Governor of Poker 2

Poker isn't the most accessible game around, what with its complex rules and subtle nuances. Video game representations of the game tend to run the gamut between being overly realistic, and thus too complicated, or far too simple and lacking much in the way of depth. Governor of Poker 2 manages to find a nice balance in between these two extremes, offering up a poker game that is very accessible without being too simplistic. But if you played the first game, Governor of Poker 2 might be a little too familiar.

There's a bare bones story holding the game together, and it's as goofy as you'd expect. The governor has declared poker illegal until he's satisfied that it is indeed a game of skill and not chance. You'll travel all over Texas, visiting numerous towns and cities, moving up the ranks, all in the name of spreading the good word about poker in order to change the governor's mind.

Of course, in a poker game, the story is largely unimportant. Thankfully it doesn't play too big of a role in the game. Instead, the majority of your time will be spent, naturally, at the poker table. Governor of Poker 2 once again features Texas Hold 'Em style poker, and the process has been streamlined to make things as easy to understand as possible. There's a fairly in-depth and very helpful tutorial that explains the ins and outs of the game, so those new to poker can learn how it's played before diving in.

When you're actually playing there's also a cheat sheet in the top corner, which you can check at any time to remind yourself of the various possible hands, and how they relate to one another. The various commands at your disposal are also very clear and easy to understand, so you'll always know what your options are. Meanwhile, you can also keep an eye on your opponents reactions. Though you can only see their giant hats and not their faces, you'll occasionally see characters sweating nervously or drumming their fingers impatiently. These status changes are supposed to affect the way the other players actually play, but if there is any such affect, it isn't very obvious when you're in a game.

There are two different times of games you can join: cash games and organized tournaments. You can play one each day, provided you have enough cash to buy-in, and the two feature a number of important differences. The cash games are winner takes all, so even if you come in second you'll come away empty handed. You can also bet with property in cash games, in addition to chips. Meanwhile, in tournaments, the top three players all earn some money, with the first place player taking home the biggest haul.

As in the previous game, you can use your earnings to invest in property. Doing so will earn you a small amount of income each day and is also necessary for progressing from one city to the next. If you are low on funds you can also sell back property, or you can take out a loan from the bank. However, you're only allowed a limited amount of money on loan, and you can't buy any property if you owe the bank money. And if you aren't careful, it can be pretty easy to dig yourself into a hole, leaving you stuck with no assets and a giant loan to pay back. You can also spend your money on a fancy new hat, which does nothing except for make you look cool.

Considering the fact that all you can see of the characters in the game are their comically large hats and skinny little arms, they feature a surprising amount of personality. The animations look great, as you'll see characters do everything from flipping chips into the air to banging their fists on the table. It's a small thing, but it gives the game a certain charm. It's also pretty amazing just how many different hats the developers managed to squeeze into the game.

Just be sure to play with the sound off, as the voice acting can be incredibly annoying. A disembodied voice provides useless and repetitive play-by-play for each game, while your opponents frequently spout off goofy one-liners like "these chips are mine!" which will soon have you reaching for the volume dial.

Governor of Poker 2 might not do much differently when compared to its predecessor, but it's still a great entry point for those looking to dip their toes in the poker waters. Its excellent tutorial will help introduce players to the game, while the rest of the experience lets them test out their new skills. Seasoned poker veterans might find the game a little too simplified, but for everyone else it's a Royal Flush.

Review by erin

Gamezebo

The Fifth Gate

Flowers, spells, potions and thrones. A magical tale of gardening and peril await with PlayFirst's newest time management title, The Fifth Gate. Enter a mystical realm brimming with charms, enchantments, and pests as you test your green thumb against the plight of being kidnapped by the power-hungry Morgana. Five gardens possess unique flowers and foes, and only upon exiting the Fifth Gate will you find yourself free of Morgana's tricks and sorcery.

You'll follow the tale of Eden, a beautiful young girl and the most talented gardener in all of the Fairy Kingdom. She awakens one day to find herself kidnapped by a foreboding woman named Morgana. Morgana has agreed to set Eden free, but she'll have to give her something in return. Eden must raise magnificent plants, while keeping bugs and wilting at bay, in order to complete tasks and brew potions set by Morgana and earn the five stones to open the various worldly gates. Only once she's obtained all the stones for the Fifth Gate will she be set free.

The goal of the game is fairly simple: harvest blossoms, as suggested by Morgana, to obtain key potion ingredients. Make sure to keep your plants watered, as well as keep the plant-devouring creatures away. Harvest as many blossoms as possible to complete the goals and garden in the shortest and most cost-effective period of time. But that's not all: planting and maintaining such beautiful plants requires coins, and as such you will also be given the responsibility of managing your magical finances in order to best suit Morgana's needs, as well as those of the garden and plants.

The Fifth Gate boasts and follows classic time management gameplay, but with a slight twist. Instead of the gameplay revolving solely around “days,” it more accurately revolves around tasks. Each task has a certain expectation of how many days it will take to complete: for example, a task may be completed in a single day, or it may take many before it's finished. As such, the gameplay has a much more strategic and extended nature over that of a classic time management title. The Fifth Gate features five separate gardens, each with 14 tasks of various duration.

In addition, each garden is unique. Not only does each feature a variety of plants and potions found only in that garden, but also unique pests and enemies, as well as a new gameplay mechanic each, such as spells to help keep the critters at bay, or new varieties of helper plants.

The Fifth Gate boasts many positive points. Pests, for example, are not limited to simply devouring plants. Some possess poison, or magical powers. If you attempt to banish or squash a pest while it's emitting these powers, your cursor will freeze for two seconds. That may not seem like much, but when you're attending to a very high-maintenance garden, it can make all the difference in the world.

Additionally, the goals Morgana sets for you also boast variation. Sometimes she'll want a certain number of blossoms, other times she'll want exotic potions, certain plants to be added, or certain creatures to be eliminated. In order to help you more effectively accomplish these goals, helper plants and upgrades are offered. You must strategize in order to obtain these while keeping your plants watered and happy. Helper plants may offer such features as extra water, the ability to instantly freeze all enemy pests, the ability to instantly upgrade a plant, or such powers as to harvest multiple flowers at the same time.

The fact the game features 14 tasks per garden promises several hours of gameplay, however it can sometimes be a negative if you have even a single bad harvest. At times it may also make the various gardens seem tiring or stretched, yet seeing as each new garden starts over with new plants and gameplay mechanics, the game often just saves itself from “the unbearably long level.” A feature that will likely be a frustration to many gamers is the fact that, unfortunately, your hard-earned coins will always reset at the beginning of each garden, and in the later gardens, you'll be left with much more than you will likely even need by the end.

Overall however, The Fifth Gate is a charming and entertaining time management title, sporting beautiful graphics and music, as well as varied and original gameplay features. It even boasts a replayability factor by offering expert goals, as well as trophies to obtain. Needless to say, it would be a welcome addition to any time management enthusiast's collection.

Review by Tawny Mueller