A followup: the second puzzle is ambiguous! It can be solved with the upper left corner filled or empty. That is terrible, especially because you can only make two mistakes.

I have noticed at least two other levels on which a guess is required to solve the puzzle - something that should not be required.

Still a nice game, just be aware that there are a few puzzles that require dumb luck and/or repeated attempts to solve.

I enjoyed this game yesterday. When I went to play it again today I found that Norton had deleted it. I restored it. When I tried to launch, Norton deleted it again. Back and forth; back and forth. I disabled Norton - and played for a little while. When I went back a few hours later I found it had been deleted again when Norton automatically turned itself back on.

I find this kind of brain teaser delightful, I do NOT find the program harmful - BUT - it is just not worth arguing with my security software about this every time I want to play it.

Please come up with something similar that won't freak out Norton. Thanks.

...............................Moderator Comment..............................

There should be a way to create an exception so that Norton ignores the issue? Though I've not used Norton in a long time since it was bought out many years ago. Had too many problems with it back then, so moved on to pastures new. :)

Very nice, simple "brain teaser" - works well on Windows7 64-bit. Thank you very much!

.........................Moderator comment............................

:)

Fun little game, thank you.

.........................Moderator comment............................

:)

Love this type of process of elimination logic puzzle. Big fan of 7 Wonders. Of course, this is pretty much what a sudoku is, except there are 9 options there, instead of just 2, yes or no. But same mental process. Also true of some extent of the classic board games Clue and Mastermind (which is a code breaking game, essentially). Playing tip on this and 7 Wonders: Don't use the sliding selector between fill box and x box at all. Get used to left clicking to fill and right click to x out. That way you can drag both, as said above, to fill or x a lot of boxes simultaneously without making errors, which you may do if you forget to move the selector. And this one has it over 7 Wonders on that issue, if I remember right, because there you don't get a count of how many boxes you're marking at one time, which can help you avoid errors. Enjoy! 2 huge thumbs up!

But, DEVELOPER, get a volunteer to redo your help file. The incorrect English is TOO CONFUSING. If you do this, it will be an even more popular game.

............................Moderator Comment............................

Thank you for your feedback Watcher. :)

I haven't tried a game of this sort before, but it looks like fun! Thanks for the offer. :-)

"in a raw" (as well as "etwas") are in the game, it's not just a screencap glitch.

Hi,
It downloaded fine with little waiting time. Play appeared easy. If there is a picture as noted
above by a player I did not see it. I don't have time to play much now, but just clicking in squares
is not my cup of tea, but may be challenging, will check back when have time.
Thank you for another game!!

Thanks for the tip George...it was Zemana AntiLogger stopping the installation on my computer also. Once I turned Zemana off, the file installed just fine. Thanks to everyone for the tips...much appreciated!

I'm enjoying this game. Overall, it's a good interface for something I've done on pen and paper before. There are a couple things I would suggest, though.

1) Change the cursor when switching between the checkmark and the X. I can't tell you how often I forgot which one I was on.
2) Along those lines, the click and drag is beautiful. Thank you for saving on mousing and hands. However, there should be someway to cancel when you've clicked, dragged, but haven't released, both because of #1 and accidentally clicking the wrong line. I tried moving the cursor off the playing field before releasing, but it still registers.

.............................Moderator Comment.............................

Thank you for your feedback Margaret :)

Enjoyable game. This is the first time I have encountered a game like this and it took me awhile to figure out what I was supposed to be doing, even with the tutorial. The tutorial is a little difficult to follow because of the broken English. The broken English shows up on quite a few games. Usually it's just amusing but there are times like this one when it's just frustrating because you can't figure out what they are trying to say. Of the many games I have played I think this is the biggest common mistake I see. The game developers really really need to find someone where the language they are using is native to the proof reader. English, in particular is a hard language to learn (I am told) and after having a couple of foriegn exchange students living with me, each for a school year, I can believe it. One of my kids had even gone to a school in their country where everything was taught and spoken in English but not by native English speaking teachers and there were often times when the whole family would just look at her blankly when she said something. It could take as much as 2 or 3 minutes to unravel what she was trying to say. Off the point, but I often wonder if the differences in the different languages around the world haven't been, if not the cause, at least something to make the problems worse when countries are trying to avoid a conflict or war.

Anyway, the rest of the game seems really nice (I only played a few puzzles, though) and downloaded well. Also runs well on my Windows 7 PC. I have to say I think the music is some of the better stuff I have heard on games and I actually did listen this time. It's usually my habit to shut the music off as fast as I can do so because I find it so annoying. No, I'm not a music hater. LOL I actually love music in general and play the piano. Maybe if the scores were a little longer and not so repetative I would be more inclined to leave them on. Just a thought. I know there are a lot of people out there that shut it off like I do.

It is frustrating when you have to start the board over because you made a mistake when you clicked. I have had to do that a couple times already because I forgot to change the little square on the right from the X to the check mark or vice versa and I agree with one of the people above who said that was one of the frustrating things about the original minesweeper game that used to come loaded with windows. No forgiveness...... Our "world" needs to be a little kinder a little more often. :-)

.............................Moderator Comment.............................

Thank you for your excellent feedback Zakuska, much appreciated :)

This seems really good for a person who hasn't played this time of game before. Keeping an eye on the numbers will tell you when you've actually finished a line without having to fill in all the blank spaces. I don't think I've seen this before. I really like it but it does seem to make the game possibly a bit too easy.

On the other hand, it also has my favorite shortcuts. When you know the whole row is full or empty, you can drag the line across. This also works if you're sure of the number of spots to fill. Another good variation that I've never seen before: when you drag the line, it shows the number of spaces you're covering! And as long as you don't lift your finger, you can move it back again if you realize that your count is wrong. Also, the left click for filling an empty space is much easier than switching the toggle for the check or x every time. I love that I don't have to fill in the blank spots. I love the shading that shows you exactly which column and row you're in.

It gave me an icon although I had to put it in manually, as mentioned in an earlier comment. Odd that they ask if you want it placed and then not place it. The icon shows the red-headed woman holding a filled grid.

On the con side, one game that I play shows you the amount of filled or empty squares when you hold the mouse over a spot. This is really handy for someone like me that can never quite remember how many spots I've marked full or empty and I find myself counting the same rows over and over. And, as dave6d6ky said, I want to be able to admire the picture when it's done plus I want a title for those times when you look at it and say, "Okay, now what IS that?!" And, yes, take out the x's when done so the picture is more identifiable. The pictures in your review, well, the first one looks like a telephone but that second one? My guess is it's a target and arrow but a title would clear that right up for me.

.............................Moderator Comment.............................

Thank you for your excellent feedback Nass. :)

Win10 64bit. Downloaded quickly but when I opened the game it showed me the screen for about two seconds and disappeared. I then did the right click on the icon compatibility test and clicking on scaling on high dpi it works. Not a bad game, a bit of a challenge for this old mind. I might keep this.

Free download from http://gamextazy.com/fill-cross-royal-riddles/ but take care when install and skip install of other annoying software...

Hello,

I just read about your appeal to the BNSF board and I would like to say that after I read the Wikipedia page on BNSF, just maybe you should also address a copy of your petition to Warren Buffett, if he is the owner of at least part of BNSF. His word to the actual board of governors could get you a long way towards what you want.

The Wikipedia page doesn't detail if Mr. Buffett's acquisition of BNSF went as planned, since there hasn't been any updating of that page since 2010.

While I am not a player of rail sims, I sympathize and want to see your petition meet with success, because if one game gets regionally stopped by a company, there's no telling where and what games will be allowed by whatever small company wants to put a stop to it.

I wish you all success. By the way, isn't there a network of Train Simulator 2015 players in existence? It is to them you should make your most ardent appeal to sign this petition?

.............................Moderator Comment..................................

Thanks Bart

Check to see if u need a DEP exception, Norma. Time is tight for me now, but many clear explanations if u google.

I love this type of game-thanks! Works fine on Windows 7, 64-bit, Intel G43/G45 graphics card.

Exact same thing for me. My Zemana AntiLogger was stopping the installation. It did this to last week's offering by Black Market Games as well. I disabled the Zemana and activated my Returnil; Royal Riddles install was then successful.

Wonderful. I love this type of game. Really keeps me thinking right or left. No problems downloading or installing. I wouldn't change anything.

It's the first time I try such a game and I am not sure if I am patient enough to go on. Also my logical thinking isn't very good ;-)

Installed fast and without a problem to Win 8.1 after disabling Avira. Grafics are clear and beautiful.

Thanks for this game.

Yeah, I meant the gameplay style, not visually, although I do prefer the others visually. Just a personal opinion. :)

Am confused, checked out all the games you mentioned and none of them look like this one. These are known by several names, Fill and Cross, Gridders, etc.

I checked the event viewer but have no clue what any of that stuff means.

On the tutorial - it seems weird that I *have* to do the steps to keep the tutorial going. Once I'm told that clicking on the hint will give me one - I think I get it, even without doing so.

I disabled AVG, turned my firewall off, and cleared the cache for my browser (Chrome). Still get the same message at the activating stage.

Thanks for the game. It's pleasant to play.

Frustrations:
It appears that the grids have some patterns to them. Sometimes I can see it's a phone or a bike or some such. BUT: there are a few problems here:
1) The grid is gone/hidden much too quickly. I don't have time to see the pattern.
2) When I click the last blue square, the game should change the X's back to blank (or vice versa). With half of them being X's and half being white, its harder to see the pattern.
I'd suggest switching the X/blank, and then shrinking the grid off to a corner of the screen, while the finishing-scroll shows the status.

The threshold for mistakes and ending the level seems weird. When I fill up that last empty spot, the level's over. It seems like it should be ok to fill up the empty slots, but when it wants to put the next mistake and there's a lock there - THEN the level should end.

There should be two options for how mistakes are handled.
1) Is the current - tell you about the error right away, and put what's right there.
2) Let me put the wrong thing there, but wait until the board is full to say "You have mistakes". In this latter case, a hint could show the row with the error, and a second hint show the column, too.

I'm frustrated when puzzles require guessing at some point - the original Minesweeper also had this problem: You'd get most of the grid solved, and down to one last few squares, and logic alone cannot determine which is right/wrong. In this version - where it seems there are patterns - that help make good guesses - but I still hate guessing.

I wish the difficulty of the levels was advancing faster. I've been on 10x15 for sooo long.

I think I should have received the '5 levels in a raw without mistakes' trophy - but have not. Is there a bug with that trophy? I wonder if I have to fill in all the background?

...................................Moderator Comment................................

Thank you for your excellent feedback. :)

Nothing to say about this game. I haven't downloaded it and probably won't. I still simply have NO IDEA what kind of game it is after reading every comment that has already been posted.

HOWEVER (and ever and ever and ever) I want to say that I LOVE LOVE LOVE the game that was given away here on the GREAT and MARVELOUS GGOTD site last Sunday! BARN YARN is da Bomb (digity)! I have designed the MOST BEAUTIFUL barn that has ever existed in ALL of existence! I've spent HOURS and Minutes and seconds too playing that game this week! The HOG parts are repetitive, but the DESIGN and character INTERACTION is STUPENDOUS! The cow goes MOOOO and the chickens go CLUCK CLUCH and the dog goes...well, you get my drift! I just can't wait wait wait until I have enough money to buy that TRACTOR! I fact, I'm wasting time right now. GOTTA GO PLAY!

...................................Moderator Comment................................

Check out the video I posted. It will give you some idea as to what the game is a bout. Sort of related to minesweeper, but simpler. :)

Hi
It installs itself under the name of "Fill and Cross Royal Riddles". It also doesn't have a distinctive icon. On my XP it just uses the Window icon. Good luck.

For those who have problems with the install and still want to try it -- check out MyPlayCity, MyRealGames or ToomkyGames. It may have a slightly different name but it is there on all three sites.

You do have to watch for hijackings, not choices for install locations and/or browser openings upon closing of the game. All are circumventable problems and I also recommend "cleanup" behind the installs -- MyPlayCity can have up to 5 MB cleaned up after every install.

This sounds like Steam's notoriously cheap policies regarding licensing. Reminds me of a popular racing sim; if you bought the real version you got an assortment of Ferraris and Porsches, among other cars, but if you bought the Steam version you got no Ferraris or Porsches because Steam wouldn't pay the licensing.

...................................Moderator Comment................................

Whgich game was it. I have all the racing games availble on Steam apart from a recently multiplayer only one. :)

Installed on Windows 7 Pro computer,with no problems,install was quick.Game will load to Program Files,so I suggest changing it to Games folder on your system drive.I don't normally play these type of games,but thought I'd give this one a try,and I am now a fan! Game play is fairly straight up,my only beef is that in the lower levels,you may need more than 2 mistakes to get through the level,especially for novice players. I played the first 10 levels,and enjoyed them all,I like games that work my mind as well as my sight,the hidden coin tiles are a nice touch,and the overall look of the game is great.
My assessment of the game is as follows:
Game play 9
Graphics 10
Audio 10
Replayability 10
Originality 9
Fun Factor 9
Total 57 out of 60.

I suggest this game for everyone,it's a keeper!

...................................Moderator Comment................................

Thank you for your excellent feedback Don. :)

Installed, works fine. I suspect I'll be playing it quite a bit, as I love nonograms. The interface is a bit offputting (for me) because you can't fill and entire row then delete a few of them - that's considered a "mistake" by the game, but it's a reasonable technique for doing near-full rows of filled squares.

Other than that minor interface issue, it's a very nice game.

I like these types of games, and for a change I had a chance to play it earlier this morning. I like the World Riddles series (7 Wonders,etc.), they are well done and were my introduction to this type of game on the computer. For whatever reason, I haven't really found another company that does these types of games as well, including this one. I think it's just a matter of aesthetics: I prefer the look and feel of the World Riddles games.

Thankfully, you can skip the tutorial in the beginning, but it starts immediately. I prefer to have a tutorial on the side, so to speak, rather than having to find a skip button. It won't make me hate a game, but I do find it annoying when one immediately starts. I especially hate those games that give you the option to quit the tutorial, then keep nagging you with boring, atmosphere-breaking "hints" as if the tutorial was still running.

The game starts very easily with a 5x5 grid. You get a few of those to get new players to the genre accustomed to the game play, and then it starts increasing to 10, 15, etc. I don't know how large the puzzles get, but I got up to 15 and was annoyed. More on that later.

Some of these games, especially in the smaller grids, have random images as the basis for the patterns. The larger grids are usually based on an outline of something (a ship, dog, etc.) I'm not sure if this game follows that same principle or if the patterns are truly random. In the beginning they looked random and abstract, but as the grid became larger, there seemed to be a picture forming. At one point, I thought the picture was formed by the negative space instead of the colored blocks, which was interesting.

Now for the bad stuff: the music was annoying. Yes, you can turn it down/off, but really, part of the enjoyment of games and the thing that truly sets of the tone/mood is the soundtrack. This one is no exception as the music was reminiscent of your typical kingdom/knights/Camelot movie. The main problem with the music was the random "dah-da-dah-daaaaaah" horn announcement motif that seemed to pop up randomly. When I first heard it, I thought I earned some type of achievement, but nothing showed on the screen. After playing a few grids, I realized that it was just part of the soundtrack. At least the developers tried to have a varied soundtrack so that the music wouldn't get boring. If they dropped this attention-getting motif, I would say the soundtrack was spot-on in terms of mood and appropriateness.

This games is modeled after mobile games (maybe this is a converted version to PC?). Each level has 3 stars. If you do everything perfectly, you get all three stars. Make a mistake and one gets knocked off. Make three mistakes and the level is over. This was the thing that got me to stop playing this game.

DEVELOPERS READ THIS: This is a PUZZLE game - part of solving a puzzle is trying out different configurations. Just because I put something in the wrong spot, doesn't mean I'm going to leave it there.

So, you are on a grid and have filled out all the painfully obvious parts, but there are 3-4 that aren't so obvious. On a very large grid, sometimes you just want to stick a placer mark to see if a block or space makes sense given the other information. Well, that's not happening in this game. The program registers that as a "mistake", you get a tick off your three chances, and the correct answer is put in it's place. The same thing happens if you just happen to hit the wrong button (you intended to mark it as empty (right button) but instead marked it as filled (left button). Sometimes when you are sliding down a large row, you accidentally hit one too many - that gets you dinged. On the plus side, at least you can slide down a row to fill it. Some of these developers don't allow that.

To be fair, 7 Wonders, et. al. does something similar, but it is only with the fill option (if I remember correctly). The right button inserts a question mark on the first click, then a space on the second (in today's game, you only get the option of an "X" representing an empty space or a colored block). Even then, I don't remember ever getting dinged for a misplaced space. Yes, sometimes I accidentally hit "fill" instead of "space" and I was dinged, especially on the larger grids (30x30), and I didn't think it was fair, but at least I knew that the right mouse button was "safe". I would have preferred that all of these puzzlers have a timed element to earn stars with no penalty for "wrong" clicks. Even if I know the right answer, my fingers do make mistakes and there is nothing more frustrating that being punished for a simple mis-click.

You do earn achievements. Many are fairly simple to get (complete 3 grids in a row without a hint), presumably there are more difficult ones. I have a sneaking suspicion that the grids aren't going to get much bigger than the 15x15 and the "challenge" in the game is going to come by earning all the achievements. I'm not one who cares for the achievements. Most of the ones I would want to get I'm getting anyway because instinctively I'm trying to improve my technique. Some are contrary to the term "achievement", like the "fail 5 grids in a row" or "use 25 hints". I made those up, by the way, I didn't really look in the game for what they have, but you get the point as to what comes out in some of these games.

It's an OK game. Aside from mis-click punishment, it may serve as a good introduction to the genre as the graphics are clean and cartoonish, the grid is large and easy to see, and it probably won't get very big or very complex. For those who liked the World Riddles series, it will be a toss-up depending on your own preferences.

...................................Moderator Comment................................

Thank you for your excellent feedback Melika. This is what I like to see. :)

A very nice little game! It's bright and colourful, easy to learn and to play (up to now), and even the music isn't unbearable, although I don't think I'd leave the sound on if I was going to be playing for hours.

I've become quite addicted to these counting-the-squares games lately, and since I've nearly reached the end of my current series, the timing of this one is just perfect.

There isn't really a story, but then not everyone wants one of those. My OH always skips the storyboards between scenes, and just plays the levels each as they come along, so this would be ideal for him. It would be suitable for youngsters too - nobody gets horribly done to death, it's just counting squares and looking for clues to the pattern.

Definitely a keeper, and a wonderfully quick download too (2 seconds is a record for me!) - so yes, today is an excellent Giveaway Day!

I've got as far as level 8 under my belt, but must take a break now for some work. Thank you very much indeed to all concerned at GGAOTD, Immanitas and of course - our valiant Whiterabbit. :-D

...................................Moderator Comment................................

Thank you for your excellent feedback Basilica. :)

Try TEMPORARILY disabling your anti-virus literally just before you run the SETUP.EXE file. If it works, then re-enable your anti-virus IMMEDIATELY after the install is finished.

Some anti-virus unfortunately treats the Themida wrapper which GOTD uses to protect and time-lock the install file as malware, because it can in theory be used for that purpose, just like garden fertiliser CAN be used to manufacture explosives (in other words, GOTD downloads ARE perfectly safe!).

If the idsbale/enable trick doesn't work then I don't have any further ideas for you.

Hope that helps.

...................................Moderator Comment................................

Thanks :)

Forgot to mention that I did get a desktop icon but it had a generic icon of a Window's folder.

Downloaded without problems on my XP3 machine. However, while following the tutorial and clicking on the "Hint" icon or button, it causes a system reboot. I tried this twice and had the same results. Checked the event viewer and the only thing I could find was a mention of a "debugging", whatever that means. No new game for me today. Will remove the game.

YAY, it is nice to see something different today!
Installed fine, as always with games from this site, on a Win8.1 x64 system.
No time to play today but looking forward to it.

Thanks to Immanitas, the GG team and Whiterabbit.

Thanks for the tip. I almost downloaded this, and then I saw that I already have 7 Wonders which is better.

I keep getting a "Failed to Launch" error. Win7 Home Full

.............................Moderator Comment.............................

More than likely its's your security that is blocking the game. The installation package contains a file called setup.gcd which is a security file and sometimes causes community members own security to see it as a threat due to the inclusion of themida based code and thus blocks it. I will assure you that there has never been any game giveaways infected with malware since its inception back in Dec 2006, so I'd say it's safe to temporarily turn off your security, however I must also qualify this with the statement that you do so at your own risk.
Many community members since the inclusion of that file have had the same problem and have got the game installed by turning off their security.

If by chance it is another problem causing this you may find a fix in the FAQ's that I link to in my unfinished review above.

My wife is very happy with this puzzler, thanks for this offer GGOTD and Immanitas Entertainment

Stephen, will you allow me to request help from the community?
For those among you that are on steam and especially those of you that play Train Simulator 2015
Recently BNSF and DTG have renewed their license agreements for the use of BNSF branded stock in those regions BNSF is registered. Although BNSF only is a registered trademark within the USA, they managed to forbid DTG the use of BNSF branded stock outside of this territory. Needless to say the community is not amused. A petition has been started, addressed to BNSF and DTG to have them renegotiate this and hopefully make the BNSF brand available for players worldwide once again. In little over a day this has received over 100 signatures which is awesome to begin with but might not really impress the folk at BNSF and DTG.

Two of the banned products are vital components when it comes to many if not most of the scenarios that players can download from the steam workshop (for those familiar these are Marias Pass route add-on and Stevens Pass route add-on. We would like to ask you to help the gamer community by signing this petition. You can follow the discussion on this in the topic found at http://steamcommunity.com/app/24010/discussions/3/527273452875917239/ and you can sign the petition on https://www.change.org/p/roger-nober-stevan-b-bobb-paul-jackson-a-request-to-bnsf-and-dtg-regarding-the-use-of-bnsf-branded-products-outside-the-usa

Many thanks on behalve of many players to those willing to help us by signing this

Mavadelo

............................Moderator Comment...............................

As I own around 90% of the dlc for Train simulator including the two scenarios you mentioned, I'd be remis not to let this request through. It will be a great shame if that decision isn't revered for us that live outside of the US.

Enjoyable game. Format makes a nice change. Great to be able to dip in and out of when time permits. Think this will be a keeper.

Desktop Icon was not created, even though I checked the box to have it do so. Did it maually by right clicking on it in programs. No big problem, just thought you'd like to know. Running Win Pro 8.3 & downloaded using MSN IE. Thanks for the game, have to get ready for work now, but will play it later when I get home. By the way your captcha didn't work for me. I could only get it to display 4 of the 6 images to choose from. It would flash the 6 images but only for a couple of seconds then would settle on the 4 images. tried it like 5 times with the same result each time.

It's a clone of Animal Magic, 7 Wonders and Time Travel, all previous giveaways on this site. It's not as good as any of those games, in my opinion, but still enjoyable if you like the genre. :)

Won't install for me. And it looks like a game I would like. What a shame.

...........................Moderator Comment................................

Have you checked the FAQ's thread that I link to in my problems section? Immediately after trying to install the game open up the event viewer and see if there are any error messages related to the game. You may be able to figure out what the problem is from those messages.

I mean the official screenshots, not Whiterabbit's.

Check the second screenshot. Is that "X levels in a raw..." instead of "row"? Or is that simply that the screen capture didn't catch all the pixels on the page. But the error repeats in twp places on the same shot.

I very much like this type of game (nonogram or fill+cross,_ and this seems to be a good one. I played like the 1st 6 or so levels. I like that it lets you skip the tutorial. Worth the download.

Somethings cropped up and I just don't have the time to play this game today. You can find user reviews of this game via the following links:

http://downloadgames.pogo.com/games/fill-and-cross-royal-riddles/reviews
http://www.bigfishgames.com/games/6488/royal-riddles/
http://www.amazon.com/Fill-Cross-Royal-Riddles-Download/product-reviews/B00KRE8902




Fill and Cross Royal Riddles:

Installation:

Fill and Cross Royal Riddlesdownloads as a 25.5 MB zip file that unpacks to a read me document that contains the terms and conditions and a wrapped dual activation and set up module and a security set up file (setup.gcd). Just for the newcomers amongst today’s users that means the game will be registered once it’s gone through the set up process, so there’s no registering the game with an activation code.

C:\Program Files (x86)\Fill and Cross Royal Riddles

To install a desktop shortcut make sure you check the appropriate box during installation. Sometimes I've found the installation path shows the previous game I installed from this site, so to be sure you don't install the game inside a previous game, check the installation path when you start the installation. You can usually find where it's supposed to go by looking in the read me file that comes with the download. To stop this happening, clear your cache. The installed game is 24.9 MB in size

Introduction:

Solve the king's puzzles and make away with his treasures! Explore each corner of the royal castle as you battle wits with his royal highness. Solve 108 unique mind-bending puzzles and discover nine elegant locations as you work to outsmart the king and gain access to royal riches beyond your wildest dreams! Enjoy over four hours of gameplay and earn magnificent trophies in this one-of-a-kind game that every puzzle fanatic will appreciate!

Reference accessed HERE 29th Aug 2015

The Game:

hopefully later




Video:

You can see a video of game play HERE.




Game System Requirements:


OS: Windows XP/Windows Vista/Windows 7/Windows 8
CPU: 1.0 GHz
RAM: 512 MB
DirectX: 9.0
Hard Drive: 40 MB







Conclusion:

later


Scoring:

I've included new categories to reduce the the scoring bias that is inevitable when a single person is scoring a game. Scoring will be added once I've had time to play the game.

Game play ------- 7
Graphics ------- 7
Audio ------- 7
Replayability ------- 7
Originality ------- 7
Fun Factor ------- 6.5



Total = 41.5 out of 60 which equals 6.9 out of 10.

Other reviews of the game:

You can find some mini reviews of the game via Big Fish Big Fish, POGO and Amazon










------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


Problems:


If you have any problems installing or getting today's game to work please go HERE for help. I've posted most of the common problems and solutions in a FAQ thread, which you can find in the sticky section of the forums by following the above link.




If you are posting late in the day I would also suggest posting in the main giveaway forums; in the game discussion section, because I cannot moderate 24hrs a day over the weekend. I've created a thread HERE for that purpose. If you've installed the game but it doesn’t work for some reason, it should still be registered, so someone may be able to help at a later date. Unfortunately if your problem is actually downloading it, once the giveaway deadline is reached you will no longer be able to download the game unless you've already started downloading it before the cut-off. Sometimes you can still register the game after the giveaway has ended so long as you managed to start the download before the giveaway ends. I've tested this and the grace period lasts for up to 1 hour. Apart from the above instances; i.e. already installed, but having problems running the game, (with the possibility of receiving help from the community via the giveawayoftheday game discussion forum); or still downloading after the cut off period, but within the 1 hour grace period, or registering within an hour of the cut-off period. Once the giveaway period is over there’s nothing that can be done to get the game (unless its available from one of the free game sites) until the game is given away again (though that isn't always guaranteed).






It's worth checking the giveaway game discussion forums the day before the giveaways go live to see if we are getting a large sized file; this is especially important for those who have slow connections and even more so if the game is popular. We can have up to forty thousand (40 000) community members downloading over the 24 hour period, with the bulk of community members downloading in the first 12 hours of the giveaway going live, there is always a massive strain on the giveaway servers. The bigger the file size, the more community members will be downloading at any one time. Because the bandwidth is shared equally amongst all community members, downloads can become excrucatingly slow, so if you do have a slow connection, its important to start your download as early as possible to avoid disappointment. Because these games are free, the giveaway owners cannot invest in more bandwidth without compromising the whole project, so we have to be satisfied with what we have at present.

I hope the above goes some way in expalining why we sometimes have really slow downloads.


It’s always worth checking out the free games sites because sometimes the games we get here are also available for free from them. MyPlayCity (MPC) has the most with over 1000 games to choose from. Today's game isn't available from MPC HERE. I've not checked the other free game sites.



If you do download any games from MyPlayCity, Gametop or the other free game sites please 'do' watch out for toolbars etc. Make sure you un-check the check-boxes during installation, and, in the case of MyPlayCity, every time you boot the game up, (this may have changed now as these free game sites tend to change the format frequently)....... I've posted links to all of the common free game sites below in the games, games games section. If you do download a game from any of these sites you do so at your own risk. We cannot be held responsible for problems arising from an installation. :)

For now I won't be recommending you download games from Jenkat Games. They have changed the way you get games from their site. Diane has posted information about this over in the game discussion forums. If I have time or remember, I'll link to it. TooMyk Games are now safe to download from. They have removed the games that were suspect and have cleaned up their act. As always, you download from those free game sites at your own risk. The giveaway site is the safest site I know of where you can get free software and games. The only disadvantages with downloading from here is you have to download and install within the day of the giveaway (apart from the instances mentioned above and if and when you upgrade or buy a new computer legally you aren't allowed to transfer games given away previously, unless they are being given away on the day you upgrade, or if you've purchased a licence. :)

You just have to look at the sites track record since the game giveaway site was created back in December 2006. Zero games given away have been infected with malware, there are no toolbars installed, nor home pages hijacked or browsers changed. There is one slght annoyance, but that only occurs if a community member isn't paying attention when the final window pops up after installing a giveaway. That is the software Informer installation. some community members have complained that they were given no choice in its installation. That is not true; when the final window pops up, there are two buttons, one asking if you want software informer installed and the button to close the giveaway window down. Some community members have clicked on the wrong button, probably because they weren't paying attention. Thankfully software Informer is a genuine application, that can easily be uninstalled by the usual means. It's actually a useful piece of software, especially if you have a lot of applications running on your computer. Basically the program will list the programs that need updating, or programs that have available updates. They wont be automatically installed (thus cancelling many giveaway registrations); you have to click on individual buttons to update each program/application. :D

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Games, Games, and yet more Games:





There are 476 games on sale over on Steam this week, ranging from 10% to 90% off. Also there is a special Steam O.S. sale on with specials heavily discounted towards games configured to play on the soon to be released Steam operating system, for example Dying Light an open world zombie apocalypse game (well worth buying if you like zombie games), 7 Days to Die, a open world survival game (another zombie infested game that's got laods of replay value), Football Manager 2015, Middle Earth Shadow of Mordor as well as 40 + more games. There's also 50% off the Pinball Arcade season one and two packs. Each has 20+ tables and are excellent value for money. All tables are reproductions of original tables. Season 3 and 4 aren't discounted yet, and season 4 isn't complete. You can purchase then as standard or pro packs. The pro packs add some extra's, but to be honest I don't think the extra's are worth the money.

You can find a full list of all sale items HERE.



You'll also find some excellent deals over on the following Game sites.

GreenManGaming
Gamersgate Summer Sale
GOG (DRM free games)
Gamestop
GameFly (soon to be sold off)

I've removed the Desura link because the owners are bankrupt and there has been no activity on the site in a couple of weeks. If you own any games via desura i advise downloading all of the drm free games you have on that platform before the site is taken down.




Free Game Sites:


MyPlayCity (over a 1000 games to choose from)
Gametop
FreeGamePick



To be honest there are too many game deals around too list them all. Just visit the sites I recommend above and I'm sure you'll find something that suits you for a very decent price. If like me you prefer Steamworks games, many of the above sites also sell steamwork games.

If that's not enough, check out the Game Discussion forums HERE for details of other games either free or on deals such as the Indie Game bundles (there's over 20 of them - If you purchased all of them you'd be paying around $80 for around a thousand dollars worth of games); or check out the four day sales at IndieGameStand. you'll find the indie bundles thread HERE. The thread is outdated, but all of the links will still take you to the latest bundles.






The latest IndieGameStand game is called Heroes of Loot:

Heroes of Loot combines the action of twin-stick shooters with the dungeon crawling of rogue-likes. You'll find yourself in the middle of hordes of ghosts, skulls, cyclops, critters and much more.. survive using quick reflexes, level up to improve your weapon, and if you have time complete some quests for extra loot and upgrades.

Heroes of Loot get's a lot of the inspiration from the original 80's classic Gauntlet games, combined with Robotron and Smash-TV style gameplay.

There are various secrets to uncover, hidden rooms full of special items to find, and perma-items to find and collect for extra power.
So, how deep into the dungeon can you go?

Play it alone, or with a co-op buddy.. just be sure to share the loot, healing potions, weapons, and shields...
...or not, and sacrifice your buddy for your own gain !



Heroes of Loot is a dungeon-game like no other: every time you play the dungeon will be different, every time you become better, the dungeon will also grow and become more dangerous..

this game will learn from you !

Features:
- Unlimited amount of randomly generated dungeons
- Random quests to reward you with extra loot, items, experience, and more
- Four classes to choose from: Elf, Warrior, Wizard and Valkyrie
- Special fifth class to unlock for the real gamers
- Secret area's
- Special mysterious dungeon items and obstacles
- A large collection of loot and items to acquire and aid you in your quest
- Always changing gameplay
The deal ends WedSunday 30th August 2015 5am (GMT)



The latest DIG game is Melissa K and the Heart of Gold which is set in a unique interactive 3D world full of mysterious puzzles and Hidden Objects. Prepare for an unforgettable experience!

The story unfolds in 1947 Thailand, in a world filled with characters, myths and legends from ancient Buddhist tales. When Melissa is invited by the Queen of England in person, she has no idea that her life is about to take a dramatic turn and a simple mission will lead her to question her very existence.

Thanks to our brand new "Immersion Tech." we're able to combine cutting-edge 3D with beautiful hand-painted graphics. Live an adventure like no other!

Features:

- Use simple, natural gestures to navigate, interact with characters & use items with ease!
- Manipulate exquisite 3D inventory objects!
- More than 30 exclusive puzzles, replay them to beat your best scores!
- Over 30 detailed locations to search for Hidden Objects
- Over seven hours of Game Play!
- Three difficulty levels: Novice, Adventurer or Expert
- This game supports Achievements and Leaderboards
- Handles all screen ratios (widescreen 16/9, 4/3, etc)
- The game is fully translated in 14 languages


Pay £0.99 for the game or you can get two keys if you pay more than the average of $1.03 (at the time of writing - this price is sure to go higher). One key to share with a friend or family member perhaps? You'll find that deal HERE. They also have five bundles of several games that'll cost you less than $1.50 each HERE (DIG Bundles 35, 36 & 37 plus Meridian 4 and DIG Greenligh Bundle 2). You get Steam keys for all of these games apart from the Greenlight bundle; however, if they are Greenlit, you will receive Steam codes.
The single game deal ends just after Midnight Sunday 30th August and will be replaced with a new game; (details haven't been posted yet)

Most of the bundles available retail for around $5 give or take a few dollars (apart from the Daily Indie bundles that only cost $1.49 for six games), but you can pay as little as a dollar for some. There are some excellent bundles out at the moment. Check out the following:

Groupees (5 bundles)
Indie Gala (? bundles)
Humble bundle (2 Bundles)
Indie Royale (this bundle is no longer live)
Bundle Bandits (0 bundles)
Blink Bundle (0 bundles)
Play Injector (0 bundle)
Get Loaded (0 bundles)
Games Rage (0 bundles)
Flying bundle (0 bundles)

The free game from Origin has changed to Zuma's Revenge the sequel to the excellent Luxor style marble popping match 3 game. This is one of the better Marble poppers. Check it out HERE.


You do need a free Origin account and install the Origin client to get these free games. Once you've installed the Origin client and signed into your account select 'On the house' from the 'Free Games' drop down menu. Then select download now. The game will then be registered to your Origin account permanently.

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A Request for help:

Developers rely on good feedback to improve their games. If you download this game please take some time once you’ve played it a while to leave some constructive feedback either positive or negative. The more constructive feedback we get, the more likely developers are going to give more games away. The giveaway site already has a very good standing with the search engines. Developers want their products out there on the WWW, this site has the potential to do that. The game giveaway project gives away on average between 9 to 17 thousand downloads for each game depending upon what genre and how obscure the game is. That’s a lot of homes these games are being downloaded into and a lot of 'potential' cash that’s being lost by the developers. If we get better games because of better feedback, the community are likely to continue to benefit from the generosity of the developers. Satisfied community members are then more likely to visit the home sites of those developers and purchase games that they may not have bothered with before they discovered the developer via the game giveaway site, thus giving the developers more incentives to give away even more decent games.

Please leave some feedback once you’ve checked the game out. It can be positive or negative, but please explain what your reasons were for the feedback you post. You could also leave suggestions for improving the game, for example, this game could do with more block types for the levels editor, add more power-ups, describing the ones you think would be suitable, add some mini games (which seem all the rage in some arcade games now) or enable the user to be able to change the in game music easily.

Thank you in advance to all those who take the time to post a constructive comment, and a big thank you to immanitas games for sharing and to the game giveaway team for getting these games.

Regards

Whiterabbit aka Stephen







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