Garden Dash

It’s no secret that gardening is a great way to relax and to forget the worries of everyday life. Barb, the business woman from Diner Town, finds herself stressed out and miserable and decides to pursue gardening to bring harmony back to her life. In Garden Dash, the newest Dash game from PlayFirst, you’ll help Barb open up various garden shops all over Diner Town and supply local businesses with quality produce.

Garden Dash features 50 levels at five different locations, and for once the run-of-the-mill minigames that developers often feel the need to add have been left out. There are two grades of difficulty, and the harder one gets activated for each location separately after the location is cleared in Easy mode. On top of that you are also able to earn ten different trophies. Experienced time management gamers should expect a playtime of about three hours.

The gardening theme certainly feels very different in a dash game and can in no way be compared to Dairy Dash. Interestingly enough the player does not have to earn a certain amount of money to beat a level but rather has to fulfill a set number of orders within a time limit. And the timer is pretty unforgiving, particularly in the more challenging mode.

Your basic task is to plant various flowers, fruits, or vegetables such as peaches, tomatoes, or roses in pots, tend to them, and in the end deliver them to a basket, where customers will pick them up automatically. Each plant needs different tending, which makes gardening more complicated than the limited number of plants initially implies. Every plant needs to be watered, some even twice, peaches need warm clothes, roses like listening to music, while cucumbers only grow when Barb talks to them.

These needs not only provide challenging gameplay, but also create a quirky and entertaining atmosphere. That said, Garden Dash does still offer the usual color-matching mechanic. Each plant has a set color - garlic and roses are red, peaches and pears are yellow, grapes are green, you get my drift. The pots adopt the color of the seeds being planted in them, and the multiplier increases the more you plant seeds of the same color in the same pot consecutively. Instead of earning more money, however, you will gain additional time for the timer each time you chain similar actions or increase a color multiplier.

Another way to earn additional time is to collect relief leaves that drop to the floor each time you harvest any kind of plant. When the relief bar is full you can activate it, which will give full hearts to every plant you are currently growing and will stop the timer. In contrast to similar games, it’s the plants that lose patience, not the customers. Apart from that there are also additional obstacles or bonuses depending on location, such as escaped dogs, wind or fire from which your plants have to be protected. Upgrades include decorative items, better shoes, fertilizer, and special upgrades for pots, which adds another level of strategy to the game since every pot can be equipped with only one upgrade.

On the downside, some of the game’s features are rather unnecessary. There are at least three upgrades that I never really needed throughout the game, and regarding the pots the water upgrade simply makes the most sense, because every plant needs that step to grow. But apart from those minor quibbles Garden Dash has a lot going for it. A very fresh setting and gameplay for the dash series, extremely quirky and funny ideas, and a well-balanced grade of difficulty.

It is nice to see that PlayFirst is back on track creating more challenging time management games, although the playing time could have been a bit longer. If you cannot get enough of color-matching and chaining frenzy, as well as the charming inhabitants of DinerTown, Garden Dash will surely provide a very nice playing experience along with a few welcome surprises.

Review by David Becker

Farm Mania: Hot Vacation

After saving her grandfather’s farm and restoring a run-down ranch Anna is back for a third agricultural quest in Realore’s Farm Mania: Hot Vacation. In what is by now a classic farming time management setting, the player accompanies Anna as she takes part in farming competitions around the world. While the highly frantic gameplay still works, very well supported by the adorable and polished graphics, the same old formula is on the brink of getting tedious.

Farm Mania: Hot Vacation features 59 levels, of which 9 are simple hidden object mini-games. There are two modes, but you have to complete the casual mode to unlock the arcade mode. This might be a tad annoying for veterans of this genre who would rather jump to the more challenging arcade mode straight away.

Not much has changed with regards to the gameplay compared to the two predecessors. Anna travels to Egypt, Australia and China to take part in farming competitions, which is all that needs to be said about the plot. Apparently she has saved a lot of money from her previous adventures, since there would not be another explanation for how she is able to afford such a luxurious vacation, to say nothing of the cash required to buy the farms. The farms of each country differ in what animals you will tend to and which products you are able to sell, but those are only superficial differences -- the actual gameplay does not change at all.

The Farm Mania series has always been known for a very quick pace and varying tasks, and this also applies to Farm Mania: Hot Vacation. At later points you will have four different characters working at the farm, including Anna, Bob, and her grandparents. While Anna delivers food and water to animals, tends to crops, and collects products, her grandfather prepares food, water, tends to trees and bushes, her grandmother cooks or prepares more complicated products from raw resources, and Bob cuts trees and mines gold and coal. Fortunately the controls are very intuitive and as flawless as one is used to from this series.

Depending on the country Anna will raise camels, ostriches, quails, yaks, and sheep among others. Those animals will not only produce milk, wool, or eggs if well fed, they will also start breeding provided you have a male and a female of one species at your farm. Crops and trees are equally varied - Farm Mania: Hot Vacation enables the player to grow rice, pineapples, oranges, bananas, cacao beans or radishes, which also have to be watered, pruned, and harvested. All those products are tied to your goals in any given level. Sometimes Anna has to sell ten pineapples or produce five cakes, while at other times you have to breed and raise a camel.

A very strong feature of Farm Mania: Hot Vacation is the shop system. At the ranch you can purchase new crops or animals, the shop offers enhancements for your farm and also provides buildings at which Grandma prepares more complicated products, while you are able to buy better equipment for Anna, her grandparents, and Bob at the school. It is possible to buy something new after nearly every level, which is definitely a motivating aspect.

Apart from the slightly improved and familiar gameplay, there are some issues with Farm Mania: Hot Vacation. While the graphics are generally adorable and well done, the game is quite similar to previous games in the Farm Frenzy series. Most of the upgrades are similar to those in the predecessors, and the gameplay is basically the same, too, except for different products, animals, and the welcome addition of a pond.

Nevertheless Farm Mania: Hot Vacation is still a decent addition to the time management genre. While the game does not really evolve from its predecessors and the aforementioned issues slightly lower the fun factor, it still delivers an entertaining and convincing playing experience. If you are are tired of farming games yet you will very likely have a good time with Farm Mania: Hot Vacation.

Review by David Becker

Jack of All Tribes

From Divo Games, creator of Sea Journey and the Be Rich! series, come a time management/simulation game that will really sweep you off your sandals. Jack of All Tribes is a bit like Virtual Villagers meets Totem Tribe while they're having a party at Build-a-Lot's house. You take on the role of Jack, unwitting chief of a tribe, and help the various prehistoric peoples get along better while you spruce up their villages. It's a very well-built game that hits that "one more level" mark perfectly, and you won't be able to put it down until the end.

Jack finds himself dumped into a prehistoric village after a rollercoaster ride goes a bit differently than planned. The people here think Jack is the stranger foretold in legends who will bring peace back to the land. To fulfill this legend, you'll travel across the continent, helping neighboring villages in trouble and doing your darndest to keep everyone busy and content.

A few simple resources, a few level goals, and a couple of buildings are your only concerns in this game, freeing your attention up to concentrate on the fast-paced gameplay. Each level has two or three objectives you'll need to complete before you can move on. Tasks range from building a certain number of huts to gathering resources such as gold, food or wood, and upgrading structures to a certain level. Some buildings generate wood and food on their own (provided you assigned a worker or two), while huts add villagers and provide a bit of steady income.

At the root of Jack of All Tribes' gameplay is keeping villagers happy. Happy villagers are better workers, so your top priority is always to take care of their needs. Fortunately these people aren't too demanding, asking only for food once in a while, a light cocktail, and maybe a dip in the hot springs. Watch your workers and schedule a break when they need one!

Special events play a big role in Jack of All Tribes, and it seems like every level has at least one or two surprises. The best of these are strange areas you'll have to explore, such as the "iron bird" you have to investigate in order to remove items that shouldn't be in this ancient land via hidden object scene. Helping visitors and exploring these areas costs gold, so make sure you keep the villager work queue well-stocked!

Analysis: Ready for a surprise awesome game? Jack of All Tribes will probably catch you off guard with how addictive it is. The gameplay is stripped down to just a few basics, focusing on moderately fast-paced action instead of heavy resource management. What this gives to us lucky players is a streamlined experience that requires just the right amount of quick reflexes and thinking, and there are plenty of surprises and bonuses to keep you intrigued as to what's around the next bend on the map.

Trophies and bonus items aren't a necessary part of Jack of All Tribes, but man are they fun to collect. Most of them will be found via natural gameplay, such as getting a trophy for cutting down a certain number of trees. The items are found at semi-regular intervals and give your crew small boosts in performance, allowing them to walk faster or get a burst of speed after taking a meal. And when time matters as much as it does in this game, little things like that really help!

Jack of All Tribes has around 40 levels to play through, which is worth several hours of solid entertainment. You can strive for perfection in each stage by completing the tasks before the timer runs out, but other than that, the game ends before you really want it to. The length feels right, however, but when a game pulls you in as efficiently as this one does, no amount of time seems to be enough!

A brilliantly-concocted mix of time management and simulation genres, Jack of All Tribes will keep you pleasantly busy and entertained with its feature-rich gameplay, plentiful bonus bits, and gorgeous visuals.

Review by JohnB
Casual Gameplay

Soap Opera Dash

With all the Dash casual time management games PlayFirst has created, you almost have to wonder what the company could possibly come up with next. The answer is Soap Opera Dash, a frantic time management simulation where players have to help Rosie work with the residents of DinerTown to put on a successful soap opera. Unlike some of the other Dash entries, Soap Opera Dash basically throws you into a frantic situation with a few tutorials, hoping you pick up enough from the brief introduction to make it through frenzied episodes of a new series. It’s fun, but you better be ready to work and have a reliable mouse if you want to succeed.

Rosie wants the soap opera life

Rosie wants to create a soap opera, but can’t seem to find someone to give her a chance. Her prospective producer loves her script and ideas, but won’t help her out because he think she doesn’t have the star power necessary to make it work. As she’s walking away from the studio, she runs into Simon the celebrity, a high school friend she always idolized. He’s just been fired from the show he was on. Rosie sees her opportunity and uses flattery to convince him that he’d be the perfect fit for her show as the star.

She then starts a grass-roots operation to make her own soap opera, enlisting the help of Flo, Quinn and a number of other DinerTown residents to make her show happen. It starts out being filmed in a garage and shown on Dinertube and, with a little luck, could end up becoming a hit.

Frenzy on the set!

Rosie’s schedule in Soap Opera Dash makes Flo and Quinn’s jobs seem like playtime. She really goes to work. There is tons to do in each level. Rosie has to deliver scripts, take people to makeup, do their makeup, take them to wardrobe, pick out their clothes, take them to makeup, do their makeup, perhaps bring them ice tea, send them to a waiting chair while the scene is set up, place the proper props and get the camera man to start shooting a scene. Which means lots of dragging, dropping and then clicking people to get the actions at each station done. The bottom of the screen shows how many scenes must be shot, so you know how much longer you have to play. Plus, there’s a color-bonus for dragging similar colored actors to the right color stations. When an episode (level) is done, judges grade you on your performance.

Soap Opera Dash is a lot of work, even early on when you only have two colors of actors (red and blue) to worry about. Especially since you can’t just drop an actor at the next station and expect him or her to automatically get her hair done or so on. You have to drag them there, then click them, to make things happen. When you’ve got eight or more actors in play, and you’re trying to manage all of them, it’s easy to forget to go back and click on them while they’re at the stations. Which means you fall behind, they get mad and you risk producing a subpar episode. Especially when you have to take extra time to personally pick out the right hairdo, outfit or makeup for certain actors. It’s a very involved game that won’t tolerate slackers. This means you have to be familiar with time management games and the general Dash gameplay if you want to succeed.

What is neat is that PlayFirst really tried to add some elements to make it feel like Rosie is working on a show. Before each season starts, you place actors to cast them in certain roles. Each level is referred to as an episode, as well. And, for the season finale, you pick the two main stars and the theme for the episode. After a season is done, you can visit a town square area to see bulletins and ads advertising the soap. It’s a nice touch that makes things a little more fun and unique.

Fun, if you can keep up

Soap Opera Dash, despite being well organized, still manages to be one of the most complicated entries in the Dash time management series. Rosie has so much to do and players have to be constantly dragging, dropping, clicking and scanning the area to keep up with the constant flow of actors. It’s more difficult in the introductory levels than games like Diner Dash and Wedding Dash are around the halfway point. It’s still very well made and a lot of fun, but it’s the kind of game consummate Dash fans are going to enjoy most, since they’ll know right away how to play and keep up. It’s a lot of work for a casual game!

Review by Jenni Lada

Cake Mania: To The Max!

Jill Evans is back for Cake Mania: To the Max, the sixth part of this highly popular time management brand. But what can be done in a series that has already covered time-traveling, managing different shops, or building bakeries from scratch? Well, it’s time-traveling again, only this time around the player will get a glimpse into Jill’s past, namely, her high school days in the 1980s.

Cake Mania: To the Max features a whopping 100 levels, and can be played in both timed and relaxed mode. As with former titles the first couple of levels are somewhat boring and slow, but it is definitely worth it to keep hanging on. In contrast to the last two games in the series you are not managing different shops - in fact the whole game takes place in one single bakery. This might sound a bit monotonous at first, but veteran Cake Mania fans will surely appreciate the focused but more substantial gameplay resulting from this change.

Basically, all you have to do is prepare cakes for customers. By clicking shapes, frostings in different colors, varying toppings or fruits and creating multilayered cakes according to the incoming orders of your customers Jill earns money that she needs to pass the day successfully. This process of cake creation is complicated enough on its own, but not only do your customers lose patience rather quickly, they each have distinct personalities whose behavior affects the gameplay considerably.

The gypsy, for example, will show you the orders of other customers immediately; the oil baron will not allow you to serve other customers before his order is finished, while the wizard will turn all customers into cheerleaders, thereby changing their orders. Those special - and not always helpful - abilities are not the only interesting features about Jill’s customers, though. Some of them dislike each other, such as the bride and the business man. If they stand next to each other they will lose patience, which brings us to a welcome new feature of Cake Mania: To the Max: swapping.

Now you are able to swap customers to a different place, which adds a whole new level of challenge and strategy to the game. Not only do you have to plan according to the abilities of certain customers, but you also have to keep an even closer eye on their patience, because details like that can be neglected quickly in a game as hectic as Cake Mania: To the Max. It is also good to see that the game has kept interesting features such as the rush bonus, for which you have to do the same action three times in a row numerous times for it to be activated. The rush bonus then finishes every action immediately, which makes for a frantic but entertaining experience.

The upgrade system works as smoothly as ever and has been enhanced quite a bit. Besides the well-known upgrades for machines that include both speed boosts and new toppings, oven slots and fruits, the player is also able to upgrade the interior of the bakery in ways that actually impact the gameplay. In the beginning the upgrades seem rather expensive, but this impression is deceiving, and the whole system will surely please time management perfectionists. The ability to swap or sell machines only improves this already stellar feature.

What has always been interesting about this series, and matters even more in this latest sequel, is that the challenge of it never depended on the timed aspect, but more on dealing with the varying customer types and handling all those different shapes, layers, colors and toppings at the same time. While the first ten or twenty levels will be a breeze for experienced players, later levels get extremely challenging and at times even frustrating. Fortunately it is possible to choose between timed and relaxed mode at the beginning of each level, so that you will never really get stuck.

The graphics of Cake Mania: To the Max game are absolutely gorgeous and charming, and it is nice to see how much this game has evolved since the first part. The controls are flawless save for one glaring oversight: you are still not able to cancel actions, which is especially frustrating in a detail-oriented game like this, where one wrong cake can seriously mess up the player’s strategy.

But all in all there is no doubt that we fully recommend Cake Mania: To the Max to all avid time management game fans. The series goes back to its original roots, which might be disappointing for some people, but has been managed excellently nevertheless. A charming storyline, a complex upgrade system, proven gameplay with some interesting tweaks and a far above average playtime provide an entertaining experience for fans of the series and newcomers alike.

Review by David Becker

Mystery Valley

A rash of murders plaguing a small town brings an FBI agent back home for the first time in years. Haunted by memories of vague, unsettling nightmares that plagued her as a child, she doesn't suspect that she has a deeper connection to these disturbing incidents than she could ever imagine. Mystery Valley is a hidden-object adventure game with one of the moodiest, creepiest atmospheres you'll ever come across... and jump scares. A whole bushel of 'em. While it has its flaws, it's still a lot of fun. It also proves what I've always said; never trust a bathtub.

As Special Agent Yournamehere, you quickly discover the latest victim in these brutal slayings, a reclusive professor, had quite an interest in one place; Mystery Valley. As it happens, our Agent's hometown is none other than Mystery Valley, which is a bit less on charming tourist-trap bed-and-breakfasts, and a bit more on ancient, unspeakable evil. Much of the story plays out in cutscenes, so be sure not to skip them or you won't have any idea what's going on. Depending on your preferred level of difficulty, you'll have tutorials present throughout the game, and hint/skip buttons that recharge slower or faster. You'll still use your mouse to play, and the cursor changes to mark areas or items you can interact with. If you don't know where to go, click on the journal in the lower left corner; it keeps track of the things you find and usually points you in the right direction.

Analysis: I know I talk a lot about atmosphere. If I had to pay royalties every time I used the word, I'd probably be putting someone's kids through college. But friend, this is one creepy game. The areas are shabby and neglected, full of subtle ambient sound and environmental effects, and the soundtrack is lovely. It's actually because of this great moody pacing and quiet environments that the jump scares are all the more effective when they happen. Sure they're not the most elegant of methods, and not everyone enjoys them, but darned if they won't make you jump even when you see them coming.

The hidden-object scenes fare worse. Not only are they dull, they're out of place. They feel like they've been tacked on just to make the game longer, or maybe to appeal to a broader audience. It doesn't really negatively impact the game, but it does sort of make you long for the days when an adventure game could just be a good ol' fashioned "use key on door" adventure game and not make you pick up a crab, a bowtie, and six canaries before you could get the key in the first place. Thankfully, most of the game relies on standard point-and-click play and is better for it. The pacing is quick, there is typically very little backtracking, and the solutions for item-based puzzles are always logical and clear.

For a game to put the word "mystery" right there in the title, it better darn well intrigue, and happily, the story is creepy and interesting from the get-go. Don't get me wrong, we're not talking Steinbeck here; it's definitely a little cheesy and the stiff, almost terse writing sort of feels like it might be due to translation issues. The game definitely would have been stronger overall if the writing had been beefed up a little. Still, the way the bits of story and weird happenings are revealed in such a way that you want to find out more, and the different locations keep you from feeling bored or stuck.

Think back to your childhood. Were you the sort of kid who, during a scary movie, had to sit with a blanket over your head (everyone knows monsters can't get you through blankets), but were still having the time of your life? Then Mystery Valley might be right up your proverbial alley. While it doesn't break any molds and won't cause any gameplay epiphanies, it's a thoroughly entertaining and enjoyable title that fans of BOOGEY-BOO scares and fanged doll heads will definitely find fun.

Review by Dora

Casual Gameplay

Avenue Flo: Special Delivery

One year ago, PlayFirst introduced Avenue Flo, their first adventure title incorporating characters from Diner Dash, Wedding Dash and its other time management games. So how does the anticipated sequel, Avenue Flo: Special Delivery, compare? Let's just say PlayFirst might as well have wrapped it in a bow and written “To our beloved Fans” on the tag, because it's truly a gift to the franchise.

Avenue Flo: Special Delivery continues the adventures of diner-pro Flo and her talented wedding planner friend, Quinn. This time around, Quinn's been hired to plan a lavish surprise baby shower for expecting DinerTown characters, Vicky and Tony. But when a next-door puppy party gets out of hand, the preparations all fall to disaster. It's up to Flo to help Quinn restore the shower to even greater heights, which would be simple enough if expecting mother Vicky hadn't gone missing, too. Will Flo and Quinn be able to save the day without spoiling the big surprise?

The immediate familiarity of Diner Town and its characters will be a treat for long-time fans. This adventure-based portion of the Dash series continues the framework set by the previous title, introducing more and more characters from Diner Town as fully-fleshed and charming citizens. Each one even features a unique quality voice actor, which really brings them to life. Polish this off with smoothly animated cartoon graphics, a cheerful soundtrack, and a light-hearted yet involving story, and you've got yourself a very attractive new title.

The gameplay of Avenue Flo: Special Delivery is very concrete. There are three main portions of the game, each with several locations and tasks, without ever getting overwhelming. A helpful To-do List and Map are always at the ready to help you keep track of your progress, and characters are almost always willing to help.

Complimenting the adventure game-play are a variety of unique and entertaining puzzles, which are neither too difficult nor too easy, but feature a very welcome challenge difficulty without ever becoming frustrating. Then there's the bonus Activity Mode accessible from the game's main menu, which allows you to replay puzzles with more levels and higher difficulty. There's also a bonus Trophy feature that keeps track of your achievements? While simple, it's surprisingly fulfilling.

In fact, the only real downside to the game is the fact that there's no hint system available for the main adventure gameplay. While it's not necessarily needed, there will likely be a time or two where one illusive item will keep you from progressing, and not knowing what it is can be a drag.

Avenue Flo: Special Delivery might seem a bit short on first impression, but there's no filler here: it's all high quality gameplay from start to finish. The essentials are highly similar to the previous title, but it's original enough to come off as new and fresh. While the game itself may not feature much in the way of replay value, it will certainly keep you entertained for several hours.

Review by Tawny Mueller