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Minesweeper (PC)
by kat1234
We've probably nearly all attempted a minesweeper game in our time. It is one of the standard games that is usually loaded onto your PC when you get it - along with the other favourite, solitaire. It is a simple game yet highly addictive and, sometimes, incredibly frustrating!
The idea of the game is that you are given a ... board size (easy = small, middle = medium and hard = large), this is divided up into several small squares of equal size (therefore the hard board has alot more such squares than the easy board). Under each square is either a mine (which you must avoid as this will blow up when uncovered and end your game) or a clue as to where the mines are located. This 'clue' consists of a number which is the number of mines that are located in the squares directly adjacent. From this you must work out where the mines are located and click on the squares that are clear (by your calculations!). When you click on some squares, if you are lucky, a mass of sqaures will be revealed - making your task a little simpler! All control for this game is via the mouse - moving to the selected squares and clicking to select them.
The idea of the game is simple and it is really easy to play. It does not take long to get the hang of the game, even for real novices and techno-phobes. For such a simple game, it is highly addictive and I find the hard board very challenging. I have whiled away many an hour hoping to crack the board and ended up pulling my hair out as I accidently uncover mines in the last few moves left of the board. It can also be frustrating when you are not able to work anything definite out from the clues and must take a guess - ruining all your hard work so far.
The game is suitable for anyone that enjoys a good puzzle game and a bit of a brain workout. It is not for those amongst us that are easily frustrated, have little patience or get bored with very simple games.
The thing I like about this game is that you never forget how to play and you can pick it up here and there to while away a few minutes. The hard board is also a real challenge and it is not one of those games that once you get the hang of, you will complete more often than not. The boards change everytime and you are never likely to play the same board (or even know if you have!). A simple and addictive puzzle game.
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Beach Life (PC)
by xxlucexx
Beach Life
I bought this game years ago however it hasn't yet got old and I still enjoy playing it. It is a one-player tactical game in which you are the creator of a holiday resort. On this holiday resort you have to build amenities and keep guests happy whilst taking on challenges that are set.
The game is ... for your PC and it is really easy to install, once you have popped it into your computer it will guide you through the installation process which will only take about 5 minutes. The game is made by Eidos Interactive/A Deep Red Game. This game is really fun and very addictive!
Once you reach the start menu you will be given the following options:
1. Start: this will take you to your first challenge.
2. Sandbox: this is where you can practice before starting.
3. Load: where you can load a previous game.
4. Extras: where you can see the credits and reset the game.
5. Exit: to go back to your desktop.
The game is really easy to follow, throughout there are easy to understand instructions and each level is explained really well so you know what your aims are. Each level is set on a different beach resort and you have to fulfil the requirements set in order to pass each level. If you don't pass then you have to do the level again.
Before you start each level you are given the following information to help you:
1. Map Size: how big the island/beach is.
2. Weather: if the weather is extra hot or rainy etc.
3. Hazards: for example sharks.
4. Difficulty: levels start easy and work up to being hard.
All of these factors help make up the level and they affect the game related to that individual beach. For example you may have shark infested waters and therefore you need to hire a lot of lifeguards or you might have an extra hot location so you will have to make sure that there are a lot of drink stands around, that kind of thing.
As the creator and developer of the resort you are then faced with looking after the beach, building its amenities and hiring staff all under a time limit whilst trying to meet the targets set. At first I did find this game a little frustrating as some of the challenges seem impossible to do in the time given however like with any game it is all about persistence and in this case, tactical thinking. On the early levels there is free space on the islands to build things however as it gets harder space becomes more limited and therefore you have to demolish things and lose money to get what you need.
One of my favourite aspects of the game is hiring the staff. In order to have staff you need to build their huts and then you can hire and fire as you wish. Keeping the staff happy is important as the complex will fall apart without them, you can raise their pay and change their hours to make them work more efficiently and make sure that the island is covered at all times. You start the game with builders and then you are responsible for hiring mechanics, representatives, cleaners, lifeguards and security guards. It is your responsible to make sure that the complex is clean, everything is working okay, guests feel secure and that nobody drowns which is quite a difficult task when there are other things to do at the same time.
Whilst you are playing the game there is a control panel which will appear along the bottom of your screen. This panel enables you to do pretty much everything. There is a bulletin board which flashes up messages and problems to do with the guests and the complex which you need to pay attention to and fix before the guests become unhappy and leave. For example you will see such things as; "Guests are complaining that there is nowhere to get a soft drink", "The ferry is approaching with 26 new guests" and "Security may soon be a problem - you don't have any security guards". Every time a new message appears it beeps so you are aware that there is something that needs taking care of. This is the most useful tool throughout the game as it enables you to know what the guests want so that you can accommodate them and subsequently improve the complex.
The music on the game is great, it is really chilled out and reminds me of holidays. You can pause it, stop it and skip tracks on the control panel. There are other noises to be heard along with the music for example; people laughing/crying/shouting/whistling/throwing up, builders, waves and other sounds.
By clicking on the options button at any time throughout the game you can:
1. Save the game.
2. Load another game.
3. Restart the scenario.
4. Exit to the menu.
5. Change the volume/special effects sounds.
You can be reminded of what your aims are at any time by clicking on the objective button. Once one of your objectives has been achieved a yellow dot will appear next to it so that you know you have passed that one. Objectives range from level to level, you can expect to find ones like; "You must get 150 guests on your island before day 5", "You must get the litter count on your island down to below 20" and "You must collect over $1500 in security fines".
You can also see your guest and building stats. These stats go into a lot of detail, it doesn't just tell you how many guests you have, it tells you: their individual names, their mood (which is represented by a smiley/sad/angry face) and their % of happiness. If you click on one name in particular it will take you to wherever that guest is and it will tell you what they are doing, what they want to do most, when they arrived, when they will depart, how much spending money they have, how much sunburn they have, if they are drunk, if they have a headache and their last 3 thoughts. It gives other information also and it does help as if you check quite a few people and they all are annoyed about having to queue for the toilets then it tells you that you need to build some more.
You can also find out information about the buildings by clicking on them. It will tell you the buildings power consumption, opening times, repair status, how many guests have visited and how much profit it has made. This helps you decide which buildings are worthwhile being kept and which ones should get demolished.
Guests arrive via a ferry or by bus at certain times throughout the day. You can see clearly on the control panel how many guests you have on the island, what time the next ferry/bus is arriving and the time of the day or night it is. You can speed time up or slow it down depending on how well you are doing.
There are a variety of things which you can build and you have to be careful you don't run out of money. You make profit from guests and the amenities, you can make things more expensive to use if you are struggling for money. There needs to be a good variety of things for the guests to do and places for them to go or else they get bored and unhappy. As the levels go on more possible builds become available.
For example, some things that you can build are: staff houses, toilets, showers, beach bars, barbeques, stores, accommodation, food/drink stalls, casinos, bars, discos, cocktail bars pools, jet skis, plants, bins, benches... the list is endless.
Overall I really like this game, no matter how many times I play it I still find it quite challenging on certain levels and that is why I keep going back to it. I love the layout of the game and the complexity of some of the challenges. It really does make you think and that is why it doesn't get boring. I warn you though, it is very addictive!
The game is available for about £5 off such sites as play.com and amazon.co.uk which I think is an absolute bargain as it will keep you entertained for hours and it really is fun! Definitely recommended for anybody 12+.
Thank you for reading.
Review also on Ciao under luceey.
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Big Brother Series 2 - The Game (PC)
by Burning_Darkness
Good lord, this is awful. Big Brother The Game is a terrible video-game tie in (read, cash-grab) that came out years and years ago a short while after the end of Series 2. It was never going to be a gaming masterpiece, but it even fails to meet its own incredibly low expectations. Essentially what we have here is a series of ... spectacularly poor flash games that wouldnt even be worth playing for free on the internet. One game, for example, has you playing as one of the housemates trying to catch a series of plates as they descend from above, another is a simple puzzle game in which you have to rearrange blocks until they create the face of another of the game's contestants. The presentation is bland, with entirely flat, cartoonish SVGA graphics, complete with amateruish, gurning/mugging charicatures of the shows various characters, and will hold the players attention for a good 15 seconds or so before they turn to look at somethign more interesting, like the nearest wall.
Even if you were a die hard fan of the abominable programme upon which this game is themed, and wished to recreate the heady nostalga of the programme circa the early 2000s, this still wouldnt be worth paying for, so terribly cobbled together and utterly devoid of entertainment value as it proves to be. Back when the game originally came out, it garnered reviews ranging between 2 and 9 percent in the major PC gaming mags, and it hasnt exactly improved with age. There is nothing here of interest, either in terms of gameplay or presentation, and it exists for no other reason than to squeeze further money out of the Big Brother franchise. A complete and utter waste of time.
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