough: If you would like to see the solution to all four levels of Hidden Objects Desk, here is the video walkthrough. It plays rather fast so you will likely have to play it more than once, or at least pause it and restart it a few times.





Richard's Rating: 3 out of 5.

Comments: As far as hidden object games go, this series of hidden object games is probably only second in popularity to the very popular Sneaky Road Trip Games. I thought I had found all of the games to this particular series until I accidently found Hidden Objects Desk. Hopefully there may be more of these to come, or maybe I can 'accidently' find another one I somehow overlooked. The reason I think this particular series has been so well received is because there is always a nice combination of easy and hard to find items.

Other Games: If you enjoyed playing Hidden Objects Desk, you will also probably enjoy playing the other games from this popular series:

• Hidden Objects Room
• Hidden Objects Room 2
• Hidden Objects Room 3
• Hidden Objects Room 4
• Hidden Objects Room 5
• Hidden Objects Room 6

If you like this game or post 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!

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Strategy Games Page 5

Here are some more strategy games for you to play. Bomboozle is an excellent strategic game with three different styles of play. With Bomboozle the goal is to destroy blobs by making matches of 3 or more. You can also explode bombs to destroy even more blobs! Choose the 'Timed' mode of Bomboozle for a fast-paced five minute game. The 'Skull' mode is also fun, but my personal favorite mode, by far, is 'Infinite'. With the 'Infinite' mode you can take as much time as you like to plan each move. For an absolute treat, try playing the 'Infinite' mode of Bomboozle. It is positively terrific! In addition to Bomboozle, there are two more games that I would like to mention. The Rise of Atlantis is a very nice Match 3 game with 29 levels of play. If you are an experienced Match 3 player you may find The Rise of Atlantis somewhat easy, but it is still sure to please. The other game on this page that I certainly want to mention is Triple Rotate. Triple Rotate is a most unusual game, and quite challenging. It takes a little practice, but once you learn how to play it, you are in for a real treat.

Strategy Game pages:   1  2  3  4  5

Bomboozle		Embed Mahjong		Magic Room Solitaire
Destroy blobs by making matches of 3 or more. Use bombs to destroy even more blobs!		Play the game of Mahjong with no time limits! Score 2 points for each match you can make.		Form chains of cards from King to Ace. Remove all of the cards from the playing field to win!
The Rise of Atlantis		Bakers Dozen Solitaire		Triple Rotate
Travel through the ancient world of Phoenicia, Babylon, and Egypt in this picturesque Match 3 adventure game.		Move the cards between the 13 stacks, and try to get all 52 cards to the foundations.		Rotate the figures to match identical shapes. Turn the entire board to gold to pass to the next level.
All in One Solitaire		Tiny Fish Factory		Freecell Solitaire
Play 9 of your favorite solitaire games including Klondike, Freecell, and Spider Solitaire, plus 6 more.		Play a Match 3 game and try to turn the entire board blue before time runs out.		Play the classic card game of Freecell Solitaire. Score bonus points for finishing fast!
Match Around the World		Chief Eagle Solitaire
Drive special puzzle pieces off the grid to complete a picture before time runs out.		Make combinations of cards adding up to the number 13, and try to remove all 52 cards from the playing field.

Strategy Game pages:   1  2  3  4  5

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The Rise of Atlantis

Game Description: Travel through the ancient world of Phoenicia, Babylon, and Egypt in this picturesque Match 3 adventure game. Collect the required game pieces by driving each piece to the bottom of the playing field by making matches beneath them. Overcome chained and double-chained tiles to accomplish your goals! Make impressive matches, and collect big powerups and bonuses to help you along the way!

Please Note: There are two versions of The Rise of Atlantis. There is the full version that can be purchased and downloaded, and there is the free version which I have here on Richard's Game Reviews. The full version has all 77 levels. The free version has the first 29 levels of the game divided into three parts: Phoenicia has 7 levels, Babylon has 10 levels, and Egypt has 12 levels.

How to Play The Rise of Atlantis:

• Once the game fully loads you will immediately see another screen, divided into four parts. This screen will show you some of the basic rules on how to play the game. Go ahead, and read this information if you want to. Then, click the 'Play' button.
• If this is the first time you are playing The Rise of Atlantis, the next screen you will see will be Phoenicia Stage 1. Click the 'Play' button located at the lower right corner to begin play. (If you have already started playing The Rise of Atlantis here on Richard's Game Reviews, and you are using the same computer as before, you will instead see the level where you last left off).
• Use the left mouse button to swap adjacent tiles. That is, tiles that are next to each other either hortizontally or vertically.
• To swap tiles you can either click each tile individually, or use a dragging motion.
• You may only move tiles when the swap results in a match of 3 or more identical tiles in a row either hortizontally or vertically.
• The goal of each level is to free certain game pieces from the playing field by driving those pieces to the bottom row.
• In the Phoenicia levels, you will be freeing pieces of an Artifact that needs to be assembled.
• In the Babylon levels, the pieces you need to free are the bright blue tear-shaped pieces.
• In the Egypt levels, the pieces you need to free are the gold colored triangular shaped pieces.
• Free the pieces you need to free through the bottom of the playing field by making matches below each piece. As you do, the piece will drop down row by row until it reaches the bottom. Once the piece reaches the bottom row it will automatically be released, and float from the playing field.
• As you progress in the game you will encounter some tiles that have locks or double locks. Locked tiles cannot be moved, and can sometimes block your way if the pieces you need to free are trapped above them. For single locked tiles you will need to make an extra match with them in order to remove their lock so they can be moved. For double locked tiles you must make two matches with them, one match to break each lock, before they can be moved.
• The timer is at the bottom. The timer moves from right to left. It shows you how much time you have left to complete the level.
• You begin the game with 3 lives.
• Your goal is to free all of the required pieces before the time runs out. If you do, you go on to the next level of play.
• If the timer runs out before you free all of the required pieces, you will lose one life and you must repeat the level again.
• Earn bonus points for finishing a level quickly.
• At the end of a level if the game doesn't automatically show your score, just click anywhere on the game and it will. Then, click 'OK'.
• After you complete each level you will see a screen where you will be asked if you would like to download the game. If you only want to play for free, just click the 'Continue' button and continue your free game here on Richard's Game Reviews.
• As long as you use the same computer and come back here to Richard's Game Reviews, The Rise of Atlantis should automatically save your game progress. So, you can pick up your game where you last left off.

The Rise of Atlantis Sun power-up: The Sun power-up is the large circular object located near the lower left corner. You earn this power-up by making matches of 4 or more in a row to charge it up. When you hover your mouse over the Sun power-up, The Rise of Atlantis will show you the percentage it is charged. It must be charged 100% before you can use it. When the Sun power-up is completly charged up it will vibrate and grow bigger for an instant. It will also make a repeated electrical charge sound to let you know that it is ready. Click on the fully charged Sun power-up and it will use its energy to destroy a host of tiles. It will almost always destroy the tiles that will help you the most! Unlike the bonuses described below, the Sun power-up does not carry over its charge to the next level. It begins each level at 0%. However, you can charge it up more than once during a level.

The Rise of Atlantis Bonuses: Besides the Sun power-up, The Rise of Atlantis has 5 bonuses to help you win. (Although I have played all 29 levels of the free version of The Rise of Atlantis twice, I have never seen the Extra Life bonus. Even though I am almost certain it is not available for the free version, I will explain what it does anyway). To earn a bonus, first you need to see the piece on the playing field. When it appears, you then need to make matches below it and drive it through the bottom to collect it. Unused collected bonuses carry over from one level to the next. The number below each bonus, and just to the right of the little 'x', shows the quantity of each bonus you have available. Here are the bonuses:

• The Bomb Bonus -- Yes, it looks like a Bomb. To use a collected Bomb Bonus click on it to pick it up, and point to an area that you would like to blast. Then, click again.
• The Lightning Bonus -- This very powerful bonus looks like a lightning bolt. To use a collected Lightning Bonus first click on it. Then click any tile. Use it to destroy all the tiles of a certain type present on the playing field. For instance, you could use it to destroy all of the green tiles.
• The Swap Bonus -- It looks like a gold circle with two blue teardrop shapes inside it pointing in opposite directions. (You may not see this bonus until later in the game. I believe it is not introduced until Egypt - 1). Use it to swap any two tiles anywhere on the game field. To use the collected Swap Bonus click on it to pick it up and select the tiles you would like to swap.
• The Clock Bonus -- This very valuable bonus looks like an hourglass. Click on a collected clock bonus to earn some extra time when time starts to run out.
• The Extra Life Bonus -- It looks like a red heart. As I previously mentioned above, I have never seen The Extra Life Bonus in the free version of The Rise of Atlantis. If you should ever see one on the playing field, just know that it is a very good thing. Drive it through the bottom of the playing field to earn an extra life!

The Rise of Atlantis Game Options:

• To pause the game, click the 'Menu' button located in the upper right corner. Click the 'Resume' button to continue your game.
• To turn the game sounds on or off, first click the 'Menu' button located in the upper right corner. Then, turn the sound on or off by clicking the 'Sound On' or 'Sound Off' button. Finally, click the 'Resume' button to continue your game.

The Rise of Atlantis Playing Tips:

• Earn as many bonuses as you can, and save them for the more challenging levels where you may need them.
• You do not necessarily need to unlock all of the chained tiles to win a level, but it is better if you can. The reason is obvious. Chained tiles block your way. If you can break all of the locks, you will have much greater flexibility to drop the required pieces to the bottom and win your level.
• If you get into a situation where there are no more matches possible, The Rise of Atlantis will show a message saying "No more moves." The timer will simply go down to zero and you will lose a life. The way out of a "No more moves" situation is to anticipate it beforehand, and to avoid it by using a bonus. The best bonus to use in this type of situation is probably the Lightning Bonus, because the lightning will change the playing field and shuffle things up for you better than the other bonuses probably would.
• Each time you come to play The Rise of Atlantis you will see an initial game screen, divided into four parts. This screen will show you some of the basic rules on how to play the game. This particular screen must have some type of an internal timing mechanism built into it, because if you should wait a while before clicking the 'Play' button, the game screen will usually, if not always, go blank. When this happens, the only way to resume play is to refresh the page.

Richard's Rating: 4 out of 5.

Pro: Like all Playrix games, The Rise of Atlantis has beautiful imagery and outstanding sounds. For experienced Match 3 players it should be rather easy to complete all 29 levels without losing any lives. Even so, The Rise of Atlantis is a pleasant journey. I do hope you enjoy it!

Con: This is simply an observation, and not really a criticism. The game does not acknowledge your accomplishment when you finish the last level of the free version (Egypt Stage 12). After you click the 'Continue' button, it simply begins again back at the beginning of the game at Phoenicia Stage 1. It would have been nice to have had at least a small congratulatory message at the end of the game, don't you think?

If you like this game or post 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/2012/04/rise-of-atlantis.html" title="Play this Match 3 adventure game." target="blank">The Rise of Atlantis</a>

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Lost in the Tribes

Game Description: Lost in the Tribes is a challenging hidden object game where you will search for hidden objects in four levels of play. If you are able to find all of the hidden objects before the spinning wheel gets all the way to the right, you win, and go on to the next level of play. If the spinning wheel manages to get all the way to the right, you lose, and you must begin the game again back at the beginning.


How to Play Lost in the Tribes:

• There are four levels of play.
• Each level has a list of hidden objects at the right.
• Each time you correctly click on a hidden object in the picture, that word will be crossed off the list.
• The timer is the spinning wheel at the top which moves from left to right.
• Your objective is to find all of the hidden objects before the time runs out.
• Be careful. Each time you make a mistake by clicking anywhere other than a hidden object the spinning wheel will temporarily speed up and cost you a little more time.
• If you are able to find all of the hidden objects before the spinning wheel gets all the way to the right, you win and go on to the next level of play.
• If the spinning wheel manages to get all the way to the right, you lose and you must begin the game again back at level 1.

Play Lost in the Tribes on Full Screen

Please Note: Before playing Lost in the Tribes 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.

Lost in the Tribes Achievements: Lost in the Tribes has six different goals you can try to obtain. These are called Achievements. As long as you use the same computer each time you play, Lost in the Tribes should automatically save your Achievements for you. To see what Achievements you have won, click the 'Achievements' button from the main menu on the game. Here are the six Achievements you can try to win:

• Complete a level in less than 60 seconds.
• Complete a level without making a mistake.
• Complete all levels without any mistakes.
• Find 70 objects.
• Find all objects in the game.
• Finish the game in a single attempt.

Comments: Each time you play Lost in the Tribes the pictures will always be the same, and each hidden object will remain in the same place too. So each time you play you will remember a little more and be able to progress further in the game. Even so, Lost in the Tribes is challenging enough to give you quite a lot of fun. (Wow, it sure took me a long time to find the fish in Level 1. lol) Once you figure out where all of the hidden objects are located, the game can still be challenging as you try to win each of the six different Achievements. Lost in the Tribes also features rather good graphics and sounds. I do like that drumbeat! All in all, Lost in the Tribes is a very nice game to play.

Richard's Rating: 4 out of 5.

If you like this game or post 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/2012/04/lost-in-tribes.html" title="Play Lost in the Tribes. How many hidden objects can you find?" target="blank">Lost in the Tribes</a>

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Battle Scribes

Game Description: Test your wits against ten colorful opponents in this medieval word-wizard tournament! Make enough words fast enough to push the power bar all the way to the right and defeat each opponent. Longer words score more points and will quickly help you win! Use bonus letters to score extra points. Good luck!



How to Play Battle Scribes:

• You will battle against ten opponents, one at a time.
• The clock is located directly above the letterboard. The power bar is located directly below it.
• Your goal is to spell enough valid words quickly enough to push the power bar all the way to the right to win, before the clock runs out. If you do, you will go on to the next battle.
• You lose if the power bar gets all the way to the left, or if you run out of time.
• Also, directly below the power bar, there is another button called the word button. Watch this button carefully. When it turns green, this means you have formed a valid word. When it is red, this means that no valid word is currently formed.
• Valid words must consist of at least three letters and follow British or American spelling.
• No proper nouns may be used.
• Letters can be clicked with the mouse or typed in any order to form words. That is, letters do not have to be next to each other, or need to be touching.
• If you are a decent touch typist, keyboard controls are definitely recommended because using the keyboard is much faster than using your mouse! Press the 'Enter' key to submit a word, or to withdraw all of your selected letters should you seriously get stuck and cannot form a valid word. (If you are using your mouse, click the word button with your mouse).
• Submitting a valid word, when the word button is green, will earn you points and help push the power bar toward the right.
• Withdrawing more than one selected letter at a time, when the word bar is red, will have the opposite effect. Doing this will reduce your power bar and significantly shift it towards the left.
• Use your 'Backspace' key to withdraw the last letter of a word. (If you are using your mouse, click the last letter you selected with your mouse). Anytime you withdraw the last letter of a word your power bar will be reduced, and will shift slightly towards the left.
• Bonus letters are clearly marked so you can easily spot them. Use bonus letters to score extra points and to help push the power bar faster towards the right.
• Longer words also score more points and will quickly help you win!
• (Please note: The 'Time Trial' game is a seperate one-minute game where you can try to score as many points as you possibly can in one minute. It can only be played after you win your first tournament. Also the 'Master' tournament difficulty level may only be unlocked and played after you win the 'Knight' tournament).

Battle Scribes Game Options:

• The game sounds may be turned on or off by clicking the musical note icon located at the lower right corner.

Battle Scribes Playing Tips:

• If you know how to touch-type even a little, use your keyboard. Using your keyboard, even if you are a slow typist, is still much quicker than using your mouse.
• Remember there is a time limit for each round, and you must defeat your opponent before the clock runs out of time. If the time runs out before you have defeated your opponent, you lose! So, watch the time carefully.

Richard's Rating: 4 out of 5.

If you like this game or post 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/2012/04/battle-scribes.html" title="Play Battle Scribes. Make words fast enough to defeat each opponent in this medieval word-wizard tournament!" target="blank">Battle Scribes</a>

Play Battle Scribes on Full Screen
Please Note: Before playing Battle Scribes 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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What's New? Page 7

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, March 30, 2012

All of a sudden I am having problems with the vision in my right eye. I go to the eye doctor on Monday. Hopefully everything will turn out okay.

Tuesday, Arpil 3, 2012

Well I got my eye diagnosis. I had an occurrence of what is called Posterior Vitreous Detachment. Yes, it sounds terrible. But as it turns out in my case, and in most people who experience this, there is absolutely nothing to worry about. My initial symptoms were a sudden increase in floaters (a speck that floats about in your field of vision) and flashes of light on the right side of my eye. While the light flashes only occurred on the first day, the floaters still persist. My eye doctor assures me that they will eventually go away and my vision will return to normal. In my case, like most people, there was no tear in the retina and everything will be okay. As it turns out Posterior Vitreous Detachment is a rather common occurrence, especially for people over 50 years of age. Personally I had never heard of it, and I suspect maybe you haven't either. Here is a resource that explains Posterior Vitreous Detachment. Although this usually happens to people age 50 and older, it can also happen to those under 50 too. Of course, whenever you have any changes in your vision is it very important to get your eyes checked as soon as possible by your eye care professional.

Wednesday, May 9, 2012

Richard's Game Reviews has just reached the milestone of one million pageviews! Thanks everybody for your continued loyalty. I truly do appreciate it!

Sunday, May 20, 2012

I am currently in the middle of doing a complete redesign of Richard's Game Reviews. I really thought that the last design change that I implemented back in January was going to be a big hit. It wasn't. In fact, it has had the opposite effect. I have lost a ton of readers. So, it is back to the drawing board once again. The new design, which I hope to roll out by the end of May or the first week of June, will be a much simpler design without a lot of the bells and whistles that you see on the current design. Hopefully, everyone will enjoy it when it's done. I would like to put it up right away, but first I will need to rewrite more than 350 game posts which is proving to be quite a daunting task. Right now I am only doing partial rewrites. Then later, after the new design is published, I can go back with a fine-toothed-comb and do compete rewrites and get everything just the way I want it. Even with only doing partial rewrites, so far I have only been able to complete about 100 game pages, so it will take at least a few more weeks. What I am basically doing with the new design for the game pages, is moving the actual games themselves below my reviews instead of having them above the review. In the meantime the website is in a little bit of flux, with some of the game pages with rewrites, and most without rewrites. I apologize for any inconvenience.

Thursday, May 31, 2012

I am still working on the redesign of Richard's Game Reviews. Things are moving along, but they are going quite a bit slower than I had hoped they would. Switching over to the new design itself will actually only take a few minutes. It is getting everything ready, so the design change will go as smoothly as possible, is what is taking so long.

Another thing that I want to mention is that I just removed the word verification option for comments. This means that it will no longer be necessary for anyone who is leaving a comment on Richard's Game Reviews to complete a word verification step, as in, type the characters you see in the picture above. Some people know this as CAPTCHA. The reason I am removing this requirement is because I would like to encourage more reader comments. I'll let you in on a little secret, even though it may make me look a little foolish. I have been blogging here on Richard's Game Reviews for almost three years, and I did not discover, until yesterday, that Richard's Game Reviews even had a CAPTCHA system installed. You may be wondering, how could I not have known this? Well, as it turns out, blog authors do not see the word verification for comments. In other words, since I am always signed in to Blogger when I blog, I never saw the CAPTCHA, that is, until yesterday when I happened to be answering a reader question when I was not signed in. Boy, was I surprised! Not only was I surprised that there was a CAPTCHA, but I was especially surprised to see how hard it was to read. Of course, CAPTCHA is nothing new to me. I am certainly used to using CAPTCHA on a regular basis as I surf the web. But this CAPTCHA was particularly bad. I had to refresh the CAPTCHA about three times before I could even read one. So it got me to thinking. I wonder how many reader comments I may have lost over the years because people could not read the CAPTCHA, or they simply became discouraged and left. So, now it's gone! At least for now. Let me explain. There is a legitimate reason for having a CAPTCHA system. It discourages blog spam by preventing automated systems from adding comments to a blog. So I will try it this way for now, and see how it goes. If spam does become a big problem, then unfortunately I would need to bring back the CAPTCHA. But let's all hope that will not be the case.

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