Direct Link : Farkle
Publisher : Smart Box Design
Price : $14.95
Graphics : 6 Out of 10
Sound : 5 out of 10

Gameplay : 9 Out of 10
Longevity : 8 Out of 10
Overall : 7 Out of 10

Boy do I love to Farkle. Now get your mind out of the gutter, Farkle in this instance, is one of those annoyingly addictive dice games, that you think you can dismiss after a game or two, but keeps you coming back for more, which is just the kind of game I like.

With easy to understand rules, this is one of those games, that’s very quick to grasp, but beneath the simple exterior are some neat strategic undertones, that once grasped make the game much more enjoyable.

The aim of the game is to be the player to score either 5,000 or 10,000 points first, depending on the game options selected. The basic rules are that you roll 6 dice. You can hold 3 dice of the same kind, or dice with a one or 5 displaying. You can keep rolling the dice until you have all 6 dice selected or if you fail to roll any dice of the aforementioned type, this is a Farkle and you then lose the score accrued and your turn, otherwise you can keep throwing or pass to bank your score.

There’s quite a few different options to play with, that effect the overall game play. The most obvious of these is a varying amount of human or computer players, up to a maximum of 6 including you. There are 8 computer players to choose from, all with their own idiosyncrasies. You can also select whether you want to end the game at 5,000 or 10,000 and also whether you want there to be a barrier to entry, “Break In”, i.e. a player must score at least N before they can begin their game. This last option maybe shows the one flaw in the game and that is that playing dice is random. It’s sometimes really frustrating trying to get into a game, when the other players are on 5,000+ and you have yet to score. Although I realise the random nature of dice, I did sometimes feel that the random generator was a little flawed, sometimes giving me the near exact set of dice turn after turn. I’ve not managed to nail that down to the freaky nature of randomness, or whether the random number generator is flawed, but it only resulted in the odd game feeling a little unnatural. You can also set whether to score three pairs of numbers and also if you want a player to be forced to roll, if all dice are scoring.

Conclusion : A great game and currently one that I find my self constantly coming back to, especially when I have 10 minutes or so to kill. The overall score does not really do justice to the game. The graphics are clear and bright and the sound, very functional, but only that. Where this game really scores is in it’s game play and the fact that you don’t need to devour a heap of instructions to get going.

Direct Link : Broken Sword: Shadow of the Templars
Publisher : Astraware

Price : $29.95

Graphics : 9.5 Out of 10
Sound : 9 out of 10
Gameplay : 9 Out of 10
Longevity : 8.5 Out of 10
Overall : 9 Out of 10

Sometime a review can take a while to complete. This can be due to other working commitments, or one of a multitude of other reasons. Sometimes however the reason is the classic, one more go syndrome. With Broken Sword however, it’s not quite the one more go scenario, as you don’t get vanquished by your foes and have to start all over again. Here it’s the need to progress further and further into the game, of course to be able to report on all the goodness within.

First off let me say this game is gorgeous. From the absolutely amazing graphics, to the smooth animation, and wonderful sound effects and spoken dialogue. Admittedly the dialogue can at times be really cheesy, but it’s totally in keeping with the game and at times provides some light relief.

This is a game that’s relatively hungry for storage space. The game itself needs 115 megabytes, with a recommended 250 megabytes for the purpose of installation. No problem here, fortunately as I have a 4 gigabyte CF card in my Pocket PC, so this wasn’t an issue, but it’s worth noting, if you are a bit short of the necessary space.

For anyone who’s played a point and click adventure, the gameplay will be pretty familiar. After cut scenes or interaction with characters, you can click on items strewn about the scene, to find out more information or interact with the item, or click in the direction you wish to travel, i.e., through a door, or up a flight of stairs. You can also interact with a range of characters in the game, from stuffy police, to the delightfully dotty and eccentric and this interaction is vital to unlocking information and clues, to allow you to progress further in the game.

The basic storyline begins with you, George Stobbard a vacationing American, outside a café in Paris, just after an explosion in which a man is killed inside. You take it upon yourself to investigate further and start to uncover a terrifying conspiracy. The game is a remake of one previously available on the PC and Playstation, but you wouldn’t have guessed it. This isn’t a straight, let’s make money port, as there has been some amazing attention to detail and indeed gameplay. This game plays like a charm and you never feel like it’s a game that’s been mindlessly shoe horned into the Pocket PC.

As I mentioned before, I would have reviewed this earlier, but I wanted to at least get far enough into the game, to be able to give an informed opinion. Well that opinion is in and it’s all good. I’m not sure how far I’ve got in the game, but I’ve had enough “ah ha” moments, to fuel the desire to continue further. Indeed even after this review is put to bed, I feel like I’m going to have to finish this game, otherwise it will be one of those things burning away in the back of my mind.

I can’t really think of a single thing to criticise this game. Yes the price of the game is a little high at a tad under $30, but the overall experience and gameplay really pale the cost into insignificance. This really is one of those games you love to have, just to show off what a Pocket PC can do, to your friends and collegues.

Conclusion : This is just an amazing game, with that great immersive quality. In fact I’d sometimes forget that I was playing on a small Pocket PC screen, especially when wearing headphones. Certainly not a game you are going to walk straight through, but the difficult level seems to be set just about right. An absolute must for your Pocket PC games collection.

Direct Link : Atomic Battle Dragons
Publisher : Isotope244

Price : $19.95

Graphics : 9 Out of 10
Sound : 8.5 out of 10
Gameplay : 8 Out of 10
Longevity : 8.5 Out of 10
Overall : 8.5 Out of 10

Based on the old Atari arcade game Joust, this takes the basic gameplay and builds a story upon it, adding a whole new dimension to the game. If you haven’t guessed already, the basic idea behind the game is to fly your dragon and joust other dragons. You have to make sure your jousting pole is higher than your opponents to inflict damage, or it’s you on the end of a sharp stick. Once you have defeated a dragon, the rider will make his way to a regeneration pod. If you hit him before he reaches it, he will be defeated. Once all the dragons are defeated, you progress to the next level. There are 4 different zones to progress through, each comprising of 40 levels, so this is going to be no walk in the park.

What makes this game shine, is the story that unfolds during the game. This not only provides light relief, which is sometimes sorely needed after some levels, but it also makes you really feel involved in the game. Yes at times the dialog is a bit on the cheesy side, but it fits right in with the animation/graphics style, so is easily forgiven.

I have to admit, although I never played the original game in the arcades, I did play one of the many home computer versions, that surfaced in the mid 80’s. The one I remember most was for my beloved ZX Spectrum, from Rabbit Software. I actually remember this games exceptionally well, as a friend and I disassembled the code, to find out how it works and I’m still a huge geek, many moons later.

The big proviso of this games is the machine you are running it on, specifically the method for which you interact with the game. There are two modes. One has you using your devices D-Pad, or what ever equivalent you may have. On my Dell Axmin X50V, this isn’t the most ideal of control system, especially with a game like this, where the action can get a bit frantic. Fortunately the other method utilities a mix of control pad and screen taps. You basically use the screen to flap your wings and the control pad to direct either left and right. This latter method is the one that I found myself using most and becomes pretty intuitive pretty quickly.

Conclusion : This is a game that starts of pretty slowly, but even then you are going to struggle until you are used to controlling your character. The difficulty escalates pretty quickly, but not at a rate that becomes overwhelming. I love the graphics, which are slick and smooth and the sound, whilst fairly minimal, compliments the game nicely.

Astraware is excited to announce their Packs of Fun promotion, where you can save bagfuls on their most popular value packs of games. From Friday 18th May to Monday 28th May you can save on a selected range of game packs with up to 6 titles in each.

Packs of Fun is a fantastic opportunity to pick up a bargain on PopCap Games Pack 1, featuring Bejeweled, Alchemy and 3 other great titles, or the Family Games Pack including Insaniquarium, Bzzz! and 4 more fun, family-friendly games. There are 6 different packs to choose from and every one is discounted by $10, so get them now, this offer is only available for a limited time!

To bag yourself a bargain, head over to the Astraware website at http://www.astraware.com, but hurry, the sale ends on May 28th 2007!

Direct Link : Hammer Heads
Publisher : Astraware

Price : $19.95

Graphics : 6 Out of 10
Sound : 6 out of 10
Gameplay : 7 Out of 10
Longevity : 7 Out of 10
Overall : 6.5 Out of 10

I have to admit, the thought of a game, that’s basically a more in depth version of the freestanding arcade game, “Whack a Mole” didn’t fill me with too much anticipation, but as with all Astraware games, you have to reserve judgment until you’ve actually played the game.

So the aim of the game is relatively straight forward. When a gnome pops his head from out of a hole, tap his head with the stylus and that’s one less gnome to have to worry about, miss however or let the gnome get away and you miss the opportunity of a perfect score. As the game progresses, gnomes with different properties appear, forcing you to hit them multiple times or at a time when they are susceptible to attack.

The game is played in waves, with only a brief respite after each wave. Admittedly once you have become accustomed to the game play, the earlier levels can become a bit mind numbing, fortunately you can pickup the game play from the previous level you expired on. Throughout the game, you also collect coins left by the gnomes you bash, or left around in treasure chests. These coins come into play at varying points in the game, when a shop pops up instead of a gnome. Tap on it and you enter the shop, allowing you to optionally purchase items to help you in your quest. Some of these items have an unbelievable price on them, so somewhere in the game you must be able to collect a bucket load of coins, because so far I’ve only managed to afford the cheapest upgrade.

The graphics throughout are crisp and clear, as is the sound. Certainly they are not ground breaking by any means, but they are pleasing and very effective. The game play can end up pretty frantic at the later levels and is surely a good test for your hand eye co-ordination.

Conclusion : A great game to while away the odd break in everyday life. However prolonged use may make the game seem long in the tooth before too long.

Direct Link : Napoleonix
Publisher : Inscenic

Price : $12.95

Graphics : 7 Out of 10
Sound : 6 out of 10
Gameplay : 9 Out of 10
Longevity : 8 Out of 10
Overall : 7.5 Out of 10

Having been a great fan of Inscenic’s previous games, I was excited to get my hands on Napoleonix, which is apparently based on a board game called Stratego, a game I’ve certainly heard of, but never actually played. The game is based on grid, with each side having playing pieces of varying strengths. The lower a playing pieces value, the stronger it is, so for instance an attacking piece with a value of [4] would vanquish a piece of higher value. If you attack a piece of equal value, they are both removed from the playing field. The ultimate goal of the game is to capture your opponents flag.

Napoleonix is a turn based game, which has many of the hallmarks of chess, requiring you to really plan many moves ahead. Upon starting a game you must choose whether you want to play as Napolean Bonaparte or Mikhail Kutuzov. You also have to choose on which map you want to play, either Waterloo, which is played on a 10×10 grid and uses standard Stratego rules, or Borodino, which is played on a 15×10 grid, which has a fake flag and a brave. For each map you can also select a combination of the following options :

• Bring Flag
• Slow Scouts
• Strong Spies

There are also 3 difficulty levels, Easy, Medium and Hard. Easy is where I started and managed to win 1 of my many early attempts. Playing pieces have different properties depending on their value. Most units can move 1 space vertically or horizontally. Scouts, with a value of [9] can move the entire length or width of the playing area, as long as the destination cell isn’t blocked. This option can also be disabled by selected the Slow Scout option before beginning a game. Once a piece has moved it can not go back to it’s former position on the next turn, unless it has just made an attack.

Spies [S] can defeat the most power Marshal [1] units. When the Strong Spy option is selected, Marshal cannot defeat spy even if he attacks first. Spies however are vulnerable to attack from every other unit. Brave[*] can defeat any unit, but vanishes with the enemy. Any unit can defeat a Brave, if it attacks first. Mines are stationary, but if a player lands on them they are removed from the playing area. Sappers [8] can disarm mines and remain in play. These can become vital in later gameplay, as all too often your opponent has shrouded his flag in mines, making it difficult for you to get to it.

Initially all enemy units are hidden, however once a unit is under attack or initiates an attack it reveals itself. Depending on the map, there are either 1 or two flags (a real one and a fake one) for each side. If the Bring flag option is selected, it needs to be moved to your first line, to determine if it’s real or fake. There are also squares that act as immovable squares, forcing you to wend your way round them.

Whilst playing the game you can select 1 of two views. The game piece view has some great graphics, showing each piece in all it’s majesty, but it’s just too confusing to play for very long. The other view is the more traditional grid view, showing each piece as it’s numeric value. This may not be the most inspiring of views, but it really allows you to concentrate on the task at hand.

Before each game commences, you are given the opportunity to place [disposition] all of your pieces on the grid, something akin to setting up for a game of battleships. Alternately you can just opt to play using the games previously randomly generated positions.

I originally received the game at the beginning of February. By the end of February, there was a sizable update, which added a new campaign mode, vastly adding to the games longevity. Also added were 8 ranks and 21 medals for you to earn. The game also now boasts sound effects and in game music, which was previously missing. The music is nice and ambient, not causing a distraction at all. There are also numerous tweaks and speedups.

Conclusion : A relatively simple game to gets the grasp of, but one that really develops as you become accustomed to the rules and begin to really think through your strategies. The graphics are crisp and clean, but as mentioned earlier, I much preferred the very simple view. With the added campaign mode, $12.95 starts to look like a real bargain. Another great addition to the Inscenic product line.

Inscenic releases new version 1.3 of Warring Nations, a turn-based medieval strategy game.

The new update contains following changes:

1. NEW! Aegean Sea map;
2. NEW! 2 additional nations;
3. All 6 additional maps included;
4. Improved graphics;
5. Better music and sound quality;
6. Improved load times;
7. Fixed bugs;

Download the trial version from Clickgamer

Further information about Warring Nations can be found on the official web site - with screenshots, manual, forums and FAQ at your disposal. Be sure to also check out Games for PPC’s review here.

Enjoy playing the game!

Hello everyone and welcome to the new look GamesforPPC website. Things have been quiet here over the past few months, but personally it couldn’t have been more opposite. The old site was beginning to get a bit creaky and was also lacking some major features, like a search engine. This has now been rectified as well as the addition of categories. Hopefully the site is now more pleasing to the eye and a little quicker to load. I have many exciting things planned in the near future, so keep your eyes peeled.

As always your feedback is gratefully received. Looking forward to a great 2007.

Avast me hearties!!! Tuesday 19th September is International Talk Like a Pirate Day and the Astraware Team is celebratin’ once again! ARRR!

We’re dressin’ and talkin’ like a pirate the whole day and when the workday is done we be bowlin’ like pirates too (photographic evidence will be here soon)!

A word from our fine captain, Redbeard Tomlinson: “Arrr, now’s yer chance to get a bit piratey - and if we don’t get at least an Arrr out of ye, it’ll be twelve strokes of the cat and no internet access for the rest of the day! A-harrr.”

If ye want to join us in a bit of pirate fun, why not get your PDA or Smartphone shipshape with a copy of Tradewinds or Seven Seas. You can even get a few dubloons off the price! Visit our special piratey promo page for more information.

The fine shipmates at Marie Curie Cancer Care are also joining the pirate fun for the day, and in cooperation with Popcap Games and Sandlot Games we’ll be donating the booty from both games to them at the end of the month.

Pre-order Broken Sword for Windows Mobile for Pocket PC and get $10 off the price right now. Alternatively, sign up to be notified as soon as the Windows Mobile version is available and receive a 10% release discount!

Broken Sword will be released on Wednesday 2nd August 2006.

Direct Link : Galaxy Gate
Publisher : Inscenic

Price : $7.95

Graphics : 7 Out of 10
Sound : 7 out of 10
Gameplay : 8 Out of 10
Longevity : 8 Out of 10
Overall : 7.5 Out of 10

You can always tell a good game. It’s the one that over the years, keeps coming back again and again. I’m not saying that as anything against Galaxy Gate, it just goes to prove that simple gameplay is sometimes much better than all the latest bells and whistles. Just take a look at Tetris for a case in point. In fact, I think that being able to describe a game in just a sentence or two, is a great testament to a games design.

The gaming pedigree of Inscenic, Galaxy Gate’s publisher cannot be denied. They are the company behind one of one favorite Pocket PC games of all time, Warring Nations, so it was with nervous excitement that I installed the game. OK so this is no Warring Nation, but it’s not designed to be. This is a puzzle game, pure and simple, but that’s about the only simple thing in this devious game.

The basic premise of the game is to collect all the gems in a 9×7 grid. However if it was as simple as that, you’d probably only play this game a couple of time. The 9×7 grid is filled with crates that can contain either contain gems or bombs. You must determine what they contain, by firing your laser across a row or column. If it hits a gem, the laser beam will deflect and change colour, to either green, blue, or red. If it hits a bomb, the beam will still deflect and change to yellow. Your job is to collect all the gems and mark all the bombs for deactivation. Whilst the gameplay is deceptively simple, it soon progresses at a rapid pace. I like to think I’m pretty good at these games, but man I’m not half as good as I thought I was, but you know what they say, practice makes perfect.

As always the presentation is top notch. The graphics are bright and colourful, if a little on the simplistic side. The sound is also very well done, with some great spot effects and some really groovy music. Registered users also get a game editor, allowing them to create their own levels. The only niggly point I had with the whole game is that I would often click on a bomb location, without first having the bomb locater selected, thus ending my game. If there were some kind of confirmation before clicking on each square, that would be a good way to prevent this, but you’d need a way to switch that off, if it got too annoying.

Conclusion : This is one of those games, where you just need one more go. At just $7.95 this is a must buy, as it will keep you entertained for hours.