All-Time Highest Rated Games Tagged 'casual, Windows' on The Great Games Experiment All-Time Highest Rated Games Tagged 'casual, Windows' on The Great Games Experiment http://www.greatgamesexperiment.com/css/logo.jpg All-Time Highest Rated Games Tagged 'casual, Windows' on The Great Games Experiment en-us Mario Kart Source Mario Kart Source aims to bring the fun and excitement of the Mario Kart series to the PC though the powerful Source engine used in Half Life 2. We hope to create the ultimate version of Mario Kart (MK) by combining all of the best aspects into one game. We're not simply recreating one version of MK, but using the best parts of each. We want to have all the traditional weapons, characters, and maps but also bring out new weapons that make game-play interesting. We're redesigning the maps so that they keep their appeal, but truly utilize the power of the source engine. We plan to have at least 16 different characters, all the ones you know and love as well as some others from the Super Mario World.
]]> 12 Feb 2007 01:18:38 Audition Online Dance Battle Audition Online, also known as Dancing Paradise in Japan, is a downloadable Multiplayer Online Casual Game produced by T3 Entertainment. Audition Online is free to play, using the popular Virtual Asset Sales (VAS) model (as officially called) or a cash shop system that allows users to use real money to purchase ingame clothes, accessories, etc. to dress up their avatars. The game is similar to Bust A Groove, but takes a different approach, besides the fact that it is a multiplayer online casual game.
]]> 28 Dec 2006 07:22:38 Day of the Tentacle One day, Purple Tentacle and Green Tentacle are out for a walk when Purple Tentacle decides to drink toxic waste. The waste causes him to grow arms, become evil, and eventually take over the world. It is up to Bernard, Hoagie, and Laverne to travel back in time and turn off the Sludge'o'Matic before Purple Tentacle can drink the ooze and become evil. Because Dr. Fred used an imitation diamond in his time machine, it breaks and sends Hoagie 200 years in the past and Laverne 200 years in the future. You must get everyone back to the present and save the world!
]]> 26 Nov 2006 01:03:10 The Curse of Monkey Island The third game in the Monkey Island saga. After giving Elaine a cursed engagement ring, Guybrush must find a way to break the curse that turned her into solid gold. Hilarious antics ensue.
]]> 26 Nov 2006 12:46:57 Cave Story - Doukutsu Monogatari Cave Story is a freeware sidescrolling action/adventure/platformer title with leanings towards Wonderboy and recent sidescrolling Castlevania titles. You control a little amnesiac who runs around helping out these rabbit-ish creatures called Mimigas while trying to find your way out of the giant cave inside the floating island which makes up the game's setting.

This is a free game made by one man:

Pixel said,
It's been five years since I first thought to myself, "Hey, why not try making a game?" I developed Cave Story at my own pace, taking my time, and while doing so I released a few other smaller games as well.
]]> 26 Nov 2006 01:38:13 Psychonauts Embark on a unique third person psychic adventure through the minds of misfits, monsters and madmen....

For years, the Psychonauts have deployed their psychically-armed operatives all over the world, but this time trouble is brewing in their own boot camp. A deranged scientist is abducting camp cadets for their brains. One student, a mysterious and powerful new arrival named Raz, stands alone against the lunatic. Raz must develop and unleash an arsenal of paranormal powers including his most powerful weapon of all: the ability to launch himself telepathically into the minds of others. Ultimately he must enter the psyche of his worst enemy and destroy his dark plans at their source while trying not to lose his sanity in the process.
]]> 25 Nov 2006 11:14:08 Star Wars: TIE Fighter Published by: LucasArts
Developed by: Totally Games
Genre: Space simulation
Number of players: 1
Release date: 1994, 1995

It is a time of chaos in the Empire. Rebel factions strike from hidden bases, pirates plunder unsuspecting civilian spacecraft, and traitors plot behind the Emperor's back. You, a rookie pilot in the Imperial Navy, must rise to action for the glory of the Empire and the good of all mankind.

The player's character is unnamed (however, in sources outside the game, name is Maarek Stele), but features such notable Star Wars characters as: Darth Vader, Emperor Palpatine, and even Admiral Thrawn from the books.

Star Wars: TIE Fighter is somewhat of a sequal to Star Wars: X-Wing, however this time the player is the "bad guy." With various objectives ranging from destroying pirates and Rebels to flying wingman for Darth Vader himself, TIE Fighter offers a great deal of enjoyment for those who love the Star Wars universe.

Gameplay involves managing your weapons/engine/shield (if available) systems while dogfighting enemy spacecraft or attacking larger capital spaceships. Additionally, missiles are limited (if even available), so must be used carefully. Because this is the side of the Empire, the fighters you will be flying initially are very vulnerable to damage. Two or three hits to your TIE Fighter and you're toast, and destroying shielded enemy Rebel fighters in such a craft can be challenging.

Mission objectives are crucial to completing stages of the game, and advancing the storyline. Additionally, there are optional bonus objectives, which influence the secondary advancement in the Emperor's secret order.
]]> 24 Jan 2007 07:45:12 Another World Another World, known as Out of this World in the US and Outer World in Japan, is a 1991 cinematic platformer designed and developed by Eric Chahi. The graphics and box art were designed by Chahi, while the music was composed by Jean-François Freitas.

While not a great commercial success, Another World was innovative in its use of cinematic effects in the graphics, sound and cut scenes, with characters communicating through their facial features, gestures, and actions only. This cinematic style granted Another World cult status amongst critics and fans.

The protagonist of the game is Lester Knight Chaykin; a young, athletic, red haired physicist. Lester arrives at his high-tech underground laboratory during a thunderstorm, and continues to work on his experiment using a particle accelerator. Right before the particles reach their intended destination, lightning strikes the lab and interferes with the accelerator causing the unforeseen teleportation of Lester to a barren alien planet.

The player can control Lester using the keyboard or gamepad using four directions buttons and two action buttons: one for main actions, and one for jumping. Depending on the player's current position, movement, and status, the main action key performs a variety of actions including attacking and interacting with Lester's environment. At the start of the game Lester can only kick to attack, but later he can acquire a gun. While the movement keys normally make Lester run, the game also features sections where the player must swim, roll, or drive a vehicle. The player only has one life, but there are multiple checkpoints he can return to by entering the relevant pass code given at each one.
]]> 10 Dec 2006 09:53:52 Grim Fandango Something's rotten in the Land of Dead and you're being played for a sucker. Meet Manny Calavera, travel agent at the Department of Death. He sells luxury packages to souls on their four-year journey to eternal rest. But there's trouble in paradise. Help Manny untangle himself from a conspiracy that threatens his very salvation.
]]> 26 Nov 2006 12:17:40 Raptor: Call of the Shadows Raptor: Call of the Shadows (often Raptor for short) is a 2D raster graphics vertical scrolling shoot 'em up single player game for the x86 PC written for MS-DOS, by Cygnus Studios (which has since changed its name to Mountain King Studios).

Raptor: Call of the Shadows was originally released on April 1, 1994. There is a shareware version available for this game which includes the first sector, the Bravo Sector. The full version can still be bought today

As in all shoot 'em up games of this genre, there is a vast number of enemies to kill, both on the ground and in the air. At the end of each wave, and often halfway through the more difficult waves, there is a "boss" which is a single enemy of great size and whom can take a lot of fire before succumbing.

For each target destroyed the player earns credits, with the amount of credits earned per enemy destroyed is proportional to how tough the enemy ship is. Most of the ground objects (buildings, vehicles, turrets) can be destroyed as well. Between new waves and sectors the player can use credits to select among 16 different equipment upgrades (various weapons, "shield-packs", bombs, etc) to be bought for his own aircraft.

The game is divided into three "sectors": Bravo Sector, Tango Sector, and Outer Regions, all of which have nine sub-missions called "waves", making for a total of 27 levels.

(Quoted from Wikipedia)
]]> 11 Jun 2007 11:15:52 Blocksum Blocksum is a very new typed action puzzle game. For everyone who can add numbers to 20.
]]> 08 Feb 2007 07:04:52 The Incredible Machine From Wikipedia: Incredible Machine Article
The general objective of the games is to create a series of Rube Goldberg devices: arrange a given collection of objects in a needlessly complex fashion so as to perform some simple task (for example, "put the ball into a box" or "light a candle"). Available objects ranged from simple ropes and pulleys to electrical generators, bowling balls and even cats and mice. The levels usually have some fixed objects that cannot be moved by the player, and so the only way to solve the puzzle is carefully arrange the given objects around the fixed items. There is also a "freeform" option that allows the user to "play" with all the objects with no set goal or to also build their own puzzles with goals for other players to attempt to solve.

Created at Dynamix by Jeff Tunnell (Director, designer) and Kevin Ryan (Programmer, designer)
]]> 18 Oct 2006 03:40:21 CrashBlock Crashblock is a platform puzzle game, mixing puzzle elements from Tetris and platform elements of Flashback.

The aim of the game is to play a game of tetris from the inside, running around the arena, climbing over the fallen blocks,trying to complete a line whilst trying to collect enough stars to advance to the next level and collecting coins and other items to boost your score and help you along the way. There are hazards to overcome, Bombs are released from completed lines along with bonus items and stars, also captive creatures called meanies are released making your task so much more difficult.

If the blocks pile up to the top of the arena, it's game over. If a falling block lands on you, it's squishy death, if you're caught in a bomb blast, it's goodnight and if you're caught by a meanie, it's so long and thanks for all the limbs.

You have to control the crane holding the current shape by calling it over to you, rotating the shape to the correct position and then diving out of the way while it falls.. there is no controlled drop in this game, oh no!

This game is currently under development for the Pascal Game Development 2007 Competition, The end deadline is the 3rd of June 2007. Check back often for updates.
]]> 17 Apr 2007 11:12:56 MultiMayhem The goal of this arcade game is to score the most points by jumping on, or hovering over the other player's head, dealing damage to him and scoring points. The game includes levels like the Arcade, Fish tank and Forest Valley. You can play against the computer, friends or on a network.
]]> 10 Jan 2007 05:23:32 Lotus Escape to a whirling world of puzzling fun in Lotus Deluxe. Whirlpools are swallowing all the lotus flowers to the dismay of the water nymphs. Scan the flowers for identical matches and remove them before they fall into the spinning current. This enchanting challenge features charming graphics, more than 75 levels, and two game modes. Take a break with this refreshing diversion today.
]]> 05 Feb 2007 03:28:57 PixelShips Retro [from official page]
After six years, a new PixelShips game emerges! Except... shouldn't this have come first? ;)

PixelShips Retro is an all-new game, taking on the look and feel of classic, 80's style games. The graphics, the sound, the music, the simple controls, the very high framerate, all indicative of those old-school games.

Of course, if there weren't significant improvements over the original PixelShips game, this one wouldn't be shareware! Besides the 13 original music tracks, numerous sound effects and more weapons than before, the game is far more balanced, lending itself to greatly simplified statistics and easier to understand concepts.

But perhaps the biggest change of all is that the screen no longer scrolls on its own! The screen moves as you move to provide you with a good view of what's ahead of you. (Leaving your backside more vulnerable of course!) You decide where and when to go!

Drones come in a much wider variety now and have their own unique array of 12 weapons, such as the Ring Pulse which slowly tracks you and the Trail Pulse which leaves a damaging trail behind for you to accidentally dash through!

The 9 different environments can actually threaten you this time around too. For instance, Space Arenas have force fields to block your progress and Class R Planets have erupting volcanos and oceans of lava. The background is no longer just an obstacle but a hazard too!
]]> 11 Mar 2007 10:28:55 Within a Deep Forest Within a Deep Forest is a freeware 2D platform game for Windows, featuring challenging gameplay, beautiful music, an evil doctor, infinite cuteness, and a deep forest.
]]> 26 Nov 2006 02:38:21 Merry Gear Solid merry gear solid: secret santa is a top down stealth action game in the vein of hideo kojima's metal gear solid series.

it's grid-based as it was entered in the daily click grid-based x-mas game competition. it won 1st place.

use distractions and tools you find around the level to distract and get past any guards that are you in your way.

the game is relatively short, taking around 10-20 minutes to complete. the story is related to the metal gear solid series' plot so if you haven't played those games, you might be kind of lost.
]]> 11 Feb 2007 06:06:28 Spring Spring (formerly known as TA Spring or Total Annihilation: Spring), is a full 3D open source RTS engine originally created by the Swedish Yankspankers, intended to bring the gameplay experience of Total Annihilation into three dimensions. The core game engine is released under the GPL License; however, the prepackaged mod that comes with the standard installation requires that one own a copy of TA to legally play it. There is, however, an official release which uses fully free content, and there are a number of mods, both in development and released, that are also completely free to use.

Spring is being developed by the Swedish Yankspankers and the Spring community. The initial goal was to have the game run the mods and 3rd party units from Total Annihilation. This goal is now mostly complete, and the project has moved on to including additional features. The game is mainly focused around multiplayer games over the Internet or a LAN connection. There are currently no single player campaigns or missions, although there is some basic support for this through Lua scripting. There are also many skirmish AIs under development, allowing for offline play or extra players in an online game. Two skirmish AIs ship in the game package.
]]> 06 Feb 2007 11:53:14 Fraxy Fraxy is a space shooter with giant bosses. The best part being that you can build your own boss. Using hundreds of parts, you can create almost any kind of enemy you could think of. Giant lasers, vulcan turrets, suicide bombs, you name it. Fraxy is still being worked on, and new stuff is added almost weekly.

Download both the game, and the english patch.
]]> 27 May 2007 12:11:57 TrackMania United Produced by the young, talented French studio Nadeo, TrackMania United is the latest version of the most entertaining car racing game available. Released in 2003, the TrackMania series has rapidly become one of the most popular video games for PC thanks to its fast and fun gameplay.
]]> 23 Jan 2007 10:50:48 Sonic 3 And Knuckles Sonic 3 & Knuckles is a fast-paced action game, which was made in 1994 by Sega. You can play either as Sonic, Tails, or Knuckles. The game consists of lots of running and jumping, destroying badniks and collecting Chaos Emeralds along the way. However, on the original Genesis/Mega Drive, there were two cartridges- Sonic 3, the main game, and Sonic & Knuckles. The second one listed here had a "lock-on" feature on the cartridge, meaning that you could insert Sonic 3 on the top of Sonic & Knuckles and play Sonic 3 & Knuckles. Sonic 3 and Sonic & Knuckles are therefore two completely different games.
]]> 01 Mar 2007 11:22:07 True Combat: Elite What Is TrueCombat:Elite?
TC:E is a modern world total conversion modification of the free, popular, stand-alone first-person shooter Wolfenstein: Enemy Territory. That is, TC:E is an entirely free game, made by gamers, for gamers.

TC:E is currently being developed by GrooveSix Studios and TeamTerminator. While TeamTerminator is known for the famous Q3 based TrueCombat series, GrooveSix Studios was initiated by retired TeamTerminator co-founder Coroner to develop a Return to Castle Wolfenstein modification that is not released. Thus, as very experienced Q3-based content creators, we hope to be able to serve the gaming community with a quality offering.
Now, the most important question: "What can you expect from TC:E?" TC:E is a tactical-team shooter, set up in a modern-world environment. TC:E puts you into the role of elite mercenary soldier in the conflicts of two internationally operating forces.


SpecOps vs. Terrors
The Global Intervention Force (GIF626) is a special force formed of the top of the world experts joining from US Delta force, UK SAS, German KSK and GSG9, to mention a few. An international mercenary organization known as "The Unit" is their opponent. It is reported that some of these dudes are were once with the above forces, but the lure of money is strong. You say "Yet another terror counter-terrorism shooter. Why the hell should I go for it?". We say "Cause you don't have to spend a cent and it features:"

  • Texture Tone Mapping
  • HDR Lighting
  • Realistic scaling
  • Free climb
  • Free Aim
  • High quality sounds (44khz)
  • rich, deluxe graphics, based on high-resolution digital-camera shots
  • Letterbox & widescreen modes - TrueVision
  • Dynamic Eye Adaption - DynEA
  • Cross Platform Gaming (Win, OS X, Linux)
  • tactical-teamplay oriented, modern-world combat simulation
  • realistic weapon behavior simulation
  • iron sight aiming system, no crosshair
  • sophisticated ballistic simulation including multiple-layer object penetration
  • professional mode: 1-life, short-timed, objective driven scenarios in realistic environments
  • bodycount mode: team deathmatch style, gametype to relax?
  • Reinforced OBJ, as Capture the Flag in stock maps
  • balanced, team specific set of real-world weapons (Grenades, Pistols, SMG's, Assault-, Shotgun- and Sniper-Rifles)
  • lag compensation, client-side bullet prediction, punkbuster support
  • immersive and lethal, fast-paced action"


    • You will need to download and install Wolfenstein: Enemy Territory to install and play this game. But it's all free, so it's all good!
    ]]>     27 Feb 2007 08:35:25     Lemmings Lemmings, a computer game developed by DMA Design (now Rockstar North) and published by Psygnosis in 1991, was one of the most popular computer games of its time. Several games magazines of the time awarded the game maximum review scores.

    Psygnosis, also known for the Wipeout series, had its greatest success in Lemmings. Famously, the concept for Lemmings came from an animation created by Mike Dailly over a lunchtime, to prove a point about how small a character could be on screen. [1]

    The game was unique and based around a concept previously untried. In the original Commodore Amiga version, there are 120 levels, and on each level, the player must guide a group of up to 100 lemmings (or 80 in many versions, such as DOS and Windows) home by giving individual lemmings various commands. The "lemmings" of the game are small, green-haired humanoid beings that mindlessly walk en masse into any danger in their path, following the popular myth that real lemmings behave in a similarly suicidal fashion.

    Of the numerous sequels the only one to achieve the success of the first was Lemmings 2: The Tribes, which added twelve specialist tribes of lemmings, each with their own type of level and specialist workers.

    The game briefly gave rise to a new genre, described in magazines at the time as the "save 'em up", a joking reference to other popular genres like beat 'em up and shoot 'em up.


    Source: wikipedia.com
    ]]>     15 Jan 2007 07:43:50     Diablo II: Lord of Destruction Diablo II: Lord of Destruction (commonly abbreviated LoD) is an expansion pack for the popular hack and slash Action role-playing game Diablo II. Unlike the original Diablo's expansion pack, Diablo: Hellfire, it is an official expansion designed by Blizzard North.

    More than a standard expansion, Lord of Destruction not only added content in the form of new character classes and an additional scenario, it also dramatically revamped the gameplay of the existing Diablo II for solo and especially multiplayer. As a result, LoD is largely considered a "must-buy" instead of only being an addition, making it a huge multiplayer success and one of the most successful expansion packs of all time.
    ]]>     12 Feb 2007 12:58:34     Chalk Chalk is an arcade style scrolling shooter with a different kind of control scheme. Instead of shooting, you only have a piece of chalk with which you can draw. The way you defeat the enemies is different depending on the type. Some require all of the green dots to be connected, and others need to have their bullets connected back to them. There are bosses at the end of each level that will take a bit more thinking to destroy. The game is controlled entirely with the mouse, but the keyboard can be used as well.
    ]]>     30 May 2007 06:39:39     GuildWars: Nightfall You are a character involved in the struggle between two mighty nations, Istan, and Kourna. You are a sunspear in the Istani General Kormir's army. You face increasingly difficult challenges until you finally face off against the gods themselves.

    (Sorry about the URL, made a mistake on the shortcut to my other Guild Wars profile, so I had to make this one different.)
    ]]>     17 Mar 2007 04:55:11     Mythos Mythos is an action-RPG a la Diablo create by Flapship Seattle to test Ping0, the online network created to distribute Flagship's first game Hellgate: London.

    Flagship Seattle is a division of Flagship Studios. The studio is led by Travis Baldree, Project Director. Baldree previously worked at Wild Tangent as the Lead Designer on the popular free-to-play role-playing game Fate. Flagship Seattle has a diverse history of game development. Other team members have worked on titles including Total Annihilation, Dungeon Siege and SWAT 3.

    Flagship Seattle is currently working on Mythos, an online role-playing game that will be used to test the networking technology behind the multiplayer component of the highly-anticipated action role-playing game Hellgate: London. Mythos will be digitally distributed by Flagship Studios subsidiary Ping0, LLC in North America and Europe in 2007. HanbitSoft, Flagship Studios' partner in Ping0, will be responsible for distributing Mythos in Asia.

    "To be involved in the formation of Flagship Seattle is an honor", said Travis Baldree, Project Director of Flagship Seattle. "We are sure that Mythos will put Flagship Seattle on the map, and in turn will become an integral part of the Flagship Studios experience"
    ]]>     24 Jan 2007 08:39:21     Gesundheit! Help an allergic pig save a city from snot-eating monsters using a clever combination of brains and boogers.

    While keeping out of sight, you must lure your enemies through each single-screen level with your delicious nasal discharges. Objects scattered around town provide your pig with different ways of solving each puzzle. Control is simple and intuitive, requiring only a two-button mouse.
    ]]>     13 Mar 2007 12:32:37     Oddictive In a world festering in cookie cutter match-3 puzzle games, one game stands out of the pack with authority and moons the rest of the games with it's cool sarcastic attitude. Oddictive promises to rob you of your free time and never give it back, not even if you beg for it.
    ]]>     08 Dec 2006 01:23:04     PuckIT! PuckIT! is an odd air hockey game built on the Torque Game engine.
    ]]>     30 Jan 2007 12:45:46     A Day In The Life Jet Set Willy meets Little Computer People in this fusion of famous games, now with 100% more kitten.

    Written by Trevor "Smila" Storey, can you keep Willy happy and content in his giant mansion and help him in his lifes quest to build the ultimate machine?

    And don't forget the kitten, or the ghosts, or the aliens...

    Its nice to know the mansion hasn't got any less weird over time.
    ]]>     04 Feb 2007 04:54:36     ANSI Shinobi A large chunk of the game is done but I made it in 16-18 days about 2 years ago for a competition so it was rushed....By the time the compo was over the code was a mess, it's completely unreadable so I doubt this game will ever be 100% complete. It starts to fall apart in the Pipeline level on Mission 3. :/
    ]]>     04 Feb 2007 04:50:19     Frostwinds An adventure; an epic! Frostwinds is a massive multiplayer online roleplaying game with players from all over the world. Make new friends, join a party, travel as pack, and unite to take down mythological creatures of legendary strength! Featuring dozens of monsters, hundreds of items, and endless quests for hidden treasure and glory, Frostwinds players will always find an adventure waiting for them in this vibrant community. Join Frostwinds today, and let the adventuring begin!
    ]]>     30 Dec 2006 03:50:18     Gwabs Gwabs is the first desktop-to-desktop combat game where you can fight your friends in real-time over the Internet. Use your skills, weapons and intellect to survive this Gwab vs Gwab battle royale. The desktop is your arena: use the windows to gain the high ground, utilize icons in the battle for victory, break off a piece of the start bar to use as a deadly weapon!

    Take on your friends or Gwab community members through the Battle Manager portal. Challenge opponents using a built-in messenger. There are three rounds in each match with three different fighting modes: a fun match (no stakes), a wager match (bet your gwablets), or a death match (pinks slips for your character). Gwablets (the game's currency) are used to resurrect dead characters, purchase new ones, weapons, and for entry into feeding tournaments. Climb to the top of the world wide leader board to become the ultimate feeder. Challenge anyone within the Gwabs worldwide network for immediate desktop to desktop battles.

    This game concept is brought to you by Cory_Ross and _Matt_, Cambrian House community members, and is being developed by Cambrian House in partnership with Hothead Games, along with community members dubbed The Angry Mob.

    This game contains mature content and has not yet been rated.

    For more information on this casual online multiplayer fighting game, visit our website at http://www.gwabs.com
    ]]>     30 Jan 2007 09:55:48     Snapshot Adventures: Secret of bird island Let me get this out of the way: I consider myself at times a pretty "hard-core" video gamer. I mean, I'm not adverse to hacking and slashing Orcs in fantasy role-playing games, such as World of Warcraft. I can shoot down enemy aliens in Halo 2 and drop nukes on unsuspecting enemies in Supreme Commander. I'm tough, and I'm proud of it. So when my trusty Gamezebo editor asked me to review a "bird watching" game, you can imagine my initial reaction...

    OK, so call me what you will, but after playing Snapshot Adventures: Secret of Bird Island, I'm not only sold on the concept, but completely hooked.

    At the start of the game you find out your grandfather -- a famous bird photographer and naturalist who went missing six months ago -- left you a shoebox with your name on it. Inside you find a map of the U.S., his beloved camera and a half-empty field journal that alludes to a mystery (and uses your real name in the cryptic passage, since you typed it in when you started playing!). And so you decide to visit his old friends and colleagues, beginning in Pennsylvania, to find clues leading to his disappearance as well as learn the craft of nature photography in the process.

    In fact, you're asked to snap photos of birds for magazine covers and your field journal, and receive advice along the way. For example, you'll get more points for your photos if they're close-up, unobstructed and centered shots, and if the bird is orientated well, such as looking at the camera or caught in the act of singing, eating, flying or preening.

    Game-play works as follows. After you get your mission, such as take five photos of a Blue Jay in-flight or three photos with quality of at least 3 stars, you're presented with a landscape such as a forest, parks or shoreline (while you're on a moving boat). You can move the mouse side-to-side to see even more of the environment. Your mouse cursor is now a magnifier, so as you move it around to see subjects to photograph, you will see a larger view of the bird when your mouse is placed over top of it. Take the photo by pressing the left-mouse button. If you've earned the zoom lens you can use your mouse's middle-scroll wheel to zoom in closer; other tools you can unlock for completing missions include an infrared scope, bird seed (to get them to eat), bird identifier (which tells you what kind of bird it is), a "Flight Stimulator" plane (to make birds fly), camera auto-winder, and more.

    Bonus points are awarded at the end of the level for finding other species (such as a Baltimore Oriole or red-winged blackbird) within a predetermined amount of time (and only if you have film left).

    Developed in collaboration with experts at Cornell University, this game features authentic-looking birds and animations, and realistic birdsongs. You can unlock additional birdsongs as a reward for taking good photos.

    The big payoff is seeing your photos at the end of each level. You must choose between two side-by-side photos and once you do, the points are revealed for both so it's almost like a mini-game to choose the best one (and see if the game agrees!). You can see your best work as a cover of a magazine and in your field journal (which you can view at any time from the main menu) or with the click of a mouse you can email a photo to a friend right from within the game.

    As you travel throughout the U.S. to photograph new birds, you will receive clues and other information that will eventually unravel this grand mystery.

    A wonderful addition to Snapshot Adventures: Secret of Bird Island is an unlockable Bird Creator mode. With this clever in-game tool, you can create any bird you like. You begin with a basic shape -- such as an owl, gull, loon or hummingbird - then begin to tweak the wingspan, body size, beak length, eye style, field marks and color, and so on. Then you can name your bird (mine was called the Toronto Tailfeather), add other info if you like, and then upload to the Net for other gamers to download and photograph. I also downloaded close to 200 other custom-made birds to photograph in various locations.

    As fun and unique this game is, there are a few faults. For one, it's far too easy to unlock the Bird Creator mode, which only took about 30 minutes or so. It would be a better dangling carrot if it took longer to achieve this bonus. Secondly, the feedback doesn't always match your performance; in one instance, a magazine editor told me "An excellent collection of new photographs!" yet I failed the mission and had to start it over again.

    Even with these minor shortcomings, Snapshot Adventures: Secret of Bird Island may be the most refreshingly fun casual game of 2007. Seriously, yes, a bird photography game. But before you turn your beak up in disbelief, download this iWin game and give it a spin.

    Written by: Marc Saltzman/Gamezebo
    ]]>     24 May 2007 05:48:53     Text Express All aboard the Text Express! Unscramble letters to form words and keep your engine rolling down the tracks in this fast-moving word challenge. Can you find words fast enough to beat the competition and make it to the station first? With multiple difficulty levels, stunning full screen graphics, and addictive game play, the whole family will be on the right track to word game fun.

    [NEW] for information about the second part Click Here
    ]]>     06 Feb 2007 02:36:01     Pastime Puzzles Good old-fashioned jigsaw puzzles, without ever having to worry about losing a piece!
    ]]>     12 Feb 2007 04:49:40     Snowman Village In Snowman Village you must roll your snowball along and dodge the various obstacles in your path, gradually making it bigger and bigger. When you're done you can take it back and use it to build a snowman. Keep building snowmen until you've got your very own village full of them!

    The current version is playable and polished, but it's still under development. If you've got any features or requests that you'd like to see added then please leave a comment. Thanks!
    ]]>     14 Feb 2007 07:33:26     Chesspark Chesspark was created by chess lovers to bring chess to a wide audience of casual, club, and professional players. Our modern and easy to use interface makes use of the latest technologies for the Web as well as Instant Messaging in order to make online chess accessible to everyone, not just the elite players. However, those elite players will find features at Chesspark that are available no where else and made just for them.
    ]]>     07 Mar 2007 08:08:05     Armadillo Run Armadillo Run is a physics-based puzzle game. You have to build structures with the purpose of getting an armadillo to a certain point in space. There is a selection of building materials, each with different properties, which can be combined to form almost anything. The realistic physics simulation gives you the freedom to solve each level in many different ways.
    ]]>     09 Dec 2006 02:13:47     Armagetron Advanced Armagetron Advanced is a 3D online multiplayer game modeled after the light cycle sequences from the film Tron. Armagetron Advanced is licensed under version 2 of the GNU GPL.
    ]]>     09 Feb 2007 11:14:37     The Last Stand In The Last Stand, your objective is to protect a barricade against the oncoming hordes. Manage your time during the daylight to search for weapons, survivors and repair.
    ]]>     05 Jul 2007 05:34:55     MYTH : The Fallen Lords -From Bungie

    Myth is arguably the first real-time strategy game to put the player in a true 3D landscape, with an emphasis on tactical battlefield action rather than base construction. Myth also happens to be one of Bungie's most successful pre-Halo releases, and shows off the company's range and ability in genres outside of first-person shooters. A single player mode features an engrossing and enjoyable plot, with you battling the evil and eponymous Fallen Lords, their evil leader, Balor and all manner of undead creatures, but Myth's multiplayer is where it really stands out. Bungie.net's game-matching technology has been much-emulated since, and at Myth's release, was something truly special. Multiple game modes including King of the Hill, Steal the Bacon and even co-op added huge variety to what was an outstanding and standard-setting game - and it still is. If ever an older game deserved another visit, it's Myth, with a huge, loyal and highly motivated following.
    ]]>     31 Jan 2007 03:21:55     The Settlers II This is the second game in the popular Settlers series. As in the first game, you start with just one main building from which you have to extend a network of roads and buildings. Resource management is important, and so planning your kingdom's infrastructure is an important part of the game.

    There are more than 30 different professions your men can have, and many different building types. Of course, there are other settlers in your area, too, so war is unavoidable.
    ]]>     22 Dec 2006 04:07:22     Worms: Armageddon Team warfare on a worm scale

    Description:
    Worms: Armageddon is a turn based strategy game in a 2d environment. There is a single player campaign, and training missions to complete; but the main attraction is playing against other people locally or over the internet. Games can be played with 2 or more people. The graphics and sound are very cartoonish, and entertaining.

    Gameplay:
    Each player starts with a number of worms on their team. Each worm has a fixed amount of health. If a worm runs out of health, it will die. Once you run out of worms, you lose the match. The game is turn based, so each team gets control of one worm during their turn. You have a limited amount of time to select one of many weapons and inflict damage on another teams worm. There are also other more subtle tools to choose from for more strategic play, such as terrain digging tools, girder construction, and ropes and other means to get around the map. Weapons vary from the ordinary guns and explosives, to odd things like exploding sheep, mad cows, and homing pigeons.

    There are several other popular gameplay types, with specific rules for play.

    Finding online games is easy when you log onto WormNet. It's an irc-like chat interface where you can host or join games.
    ]]>     21 Jan 2007 02:14:34     Knytt The Knytt was abducted by an alien! Traveling through space, the UFO flies into a meteor and crashes on a nearby planet. Luckily, the Knytt and the alien survive, but the UFO is a wreck. How can the Knytt possibly find it's way back home again?
    ]]>     06 Dec 2006 12:42:22     chainWorks ChainWorks is a vibrant 2D puzzle game. It is currently in development with an anticipated release date of fall 2006. ChainWorks is a fresh 2D puzzler, based around the linking of like coloured fireworks in a display. Rapid decision making and strategic chaining are required to become a high scorer, or fulfil one of the games many challenges.
    ]]>     21 Nov 2006 05:49:33     Maze Runner Advanced This is a game which you can make while reading The Game Programmer's Guide To Torque.

    This is the alpha version of the game, containing polished art (by Canon of frogames) as well as an editor so you can make your own levels.

    This game is available for Windows and OSX. Give it at try and if you enjoy playing it, consider checking out the book and other products make by me at the Hall Of Worlds Products Page. Also check out Canon's work over at frogames. They've got some great content packs for TGE and and upcoming game.
    ]]>     01 Dec 2006 10:41:22     Monty On The Run This is a remake of Monty On The run released on several 8 bit systems.

    You must guide Monty Mole to freedom as he has just escaped from the slammer after being wrongly imprisoned.

    The game features the same rooms and game play as the original but with MASSIVELY updated graphics by the very talented mister Smila Storey.

    It also features a rocking rendition of the C64 theme tune from a real band, Press Play On Tape.
    Cheers Guys, it really makes the game !!!
    ]]>     03 Feb 2007 07:47:00