Giveaway of the Day - Atlantis Quest

Installation:

Atlantis Quest is a 10.3Mb zipped download that unpacks to a read me that gives you the terms and conditions and a dual activation and setup module so there’s no need for a registration code. Shortcuts are installed to both the desktop and Start Menu/ Programs list under Playrix Entertainment. You’ll also find an uninstaller and a link to Playrix in the Program list. The installed game is 29.9Mb and by default is installed to

C:\Program Files (x86)\Playrix Entertainment\Atlantis Quest (32 bit )

or

C:\Program Files\Playrix Entertainment\Atlantis Quest (64 bit)

Atlantis Quest has been given away three times previously where it received 92% positive votes out of 302 the first time it was given away in April 2007; there were 89 comments which can be seen HERE and it was again given away again in January 2008 where it received 83% positive votes out of 476 votes with 87 comments which you can see HERE and finally it was given away again last year in November where it received a positive 70% votes out of 464. You can see the 94 comments made HERE

The giveaway version won’t play on any of my Win 7 installations or Win XP. It appears to start then stops when a Atlantis Resource Centre opens. Whereas the MyPlayCity version works okay. If you have the same problem you can download the MyPlayCity version HERE. Not tested it in Vista yet. Possibly a global problem. Please post if you are having the same problem or whether you’ve got the game to work.

Introduction:

Are you ready for an exciting quest of adventure and discovery? Embark on a journey around ancient Greece, Babylon, Carthage, Egypt and Rome in the search for one of the greatest mysteries of all time – the lost city of Atlantis. In this classic style matching game with a dazzling new twist you will need to discover pieces of ancient artifacts that will help you find a way to your destination. A great storyline with extremely addictive new gameplay, 76 explosive levels, exciting power-up items and numerous extra features will keep you playing for days on end!

Reference accessed HERE 27th Nov 2010

The Game

There have been loads of this genre given away, all with their own merits but this is one of those that has several additions that make it a cut above the rest (including Treasures of Montezuma and The Rise of Atlantis) in my opinion.

Apart from the interesting story line the game play is enhanced by the use of artifact pieces that you have to clear from the playing area by moving them to the bottom of the field. This is accomplished by matching three or more symbols that tie in with the particular story line of which there are several that include Greek, Roman, Cartage, Babylonian and Egyptian. Once they are moved to the bottom they are fitted into a puzzle placed at the side of the main puzzle, and slowly build up a picture of the particular artifact. The aim being to find the lost city of Atlantis and the Golden Chimera, which I presume will be the last artifact to be built.

You can also move power ups off the playing field, which can then be used to destroy particularly difficult to get rid of tiles. These can be saved till the storage space is filled. That is at least one of each type from a hammer and shovel, both of which can be used to remove a single tile of your choice. There are three more that I’ve not discovered the use of yet; these are an oil lamp, timer and a money bag.

There is a third incentive to play which is against the clock. The quicker you remove the artifact pieces from the playing field, the greater the time bonus you get. Additional points can be gain by creating more combinations with just one move of a tile, however the more of these you make, the less of a time bonus you will get. I haven’t worked out the difference yet. You get three lives to start with so I can only think that you have to clear the artifacts within a certain time to retain your life. The further into the level set you progress, the more artifact pieces you have to remove from the playing field, and the more difficult it becomes. The longest board took me just over three minutes (with three artifact pieces), the shortest 22 seconds (with one artifact piece). I seemed to get quite high bonuses for both. There is an indicator of the amount of bonus you have accrued below the playing field that looks like a thick line of molten gold.

You can save the games progress at any point, even half way through a game which is great if you are suddenly taken from the game. You don’t have to worry about having to cancel the level and having to start from the beginning of that particular level again. You can set up multiple profiles or if you‘re not satisfied with your progress through the game you can cancel your progress and restart from the beginning again.

The options menu has the usual items such as changing sounds and music. The music is quite pleasant, but as with any music can become annoying after a while unless it’s turned down to a very low level. You can change the method of changing the tiles from a drag to a drag and drop. The left mouse button is used to move tiles. There is a difference as I’m sure you’ll discover when you play around with the options to find what’s best for you. The drag option seems the best to me, which is the default setting. It is here also that you can turn off the helpful hints menu and a separate help menu as well as change from full screen, which is the default setting to windowed mode.

Some community members did have problems with this game. You can read more comments in the game discussion forums HERE

Video:

You can see video of the game play HERE, HERE and HERE.

Features:

• A dazzling new take on the classic style matching game

• Great storyline

• 76 mind-blowing levels

• Exciting power-ups

• A daring quest across the ancient lands of the Mediterranean

System Requirement:

OS – Win 95.98/ME/2000/XP/Vista
Cpu – At least 800MHz
System RAM – 128Mb
Direct X – 8.0 or higher
Video RAM – 32Mb

Conclusion:

This is one of the better Match Three games in my opinion. Very similar to The Rise of Atlantis, but with slightly different game play, if you like Match three you can’t go wrong with this one. The game play gets progressively harder as more obstacles are introduced to the game. A great family game that’s well worth 7 out of 10. (I’d give it a 8 out of 10, but there are too many of this genre available which takes away from the games overall enjoyment depending upon how many of these games you’ve played previously; if you’ve never played one I reckon you’re in for a treat. Thank you Playrix Entertainment for a great take on this genre and to the GGAotD team for providing it free for us today.

If you want more match three games for free go to MyPlayCity. There’s over 40 different titles for free HERE

XP+SP3: when I try to run it a window with the title “Atlantis Resource Creator” appears and that’s it. Close that window (there are no usable controls within it) and that’s it.

……………………..Moderator Comment………………..

I get the same message with my XP installation. It also doesn’t work on my Win 7 Pro and Win 7 Ultimate. Still got to check Vista. The MyPlayCity version works though.