Arcade Game Central

Brickshooter Egypt has all the elements of a great casual game: simple rules, addictive gameplay, and a compelling story line. Well, “compelling” might not be the right word - “derivative”, though a bit harsh, is perhaps closer to the truth. OK, let’s be charitable and call the story line “familiar”.

Brickshooter Egypt is a fancied-up version of the original Brickshooter game, created by Sergey Stolbov and Terminal Studio in 1999. The first versions only offered simple graphics and rudimentary animations, but that’s all that was needed. The game concept was so strong that no extra graphical fluff was necessary to make it a great game.

But times have changed, the bar has been raised, and even simple puzzle games are expected to have spectacular graphics, stunning themes, and compelling backstories.

So Brickshooter gains an Egyptian theme, with the requisite pyramid/pharoah/heiroglyphic accruments. The game is now a quest, set in the land of the Nile, and you’re charged with rebuilding the glorious monuments of the past. Each puzzle you solve brings you closer to restoring an Egyptian icon, including the pyramids of Khufu, Djozer, Sneferu, Senusret, and Niuserre, as well as the majestic Sphinx.

Does the Egyptian atmosphere and rebuilding quest make this a better game? Perhaps. The graphics are very attractive, with tasteful sound and music. The additions certainly don’t detract from the gameplay, and the quest actually helps to draw you in. Unlike in the original game, where each level got progressively more difficult, but was not actually leading you anywhere, the quest gives you a goal, and each puzzle you solve takes you closer to achieving it. You actually feel like you’re accomplishing something, rather than just reaching a higher score.

The gameplay is still basically the same - create combinations of three or more blocks to remove them from the board. Yes, it’s a match-three puzzle, but unlike any others. Rather than starting with a full gameboard and swapping blocks to create matches, Brickshooter starts with a partially-populated gameboard, and you “shoot” colored blocks from the top, bottom, left, or right. Of course, the colors you need aren’t always the colors that are available, and therein lies the challenge. Each level will require you to work around a number of such mini-puzzles. It often requires a good deal of planning and foresight to solve each situation.

Another difference between Brickshooter and seemingly-similar games is that Brickshooter doesn’t have a time limit. The faster you clear your board, the more bonus points you earn, but you can take you time in planning your moves. Ultimately, the only goal is survival. Free all the magic glyphs before you fill the board with blocks, and you live to fight another day. This makes the game more strategic, and less dependent on hand-eye coordination.

I think this game is every bit the equal of some of its better-known contemporaries. Is it completely original? No. But it is truly innovative and original in it’s gameplay, and that’s what counts. It deserves to be a hit.

More information about Brickshooter Egypt
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Awem Studio, a Belarus-based developer of classic arcade games, has released a new title called Alien Stars, a breathtaking vertical-scrolling space shooter.

The year is 2741 and a massive contingent of alien spacecraft is circling the Earth’s orbit. After attempts to communicate with the aliens go nowhere, you assume the role of a spacecraft commander, commissioned to prevent the threat of total annihilation. Prepare for a highly intensive battle, commander! You will struggle through 12 diversely themed missions and respond to the challenge of thousands of alien spacecraft, equipped with the most advanced weapons. Can the humans win this time?

Alien Stars combines all the best features of simple arcade and space shooters. You will find lots of different enemies, power-ups, and as much action as you can handle. The action is non-stop, and takes place in a well-designed and beautifully-rendered space environment.

You can play with either the mouse or keyboard, and the game offers three difficulty levels to challenge beginners and experienced pilots alike. The number and variety of enemies is quite large, and they never stop coming. Your only defenses are your quick reflexes and the numerous power-ups available as the game progresses. It can be difficult to pick up your bonuses while simultaneously avoiding enemy fire, but this just adds to the challenge.

The bosses at the end of each level are appropriately difficult, but each has a weakness that you’ll need to find and exploit in order to survive. If nothing else, pouring on the lead will eventually do the trick, if you can manage to stay alive long enough.

If you enjoy space shooters, Alien Stars is an excellent example of the genre, and well worth your time. You may also want to check out Awem Studio’s other space shooter, Star Defender 2.

More information about Alien Stars
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What happens when you mix Gold Miner and Jewel Quest, two of the more popular games in recent memory? Jewel Miner, of course.

As you might guess from the title, Jewel Miner mixes the characters from GameRival’s and the gameplay from iWin’s Jewel Quest to create a brand new adventure, a match-three style game set in a jewel mine.

The game begins with Gold Miner, the hero of Gold Miner, Gold Miner Special Edition, and Gold Miner: Vegas, receiving a bill from the IRS. Seems he forgot to file his taxes, and now his hard-won casino is in jeopardy!

Help Julie, Gold Miner’s niece, raise enough money to save her uncle’s casino by matching jewels in the mines. You’ll have to work fast, though, because the dastardly villains Hansel and Joey Joe Joe are hot on her trail looking to steal her riches for their own.

This game is easy to play but challenging from the first time you sit down. As in most match-three games, the object is to line up three or more jewels in a row, either horizontally or vertically, by swapping two adjacent jewels. However, instead of each swap requiring two clicks, Jewel Miner uses an innovative one-click swapping method. Just hover your mouse over the two pieces you want to swap. They’ll automatically be highlighted, and a single click is all that’s required. If you’re accustomed to the standard two-click swapping method, this new approach requires a few minutes to acclimate, but once you’ve re-trained your fingers, this simple and elegant technique will feel entirely natural.

Jewel Miner allows you to play in either Story mode or Cave-In mode. In story mode you help Julie find jewels in various mines, and try to raise enough money to pay her Uncle’s tax bill. In Cave-In mode it’s simply you against the clock as you match jewels and try to survive as long as you can.

I addition to the many jewels in the mines, there are also power-ups you can earn, such as dynamite, TNT, jackhammers, and extra time, each of which can help you clear levels before the villains steal your treasure. The game features 48 challenging levels, 9 different power-ups, and one amazing woman.

This is an enjoyable game, with charming and light-hearted graphics and sound. It’s not a terribly immersive gaming experience, nor is it a hugely inventive game. But it is fun and addictive, and is definitely worth the download.

More information about Jewel Miner
Download Jewel Miner (9.79MB)

GameZebo has a review of 7 Wonders of the Ancient World, a match-three puzzle game set among the proudest achievements of early civilizations. The list of legendary landmarks, originally compiled by the Greeks in the 2nd century BC, include the following:

• The Pyramids of Egypt
• The Hanging Gardens of Babylon
• The Statue of Zeus at Olympia
• The Temple of Artemis at Ephesus
• The Mausoleum of Halicarnassus
• The Colossus of Rhodes
• The Lighthouse of Alexandria

Sadly, only the pyramids still remain, the other great wonders having sucumbed to natural disasters, wars, and the relentless crush of time. But you can revisit these other landmarks through this captivating game, on a journey no one has taken before. It begins at the foot of The Great Pyramid of Giza and continues through the Egyptian sands to the mysterious Hanging Gardens of Babylon. You’ll travel through the enchanting Mediterranean islands to the glory of ancient Greece as your voyage continues. If your aim is sure and will strong, your eyes will behold what none have ever seen — all of the Seven Wonders of the World.

To build the 7 Wonders you must supply building stones to your workers by matching 3 same colored runes. Each wonder has cornerstones and a capstone. You must make matches below these cornerstones and capstones to lower them to your workers. Time is limited. Each wonder is divided into 7 sub levels.

Marc Saltzman at Gamezebo sums it up pretty well:

If you love three-in-a-row puzzle games and are looking for a well-crafted and highly-addictive one with an Egyptian theme, you won’t be disappointed with 7 Wonders of the Ancient World.

Behold the 7 Wonders of the Ancient World!

More information about 7 Wonders of the Ancient World
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Menara Games has released Balloon Express, an action-oriented casual game. Amelia’s family is about to lose their house. In a desperate attempt to save the proverbial farm, Amelia steals her father’s hot air balloon in order to travel the globe as a delivery girl. Join Amelia and her hot air balloon to deliver mails and packages to the most wondrous and exotic places in the world.

You’ll be soaring over landscapes of villages, woods, ancient ruin and exotic city all over the world. React quickly and deliver the proper packages to the houses who need them as Amelia soars over beautiful landscapes. Visit far away places and learn about the people and culture of the area. Each house has a certain package type they need delivered and the faster Amelia can get it there the bigger her tip.

In Adventure Mode you play Amelia in her quest across the world as the best delivery girl in the business. The amusing plot, story, and even historic facts are all represented in Amelia’s race across the globe.

In Challenge Mode it is a whole different game. Move Amelia’s balloon around the map matching sets of three deliverable items. Since the balloon can only carry one item it requires quick thinking and careful planning to achieve the desired results before time runs out. Success will unlock multiple destinations to play the challenge mode.

Quick Review: In the world of casual games, where it can become all too difficult to tell one game from another sometimes, Balloon Express offers a unique gaming experience. With large and detailed locations, charming animation, and an engaging storyline, Balloon Express looks simple at first, but the action quickly becomes frantic as you must move quickly and accurately to deliver your packages on time. As the challenge intensifies, you’ll find that it will take a great deal of concentration, coordination, and occasionally a bit of luck in order to meet your quota and move on to the next location.

More information about Balloon Express
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