My chickens keep missing their umbrellas!! (orisinal.com)

Member Name: NewYork2006

Product:	orisinal.com
Date:	11/04/07 (876 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Good stress/boredom reliever, cute games

Disadvantages: You may get addicted!

(Sorry guys this is a long one!!)

I first came across this site one gloomy Monday afternoon at work when it was raining outside, the boss had left for the day and nobody could be bothered to do any work. I mentioned that I was fed up with playing the boring old Solitaire game on my PC and someone piped up that I should have a look on Orisnal - I have never looked back since!!

www.orisinal.com is a website set up by the very talented and creative Ferry Halim (the web address in the address bar changes to www.ferryhalim.com/orisinal/ once located the site).

The main feature of the site is the very beautifully designed games you can play but there are other great features which I will get to in a mo.

The site itself is very straightforward and easy to navigate around. When you first enter the site a simple white background appears with the word 'Games' and 58 small square pictures in a neat box underneath. Each picture is a different game so with 58 to choose from you shouldn't get bored with them too quickly! And most of the games have a different piece of calming music which is great if you're stressed and just want a quick relief at work!

Then underneath the games are another 8 small boxes under the heading 'Miscellaneous' which I will get to shortly. When you want to click on a game or a 'Miscellaneous' box it will say 'click to activate and use this control' so you will need to click once on the screen and then again on your chosen box.

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The Games
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All the games are beautifully but simply designed and very addictive! Some will last only a few minutes and some will last much longer depending on how good you get at them! Most of the games are simple 'one stage' games in that they are not platform games, they are all simply on the same screen and you have one or two tasks to fulfil. There will be games that you will really enjoy and you should remember the picture that you will need to click on to access that game but when you fist start out, there is no info on what the game is called or about until you have clicked on the box and then it will take you to another screen where it will give you instructions.

So what are the games then??? Well, I'll tell you! (The list of games is quite long so if you want to just skip what the games are about and find out about the 'Miscellaneous' stuff then scroll down!)

First Row (left to right):

Winterbells - is really pretty. You have a little white Rabbit which you have to click to jump and land on the bells to get points (harder than it sounds!). Whenever you miss a bell and fall to the ground ends the game and you can simply click 'play again'.

Bugs - This one is one of my favourites. You are a little girl and you have little bugs all around you. You have to click and hold the left mouse button to make a big bubble then let go of the mouse button to jump and then you can move the mouse around to land. The idea is to catch as many bugs as you can in the bubble without being caught by a bug and you have three lives after which the game is over.

A dog for all seasons - This game is actually quite hard. You have four dogs in a row and you have to click the space bar to jump over little red balls without landing on them.

The Way Home - Another sweet game - guide a little squirrel along the window cills eating apples and click mouse button to jump from window to window without falling off (again easier than it sounds!)

A daily cup of tea - Guide little mice along the shelves knocking off the sugar cubes for the tea avoiding the little green bouncing balls (not entirely sure what they are!?)

High Delivery - Very pretty 'pink' game. Use the wind propeller to guide the balloon to collect as many flowers as you can and deliver then to the gate at the top.

Monkey Slide - Join the poles to let the monkeys slide down them but avoid hitting the bombs by breaking the poles again.

Wake up calls - An animal that looks like a hamster (though may be a mouse!) is floating through the air on a big leaf (of course - what else would a hamster do!) click the mouse button to make him jump and then click again to make him shoot at green pods to turn them into butterflies.

Second Row (left to right):

Floats - I don't entirely understand this game and therefore have only attempted to play it a couple of time. You have to use the mouse button to draw and try to catch the floats in the drawing (which doesn't always seem to work!)

The Bird and the Sea - Click and hold the left mouse button to make the seagull dive into the sea to get fishes then click the left mouse button quickly to make him fly back out again so he doesn't run out of oxygen.

Starry Night - Move the mouse to use the bubble to guide the star to light up the other stars in the sky. You have about 4 attempts before the game is over.

Cats - I find this one quite difficult and frustrating! Click the left mouse button to make the cats either sit or walk to follow the leader cat (the highlighted one).

Summer Walk - Roll the mouse over the birds (look like fat mice?!) to make them jump to catch the cherries for energy.

Firedragon - Move the mouse to move the dragon, click the left mouse button to fire at the falling blocks of ice to melt them (when an ice block falls to the ground the ground moves up making it harder to fire at them)

The Runaway Train - Took me a little while to be able to do this one. Use the mouse to guide the man along the top of the moving train and click the mouse button to make him jump between carriages. As soon as he falls off the game is over.

Rainmaker - Another cute game. Click the left mouse button quickly to whack the cloud with the mallet to make rain and aim the rain over the blackbirds to turn them white.

Third Row (left to right):

Friends always Stick Together - Use the mouse to move the tortoise and the hare click the mouse button to make the tortoise shoot at the birds and the fruit then press the spacebar to switch to the hare smacking the snakes on the ground.

The Pond - Click the mouse button to make ripples in the water to move the acorns to feed the ducks.

Arctic Blue - Click the mouse button to make the whale shoot water to help the boat jump over the icebergs (obviously!)

Hungry Spiders - This one gives me some satisfaction! Use the mouse button to knock out the spiders to stop them getting your cake (God I hate spiders!)

Panda Run - Click the mouse button to make the panda jump, click again to make him 'power' jump to catch the lanterns to get more energy.

These Little Pigs - This is another of my favourites due to the fact that I love pigs! Click the bubble to make the Pig jump to land on the other pigs to build a 'tower' of pigs. Get the cakes to get extra points.

A Cupid's Day - This one is hard! Click on the cupid to make him shoot an arrow into a heart (click on the screen to make him fly) then shoot the clouds around the heart to catch it then shoot the heart before it flies away.

FishBall - Use the mouse to guide the ball into the water to hit the fish (avoiding the pufferfish)

Fourth Row (left to right):

Roperunner - Another difficult one! Use the mouse to extend your rope to catch the animals running around.

The Bottom of the Sea - Click the mouse to make the diver jump from rock to rock.

Bungee Bear - Guide the bear along the bridge and click mouse button to jump and collect bunnies.

Windy Days - Click in front of the bicycle to make him speed up so the kite goes higher and click behind the bike to make him slow down so the kite goes lower. Avoid the birds.

The Snowrider - Click snowball to jump over rocks.

An Early Spring - Another hard one! Click the mouse to knock the dragonflies to feed the dragonfly below without hitting the beetles.

What Comes Around - Use the mouse to drop walnuts on the gophers, click the spacebar to jump.

Bauns - Drag down the ball to shoot it at the balls to clear them.

Fifth Row (left to right):

It Takes Two - Use the mouse to make the cat and Dog jump on the seesaw to catch the cakes.

The Perilous Voyage - Use the mouse to fire at the rocks to blow them up.

Pocketful of Stars - A very pretty game. Click on the little girl to make her jump and make her reflection land on the stars.

Hydrophobia - Make your frog jump between the lillies and use the space bar to catch the flies.

Bum Bum Koala - Slide the koala up and down the poles and jump across to catch the snails.

Chicken Wings - One of my favourites (hence the title of the review) Click the mouse button to throw the umbrella up in the air for the chickens to catch so they don't splat to the ground!

Bubble Bees - Use the mouse button to catch the bees in a bubble.

Snowbowling - This game always makes me laugh. Create a snowball to knock the ice skaters flying (get extra points if you get a double hit!)

Sixth Row (left to right):

Midnight Serenade - Move the serenader to catch the roses but be careful of the boots/kettles etc that the neighbours are throwing out of the windows! I like the music in this game - very soothing (apart from when you get whacked with a boot!)

The Three Monkeys - If you get really good at this one then it could go on for ages! Click on the monkeys to either make them catch or duck (catch the fruit - miss the bombs, simple as that!)

The Truth is Up There - This is the only 'game' that I find really strange as I'm not entirely sure what you are supposed to be doing! You have to use the camcorder to video the spaceships going past but you don't seem to get any points or anything? Maybe if you decide to have a go and work out what you have to do you'll let me know!

The Amazing Dare Dozen - This game can get quite frustrating! Click on the baskets to make the eggs jump up to the next level. You have 12 attempts (a dozen eggs).

Cranky Crabs - Use your yoyo to hit the crabs on the head and jump over the beach balls etc.

Among The Clouds - A very simple game and nice soothing music so great if you just want 5 minutes to think about something other than work! Click on the balloon to make it fly higher, collecting the green balls but avoiding the red ones.

Swordsman - A 'Japanese' style cartoon game. Click on the enemies to kill them.

Aim and Fire - Great for frustration! Use the mouse button to blow up the X and O targets on the screen.

Seventh Row (left to right):

Milk the Cow - Don't play this game if you feel sick or have a hangover! You have to click on the cows as fast as you can to fill up your bucket with milk but the screen moves all over the place and can make you feel quite dizzy!

Critical Zone - Guide your spaceship through the asteroids, blowing up the mines.

M 017 Metal Armor - You can choose to use the mouse or the keyboard for this game. Make the robot jump over the boulders and shoot the baddies!

Penguin Panic - Another one of may favourites. Click on the penguins to freeze them. Click as many as you can in 60 secs.

Hold The Rope - Click on the people to keep their strength up so they can hold the Rhino.

Silent Water - This one is a bit boring. Click on the ship to blow up the Nazi submarines.

V Force - An old style 'shoot em up' game. Shoot the falling targets without getting hit.

Flight of the Season - A Christmas version of the Milk the Cow game (so again don't play it if you have a hangover!). Click on the houses to deliver as many presents as you can before the time runs out.

Eighth Row (left to right):

Puzzler - A computer version of the old style puzzler games. Click on the pieces of the puzzle to move them back to how they should be (shown in the picture).

Apple Season - A very simple game. Use the mouse to move the bucket to catch the falling apples.

So there you go - that's all the games. (jeez..It's about time I hear you cry!)

Some of the games are better than others and there will be ones that you will warm to and play whenever you get the chance. Sometimes it is impossible to just have 'one quick go' as I find myself trying to beat my last score.

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Miscellaneous
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Ok, so now that I've finally finished the games I can get onto the other good things about this site.

Under the heading Miscellaneous are 8 other small boxes.

The first (that has a picture of a mug on it) takes you to the online store. You can purchase things from mugs, clocks, T-shirts and bags and all with your favourite characters from the games on them. I haven't actually purchased anything yet so I cannot tell you about delivery times etc but all this is explained on the site.

The second box (has a picture of a flower on it) takes you to another page. This page has beautiful music on it and this page is a very unique idea. You can make your own bouquet of 'electronic' flowers and them email them to someone to brighten up their day. You can change the colour and the pattern of the background to suit what you want.

The third box takes you to the guestbook where you can read what other people have said about the site and leave your own comment.

The fourth box takes you to a selection of pictures and you can download one as your wallpaper for your screen if you wish.

The fifth box enables you to tell a friend about the site.

The sixth box enables you to put a link to Orisinal on your own web page.

The seventh box is one of my favourites after a long hard day at work and I'm just finishing up some things on my computer. It takes you to a very simple picture of part of a garden and a fountain and rain. I usually minimise the picture while I carry on doing things as it's the music I love to listen too. It is very soothing and relaxing and certainly de-stresses.

The final box is a trailer for Orisinal showing you all the things you can do on the site.

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Overall
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Overall, I really like this site. There are so many games to choose from (as you've just found out with my mile long review!) each one unique and most of them fun to play. Every one is free to do and it makes a change from the usual 'Windows' games that you have on your PC. Whether you are bored and looking for something fun to do whilst on the computer or want to relieve your stresses with some relaxing music or want to buy a cute gift for a friend then this is the site for you.

I hope you give it a try (afterall, it doesn't cost anything and most of the games only last a few minutes) as I don't know where I would be without it now! (Ok, so that's a bit of an exaggeration but I still suggest you have a look as you have nothing to lose!)

Thanks for reading
-x-

Summary: Free website - fun, cute games and online shop etc.