Gamertell

Remember in past weeks when I said the flow of casual games has been rather slow? Well, this week it’s more of a trickle than anything else. This week has been particularly sluggish. You could consider that a good thing though! It’ll give you a chance to catch up on any games you may have missed in the past week or two.

The majority of the games released this week fall right into the puzzle genre. So if you’re fan of hidden object or match-3 games, this is your week. The few exceptions include the indie RPG Laxius Force II and the time management game KinderGarten.

Be sure to stop by Gamertell next week, when a review of the hidden object game The Mystery of the Mary Celeste appears.

This week’s best bet is: The Mystery of the Mary Celeste

Autumn’s Treasures: The Jade Coin
Genre: Puzzle (Hidden Object)
Availability: Big Fish Games
Retail Price: $6.99
Platform: Windows XP and Vista
Premise: Autumn can’t just collect her grandpa’s inheritance, she has to hunt for it. She must scour through her grandpa’s antiques to try and find valuable, secret treasures.
Demo Available: Yes

The Adventures of Mary Ann: Lucky Pirates
Genre: Puzzle (Match 3)
Availability: Big Fish Games, Harmonic Flow
Retail Price: $6.99
Platform: Windows XP and Vista
Premise: Want to be a pirate? Then solve match 3 puzzles, In doing so, you’ll overcome all kinds of quests and find both fame and fortune. As you play, you’ll collect treasures and be able to upgrade your fleet.
Demo Available: Yes

Wizard’s Hat
Genre: Puzzle (Match 3)
Availability: Big Fish Games
Retail Price: $6.99
Platform: Windows XP and Vista
Premise: The Magic Glades are getting a bit messy. The only way to set things right is to don your wizard hat, pick up your wand and use magic to solve match-3 puzzles.
Demo Available: Yes

The Mystery of the Mary Celeste
Genre: Puzzle (Hidden Object)
Availability: Big Fish Games, PlayFirst, Reflexive Arcade, Harmonic Flow
Retail Price: $19.95
Platform: Windows XP and Vista
Premise: In 1872, the Mary Celeste merchant ship was found at sea. Her entire crew was gone, yet every other aspect of the ship was perfect and untouched. In this game, players join Mary Morehouse on the Mary Celeste II’s first trip. Unfortunately, it’s looking like this ship is encountering the same phenomena that ended making the original Mary Celeste a ghost ship. If you can solve hidden object puzzles, you can save the Mary Celeste II. Be sure to stop by Gamertell next week for the review!
Demo Available: Yes

KinderGarten
Genre: Stategy (Time Management)
Availability: Harmonic Flow, Reflexive Arcade
Retail Price: $9.99
Platform: Windows 2000, XP and Vista
Premise: Mila has just started her own day care center, and she needs your help to run it. Her goal is to keep every baby in her care happy.
Demo Available: Yes

Laxius Force II: The Queen of Adretana
Genre: RPG
Availability: Aldorea Games
Retail Price: $24.99
Platform: Windows
Premise: The direct sequel to Laxius Force: Heroes Never Die, Laxius Force II picks up where that game left off, with the half-goddess Luciana joining the fight against the Grand Commendanter and the Order. Their journey takes them against the order not only throughout the country, but in the Order’s own lair - Arvendel Fortress. There are over 20 recruitable characters in this sequel, 80 hours of play and you can import your Laxius Force saves.
Demo Available: Yes

Mystery Age: The Imperial Staff
Genre: Puzzle (Hidden Object)
Availability: Big Fish Games, Harmonic Flow
Retail Price: $6.99
Platform: Windows XP and Vista
Premise: A black rain is falling down on your village and your father is being plagued by a malicious spirit. The only way to bring salvation is to search for the cause of these calamities, find the Imperial Staff and save everyone.
Demo Available: Yes

City Sights: Hello, Seattle!
Genre: Puzzle (Hidden Object)
Availability: PlayFirst, Harmonic Flow
Retail Price: $19.95
Platform: Windows XP, Vista and 7
Premise: As a travel writer, you have been tasked to check out the Seattle area and write an article on interesting places to see there. So you must visit a large number of areas in 10 days to find objects that will help you complete your assignment. You can also earn trophies, play spot-the-difference games and choose your difficulty level.
Demo Available: Yes

Coconut Queen
Genre: Strategy (Time Management)
Availability: Harmonic Flow
Retail Price: $19.99
Platform: Windows 2000, XP and Vista
Premise: The island of Lui Lui has lost its luster, and it’s up to you to try and get it back. You come to the island to vacation, then discover you’re the only woman there. You’re dubbed the Coconut Queen and tasked with luring more tourists to the local.
Demo Available: Yes

Editor’s Note: Due to so many casual games sites offering game plans or preferred member prices, which can cause a game to have multiple price-points, the games’ average retail prices is mentioned in Casual Friday.

Site [Big Fish Games] Site [PlayFirst] Site [GameHouse] Site [eGames] Site [Alawar Games] Site [Amazon] Site [Reflexive Arcade] Site [Harmonic Flow]