Lucky Coins, the latest release from Donut Games, is a quick and chaotic game reminiscent of pinball or pachinko. The goal is simple: rack up as many points as possible by collecting stars, horseshoes, clovers and sevens, as well as hitting bumpers and moving platforms.

There are three levels, each with its own arrangement of items. To play, simply click the mouse to drop your lucky coin; from there, you must watch helplessly as the coin caroms around the level, propelled by bumpers of various sizes. However, there are magnets strategically placed around the level which will grab the coin as it passes, allowing you to redirect it in the direction of your choice—just click again when the line is pointing in your desired direction.

An alternate challenge is to collect as few points as possible, something that is deceptively difficult. For example, my first attempt at this netted 6732 points, but none of my future tries obtained under 9000.

Analysis: On your first play through Lucky Coins, you might be tempted to write it off for being too dependent on luck. However, once you play a few more games (they go by in a snap) and start to become familiar with the layouts of each level, you'll come to realize that the magnets are placed in positions that make it possible to climb back up and collect a lot of points that you may have missed. Although I won't go so far as to say that the game relies heavily on skill, you will certainly not achieve a high score through pure chance. Still, it's frustrating when your coin drops neatly past a bunch of magnets and drops into a finish slot with no chance to go back and clean up what you missed, something that happens occasionally on the 1st and 3rd levels.

Lucky Coins is solid in its presentation, from the bouncy physics to the clangy pinball sound effects. One feature I feel is sorely lacking is storage of a player's personal high score. With your personal best displayed, you would have something to shoot for even if you can't crack the high score list. There's a reason why this feature is present in other chaotic games with minimal user input (like Nanaca†Crash). A "low score list" would also be nice.

Still, props to the Donut Games team for putting out yet another fabulous game. Play Lucky Coins

Another simple but madly enjoyable game has recently been released at Pepere.org, creator of Capsules, Ringmania, and a number of other physics-based games. Crazy Mammoths is a racing title where your only action is to jump over other players and try to stay at the front of the line. Physics play a huge part in the game, as the slope you're on tilts as you slide, forcing you to cope with changing gravity and direction. The friction is also greater when you're at the front of the pack, slowing you down and allowing stragglers to keep up with your pace.

The strategy in Crazy Mammoths comes from your cunning use of jumps. If you time it right, you can prevent other racers from overtaking your position by bumping their ice block from below. Leaping over competitors is as equally cerebral, as one false move and you might find yourself in fourth place rather than first. The tilting landscape alters your speed and direction and adds an element of excitement (and randomness) to the game that keeps you on your toes.

In addition to the normal championship race, Crazy Mammoths includes a challenge mode that offers different tasks for you to complete. One of the best features is a 4-player local multiplayer mode where you and your friends can race against each other using the same keyboard. Getting that many humans to share one keyboard is entertaining, but let them control frozen mammoth blocks racing down a slope and you have something beyond crazy fun.

An elegant release from Pepere.org that's as intriguing as it is simple fun. Play Crazy Mammoths.

Loose the Moose is the latest point-and-click, escape-the-room puzzle game from Bart Bonte and just released only moments ago as we just received word from Bart about it.

As with most other games like it, the premise is a simple one: you're in a room, you need to get out. You will have to be observant and think logically to solve puzzles that lead you to your escape. If you get stuck, I'm sure there will be help provided in the comments before long. Perhaps even a walkthrough for those that get lost along the way. Play Loose the Moose.

Loose the Moose walkthrough now available!

They start with nothing, and in just three days time, a completed game sits before them. The second Toronto Indie Game Development Jam (TO Jam) was held earlier this month from May 4-6. Over 60 intrepid participants dove into the creative corners of their minds and pulled out unique games the world has never seen (and in some wacky cases, should never see). Just seven of the 20 games have been made available to play, but already it looks like the creativity tap was turned on high for the duration of the jam. It wasn't a competition, it wasn't a seminar, it was just a great excuse for programmers (and artists!) to get together and stretch their creative muscles for the betterment of indie gaming. Head over to TOJam.ca to check out the games and keep an eye on new releases.

Each time Ferry Halim of Orisinal.com releases a new game, I think I've seen the most beautiful and elegant combination of music and artwork in casual gaming history. With the latest release of The Crossing, Ferry has outdone himself once again.

You control a sliding platform at the center of the screen, vaguely reminiscent of Breakout. Instead of shattering bricks, however, your goal is to help bounding deer cross a forest stream. Slide the platform underneath them to give them ground to land on and make sure they make it across the gap. Click and drag the mouse to leave a stationary "shadow platform" for a limited time, allowing you to take care of several leaping deer at once. Your score accumulates as the deer leap to safety, but you can only miss five before it's game over. The occasional leaf falls from the trees that will add to your score or make the platform longer, so keep an eye for those drifting from the top of the screen.

The artwork for The Crossing is on par with Ferry's other releases, and the music is as soothing as ever. One minor difficulty is a lack of a visual cue where the stream begins and ends. When several deer are on the screen at once, each jumping at its own pace, it's often unclear whether or not the animal will land safely without your intervention. With practice you learn your boundaries, however, and before you know it you'll rack up a score in the millions.

Just like A Dog for all Seasons, Winterbells and every other Orisinal game, this one is simple but stunning in every possible way. Play The Crossing.

I love and hate this game for the same reason: it reminds me of grade school. In Friend Chase you run around a courtyard using only the mouse for movement and left button to jump. Your goal is always to collect friends by touching other people of the same color, though how many and in what combination differs from level to level. Sometimes you simply collect a certain number, in other levels you have to collect a defined number of two or more different styles of people. Some wear sunglasses, some have beards, others are wearing Lucha Libre masks... get it?

There is of course a time limit for each level, but eating food that is scattered throughout will bump up your remaining time. You can also collect "?" powerups: these seem to usually change what type of person you are or your color, though sometimes touching one will change you being dressed in black. While in black, you can touch anyone in the level without regard to color and gain a new friend, though they immediately start running away from you while you're in that state. It's time limited, so use it wisely while it lasts.

Quick tip: touching people of a different color knocks you flat on your fanny for a second, wasting time. However, touching someone not of your color but of your same style (you both are the bearded guys, say?) changes you to their color. So if you need 15 more friends to end the stage and just can't find anyone of your color around, change colors!

Analysis: The gameplay in Friend Chase is simple and delightful, and it managed to suck me in for quite a while. Each level is unique in its requirements and like a good arcade game manages to step up the difficulty each stage without ever making you feel like you have to achieve the impossible. The sound and music fits the graphics perfectly, which are beautiful throwbacks to the days of shareware. I think one of the little guys is even the spitting image of Duke Nukem.

My only complaint is in how difficult it is to tell the different 'friends' apart in levels where you have to collect a number of a certain style. I realize this may be part of the challenge, but it seems challenging enough just chasing them around, or sometimes even finding enough of one color, without having to squint (at a 19" monitor no less!) to try and figure out if you're chasing the "Bald Guy" or the "Lucha Libre" guy. Right, you can't mix up the Lucha Libre guy with anyone else, but you get my point, right?

I also like that the game manages in its own little way to demonstrate how friendships in grade school often start: you're attracted to those who look similar and repelled by those who look different. Most of us are able to overcome those initial prejudices eventually, and it's a shame the developer couldn't come up with a mechanic to simulate that as well.

Long Load Alert: there is a long Flash advertisement before the game itself loads, and since it's all in Japanese I can't tell you if there's a "skip" button. Just know that unless you speak Japanese not to click on anything until you see the game's main screen. You'll know it when you see it. Play Friend Chase!

Interactive Flash pieces have generally been designed as either games to be played or art to be interpreted. However, the line between game and art has been steadily diffusing, and there are now many offerings where it's not clear whether the author's intended focus was engaging the user in gameplay or immersing them in artful ponderings. One particularly beautiful example is Choice.

Choice is the product of the Department of Visual Communications and Design at Ling Tung University in Taiwan, presumably a product of one of the students, although I can only speculate, as I cannot read the Chinese language.

Luckily, you don't have to be able to read Chinese either to experience Choice. All you need is a mouse and your own two eyes. However, you'll probably want to engage your ears as well, for there are some wonderful ambient sounds to encounter. To begin, click the game title and then click the flashing numbers to freeze them. Write down the number that appears—you'll need it at the end. Click the numbers again and then click anywhere on the text that appears to start the game. From there, it's up to you to explore and complete the six stunning levels, each one its own fascinating milieu.

Analysis: Joye, who submitted the game, has posted translations of all the Chinese text on her blog, as well as a step-by-step walkthrough for each level. However, I would suggest only using the walkthrough as a last resort, because the experience provided by immersion into the environment is something that cannot be replicated when using shortcuts. Before resorting to the walkthrough, check the game itself for hints: click the book in the top right corner to bring up some text (in Chinese) which hints at the purpose of the level. Click the book again to highlight all of the hot spots in the scene.

In terms of game play, Choice feels a bit like an escape-the-room game of mild difficulty. However, I think you'll agree that there's much more to the game than simply the joy of completing it. The accompanying music and visual effects are top notch, but the rich text really shines in beauty, drawing parallels from a simple game to philosophy, art, and life in general. The book on level 5 offers this little bit of wisdom (as translated by Joye): A person's life time is limited, a victory or defeat at the conclusion isn't the most important thing at all, but rather playing the course. The ups and downs of one's mood and passing a test, the successful feeling of checkmate. Play Choice.

The weekend is upon us and that means another Weekend Download for your perusal. Featuring a mixture of freeware and demos, we have scoured the Web to cherry pick the finest download games that have recently become available. As usual, your purchase of any of the try before you buy demos helps support this site directly, and we simply could not continue to bring you the best in Casual Gameplay if it weren't for your kind support. Cheers!

Chalk
(Windows, freeware, 4MB) Sporting chalk-like visuals, this great looking arcade style shooter includes an innovative approach to its controls: draw chalk lines to destroy enemies against the backdrop of a blackboard. The lines to draw will depend on the type of enemy at hand. Some enemies require you to draw a line connecting all green spots, others require a line connecting ship and the bullet it fires. A quick tutorial is available from the main menu that gets you acquainted with all the various techniques. Definitely not your average shooter and it's a lot of fun to play. It's another exceptional game by veteran developer, Joakim Sandberg.

Escape from Paradise
(Windows, limited demo, 38MB) A brand new lost island adventure game in which you lead other shipwrecked castaways on a quest to build a tropical paradise by completing missions similar to other virtual island sim games. But while your villagers are off foraging for wood or food, building huts and digging wells, you can spend your time playing a wide variety of mini-games to earn power-ups and prizes. You will have to manage your resources carefully if you are to survive, and you must survive if you are to find the only one way off the island.

Snapshot Adventures
(Windows, limited demo, 46MB) A game that combines seek and find gameplay with snapping photos of birds in the wild, Snapshot Adventures: Secret of Bird Island is an enjoyable casual game with a refreshing change of pace. Instead of hurrying your way through a level in a race against the clock, take photos of birds at your leisure that are scored by the size, centering, and orientation of the bird within the frame. Score points to earn better equipment, and perhaps even take a shot that's worthy of the cover of a magazine. Created by the talented folks at Large Animal Games in NYC.

Yahtzee
(Windows, limited demo, 15MB) Play the popular and classic game of Yahtzee, Triple Yahtzee, and all new Power Yahtzee with this Hasbro licensed download created by Zylom. Just enter your name, choose the game, and select whether to play solitaire, versus the computer, or against up to 3 friends at the same computer. Shake and roll for high scores and collectible trophies in this family favorite game.

Earlier this year we ran a series of poker night tournaments in which players would compete for a chance at the final table. We gave away lots of prizes including t-shirts and free downloadable games, such as Westward from Sandlot Games, Virtual Villagers from Last Day of Work, and Eets from Klei Entertainment. We even gave away some memberships to Quadradius thanks to Jimmi and Brad, developers of that fantastic multiplayer online board game. But that's not all.

As promised, today is the drawing for a brand new Nintendo DS Lite among all the weekly champions of tournaments. The pool of qualifying winners for the drawing are:

• Melman2002 (2x qualifier)
• Wisegranda
• slgalt
• Supersasha
• doylew8
• dee2
• Pezzer
• Nadif

This afternooon all names were put into a spreadsheet and assigned a random number. After sorting all names based on that number, a second random number from 1 to 9 was chosen.

And the winner is... Melman2002!

Congratulations Melman2002, your brand new DS Lite will be shipped out to you on Tuesday following the US Memorial Day holiday. My sincere thanks to everyone who participated in our poker tournaments and to all those who sponsored our tournaments by supplying us with games and memberships to give away. We will likely resume the weekly poker nights once the multi-table tournaments at Triplejack go live (the last time I checked, they were still in the beta testing phase).

ElectroCity is a flash game from Genesis Energy, New Zealand's leading generator and retailer of electricity. Stick with me here, it's a fun little game. It is intended "to spark an interest and lay an unbiased foundation for later learning" about the issues involved in power generation, cost, and environmental impact. Sounds fun already, doesn't it? Let's set our cynicism about Big Power aside and for now call it an "edugame." It is obviously a very simplistic look at those issues, intended to give a broad overview and invite further research on the part of the player. It's also not a bad little town sim game to boot.

When visiting the website you are first presented with the option to view a tutorial entitled "How To Play". The game is not very difficult to understand, especially if you are a fan of sim games in general, but there are many facets to the interface and the tutorial may prove helpful.

When starting a new game you are presented with a random (or at least semi-random) map. You begin with a centrally located Sleepy Town with a small population, close to the beach; a river, mountains, and forests; and with a small wind farm nearby supplying your power.

Basically every single turn you collect revenue from taxes (as long as your income exceeds your expenses, naturally) and decide whether to build new town features or upgrade existing ones. You may even destroy existing upgrades if they are proving too costly, or buy and sell resources on the open market.

The main focus of the game is obviously power generation and its use, and in this area you have many options. Each turn you can prospect in one tile for natural resources like coal and gas. If you locate a resource, you can then choose to harvest that resource, and eventually perhaps build a power plant to burn that resource for energy generation. You may also build town enhancements like campgrounds, theme parks, beaches, ports, and airstrips that will make your town more attractive and bring in more people. Of course the more people that settle there the more power you need to generate. Once you decide what to do you click "End Turn" and see if your actions had any effect.

Every action in the game carries consequences in several areas. Raising taxes brings in more money but lowers your residents' overall happiness. Harvesting coal or gas is expensive and causes pollution, but opting to go with all wind power is inefficient and unreliable from turn to turn. Gameplay requires a balance of all of those factors to be successful.

At the end of the 150th turn, the game ends and you are scored based on your performance in four management areas: Energy Management, Popularity, Population (size, I guess?), and Environment; plus an overall score and letter grade. You can save your town once finished to be included in the "Finished Towns" area of the website and are given email links to send to friends and family so you can "show off" your completed town.

Analysis: ElectroCity is an extremely simple sim game that, despite having 150 turns, plays rather quickly. You spend a lot of turns clicking "next turn" just to try and build up money, or while waiting for a power plant to finish building so you have more power for your city. Unless I'm crazy it has no sound, which was disappointing. Some atmospheric sounds would have gone a long way towards immersion in the environment.

The game is effective at demonstrating the basic balancing act required when considering power generation and its effect on the environment. The graphics are simple and effective as well, evoking the feel of something like SimCity 4, and are very inviting. There are a couple of strange features in the interface, like the zoom option which gives you a close-up view of your town but offers no real gameplay benefit, so it's simply eye candy. I was also frustrated for several turns when I would come up short on power despite thinking I had ample wind farms (yes, I went all wind), but what I discovered was that wind farms are inherently unreliable due to the wind's capricious nature.

It's nice that you can also save your town (via a code that you enter when you return), and I always appreciate not having to create a new login just to play a game. That goes a long way towards my feeling that this game is a genuine attempt at education rather than a thinly cloaked marketing application. It's probably that too, but it's nice to be an optimist every once in a while. Play ElectroCity!

Cheers to Jesse for the link! =)

For this Link Dump, I beg your indulgence for a simple quiz: I fly out of London's Heathrow airport travelling at 800mph departing at 7am (GMT), and at that exact same moment a friend leaves New York's JFK but they are on a slower flight travelling only 400 mph. At what time will the planes cross (and for a bonus point, over which ocean)?

Assume for this question that wind speed is negligible, that the planes take the most direct route, and that the planes get to full speed immediately with no delays.

Also assume that I am travelling first class and enjoying champagne, canapés, rare steak and mango, and that my friend is flying economy on a budget airline being served slop on a tray. Finally, imagine that I am far better dressed than my friend and that, on landing, my chauffeur informs me that I have won the lottery and never need to work again. My friend goes on to lead a life of destitution and petty crime.

I love that dream. Anyway...on to the link dump...

• Deflector - A simple concept but a novel gameplay mechanic. Draw lines to shield your base from attacking enemies. Collecting power-ups will make life easier. Thanks zxo!
• Castle Draw - Another simple concept with another novel gameplay mechanic. Draw circles forming rocks to rain down on attacking enemies. This one is also from Freeworldgroup. Do you see a pattern here? Thanks Frank!
• Visual Acoustics - More a sound toy than a game. Choose one of 8 instruments, tweak the parameters of the instrument if desired, and then paint on the virtual sound canvas with the mouse. Remember to take a break every now and then to eat or to get some work done.
• Clickclickclick - is perhaps the most futile and pointless activity on the Web. But I guess clicking is as patriotic as anything else these days. I clicked 3,500 times for my country in a couple of hours. Now I type with my nose.
• Viva Voodoo! - (PG13) First in what appears to be a series of games from UK-based Digital Outlook Studios. A group of Voodoo dolls who are so utterly rubbish that they will do anything to die...sort of like an interactive Happy Tree Friends. Discretion advised for younger viewers due to multiple cartoon deaths.
• iridethelines - is an unofficial Line Rider tribute site with some of the most creative and artistic tracks you'll ever see.

The answer, by the way, is 4.30pm (over the Atlantific Ocean).

Created by Jurgis Jonaitis and Justinas Malijonis, Miestas is actually a follow-up to Menulis. Both games incorporate hand-drawn graphics and animation, and create a surreal world adventure to point-and-click through. Very nice.

Following is a reader submitted review by Fuzzboxer:

The hand drawn animations and old school Jazz music soundtrack of Miestas and Menulis set the tone for an experience that is just this side of cool. The simplicity in controls leaves you wishing for something more polished until you realize the environments more than make up for it.

The design and style is what you'll notice first as it takes over with splashes of color and foreground objects. Every element of each screen gives insight about the dream world that we have been dropped into. Utilizing nothing but the keyboard—[Left] and [Right] arrows move your character, press [Space] to interact, [X] to cancel—your goal is to get from one screen to the next. Bits of the silent movie story are revealed in each screen for what amounts to a relaxing and engaging casual game. Play Menulis and then Play Miestas.

Cheers Graeme! and Fuzzboxer!

Menulis and Miestas walkthrough now available!

The following is a reader-submitted game review by David:

Juggler is a neat little diversion that I would categorize as a gravity based game of mouse dexterity. Mark Vertegaal of Cold Tomatoes obviously understands clean design and smooth gameplay, and Juggler offers just that.

The goal is simple: You control one paddle (ala breakout) while multiple balls bounce in sequence. You must maintain the balls in the air like a crazy one armed juggler. You are given four lives, and a goal of 1000 points bumps you up to the next level. With each new level comes increasing difficulties like more balls, smaller paddle, etc. Control the paddle with the mouse and try to stay air born as long as possible. A quick glance at the high score board may discourage you, but keep going. Trust me, it's worth it.

Analysis: I personally have a great affinity for accurate applications of gravity in casual games. As a juggler myself, I find that I am often attracted to gravity-based games (such as lunar lander and the like). But when a game tries to imitate gravity and gets it wrong, it sticks out like a sore thumb. And unless there is really engaging game play to make up for it, that alone can turn me away. Juggler provides that satisfying flow of gravity impeccably.

Everything from the animation of the balls, to the delicate control given by bouncing on specific locations of the pad, to the humorous level titles, makes the game a pleasure. It offers plenty of replay value and is simple to learn, though with enough of a challenge to keep you interested.

Hint: I find that nudging the balls toward one of the side walls helps a lot. Try keeping their trajectories as vertical as possible. Play Juggler.

A new release from Sean Gleeson is this original, online solitaire, 10-handed poker game of chance. Incorporating a uniquely animated, 10-armed gold statue called the Dashabooja, this new and unusual take on poker can even serve as an introduction to poker hands for those unfamiliar with the game.

The rules are very simple: 5 cards are dealt face up to each of 10 hands leaving only 2 cards remaining to the deck. The results are shown for each based on the ranking of poker hands with the better hands earning more. You decide whether to take the winnings as is, or risk it all to double your winnings by selecting the higher of the 2 cards that remain. That's all there is to it.

The presentation of Dashabooja is exceptional and really shows off Sean's talent in graphic design and interactive multimedia. The game, although a little light in the gameplay department, offers a decent diversion for anyone looking for a little solo luck-of-the-draw fun. Play Dashabooja.

Also, dancemonkey and Ms.45 think you should also check out Wichita Faro, a more complicated take on the same theme, also developed by Sean Gleeson. It's an authentic look at "one of the most popular and celebrated saloon gambling games in the Old West" (Mark Howard). As is par for the course with Sean's work, the graphics and sound are top-notch, but ultimately you're betting on the turn of a card. It's fun for a five-minute diversion, but you won't be playing too many hands before you tire of the authentic taste of the Old West. It's a game best savored in small doses. Play Wichita Faro.

Designed for our recent "grow" themed competition, Rob Allen of Foon.co.uk sent word today that he has finally finished his entry, and we have been scrambling ever since receiving his note to come up with a prize to award him for the latest entry ever(!)

Eye Defence is an action puzzle game that will remind you a bit of the Grow series of games in that you are given several elements with which to drag and drop into play. What's different here is placement matters as well as timing, and so there's a little bit of a Hapland-esque gameplay to it as well. Come to think of it, there is also a hint of a castle defense game—Yes, here in the U.S. we spell defense with an "s", Rob spells it with a "c"; I can do both. ;)

There are 3 levels to this puzzle, and you'll have to be resourceful if you are to complete every one. (And is that the JIGster I see?) Play Eye Defence.

Last Monday we started your week off with Plupon, a beautiful and enjoyable new game from Yoshio Ishii of Nekogames in Japan. And it looks like he's been busy lately because we have another new entry to share from his prolific studios.

Hoshi Saga is a simple game of discovery. One part point-and-click and one part puzzle game, the objective in each of the game's 36 stages is to find the star. How you go about doing that is different for every stage. The task is up to you to figure out how.

There are 25 stages to explore freely as you wish, with another 11 stages that must be unlocked by completing rows and columns of stages that appear on the stage select menu. The menu also shows the relative difficulty for each stage represented by a number of highlighted stars (out of 5).

Analysis: Like most of his games, Hoshi Saga combines unique interaction design with simple yet effective graphics that together form an engaging and compelling experience. Some stages are easy and that's the hook. Once you discover how simple and yet irresistible these unique little puzzle games are, you'll be coming back to this again and again until you've solved them all. Thankfully an integrated save system is employed to save your progress across sessions.

Just right to get those brain cells jumping with inspiration and excitement on a Monday. Play Hoshi Saga.

Update: Now there's a Hoshi Saga 2!!!

Cheers to Cherrymad for the link. =)

About the pg13 rating: In my opinion, as well as many others who visit here, this game should be labelled kidsafe. Were it not for a very minor occurrence of a bit of 'sexy' subject matter in level 26, there would be no question that this is an excellent game to play with your kids. As parents, the decision is always left up to you.

Hoshi Saga walkthrough now available!

The latest offering from the good folks at binaryzoo is Echoes, a free downloadable game for Windows, and it is a manic shooter—and I do mean manic. Before I get too far into this, here's a quote from the game instructions: "if you may be affected by flashing lights then please set Screen FX to off." The action in this game is fast, furious and very visually active. Binaryzoo's trademark neon graphics combined with the intense backgrounds may have an effect on some. Though, disclaimers aside, as someone who can have the graphics on full—this game is really very cool.

The developers describe the game as being "like Asteroids" and "a bit like Geometry Wars," and Echoes is part these and wholly its own. Starting off slow, you are given an entirely too brief introduction to the game where small glowing outlined "asteroids" slowly creep across the screen. Soon, you'll reach level two, where slightly larger ones are introduced. Then larger, then larger. After that... well, I'll leave that up to you to find out.

Although not evident in the initial running of the game, besides scoring points for shooting, shooting, and more shooting of things, there are medals to win as well, called in-game "trials". These are displayed to you at the end of the game and can be recognized during play by the large "ZOOT" (i.e., Zoo Trials) that flashes about the screen. There are ten of these trials to complete in each of the three difficulty settings and completion of them all will result in 100%.

As of the current download, online scoring is unavailable though, according to binaryzoo: "The online score system will certainly happen. It is already coded and will be added as soon as our new website is finished. However the new site is being written by someone else and it is taking longer than I expected so I can't honestly say when it will be available."

Let's hope that's soon. But for now, download, play and enjoy Echoes.

Our favorite martial-arts-trained fruitmasters are at it again! Yes, the folks down at Ninja Kiwi have unveiled their newest offering: Potion Panic. The objective is to protect yourself from a 30-round onslaught of enemies. Your chief weapons are: fear, surprise, ruthless efficiency, an almost fanatical devotion to the Pope...

Wait a tic, that's the wrong sketch. Your real chief weapons are flasks of potions that you lob at your enemies. You can control the potency of the weapon and the type of damage inflicted by altering the composition of your potion flask. Simply adjust the chains in the top left corner. Each color is adjustable from 0 to 100, and corresponds to the amount of that color you will use whenever you launch a flask. To launch, just aim with the mouse and hold down the button for power. Click again while the potion is still in the air to explode the flask (it will automatically explode when it hits something). Once an enemy is killed, you gain points and money, which you can use to replenish your potions or to purchase upgrades.

By changing your recipes, you can adjust the type of weapon your potion turns into. There are four types of weapons you can concoct:

• Explosive shrapnel: Explodes on impact, sending shards of shrapnel flying in all directions. Can be upgraded by purchasing Destructive Detonations. Is formed when blue dominates your potion, for example 10 Blue, 5 Yellow and 5 Red.
• Noxious fumes: Forms a cloud of gas on impact, causing damage to any enemy it touches. Can be upgraded by purchasing Vile Vapors. Occurs when Blue is in very low amounts, for example 3 Blue, 10 Yellow and 10 Red.
• Acid goop: Makes a small explosion on impact, forming blobs of goop that stick to opponents and damage them. Cannot be upgraded as far as I can tell. Occurs when Blue is in medium amounts, for example Blue 5, Yellow 8, Red 8.
• Flames of burning: Make fire. Fire burn. Burn hurt. A very damaging weapon that makes a good barricade against the advancing monsters. Can be upgraded by purchasing Furious Fire. Occurs when all colors are about equal, for example Blue 8, Yellow 8, Red 8.

Within each weapon type, there is a range of destructiveness. The game implies that certain monsters are resistant to certain colors, but the game goes by quickly enough that it's difficult to say for sure. The more important parameter is the potion potency, which increases when you up your ingredients.

Analysis: At first I didn't think a whole lot of this game. That's because the game instructions don't reveal what changing your potion ingredients can do, and the potion that you start out with is quite sufficient to deal with the enemies in the first 6 rounds or so. However, once I started playing around with the color ratios, I was pleasantly surprised to discover the range of weapons you really could create.

Thus, my advice for playing is to use the first few rounds and experiment with the weapon types. Find out which you like the best, and which are most effective against the different types of enemies. Remember to keep the potion ratios low to start out! You don't want to waste your money by making potions more powerful than they need to be. Once you have a ratio that you like, you can save it, which is really more like a bookmark. Click Load Potion to access your most recently saved recipe. Gradually, you'll need to increase your potency, as enemies become more resistant to your attacks.

One significant drawback to Potion Panic is the reload timer—I just don't see why it is necessary. After all, it's not like your inventory is unlimited. If someone wants to waste their potion by firing 10 shots at one little skeleton, I say let them go ahead. It's really frustrating to overshoot a monster or hit the wall and then have to wait for 3 or 4 seconds to try again.

Also, although I am normally not a fan of mouse + keyboard controls, I think this game is in a unique position to benefit from an optional keyboard control of the potion ratios. For instance, using Q&A, W&S, and E&D to increase or decrease the relative amounts of each component would be much faster I think than to get the mouse onto the little chains and adjust it that way. Nonetheless, you can hardly count lack of keyboard control as a game flaw.

One particularly delightful element is the fact that each flask's color is a combination of the blue, yellow, and red potions that went into it. Although it's the gameplay that brings me back again and again, it's the attention to details like this that separate superior games from the mediocre. Play Potion Panic.

A sweet mango smoothie. Turning the pages of a favorite book. Dashing bare feet on the hot summer ground. The cool side of the pillow. The stretch after a nap. Smooth wrapping paper. A single piece of chocolate. A touch of fur. Starlit breezes. Sitting on the edge of a pool. The last drop of ice cream. Enjoy!

• Dreams: Chapter 1 - Interesting RPG with timed, turn-based gameplay that combines hammer smashing with a shotgun. And they said it couldn't be done... (Thanks Christopher!)
• RGB - Target shooter with elements of Hatch.
• Pattern Game - A simple little flash toy with swirly patterns. May keep you entertained for a few minutes. If you play this for an hour than either something is dearly wrong or you have some really good music playing in the background...
• Light Sprites - Game by one of our reviewer, Jared of Hero Interactive. It's a small world...hyped up on sugar. P.S. I LOVE RAINBOWS!!!!!!!!!
• Micro Panda - Light up the world...WITH A PANDA! "Drive" your panda around a little 3D world, lighting trees, flowers, and more with the sheer joy emanating from your eyes.
• Puzzle Freak - A board game with puzzles! Suggested sound volume: off. (I swear Albert cheats). (Thanks Frank!)
• Worms - Navigate a simplistic black snake to avoid deviously fast particles that are after your muffins! (Note: there are no muffins in this game).
• Doll Face - A somewhat dark video about...well, I'll let you see for yourself. (Thanks jbeaver!)
• SPARKLE ESPERANTUMOR STIMULATION - A fun collaboration video from the Psst! Pass it On film project. (Quicktime.mov)
• Jay adds: if you're over 21, you may want to check out this nicely done point-and-click detective advergame done in a distinctly film noir style. It's really an advertisement for Grolsch beer, so use your discretion regarding who plays the game. "It's Miriam...They're onto me...I had to hide the painting...I here someone is coming...Please hurry...You have to get it...If you don't find it before they do, I am dead!...You have to get it...There is not much time... AAAAAaaaahh!" Grolsch Gardens

• Super Special Sweet Summer Sbonus Svideo! - Charlie the Unicorn - Chaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaarlie...

See you on Williams Street...

Far off in a dreamy land, tiny spots of light coax a little sleepwalking boy to follow his lost kitty. Never mind the fact that the little spots of light were what frightened the kitty away in the first place... Reunion, a gentle platform game by Mike Bithell, is a delightful journey full of good intentions and imaginary figments.

With soft music, and a landscape that seems to be cut from lace and paper, the game has a soft, artistic feel that might remind you of Ferry Halim's Orisinal games. However, the similarities end there. While Orisinal games are usually small scaled and quick to load, Reunion features an elaborate maze, with intensive layered graphics which may test the limits of slower computers. Before the maze, there is a movie-like, playable introduction, in which you collect the lights, using a flying musical note.

Navigation through the maze can seem a little tricky at first. Using the mouse, you can control the flying beams of light, guiding the boy to sleepwalk, skip, and jump across the dim landscape. The game will direct you to "draw a line" in order to do this, but the actual mechanism is a bit more complex. Click anywhere on the screen and drag the flying leader light a short distance. The other lights will line up in that direction. Moving the leader along the line will determine how quickly the boy moves, or how far he jumps. For instance, to make a large jump, draw a diagonal line away from the boy, bringing the cursor to the last light on the line, then release.

As you move along, follow the kitty, who will probably bounce right off the screen. Watch out for parades of leaves, traveling on gusts of wind; these will send you back a distance. Don't worry about getting lost, however. If you lose sight of the cat, or lose your way, the spots of light will form an arrow, suggesting the direction to travel.

Analysis: In general, I found Reunion to be a very relaxing and pleasant game to play. After playing about halfway through, the constant click-and-drag motion began to tire my hand. I found that using the touchpad on my laptop was, surprisingly, much easier. (This is coming from someone who hates the touchpad.) With simple taps and touches, the touchpad seemed appropriate for the leisurely pace of the game.

It is certainly a beautiful game. But is it worth closing all your other programs to play? Only the fastest computers will be able to handle multitasking while playing this game. There is no way to save your progress, so if you need to check something else, you either have to lose your place, or be very patient. Also, the surprises and bonuses in the game are few and far between. It ends quietly, with little fanfare (and long credits.) In most games, these would be frustrating drawbacks. With a sleepy, bedtime theme, the would-be-drawbacks in Reunion seem to work.

This game makes an excellent respite for the end of the day, like an interactive bedtime story. I would recommend playing this game after you've closed everything down for the night and gotten into your PJ's. Then let Mike Bithell's soft and gentle Reunion send you off to the land of Nod. Play Reunion.

Some would say the idea of using robots to take over the world is insane. However, most agree that it's completely insane. But there is one man with a vision so audaciously bold, so boldly audacious, and so intrepidly mindboggling that it just might be insane enough to work! That man is none other than Doctor Phineas Waldorf Steel, self-acknowledged insane person. If only he had some minions to do his grunt work for him—he really loathes grunt work.

Ah, gentle Jayisgames enthusiast, that is where you come in! For Dr. Steel has enlisted the talents of Starkraven Madd to take the task of growing his robot army and transform it into a stimulating puzzle game for the masses! It's a simple matter of placing the fuses in the proper slots to provide energy to the mysterious robot growth chamber. In the process, you are delighted and entertained, and Doctor Steel receives an army of giant robots to facilitate his goal of a utopian playland. Doctor Steel was so impressed with the result that he persuaded Starkraven Madd to enter it into the Casual Gameplay Design Competition #2!

Playing Grow the Robot is a simple matter of deducing which fuse slots need to be filled to light up the energy levels which power the robot growth chamber. Your job is to interpret the array of Boolean logical gates to see just where to put the fuses. I can see on some of your faces that you're perturbed by the words "array" and "Boolean," but fear not, Starkraven Madd has made the game accessible to the computer programmer and the casual gamer alike by providing a short instructional animation and by the use of special shapes for each logical operation. The rounded boxes (AND) will only activate if the two inputs to it are active. The triangles with the curved bases (OR) will activate if either of the two inputs to it are active. Finally, the small triangles (NOT) will activate only if the input is not active. Although there may be multiple ways to activate the energy levels, Doctor Steel has only provided a limited number of fuses, so you should try to find the optimal solution

Analysis: In order to be both fun to play and useful towards Doctor Steel's goal of creating a giant robot army, Starkraven Madd has designed the puzzles so that they solvable with moderate mental effort. Thus, some might find the game lacking in challenge. However, do not despair, for the creator has incorporated special elements designed to keep the player interested. One is the player's choice of two very pleasing music tracks, each lovingly created by Doctor Steel himself. So pleasing, in fact, that you may find yourself wanting to hear more of it. To do so, simply visit Doctor Steel's website.

If the player does happen to fail at a certain level, Doctor Steel does not want them to feel discouraged, and so each level has its own highly amusing animation that is shown when the player fails to grow the robot.

Though one would never question the motives of someone who is so quite deliciously insane, there are a few things about the game that don't quite sit right. The first is regarding the theme of the competition: Grow. Sure, the robots need to be grown to an epic size, but the game itself had nothing to do with growth—the same puzzles could have been adapted to fit any theme. Another concern is the lack of a skip button for the animations when you lose. Impatient players may not want to sit through the animation more than once, and having to do so wastes precious time that might otherwise be used to grow more robots. Also, the reduced difficulty of the puzzles may disappoint players seeking more of an advanced challenge, especially because the potential is there—linking gates to two or more other gates, for example. Nonetheless, I'm sure the Doctor has his reasons.

So, player, what are you waiting for? Play Grow the Robot. Additionally, you may want to learn more about Doctor Steel by exploring his website.

Kongregate Racing is a new game by Jacob Grahn (Game of Disorientation) and created for Kongregate, a relatively new site aimed at players and developers. Although the game is relatively simple in design, it is unusual in that it is one of a small but growing selection of casual games that are firmly designed to be multiplayer.

You begin in a lobby with other online players and a variety of available tracks ranging from "very easy" to "omygosh". To play, simply select an available (white) slot in a track of your choice and click play. You can play alone if you need to practise a track or you can wait for (or join) other players. As you collect more points through winning races, new levels become available and points are saved on your computer even if you quit. Some extra features such as the lobby chat facility are granted to registered users of the site.

The racetracks are generally mazes composed of 2D square blocks whilst your vehicle is an icon in a bubble, controlled with the arrow keys (there is a distinct watery feeling to the background and the physics that makes control more tricky than a simple road-based game). Later levels introduce blocks with different properties such as sticky, spikey, bouncy, breakable and (most annoyingly) invisible. You can slow down the opposition by blocking or bumping them but for maximum satisfaction, bash them into the spiked walls. Occasionally, short cuts and alternative routes are available and this means a bit of solo practice can be time well spent.

Analysis: The graphics appear crude by the standard of many contemporary Flash games exhibiting a lack of detail in the environment whilst the player is represented by nothing more than a static icon. However, this is more than justified by the excellent real-time multiplayer performance which (on my broadband connection) was smooth even with almost every available track being simultaneously raced by players.

The music is certainly appropriate to the game but does get annoying after a while - some variety would be nice for the different levels. The sound effects are also a little disappointing and could be more creative whilst the mute option is unfortunately an all or nothing affair. The lack of option to configure the controls will also make the game more frustrating and l