Tomba! 2: The Evil Swine Return Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)i own tomba and tomba 2. boy what a difference, t-2 is so much more organized in t-1 you go back and forth so many times it gets boring , but in t-2 it is way better. plus they talk and write the words on the screen so it is easier to understand for younger kids who cant read as well. if you have to choose this is the one but if you have t-1 and are considering buying t-2 don't hesitate, you won't regret it!!!!!!

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Product Description:
TOMBA 2: THE EVIL SWINE RETURN delivers a true sequel; it introduces a new moother learning curve taht makes this the perfect game for kids 12 and under. With two paths to follow; young gamers will be taken on a whimsical journey without a hitch; and more complicated sub-quests will challenge the most experienced gamers.

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Puzzles & Riddles 2.0 Ages 10+ Review

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(More customer reviews)Lots of fun; good way to sharpen up your math skills (author a PHD in Music at Harvard and a Math whiz too).Great for traveling on the plane; beats Solitaire all to heck.

Mary

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Product Description:
BRAND NEW SHIPS IN ECO-FRIENDLY WHITE PAPER SLEEVE. Over 10 years in business - huge software selection, excellent customer service! Windows 98/2000/ME/XP

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Ico Review

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(More customer reviews)Every once in a while, a game comes along that redefines innovation and sets a standard for all others to follow. "Legend of Zelda" for the NES defined adventure-style gaming, "Final Fantasy VII" for the PSX brought RPGs to the mainstream, and "Super Mario 64" for the N64 is what all 3D platformers are compared to to this day. Joining this list of games is "ICO" for the PS2. So what does "ICO" redefine in terms of innovation? The experience.
"ICO" at its core is a platformer and puzzle-solver with some basic combat elements, but its deeper aspects make it far more than that. The title character, Ico, must lead a young girl called Yorda out of a rundown castle and protect her from shadow creatures that try to reclaim her. The gameplay is very simplistic and yet contains one of the richest experiences ever found in gaming. The way Ico leads Yorda around is so beautiful, so powerful than it makes the player forget that he's playing a game and is instead living a dream. The dual-shock controller adds to the experience by causing the player to "feel" Ico leading Yorda by the hand. Add in realistic body physics, and the feeling is one that remains etched in a player's memory.
Adding to the unforgettable experience are superb graphics, some of the best the PS2 has seen. While the characters can look a little hazy sometimes, they always look, act, and seem real. The environment itself is a work of art. Unlike games like "Myst", where puzzles are just put there with no purpose other than to be solved, the castle is a living and breathing puzzle that is there for a purpose. Textures, lighting effects, and water effects all add to the magic the gameplay already casts.
Soundwise, there isn't a lot of music in the game except during cutscenes, pause menu, and the ending. But had there been music duing gameplay, it might've actually ruined the experience. A whistling castle with dripping water, crackling fire, and the footsteps of Ico and Yorda is all that's needed here. It simply adds to the experience. Also, the original voices were left in the game, and subtitles have been provided.
With all the good that "ICO" has, is there bad? Unfortunately, yes. The game is sadly quite short. Seasoned players can finish this game in 7-10 hours or even less, and replay value isn't very high for some players. The battles in "ICO" are very easys, usually requiring hack-slash-and-retreat tactics (although, personally, I feel a grandiose fighting system would've been ridiculous). Also, there is a small bug in which the pause menu sometimes pops up and freezes the game. I've only come across this once, but it is there.
But in the end, "ICO" outshines all its faults. From beginning to end (the ending was one of the most satisfying endings I've ever seen in gaming, far more satisfying than the ending of "Final Fantasy VII"), "ICO" is a masterpiece, albeit sadly a short one. Some players will want to buy this game and relive the experience again and again. Others will only want to live it once through a rental. Either way, this game deserves to be played by anyone and everyone.

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Product Description:
Ico for PS2

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Portal Review

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(More customer reviews)The game is a blast to play, if you are into physics-based puzzles. I'm not going to describe it, because it's well-described elsewhere (Wikipedia, for instance). So the question comes down to, "Is it worth buying?" And the answer is a qualified yes.

The game is short. Yes, really short. Compared to the typical puzzle game ("Myst", etc.), you blast through this in half the time (or less). But what is cut out is all the "envirnoment exploration". It has just as many puzzles as the typical puzzle game, but none of that walking around and looking at the scenery stuff. No bits where you have to go to island A to get the key that opens a lock in island B, which gives you the answer to a puzzle back on island A again, etc.

But it's not sudoku, either. GLaDOS is hilarious and menacing at the same time. Even with no other visible characters to interact with, the plot is a surprisingly important part of the experience. You start to get emotionally attached to the idea that you are a lab rat trying to get out of the maze before you get euthanized.

So, yes, it's worth the money. It's short, but intense. In the same way that an hour-long movie might be better than that same movie stretched out to three hours, I'm not sure the game would have worked if it was much longer than it is. In fact, I bought the whole "Orange Box" just to try this game, and I'm happy with the purchase. (That doesn't mean I'm not also going to play Half-Life, eventually.)

If I want to just kill hours on the computer, I can play solitaire. What I wanted was what I got -- an exciting and challenging set of puzzles with a surprisingly compelling plot as a bonus.

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Product Description:
Portal is a new single player game from Valve, creators of Half-Life 2 and Counter-Strike.Set in the mysterious Aperture Science Laboratories, Portal has earned over 15 Game of the Year Awards and offers gamers hours of unique gameplay.The game is designed to change the way players approach, manipulate and surmise the possibilities in a given environment; similar to how Half-Life 2's Gravity Gun innovated new ways to leverage an object in any given situation.Players must solve physical puzzles and challenges by opening portals to maneuvering objects, and themselves, through space.

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Diamond Drop (Jewel Case) Review

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(More customer reviews)very fun game.beautiful graphics, nice sounds,lots of fun to play.easy levels, and difficult ones.you need to pay attention, and plan ahead a little in your moves.you can start over again if you need to.very pleasant game to play

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Solitaire Master 4 (Box - XP Compatible) Review

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(More customer reviews)This solitaire games CD is the best I have ever used. I have others, but deleted them all after purchasing this one!

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Product Description:
Solitaire Master 4 is the biggest update to the best-selling Solitaire Master series yet. 500 games, from classics like Klondike and Free Cell to original games not found anywhere else. An easy to use interface lets you preview games, and with 50 more games than Solitaire Master 3, 12 new card faces, 150 card backs, over 700 backgrounds, 3 and 4 deck games, and tons of options and features, Solitaire Master 4 is the biggest and best solitaire collection at any price!

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Crazy Machines Gold Review

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(More customer reviews)This package actually includes 2 games in 1 - Crazy Machines and Crazy Machines 1.5. This bonus is not advertised on the box, but is printed on the disc face. Over 400 challenging puzzles! This is a much better deal than buying them seperately.

Just a few words of warning: This game is 3D accelerated so you will need the proper hardware to run it (I recomend nVidia graphics cards). Also, this version is Windows only (no Mac support like the seperate versions). The game uses very little hard drive space (about 150MB) and runs fine in Windows Vista too.

Buy this game! I highly recomend it!

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Product Description:
Rube Goldberg developed complex devices to perform simple tasks, also known as crazy machines, made of all sorts of weird parts. Crazy Machines Gold is a collection of strange, unique parts that you can use to develop your own inventions.

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Pandora's Box: Puzzle Game of the Year Edition Review

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(More customer reviews)A good puzzle game for adults who are not into the role playing simulation type games.There are many different types of puzzles to work on as well as a travel type game.I wish there were more games geared to adults like Lemmings, Lost Vikings, the old Nintendo Fire and Ice, etc.Games that challenge the mind and not just coordination.

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Product Description:
When Alexey Pajitnov, creator of Tetris (one of the most addictive games of all time), designs a new puzzle title, fans everywhere perk their heads up and take note. While it's not quite up to the irresistible standard set by its legendary predecessor, Microsoft's Pandora's Box: Puzzle Game of the Year Edition was named Puzzle Game of the Year by the Electric Games website, and offers hours of nonviolent, uncomplicated enjoyment through its 10 different types of puzzles.
Nearly all of the Pandora's Box conundrums resemble the traditional jigsaw puzzle, though you'll find plenty of visual twists, such as sliding pieces on a circular plane or having to solve a puzzle built on a complex 3-D object. Some deviate from this formula, but the most addictive puzzles follow this model, and those provide the most extended--and replayable--diversions.
For those overwhelmed by complex computer games, Pandora's Box: Puzzle Game of the Year Edition offers a simplistic interface and basic rules, easing computer novices into the puzzle environment. This edition features 40 new puzzle games, as well as the original 350 puzzles from the original Pandora's Box. There are five difficulty levels, plus various hints and wildcards that remove the frustration factor when you're unable to complete a particular puzzle. Looking for new puzzle games to replace your Tetris addiction? Check out Alexey Pajitnov's engrossing Pandora's Box: Puzzle Game of the Year Edition. --Doug Radcliffe

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Picross DS Review

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(More customer reviews)The good news: Picross DS is a worthy follow-up to one of the best brain-teaser puzzle games I've played, Mario's Picross.The bad news: despite a host of great new features, they've actually left out a great feature of that 14-year old title and even damaged the design (though only slightly).

Picross DS keeps the same Sudoku-meets-Minesweeper gameplay of the classic game, derived from the popular paper puzzles called nonograms.You are given the number and order of colored cells in each row and column of a grid.By logical deduction and good guesswork, you must figure out which cells should be colored in and which shouldn't be.

Easy and Normal puzzles are time-limited and serve as an introduction to the game; Free Mode puzzles have no timer or warning that you've misplaced a tile.Free Mode is the bulk of the game, and a more satisfying way to play.There are a few minigames as well (a pair of "whack a square" games and a "reverse drawing" game, and possibly others), but these are rather dull and not the point.A change for the challenging: the largest puzzles here are larger than any I've played before.

In gameplay, you can either use the stylus (good for smaller puzzles, frustrating for large ones) or the d-pad and buttons (better for large puzzles, slower in competitive play).

Which brings me to one major addition: online and local wireless competitive play.You and another go head to head to finish two puzzles.I haven't put much time into this mode yet, but it doesn't intuitively seem a big draw - Picross has always been about contemplative mental exercise to me.

The next addition is more exciting: a "Daily Picross" mode, meant to test your speed at small puzzles randomly chosen.Five modes are available, only one of which is unlocked at the start.This mode has a great deal of potential and could bring some longevity to the game once it is finished.

The next major addition is one I've wanted for a long time.A puzzle editor allows you to create your own puzzles, either cell-by-cell or by automatically generating a puzzle from a free-hand sketch.I don't like the automatically-generated puzzles I've done so far, but I may get used to it.

You can share the puzzles you create via local wireless or over the internet, and download puzzles made by others.Nintendo will be releasing multiple puzzle packs that provide puzzles from previous Picross games as well.

This would all be perfect except for two changes made to the basic presentation:
- Mario's Picross had three save slots, to allow three people to use the same cartridge.This game has a single save slot - you can't really share this with a friend or a family member.Expect to buy one per person - at least it's cheap.
- More gravely, the picture you uncover by solving the puzzle is now displayed, both as a small icon on the puzzle select screen and at full size on the top screen.This hurts replayability - there's little point in replaying a puzzle if you know what it looks like.I have not completed Free Mode yet, but a full random Time Attack mode, as the earlier game had, would go a long way towards making up for this last problem.

While the former problem can be ascribed to Nintendo's desire to sell more copies of the software, the latter is simply strange.Nevertheless, the additions make this a superior title to its excellent predecessor and a downright bargain for its budget price.Highly recommended for those who like thoughtful, contemplative puzzle-solving.

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Product Description:
Fill in squares using simple hints to reveal the hidden picture. You'll need both puzzle-solving skills and creativity to earn your picture reward.

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Dream Vacation Solitaire Review

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(More customer reviews)The cd was no good, got a refund, but have played it at a frieds house, and loved it.

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Product Description:
Play your way to paradise you'll never think of solitaire the same old way again. Playing well earns you medals, awards, sailing upgrades and perhaps a nice, fully-appointed dream vacation yacht.

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Riven: The Sequel to Myst Review

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(More customer reviews)Riven is a visual masterpiece. Set in a beautifully rendered world of still images and animated cut scenes, Riven takes you through an intriguing story and wonderfully creative places. Riven isn't just a pretty gamethough... it is composed of challenging (and often frustrating) interactivepuzzles that must be solved to complete the game.
If you've played gameslike the 7th Guest, or Myst, you'll find Riven challenging. If you've neverplayed any puzzle-based games before, you'll find Riven insanely hard. Ifyou are not familiar with interactive puzzles, I would highly recommendstarting with Myst. Not only is it easier and almost as beautifullyrendered as Riven, but it'll do a great job priming you for the moredifficult puzzles you'll encounter in this game.
While I cannot praisethe creators of Riven enough for the depth of their creativity, I cannotrecommend this game to just anyone. Riven is perfect for the avid puzzlesolver, but much too difficult for the casual game player. Younger children(and most teens) may lose interest in this game very quickly, as thepuzzles will often stop a player dead in their tracks until they can musterup the brainpower to figure them out. If you're looking for action, thisisn't the place you'll find it.
On the other hand, Riven contains noviolence, and is definitely a game that will make you think. You can't saythat about many games these days, which is one of the reasons why this gameis perfectly suited for a more cognitive crowd.
Riven gets four out offive stars because I believe that some puzzles may be out of the reach ofmost people without the use of a hint book. Regardless of this drawback,it's one of the best games in it's class... and I highly recommend it.

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Product Description:
Prepare to enter a world "torn asunder" by timeless, unresolved conflicts--a world of incomparable beauty, intrigue, and betrayal. Prepare to go to Riven. Journey through vast, awe-inspiring landscapes, where clouds sit nestled in a deep blue sky and the rolling sea waters shimmer from bright morning sunlight. But be forewarned: nothing is quite as it seems. Reclusive beings and mysterious creatures populate the land. Deep, dark secrets lay hidden at every turn.Your utmost powers of observation and reason are required to complete a most elusive task. You must let Riven become your world. Only then may the truth be discovered and a world be saved. Riven stands as a story for all time, a story that evokes a sense of awe, wonder, and profound purpose. Prepare to go to Riven --a world unlike any you've ever known.

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The Incredible Machine: Even More Contraptions Review

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(More customer reviews)Every once in a while, a company manages to release a simple puzzle solving or trivia based PC game that hooks a dedicated fan base everywhere.The Incredible Machine series is one of those titles.The Even More Contraptions edition comes with approximately two hundred puzzles arranged in order of difficulty and an editor that allows you to make your own contraptions.
If you're not familiar with the Incredible Machine series, it's a layman mechanical engineer's dream.If you've ever watched a movie with a stereotypical nutty professor that has a contraption set up involving ten to twenty devices all reacting to each other in a "domino chain" to complete one simple task you already have an idea what the puzzles are like.In other words, a can opener with a can of tuna causing a cat to move which pulls a string that starts a fan which blows a wind chime that somehow turns on the TV. :D
That's how the puzzles are set up but many of the key components are left out and provided to the gamer to figure out how to get the device to work and complete the goals listed.Many times your solution is completely different from the given solution and the game doesn't limit your creativity.Over a hundred different pieces are including various gears, fire starting devices, animals, platforms, floating mechanisms, etc.Only a few picked by the original programmer are included in each puzzle but if you make your own puzzles you can pick from any device in the game.
There are also various websites set up by fans that allow you to download different creations.A fun game that you can keep coming back to as you attempt to complete the many puzzles provided.

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The Incredible Machine - Even More Contraptions

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LEGO Drome Racers Review

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(More customer reviews)If you want a game with your favorite lego technic vehicles, awesome race/battles, and most of all, incredible realism, then this is the game for you!
This game offers 3 different modes of play:
Quick Race-Random Track and Vehicle
Arcade-Chose your track and Vehicle
Career-Work through the Multi-Challenge Races to win the Drome Racers cup!
There are also 3 different types of terrain and vehicles:
-Street
-Off-Road
-Drag Race
A street race normally takes place in a big city. In a street race, the cars have thin racing slicks and are faster than the off-roaders.
An off-road race takes place on a dirt track. Off-road races have "hazards" such as tornado, lava, falling boulders, etc. The cars have thicker tires and are the slowest of all.
The drag race stage is much different. The cars are automatically manual transmission, so you don't just hold down the accelerator the whole way down the long strip of pavement. Be careful! If your rpm's get to high, your engine will blow.
So, once again, if you like extremely detailed lego racing, buy this game!

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Product Description:
In the Drome....everyone lives for racing.Are you up to the ultimate all-terrain racing challenge?Get ready to race the Drome - A fast paced, anything goes racing experience like no other.* Multi-challenge racing featuring dragster, street, and off road stages* 9 tracks, 36 routes, and 3 terrains set in a massive futuristic world* 7 amazing power-ups* 18 cars based on the new LEGO racers construction toy range* Head to head, split-screen multiplayer mode

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Myst 3: Exile Review

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(More customer reviews)I realize Ubisoft, not Cyan, made the third Myst game, but they really pulled off an excellent experience for us Myst fans.I got the collector's edition two days after it came out, and HIGHLY recommend it to anyone who enjoyed the first two, Myst and Riven.
Graphically, the freedom and playability are top-quality.You can actually move around while videos play, and turn 360 degrees plus full up and down at every location.The puzzles easily integrate into the story.Sound and music are superb, and in my opinion, the music tends to make the Myst games a top seller.They put a lot of work into that part of these games.
As for story, without any spoilers, they are utterly faithful to the D'ni history.You face a new (old?) adversary of Atrus, and he brings a new depth to the story.If this has been a concern, rest easy.Exile continues and expands the familiar issues of Atrus and his ages.
I have two small criticisms of the game, but I will only give one so the game won't be spoiled for you.It was way too easy, too fast.This could be because I finally understand how these people think, and nearly walked through most of the game.I don't know for sure.Myst and Riven took me over 9 months with the hint book.Exile took me three weeks without the hint book.Don't be discouraged, that could just be "ME" finally "getting it!"
Overall, Exile is a fine addition to the D'ni universe, and I hope to see future episodes of this amazing world.The puzzles, music, characters, and ease of game play will keep you spellbound right to the end.
I should add that people who were let down by the ending to Myst (including me), and grateful for a much improved ending to Riven, will be in for a great surprise at the end of Exile!The finale makes you feel like a real winner, and certainly leaves the door open for future Myst games.Highly Recommended!

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Product Description:
Building on the surreal style of Myst and Riven Myst III: Exile features newfantastic environments that made its' predecessors immersive mysterious andbeautiful. Exile features five entirely new ages for players to explore andhours of new mysteries to uncover. Myst 3 Exile has new panoramic navigationtechnology to bring the world alive without losing any of the artistic beauty orinteractivity of previous Myst games.Developed by Presto Studios Myst III: Exile features five entirely new agesfor players to explore and hours of new mysteries to uncover. Myst III: Exileuses new navigation technology to bring the world alive without losing any ofthe artistic beauty or interactivity of the previous Myst games. Fans will findmore of what they love about Myst and Riven and a few surprises. By drawing onthe history of the series and new technology Myst III: Exile is a trueevolution of the seriesnot just a continuation.Myst III: Exile introduces a new villain a bitter man whose home world wasruined by Sirrus and Achenar and returns to take revenge against Atrus and hisfamily at their most vulnerable time. Trapped in a mysterious age you mustexplore the environment and navigate the puzzles of the age to gradually uncoverthe mystery of this new adversary.Product FeaturesFree-look movement system allows players to pan a full 360 degrees at anylocation fully immersing them in the world.Five entirely new ages to explore each with their own distinctive visualstyle.Dramatic storyline extends the Myst mythology by focusing on a pivotal newcharacter.Puzzles gradually reveal mystery and intrigue as they are solved.Original soundtrack.Supports optional 3D hardwareSystem RequirementsMyst 3 Exile is a Hybrid Mac/PC CD-ROMWindows 95/98/Me or MAC OS 8.0; Pentium 300 MHz or PowerPC 200 MHz; SVGAGraphics Card; 150 MB; 4X or Faster; 32 MB

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Mah Jong Quest Expeditions Review

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(More customer reviews)I have a number of downloads and versions of this game, but love my Nintendo DS and thought this would be a great addition. The game itself is enjoyable, but the graphics are terrible. Very tiny and you have to spend all your time trying to really keep a focus on the tiles. There is no way that I can find to change the style of the tiles and that is also disappointing.

So overall if you don't care about the clarity of what you are spending tons of time looking at then good game. On a scale of 1-10 the graphics are about a 2.

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Product Description:
The creators of Jewel Quest bring you more than an addictive puzzle game as well as a true cinematic experience. After three dragons wreak havoc over the empire, young Kwazi must use an ancient set of Mah Jong tiles to restore balance. Enjoy sweeping animations as you help Kwazi journey through the Orient, meet wise animal guides, and use an amazing array of special tiles to solve tricky puzzles. Choose between your favorite styles in Classic-style play and the original challenges of Puzzle-style play.

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The Poppit Show Review

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(More customer reviews)I loved playing the game and the fact that it is interactive with the Pogo website.The problem I had is that, although it was a fun game to play, I won it way too fast.I just don't feel I got my money's worth!

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Product Description:
The Poppit Show combines balloon-popping action & 3D graphics, to deliver one exciting puzzle-adventure. Enjoy 7 TV show themes and all 7 new powerups! Earn tokens and a chance to win prizes!

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Scholastic I Spy Funhouse Review

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(More customer reviews)My children (4 and 7) love playing ISPY.It keeps them busy for hours.This title is fun - you solve "riddles" and earn tickets to play games in the Fun House.One thing I particularly like is that the game is good for readers and non-readers alike.The riddles are written at the bottom of the screen, and children can click on words they don't know and the program will read them aloud.This sort of evens the playing field for my kids, and they enjoy playing together and separately.A great pick.

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Product Description:
Discover a new I SPY with 13 elusive mysteries that need your problem solving skills to solve the case of the Locked Gate, Midnight Mouse, Knight Fall and many more!

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