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We've played a lot of time management games, and many of them are variations on the same theme: servers rushing around restaurants trying to keep all of their customers satisfied, or farmers trying to raise and sell produce to save the family homestead. Youda Marina offers a new approach to this genre. Part time management, part empire building, the game's challenging premise makes for an entertaining--if sometimes frustrating--playing experience.

The premise behind Youda Marina is that users must create and manage a marina that is attractive to passing boat traffic. Players start with the basics: a radio station … Read more

The latest edition of the incredibly popular game The Sims was released in June 2009, and it featured several changes and improvements. Open, continuous neighborhoods and "moodlets" make the game that much more lifelike, and players now have more options than ever when it comes to creating and controlling the lives of their Sims. Some players, no doubt, like to wander aimlessly through the game, figuring things out as they go. For players who really want the inside scoop, however, there's The Sims 3: Prima Official eGuide. This 255-page e-book provides detailed information about every aspect of … Read more

Scarabs of Pharaoh is an entertaining Egyptian-themed puzzle game in which players move jewels of different sizes into sets of three to make them disappear. The game is quite similar to many other jewel-based puzzles, but it's different enough to be interesting.

The game's premise is a bit confusing at first. It's easy enough to play--you simply stack small, medium, and large jewels of a particular color together to make them disappear--but certain aspects of the scoring seem random or make little sense. For instance, the board lights up now and again, mysteriously, and Pharaoh exclaims "… Read more

Farm Craft is an entertaining time-management game in which users must juggle the responsibilities of running a farm, or at least an extremely simplified cartoon version of one. We've seen other games that are very similar to Farm Craft, and we'd say that Farm Craft is about average in terms of quality and fun.

In this rendition of the increasingly popular agricultural fantasy game, our heroine, Ginger, is involved in a battle to save her family's small farm from big agribusiness. What this means for you, the player, is that you're going to spend a lot … Read more

Adventures of Robinson Crusoe is a fun game based on Daniel Defoe's novel. Each level is a treasure hunt to salvage items from Crusoe's shipwreck. As you progress, Crusoe builds a new boat to escape. Each vignette is richly detailed and visually entertaining, with beautiful graphics, music, and sounds.

You can choose to play the game either in "Relaxed Mode," which offers hints and untimed play, or "Survivor Mode," which has fewer hints and a timer to keep you on your toes. We chose "Relaxed Mode." To play, you search for hidden … Read more

Dream Chronicles - The Chosen Child chronicles the journey of Faye as she travels a fantastical landscape seeking her daughter Lyra, who has been captured by the Fairy Queen. The game uses dreams as a motif to enhance and propel the story as it unfolds. The graphics are rich and detailed, and the game play presents a fun challenge.

Dream Chronicles - The Chosen Child is challenging and engrossing. The story begins in a beautifully decorated tree house full of interesting and unusual items. Some items are clues; others are there to be used for special purposes, and some are … Read more

FarmMania is a hectic time management game in which Anna must help her grandfather save the family farm. By raising produce and livestock and producing other goods, all while racing against the clock, users help Anna earn enough money to make the farm a profitable venture.

The program's graphics are cartoon-style and not particularly impressive, but they're not bad for what they are, and overall the game is fairly attractive. Users start off by planting vegetables, which must be watered, weeded, harvested, and sent into town to be sold. As players advance the game becomes more complex, with … Read more

Diner Dash: Flo Through Time is an action-packed game in which users must use speed and skill to keep all of their hungry diners satisfied. Although the premise is simple, juggling all the game's tasks turns out to be quite a challenge.

It all starts when Grandma Florence has an accident with her time machine that sends her and granddaughter Flo hurtling through time. To earn enough money to repair the time machine and get home, Flo opens a restaurant, and this is where the fun begins. The first place we landed was in the Stone Age, and we … Read more

We have to admit that we were excited about reviewing Supercow from the start, based on its name alone. It sounded like it would be fun and a little wacky, and we couldn't wait to play it. We're happy to report that Supercow met our expectations admirably. In this fun and exciting adventure game, Supercow must save the farm from the evil Professor Duriarti. With high-quality graphics and plenty of challenging tasks, Supercow is made for hours of fun.

The game is arranged in levels that Supercow must travel through, and in some ways we found it to … Read more