The best game in this column is Broken Sword, the legendary desktop PC adventure game that weaves a smart storyline with a fantastic interactive environment. In the puzzle game category, we have an assortment of unusual creations, like Blobble Bubble Build, Cell-o-Fun, and TubesMIX. If you like puzzle games, these should keep you busy through the holidays.
Broken Sword: Shadow of the Templars (A)
The original Broken Sword is a terrific adventure game from the mid-90s—one that you either fondly remember or need to go play if you missed it the first time around. The Pocket PC conversion is excellent! It involves a credible and appealing murder story complete with a rich environment and an interesting cast of characters. Aside from having fantastic graphics, Broken Sword is well-informed by history, mythology, and the art of filmmaking. In short, it strings a world together with a level of depth and creativity that most other adventure games completely miss.
Broken Sword is a terrific adventure and a top-shelf title in its category.
For more information, visit the Astraware Web site (http://www.astraware.com). Broken Sword supports Pocket PC 2003 and newer devices. A demo is available, and the full version can be purchased for $29.95.
Blobble Bubble Build (A)
Based on a popular Flash-based game called Tower of Goo, Blobble Bubble Build is a terrific adventure in building towers. The idea is to connect girders to each other, end to end, and build your tower as high as you can. Classic Mode gives you 40 pieces to build up your tower, Tower Ace gives you an increasing height requirement in each level, and the most interesting mode, Unlimited, simply has you build a tower as high as you possibly can.
If that weren't enough, BBB oozes quality in the details, like razor-sharp VGA graphics, bonus points for good performance, and special milestone messages that appear when your tower reaches the height of a famous building in world history. BBB shows what happens when you start with a simple idea and build quality into every detail.
Blobble Bubble Build is a fun concept in a great package.
For more information on this game, visit the Limerix Web site (http://www.limerix.com). Blobble Bubble Build supports Pocket PC 2002 and newer devices. A demo is available, and the full version can be purchased for $12.95 (VGA screen version) or $11.95 (QVGA screen version).
Air Hockey Challenge (A-)
Air Hockey Challenge really isn't much different than the old game of Pong, but it's still fun, mainly because the graphics are very good and the physics are believable. The animation is smooth, the game play is speedy, and the controls are very responsive. The game also includes three styles of game play and a multiplayer mode through Wi-Fi. Finally, Air Hockey Challenge includes a feature you don't usually see in this type of game—power-ups. These allow you to freeze your opponent and give you other temporary advantages.
Air Hockey Challenge does a good job of re-creating the popular table game.
For more information on this game, visit the 4pockets Web site (http://www.4pockets.com). Air Hockey Challenge supports Pocket PC 2003 and newer devices. A demo is available, and the full version can be purchased for $14.95.
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