Gamertell

It’s been a bit of a slow week in the casual game world. A nice selection of games have been released, but there wasn’t a downpour of titles like there was last week. Still, with the variety available, there should be something to catch your eye.

This week also heralded the debut of the very last casual game I ever expected to see, Mr. Jones’ Graveyard Shift. That’s right - there is now a casual game about managing and profiting off of a cemetary. Nothing can surprise me now. And yet, the very idea of it actually existing has prompted me to name it one of this week’s best bets.

That was the week’s only unexpected announcement though. The rest were fairly typical. Take a look for yourself.

This week’s best bets are: Cooking Dash: DinerTown Studios (PC, Mac), Build-a-Lot 4: Power Source (PC) and Mr. Jones’ Graveyard Shift (PC)

Continental Cafe
Genre: Puzzle (Hidden Object)
Availability: Harmonic Flow
Retail Price: $9.99
Platform: Windows 2000, XP and Vista. Mac 10.4 and up
Premise: Laura wants to open her own restaurant, filled with recipes from around the world. The problem is, she has a lot of debt after completing college, and doesn’t have the right material and knowledge to start. So, she has to travel around the world to discover new recipes to start her own business.
Demo Available: Yes

Strange Cases: The Tarot Card Mystery
Genre: Puzzle (Hidden Object)
Availability: Big Fish Games, Harmonic Flow
Retail Price: $6.99
Platform: Windows XP and Vista
Premise: To solve a triple kidnapping, the FBI sends in Agent Claire Ellery to search hidden object puzzles for clues and tarot cards that will lead her to the taken girls before something terrible befalls them.
Demo Available: Yes

Hide and Secret - Cliffhanger Castle
Genre: Puzzle (Hidden Object)
Availability: Alawar Entertainment
Retail Price: $19.95
Platform: Windows
Premise: Will and Anna want to turn a historic castle into a museum, but they have to solve the mysteries within before they can. Mysteries that date back to the time of King Arthur.
Demo Available: Yes

Mystery Stories: Animal Agents
Genre: Puzzle (Hidden Object)
Availability: Harmonic Flow
Retail Price: $9.99
Platform: Windows 98, 2000, XP, ME, and Vista
Premise: Animals are being kidnapped throughout the neighborhood, but no one seems to believe something’s amiss. They just think the animals ran away on their own. It’s up to Sarah, Justin and Anna to discover who’s stealing people’s pets.
Demo Available: Yes

Eco Rescue: Project Rainforest
Genre: Puzzle (Hidden Object)
Availability: GameHouse, Harmonic Flow
Retail Price: $5.99
Platform: Windows XP and Vista
Premise: The rainforests of the world are in danger, and the only way to save, protect and preserve them is to play through hidden object games. Plus, you’ll also get to learn more about rainforests while you play.
Demo Available: Yes

Mr. Jones’ Graveyard Shift
Genre: Simulation (Time Management)
Availability: Big Fish Games, Harmonic Flow
Retail Price: $6.99
Platform: Windows XP and Vista
Premise: You’ve managed hotels, you’ve managed malls, you’ve managed farms and you’ve even managed entire towns. Now, you get to manage your very own graveyards. Step into Mr. Jones’ shoes as he attempts to create lovely and attractive cemetaries and make his fortune on the recently deceased.
Demo Available: Yes

Fairy Nook
Genre: Puzzle (Match 3)
Availability: Alawar Entertainment
Retail Price: $19.95
Platform: Windows
Premise: Mathin has been separated from his friends, and the only way to reunite with them is to play through seven episodes and over 30 match-3 puzzle levels to find his way through a fairy world.
Demo Available: Yes

Cooking Dash: DinerTown Studios
Genre: Simulation (Time Management)
Availability: PlayFirst, Harmonic Flow
Retail Price: $19.95
Platform: Windows XP and Vista, Mac 10.4 and 10.5
Premise: Flo is now in charge of feeding the stars. She’s working in five TV-themed restaurants as the waitress/cook in a customer service game where you must deliver food to celebrity customers who stop in the shop.
Demo Available: Yes

Build-a-Lot 4: Power Source
Genre: Simulation (Time Management)
Availability: Big Fish Games, PlayFirst, Harmonic Flow, GameHouse, RealArcade
Retail Price: $19.95
Platform: Windows 98, 2000, XP and Vista
Premise: Once again, you’re creating neighborhoods and becoming a video game mogul in Build-a-Lot 4. This time though, you also have to keep an eye on the amount of energy your neighborhoods use as well. You have to use green energy sources to keep everyone happy and blackout-free.
Demo Available: Yes

QuantZ
Genre: Puzzle (Match-3)
Availability: GameHouse
Retail Price: $5.99
Platform: Windows XP and Vista
Premise: It’s a 3D match-3 puzzle game with physics elements tossed into the mix. The basic premise is you must remove spheres that are attached to a center cube. The goal is to eliminate all spheres in as few matches as possible. There are over 100 levels included.
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]