Everybody in town is depressed, but you've got the cure! In the arcade game Pill Cannon, you are a robot with just one arm, and it's your job to feed pills to the sad people, firing them at their little pods as soon as they show signs of growing morose. The faster and more accurately you work, the better your score!

Each level is stocked with a few windows and a couple of solid objects and walls to create a nice environment for ricocheting. When people first step into their pods, they'll be green and content. After a few seconds they get sad, at which time you can feed them their happy pills to send them back to the land of the lovely. If you don't get the medicine to the people in time, they turn red and leap from the window straight to the ground. Nobody wants that, especially not one-armed robots.

Pill Cannon's main game will probably be a bit too easy for most, as it's pretty much just straight cannon work. Once you figure out where to lob pills to hit the people, it's a simple matter of moving the mouse to a certain spot and clicking the mouse button at the right time. Some special characters make appearances, such as the blue people that slow your pills down or bigger people that require a few pills to sedate, but it never becomes a focus of the game, more like a side bonus to look forward to. If you want a challenge, try Survival Mode from the main menu.

Analysis: Pill Cannon manages to take a rather morose topic and turn it into a light-hearted arcade game. The subject matter is handled well, in that it's not really a part of the experience at all, and Pill Cannon avoids the soured fields of "that's not something you can poke fun at" territory. It's like Whack-a-Mole in a number of ways. Does anyone ever worry about hitting the moles, or do you just play the game and grin like a little kid?

The visuals are clean, polished and smart, exactly the kind of thing we like to see in a browser game. The sound effects are trimmed to a minimum, which is absolutely perfect for a game of this nature. Pill Cannon doesn't throw anything at you that doesn't need to be there, not in its presentation or its gameplay.

Its streamlined simplicity is also a slight drawback, as Pill Cannon doesn't give you many reasons to come back for more. The main game has 25 levels which you'll charge through in less than half an hour, and Survival Mode is seven stages of endless pill firing. The points system isn't too demanding or competitive, so unless you want to be a dedicated lobber of pills, your first half hour with this game will probably be your last. But it's a good half hour, to be sure.

Pill Cannon is a sweet and simple arcade game of careful aim and ricocheting physics, perfect for a short afternoon diversion.

Play Pill Cannon.

Cluster Lander is a new game from Candystand, part space exploration and part racing game. You have been sent on a voyage to explore a series of "clusters," which are a little like asteroids, and your mission is to explore and retrieve the coordinates that will allow you to continue traveling through space. Each cluster is an obstacle course that you must navigate using your cleverly designed exploration vehicle.

The central element of gameplay is the way your vehicle actually works. The basic controls are simple: Press an [arrow] key, and the opposite thruster fires. The ship has a basic stabilization system that keeps it upright and relatively easy to pilot, but crashing into things or getting hit by enemy fire can destabilize you, which makes it much harder to pilot your ship. Sometimes, though, you'll want to break your own stabilizer on purpose, so that you can orient the ship differently, fit through small cracks, or fire at otherwise unreachable enemies. A skilled pilot can take advantage of the increased flexibility of the ship when it's destabilized, but learning to reestablish your stabilizer is a useful skill in itself. The controls are very responsive, which is great in a game that relies so much on precise maneuvering.

As you wander through clusters, you'll encounter lasers, locks, turrets, and other objects that will stymie your progress, as well as fuel, health, and bomb power-ups that will let you keep fighting. Tap [S] or [shift] to drop a bomb, and [A] or [ctrl] to change weapons. Since the game records your movements as you fly, you have the option of racing against a "ghost" when you try a level again, which will allow you to garner medals by flying faster than your opponent. Playing the ghost mode has a second advantage if you're getting stuck on levels, because it gives you a guide in case you get lost.

Analysis: Cluster Lander has a great premise, with tight controls, and a ton of replay value. Getting to go through the levels again for better and better times will keep medal fanatics busy, but you can always enjoy poking through clusters trying to find another weapons cache even if you're not trying to beat any specific time. In fact, you might want to take your time; piloting the lander definitely takes some getting used to, and you'll want to get a feel for what's going to send your trusty ship rocketing into the nearest wall before you stomp on the gas.

The levels are expansive and really give you a great feeling of exploring the clusters. As a bonus, hidden caches of weapons, armor, and fuel are scattered around the level, which really gives you that thrill of discovery when you find them at the right time. There are also additional clusters available for purchase if you so desire, but the original free game should be enough to keep you busy, and doesn't require any form of payment to do so.

If the game has a flaw, it's that it's almost too straightforward. Not to say that the game is simple, since the difficulty curve ramps pretty steadily, but it would have been nice to have, for example, an upgrade path to make your lander stronger, faster, or more dangerous. Since the lander never upgrades, the final levels can feel a lot like the early levels. The combat also takes a while to get used to, since you are generally dropping bombs from above your enemies and have to take momentum into account when you're launching them. These are pretty minor issues, though, when the rest of the game nails the exploration genre so dead on.

If you've always wanted to see what lies beyond the big blue yonder, and pilot an extremely fragile spacecraft through dangerous terrain, then Cluster Lander is the game for you, provided your reflexes (and your patience) are up to the task.

Play Cluster Lander.

Hugely, hugely, hugely addictive games on this edition of Mobile Monday, apps we just couldn't keep our smudging little fingers off of for very long. Each should be familiar to anyone who follows the casual/indie gaming scene, but their transition to the mobile platform introduces new controls as well as our favorite hook: complete portability!

Stair Dismount - Developed by Secret Exit, the studio behind Zen Bound and SPiN, Stair Dismount is exactly what the title promises. Your goal is to nudge a ragdoll character down the stairs, causing as much virtual damage as you can. Choose which part of the doll to push, select the force you want to use, and watch the professional stair dismounter do his thing. It's a lot of fun to tweak your tosses for maximum points, and there are a good handful of stair designs to test your luck on. You can also grab the original free downloadable version for Mac, Windows and Linux.

VectorTD - Ever heard of a little tower defense game called Vector TD? Of course you have, you crafty casual gamer you. David Scott's stylish strategy game has been packed into the iPhone for on-the-go creep destruction. Wave after wave of vectoids come pouring through the gates, slowly making their way around the maze and to the exit. It's your job to place towers along the path to take the baddies out as efficiently as possible. Spend your cash to plop a dozen types of buildings, each with its own strength and style of attack. Check out our review of the original browser version of Vector TD along with Vector TD 2 for loads more information. Apart from rather tiny on-screen buttons, this one plays like a charm on the touch screen.

Spider: Hornet Smash - Created to promote Spider: The Secret of Bryce Manor (a wholly original and engaging game, if you have yet to try it), Hornet Smash uses the same spider physics (did I really just write that?) as Bryce Manor, only instead of sending you on an exploratory adventure, now you're hunting down hornets. Leap across pint-sized stages to tackle the stinging bullies as you compete for points on an online leaderboard. Spinning a complex web isn't quite as useful in this arcade game as it is in Bryce Manor, but you'll have a good time streaming across levels and taking down bugs all the same.

NOTE: Games listed may not be available outside of North America. Prices are subject to change and are therefore unlisted. Please see the individual game pages for purchasing info.

When her stepmother (and it is always the stepmother, isn't it?) threatens to send her away to a finishing school, Lucy does what any girl would do: she runs away on the first ship sailing from port in an effort to find her father. She winds up getting embroiled in a conspiracy involving the most powerful trading company in the world. Will Lucy ever find her father and be able to afford a shirt that covers her belly? Find out in Pirate Princess from Moonpod (creator of Mr. Robot), a word game mixed with a puzzle title set on adventure through ye olde high seas.

The bulk of Pirate Princess relies heavily on a Bookworm Adventures approach to gameplay, using letter tiles to spell words that damage an enemy. Yes, pirates are a literate lot who, in-between swilling grog and being swarthy, do battle by spelling words. Longer words do more damage and certain "pirate" words such as "sea" or "guts" do more damage and charge your cannons. Battles aren't turn-based, so spell as fast as you can to sink your opponent before they sink you.

The more enemies you battle, the more your reputation will rise, and Lucy's rank will eventually increase, allowing you to distribute points to increase stat scores and unlock new abilities. These battle skills range from increasing your attack to locking an opponent's word tiles in place. Just stay on your toes, since some abilities affect both you and your opponent. As you progress through the story you'll earn new, stronger types of ships to sail in. You'll also find exciting new ports with shipyards to repair your craft and marketplaces to purchase special items used in battle.

Analysis: I really enjoyed Pirate Princess, despite the limitations imposed by its gameplay. An unfortunate trend developing in games these days is the neglect of the story itself, leaving the finished product to limp along on the strength of its gimmicks. Pirate Princess instead offers up a complete experience with a genuinely interesting story that drives you to want to see its completion. The gameplay is simple enough that anyone can pick it up, and mechanics such as the "pirate words" help to keep you thinking instead of blindly firing off words like "stop" and "hugs" during battle just to shoot as fast as you can, ultimately dealing less damage.

Of course, as to whether or not your definition of "pirate word" will jive with the game's, well, your mileage may vary. "Water", for example, is a pirate word, but "waters" is not. "Sail" is also one, but not "sailed". I realise sitting down and making a flow chart of what is and isn't "pirate-y" enough would be ridiculous and mostly impossible, but as it stands, the mechanism here doesn't always feel like an integral part of gameplay you can depend on. Once you do learn what words will shiver the game's timbers, of course, you'll be thankful for when you do have them pop up on screen.

Easily the game's biggest strength is its well-written (though not exactly groundbreaking) story. It has to be at least interesting, since five minutes into the game you've essentially seen all the gameplay mechanics Pirate Princess has to offer. Sailing back and forth across the same map fighting the same people in the same way gets a little... same-y. It helps that real thought has been put into the reason why you should be sailing to and fro. What starts out as a simple story about a girl running away from home winds up a tale of blackmail and deceit on the high seas.

The biggest problem I had was with the action buttons being placed too close together. While you're hurriedly trying to out-spell your opponent, it's too easy to miss by a few degrees and accidentally shuffle the entire board, including whatever valuable word you might have been about to fire. Likewise, accidentally hitting the retreat button instead of shuffling, which is doubly frustrating since it costs you gold and reputation, and is instantaneous with no option to confirm. No wonder pirates are always so foul-tempered.

While Pirate Princess doesn't feel quite as fleshed out as it could have been, it's still a very enjoyable high seas adventure. As a bonus it also features the most annoying parrot known to man. If you're hungry for a way to destroy your foes with the crushing power of your vocabulary while sailing around in a fancy hat, Pirate Princess will satisfy. Lubbers of land and fans of pants that lace all the way up your thighs need not apply.

Windows:
Download the demo
Order the full version

Mac OS X:
Not available.
Try Boot Camp or Parallels or CrossOver Games.

Hey there, new friend! Day got you down? Not anymore! It's Eyezmaze to the rescue with another bit of weird and wonderful point-and-click puzzle goodness in Transform! That's right, it's everyone's favourite game where you have to push... buttons on a... weird... gazelle... thingy! Yes, it's even better than that other game with the other, uh... gazelle thingy! No, not that one. The other one!

The clock is ticking and your antlered companion is being menaced by a lion! Clearly you must take action by figuring out the correct sequence of places to press and pull on your strangely morph-able friend to make it turn into... well, you'll see! Just point and click anywhere you see a red circle pop up when you move your cursor over an area. Sneaky, tricksy gazelle! Sort of makes you wonder what other animals aren't really endangered and are just transformed too, doesn't it? Why, the world could be filled with dodos masquerading as juniper bushes right this second!

While not as queerly heartwarming as the Grow series could be, Transform is still just as enjoyable. Don't expect it to make a lot of sense, and you'll do fine. A big part of the joy you get from any Eyezmaze game is discovering what effect your actions have, and Transform is no exception. Seeing the strange transformation take place as you pull tails and push noses is oddly satisfying, even if it's likely going to take you a lot of trial and error. So what are you waiting for? Give it a play! Guaranteed to be the best time you'll spend with a frozen lion and a gazelle with Autobot capabilities this year!

Play Transform.

Special thanks to Sphax and Kelsey for sending this one in!

Scissors at the ready, ladies and gentlemen. Your favourite fashion designer is back with JoJo's Fashion Show: World Tour, the latest in the style-swapping time management series from Game Lab. This time around, JoJo's daughter, Ros, has finally struck off to pursue her own career, leaving JoJo in need of a new assistant. After some rather unqualified applicants, she settles on Hayley, a young and talented designer hungry for success of her own. But is Hayley really as sweet and devoted to JoJo as she seems? How far is she willing to go to get to the top? And will you care? Probably not, since it's hard to get very riled up about a story that plays out with three pieces of dialogue or less in between stages. But you don't come to JoJo for life-changing drama, and what she lacks in story depth she more than makes up with the fast-paced fashion matching you've come to enjoy, now in brand new locations. And yes, it's faaaaabulous. Mostly.

As JoJo travels around the world, it's your job to assemble the styles she needs on each stage, picking out appropriate pieces for your models before the time runs out. Above each model's head is a tag displaying the style they're to be dressed for, and clicking on it will bring up a list of qualifiers that will help you pick and choose from the clothing items at the bottom of the screen. Dress your models as closely to the style rules as possible to rack up the points, and get at least a three star ranking to continue.

Along with the styles you're familiar with, World Tour appropriately enough introduces fashions from all over the world. Urban Rasta, Amsterdam Street, Royal Casual... all of them are appropriate for the regions you'll unlock them in, and they add some much needed variety to the lineup. The ability to create your own pieces before each show is also surprisingly well done. You can choose from multiple clothing styles, patterns, colours, and more to help score big on the runway.

The updated look of the game winds up being a mixed bag of hits and misses. It's not simply a matter of change being bad, since the new, bigger, more detailed pieces of clothing are welcome. However, the character design feels a little unbalanced, placing the stylised appearance of the main characters alongside the uber realistic (and a little frightening) models. JoJo's new assistant, Hayley, is also rather spectacularly unlikeable, mainly due to the snotty tone of voice used for all her commentary. Admittedly, this is mostly on purpose for the story, but it doesn't help you from gritting your teeth whenever she opens her mouth while you're running late on the catwalk.

Analysis: Somewhere inside me, possibly buried beneath a pair of frayed blue-jeans and several mis-matched sets of scuffed sneakers, there's a fashionista shrieking to get out. Which is not, of course, to say that I create anything that anyone would actually wear in the JoJo series. Something about stringing together competent outfits that don't actually make your eyes bleed in the series' trademark bright, beautiful style is just very satisfying.

This hasn't changed with the third installment. JoJo's playing it safe by changing only her aesthetics, and in fact, even the photo shoot levels, which were introduced with the second game, have gone the way of the dodo. You're shackled to the runway for the duration. Since this gameplay is precisely what appeals to most fans to begin with, this isn't necessarily a bad thing, but it does leave World Tour feeling a bit like it should have been an expansion rather than it's own game.

In fact the biggest "problem" with the game might not even be a problem at all, depending on your point of view. It's just far too easy now to get a five star show without even trying. Slapping together an outfit that gets the highest rating just because it matches the bare-bones criteria of the style doesn't feel satisfying. And while the clothes do look better there's also less of them. Fewer pre-made pieces for each style means it's a cinch to make "signature outfits" previous titles in the series had you crossing your fingers for.

World Tour doesn't change much in JoJo's tried-and-tested formula, but is that such a bad thing? The core gameplay has never been a problem with those for whom it appealed to, and while the new look was mostly unnecessary, it does help keep things fresh along with the new styles. If you don't like JoJo and her particular brand of fashion-oriented gameplay by now, World Tour probably won't make a convert out of you. But if you're already a fan, the third in the series is a welcome addition that will keep you busy. Just be prepared for the oddly pleading eyes of the wooden-postured models to follow you into your nightmares.

Windows:
Download the demo
Order the full version

Mac OS X:
Not available.
Try Boot Camp or Parallels or CrossOver Games.

Jojo's Fashion Show: World Tour is available to download from these affiliates:

Natalie Brooks fans rejoice! Our heroine is back, and she's... in high school? Well, not really, although she does spend some time there. Natalie Brooks: Mystery at Hillcrest High — the third in the popular hidden object/adventure hybrid series — is back and better than ever. Alawar Games has brought Natalie back home to the town where she grew up with an adventure that starts with a letter from an old school chum and ends in a wild hot air balloon chase. In between is action, adventure, mini-games, loads of puzzles, and yes, some hidden object goodness as well.

After a brief cut-scene involving the aforementioned balloon and a cliff-hanger, our story begins as Natalie picks up the mail. Much to her surprise she finds a letter from an old friend, Chad. Soon she will discover the hidden message inside the letter, and the race is on, a rollicking action/adventure featuring mayhem, treachery, kidnapping, robbery, and lots of things that go boom. But first she must track down Chad. And then his friend Kitty. And then figure out why Chad was kidnapped. And then figure out what the Black Cat gang is up to. And then... well, you get the picture.

With this, the third in the series (Secrets of Treasure House and The Treasures of the Lost Kingdom) Natalie Brooks has made the leap into true point and click adventure. Hover your mouse cursor everywhere and watch for it to change to denote areas that are of interest or things that can be picked up or manipulated. Pretty soon you will be unlocking doors, breaking windows, uncovering hidden passages, etc. that lead to different areas. The player will wander back and forth between the areas (sometimes several) finding inventory items, solving puzzles, playing mini-games and mini-puzzles, and occasionally wandering into a hidden object scene or two. Eventually everything will be solved and you can move on to the next location and next chapter of the story.

As you continue through a chapter you will uncover more and more things to accomplish. Fortunately there's a handy "goals" scroll being kept so you can keep track of everything that is necessary to get through the area. A scrolling inventory also helps keep track of what you have and what you have left to do. And of course there's Natalie herself, giving you hints and letting you know when you've done something wrong.

The quality and difficulty of the mini-games and puzzles ranges from simple to mind-boggling. There is a nice mix of old and new to be had, as well as some mini-games that are pure arcade-style fun requiring nothing more than speed and dexterity. Although the characters and cut-scenes continue in the cartoony, hand drawn style the series is famous for, the adventure scenes have moved to the three dimensional and photo-real. This makes the wider variety of games and puzzles possible, as well as adding another dimension (ha!) in the handling of certain objects, such as a 3D teddy bear bomb that you must rotate and manipulate as you disarm it. The game has a handy refilling hint feature, as well as the ability to skip the mini-games and mini-puzzles.

Analysis: Natalie Brooks: Mystery at Hillcrest High makes the leap to true point and click adventure hybrid without losing the wit and humor that made the games so fun to begin with. The art, while certainly not going to give Dire Grove a run for its money, is still refreshing and adds to the gameplay experience. In certain areas lighting, weather, and other factors enhance the look-and-feel of the game. A lively soundtrack and sound effects serve to round out the experience.

Are there drawbacks? Yes, a few. Some of the arcade style games are a bit jerky or difficult, but they can easily be skipped. The art is nice, but there is better out there. A hint feature for some of the more difficult mini-puzzles would have been nice, as well. On the plus side the game is longer than most, especially if you don't skip the mini-games. You can look forward to several hours of challenging casual gameplay with Natalie. In these days of ever shrinking gameplay and ever more simple mini-puzzles, Natalie Brooks is a breath of fresh air.

Natalie Brooks: Mystery at Hillcrest High is fun, casual gameplay at its best. With this game Alawar shows its determination to go toe-to-toe with the big guns of the hybrid field, Mystery Case Files and Hidden Expedition. The narrative structure is delightful, the games and puzzles fun, and the action cut-scenes thrilling. Quirky, charming, exciting, and just plain fun, give Natalie Brooks a try! Even if it does mean going back to high school, however briefly.

Windows:
Download the demo
Order the full version

Mac OS X:
Not available.
Try Boot Camp or Parallels or CrossOver Games.

Natalie Brooks: Mystery at Hillcrest High is available to download from these affiliates:

If games weren't challenging, we wouldn't bother with them, right? Games create a set of rules that cause certain actions to be difficult, then you, the player, must try to perform those actions. It's a narrow definition, to be sure, but challenge on any level is something that sits at the core of gaming. Each of the games below throws challenges at you in a different way, whether it's via enemies, puzzles, restrictive physics, or a combination of all three. Sometimes you have to form a strategy, but sometimes it's about fighting with the game itself to make it all work. Either way, it's fun.

Shards (Windows, 17.4MB, free) - An excellent experimental platform game where you move through levels by gaining momentum via rolling and jumping. It's much more challenging than that description sounds, as sometimes the simplest-looking jump requires you to backtrack and gain considerable speed before attempting it. The creator, Jeroen Stout (Bodilies), considers this a prototype, so don't be surprised if you encounter a few rough edges here and there.

Hydorah (Windows, 18MB, teaser) - A free "demo" for a work-in-progress shmup, Hydorah is old school in every way. Fight against hordes of aliens through a series of short, intense levels, using primary and secondary weapons you can unlock and select as you progress. There's just one difficulty level, and it's cranked up so high you'll have a rough time even in the first stage. When it comes to retro challenge, this game does not fool around. It's so serious, it warns you before you even get to the title screen. Yeah. If this were an arcade machine, you might as well hand over your roll of quarters up front. Created by the author of 8-bit Killer.

Battle of Tiles (Windows, 18.5MB, demo) - A casual war strategy game at its core (but with liberal sprinklings of RPG elements), Battle of Tiles pushes simplicity to the forefront and delivers a captivating turn-based tactics experience that only gets better as you play. You control a party of knights, archers, mages and priests, each represented by a single tile. Advance through wave after wave of enemy tiles while you arrange your fighters in the best possible formation. Level-up units, swap them with weaker soldiers, bribe enemy units to join your side, and amass a glorious army that can be as many as 70 strong. Bosses are a particular high point in the game, requiring a delightful mix of puzzle solving and strategizing to conquer. It's impressive that a game manages to take tactical combat and strip it to its essentials without losing the fun, but Battle of Tiles has done it well.

Note: All games have been confirmed to run under Windows Vista and are virus-free. Mac users should try Boot Camp, Parallels, or CrossOver Games to play Windows titles, Linux users can use Wine. If you know of a great game we should feature, use the Submit link above to send it in!

Many time management/casual simulation games, such as the Build-a-Lot series or Be Rich!, challenge the player in different ways, whether it be building or development, services or power. Now, along comes a new player in the field, Virtual City. Created by G5 Entertainment, Virtual City gives us a new and different take on city development: transportation.

Whereas Build-a-Lot focuses on building, and Be Rich! focuses on development and wealth accumulation, Virtual City takes an entirely different route. The player owns not a real estate company or development company but a trucking company. It is up to the player to develop supply chains, garbage hauling, and people transportation as the underpinning to development (or redevelopment) of various levels. You will end up constructing buildings, but your money comes in solely from moving raw materials, manufactured goods, people, and garbage. Whatever you do, don't forget the garbage.

A handy tutorial will walk you through the first few scenarios. Something simple, like, for instance, the shopping mall needs a supply of pies. However, even something as easy as that takes some thought and planning. Wheat needs to be transported to a mill, then the flour needs to be transported to a bakery. The bakery can't make anything without milk, though, so you'll need a third truck delivering milk from a dairy farm. Then, once pies are being made, you'll need yet another truck to transport them to the mall. And while all this is going on, businesses are generating garbage, necessitating the purchase of dumpsters to haul it away. And a recycling plant to handle it. And... well, you get the picture. Each scene has a certain amount of time in which to accomplish all goals to achieve expert status. If you go past that time, the game will continue until you complete all of the stated goals. You can, of course, go back and try again if you want to nab expert in every scenario.

You start small with a few buildings available, but eventually you will tackle much larger projects such as train stations, marinas, and even a space shuttle launch center. Beginning trucks can only haul so much (usually one unit of a material or good) but can be upgraded to larger and more efficient sizes. And everything you do has a measurable environmental impact, as well as a happiness impact on the citizens of your little virtual city. Early on, towns will be small and will fit easily into a screen. Later, as you tackle bigger and bigger projects, the map expands. Move the mouse cursor to the edge of the screen to scroll around, or right click and drag the ground.

Virtual City consists of 50 separate challenges spread across five states, each with their own "flavor" due to the location and climate. California, especially, is a challenge as nearly every town has just survived some sort of natural disaster and needs cleanup and re-establishment of services. Complete a town or two and unlock the sandbox mode for that state, a fun separate challenge where you start with a set amount of money and a vast open space to develop as you please. No timers, no goals, just fun.

Analysis: Despite the resemblance to established time management/casual sim games, Virtual City stands on its own merits. The gameplay is thoroughly absorbing and quite fun as you watch the dance of your little trucks to and fro in the city streets. By shifting the focus to transportation needs, Virtual City has opened up a new way of seeing the world and a whole new skillset that needs to be learned.

Visually, Virtual City is fantastically appealing. Bright, vivid, and minutely detailed, you can spend a lot of time just enjoying the scenery and forget that there are actual goals to meet. Lively music and sound effects are the perfect accompaniment as you get lost in each town's transportation needs. Each state features not only appropriate background scenery, but also accompanying weather systems and other unique problems to the regions. Definitely watch out for the California rounds!

With loads of scenarios to work through, trophies to be won, and the sandbox modes for each state, Virtual City offers hours and hours of fantastic casual gameplay. Fun to play in small chunks or while away the time in immersive gameplay. Not a clone or a knock-off, but a virtual experience all its own, Virtual City is a fantastic wild ride. Just, really, don't forget the garbage. You won't like what happens if you do.

Windows:
Download the demo
Order the full version

Mac OS X:
Not available.
Try Boot Camp or Parallels or CrossOver Games.

Virtual City is available to download from these affiliates:

What happens when two of the best known names in the room escape business team up? You get a charming little piece like First Love, is what. Created by Bianco-Bianco (Dr. Ichie, Mystery House in Japan) and Robamimi (Who Am I? Remake, The Wedding Anniversary) First Love is not your ordinary escape. Call it a holiday gift to you.

To begin with, you are not attempting to escape anything. You are, in fact, attempting a walk down memory lane, to a decade ago when you and your first love parted. The action takes place in a lovely little chapel, the last place you two met, and your mission, if you choose to accept it, is to find the picture you both drew on that fateful day. Will you find the picture? Will your first love meet you as promised? You'll have to play to find out.

Navigation through the space can be a little tricky at first. Turning left and right is simple, bars will appear at the sides of the screen. However, you are walking through a narrow chapel, so in order to see some things to your right or left, you will first have to move forward. Luckily, pixel hunting will be at a minimum thanks to the nice changing cursor, which indicates areas that can be clicked. There's no construction or combining of objects to be had here, just puzzles and mind games. And memories...

The backgrounds are of the beautiful quality you would expect from Bianco-Bianco and Robamimi. From the charming little chapel all done up for Christmas, to the warm glow of the basement everything is a treat for the eyes. Accompanying your quest is a peaceful little tune, which can be handily muted if it becomes annoying. There's even a save button if you wish to stop and come back later.

Analysis: First Love is a nice combination of Robamimi's sentiment and Bianco-Bianco's quirkiness. This is not a tense nail-biter, nor a pure cold logic puzzle. Instead, it is a warm and fuzzy nostalgia trip that is perfect for a short break from the holiday madness.

No, it's not the hardest room escape out there. Nor the cutest, nor the quirkiest. First Love has its own quiet charm, it's calm and soothing, and it has just enough difficulty to make it a challenge. The only quarrel you might have is that one of the main puzzles is color-based, making it rather inaccessible for those with color-blindness.

Now that the holiday is finally here, and you've stuffed yourself silly and are tired of family fighting and football, take a 15 minute break from the day and enjoy some casual gameplay. Remember, it's sometimes fun not to escape from something, but to escape to something. Enjoy the trip down memory lane.

Play First Love.

Whether or not this Friday is a special holiday for you, or just a day like any other, we hope you have a great day. May all your games purchased by well-meaning but oblivious relatives be for consoles you actually own. May your scores always stay at the top of the leaderboard, rather than vanishing after three minutes. May your point-and-click puzzles always be logical, although they probably never will. May people make more Hanukkah and Kwanzaa games next year so I don't have to frantically scour the web for something to feature. And most of all, may your coming year be filled with fun, happiness, health, tolerance, and awesomeness. Merry Friday, everyone. Now get out of my way and let me at those presents!

• Infectonator Christmas Edition - [Parental Warning: Violence and Language] Jingle bells, civilian yells, zombie's got his leg! Oh what fun it is to give Santa a taste for flesh this day... hey!... what, you don't know the words? In the case of the Christmas Edition, for Infectonator it's essentially second verse, same as the first, only with festive hats and 8-Bit holiday music. Reminds me of some nightmares I've had after too much egg nog.
• Civiballs X-Mas Levels - It's just 20 levels long, but the holiday edition of Civiballs is so darned festive you might just see sugarplums and candy canes every time you close your eyes. Which might be pleasant, if not for the fact that sugarplums are nasty. Why not fruitcake? Everyone loves fruitcake. You're probably familiar with the gameplay, but don't let that stop you from enjoying this cheerful little physics puzzle.
• Icebreaker: The Gathering - This holiday season, show someone you care. Give them a surly, smelly, wet viking you cut out of a block of ice. The next set of levels in Nitrome's weekly release scheme for this latest installment in a favourite series is now available to play!
• Save the Bunny: X-Mas Edition - The bunnies are back, and this time they're in all sorts of seasonal peril! You know, I'm starting to get fed up with these rabbits. Why can't they just stay saved? I'm beginning to think Mother Nature has it in for them, but if you really wanted to, I guess you could point-and-click their way to freedom. Again. Stupid wabbits.
• Santa Hair - I don't make the rules. Look. What part of "topiary mallet" doesn't make sense to you? This isn't rocket science, people. Next you'll be telling me beating up a block man to take his tape is crazy. No, no, no more questions, Santa's in his hammock and you're going to wake him up. Just trust me, it'll all make sense in the end. [Note: May not, in fact, make sense.]
• Mezzo Special Edition - He's been in your computer, and now he's in your browser. If you think 100 levels of block-swapping puzzle-penguin action is the only thing that could make your Friday complete, well... you're weird, kid. But here you go anyway.
• Santa Rockstar 2 - It's all the not-really-playing-the-guitar guitar-playing action you can handle, right in your browser with a holiday theme! Features multiple difficulties, two different ways to play, and some old bearded guy rockin' out. Sounds like a recipe for success to me! Jack Black would approve. Note: May make lower end computers weep.
• Chompy's Winter Rescue - There's something oddly hypnotic about the relaxed gameplay taking place here as you work to save critters frozen in ice. Maybe it's the smooth-paced action. Maybe it's the snake charmer music. Maybe it's the undulating giant, chomping plant. Wh... what's that, Chompy? You... you want me to buy all your undoubtably forthcoming and adorable merchandise?
• Snow Day - The gameplay is about as simple as you can get, but it's also simply adorable. Throw ice at the clouds floating by overhead to make sure it's cold enough that the school stays closed. Sorry, no epic boss battles or explosions, just a kid, a snow ball... and deranged mutant killer monster snow goons!!... no, no... wait... that was just a cloud. Honest mistake. Carry on.
• Santa Fu! - Old Saint Nick is as retro and as hardcore as you can get in this side-scrolling beat-em-up. Show the world you don't need cell shading and polygons to kick butt, jolly old man style. Just remember; he knows if you've been naughty or nice.

A custom casual gameplay comic created exclusively for JIG by Babylon Sticks creator, James Francis.