referring to ur comment above about how long that game has been on this site is not mush beta today is the 21/11/12 the last free game was the 18 and if u look at the dates of the games above you will see there all ova the place with the dates i think i will find another site,casue once again i have missed OUT


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

They are not all over the place. Games are given away virtually every weekend. The last several weeks we've had some hiccups when the team have failed to get a game on one of the days, but generally we've had a good run of games since over a year ago. There was a period back in 2011 when we didn't get any games for about 3 weeks, but since then we've hardly missed a weekend.

It's your prerogative not to bother visiting again, but that is like cutting off your nose to spite your face. Only you will lose out on the times there are games given away. You will not find another site like this that gives away games with no dangers of toolbar installations or browser opening up when you close a game down. or your home page being hijacked. (MyPlayCity, FreeGamePick, Jenkat games and Gametop)

Well once again i have missed out on Games and only because they are not put up every day like the site suggests GAMEGIVEAWAYOFTHEDAY it is now the 21 and the last game that was uploaded was on the 18th..now that i have complained they will put them up 2 days in a row but after that it could be up to a week....well done

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

I've tried to explain countless tmes that due to the recession the game giveaway team have been unable to secure enough games to be able to post a game every day. it's been like this since April 2008. We get games virtually every weekend; so make sure you visit Saturday and Sunday and perhaps you'll find something you'll like.

There really is no need to be so sarcastic over this issue. Afterall the site has given away over a thousand games since it started back in 2006.

While trying to install the game the activating screens comes up then a "failed to launch the program" box. This has happened the past 2 days, but Saturdays giveaway finally installed.


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

Sorry for the very late reply. This problem has already been covered. Also check the FAQ's section that I linked to in my review above.

I did give this a thumbs up --- and it does have great graphics --- but 20 minutes later, this:

Problem Event Name: APPCRASH
Application Name: The Great Pharaoh.exe
Application Version: 0.0.0.0
Application Timestamp: 4d443d31
Fault Module Name: The Great Pharaoh.exe
Fault Module Version: 0.0.0.0
Fault Module Timestamp: 4d443d31
Exception Code: c0000005
Exception Offset: 0005d820
OS Version: 6.0.6001.2.1.0.768.3
Locale ID: 1033
Additional Information 1: fd00
Additional Information 2: ea6f5fe8924aaa756324d57f87834160
Additional Information 3: fd00
Additional Information 4: ea6f5fe8924aaa756324d57f87834160

Sorry.



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


No need to be sorry. Can't tell what the problem is. Have you defraged lately? Sometimes badly fragmented drives can casue problems. Sorry for the late reply.

hello all, i know it is kind of late for a comment...but i have been busy all day and just now had a chance to download this game...i played a few levels and i think it is an average match 3 game...i read the help file so i knew that if i matched next to a mummy i could expect to lose gold and have some blocks frozen, but i found that sometimes it did and sometimes it did not, i could not find a pattern to that, but hopefully once i play more it will become clear to me.
i would like to thank ggotd and star ashes for their generosity and i would especially like to thank whiterabbit for all his work in his reviews and letting us know of alternate games to play. quite honestly if he did not do what he does, i probably would have stopped coming here a long time ago. i understand the pain he suffers, i have similar trouble (though not from an accident), so i know that at times this must seem an impossible task to do, which makes his contributions nothing short of amazing.
with that said i would just like to say thank you again to all





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



Thankyou for your feedback. Sorry about the late reply.

Whiterabbit, I know it's late but I just want to thank you for your excellent reviews. Even when you've indicated you're not feeling well, you still provide enough information to decide if a game is of interest.

I also like all the extra links you include to other games. I'm only interested in a few types of games so like having that reference if I decide not to download the current giveaway.

Normally I don't comment unless I actually try something, but in case the developer checks feedback, I wanted to explain why I didn't download today's game.

Match 3 games are my favorite. Unfortunately, it has been made clear today's game does not have an untimed mode. I play games to de-stress so the last thing I need is a timed game. I decided not to download this game for that reason. I hope the developer considers creating a relaxed mode in all games they design in the future.



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



Thankyou Terri :)

WR, can you email me the password to my watcher13b forum account at your convenience? I can't seem to get it to work. I may have been too dense to understand the clue you gave me on the password you set. Couldn't get any permutation to work. And I don't get the passwords sent to me on my other email. Maybe I entered that email wrong, but "recover password" doesn't work. Get no email. Or please delete my original watcher13 account so I can recreate it. That may fix it. Nothing I post or PM on the original account works, and I can't even get in on the new account. No hurry. Whenever you get a moment.



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



Will do. Sorry for the late reply.

Meant to post this earlier, but may still help some Mac owners. Realore has a couple of Mac deals this week. Email doesn't say how long they will last. For the home Mac, a special on the popular Jane's Hotel series. Looks like the original Jane's Hotel is free. Jane's Hotel Family Hero (the 2nd I believe) is 60% off and Jane's Hotel Mania (probably the 3rd) for 40%. But I can't be sure the original is free. As a PC user, can't get that far into the Mac store. Also for Ipad/Iphone owners, a 2 for 1 sale on the equally popular Farm Mania. Can get 1 for both phone and pad, and 2 for pad for .99 total for both.

Now to today's game: Odd. Match3 with difference. Gonna vote yes. It's a little odd/awkward for me, though probably up some others alleys, as I'm used to survival based match3s were you try and survive by avoiding various pitfalls and scoring is secondary. Those are a little more of a mind turnoff type. Here scoring is paramount while trying to avoid the mummy pitfalls. And, other than growing ice in some, most match 3s give you all the pitfalls in the beginning, rather than putting yourself in the position of making things considerably worse for yourself, as the mummys do here.
Haven't read the posts today, other than WR's conclusion. Many folks may have figured it out, but I don't find the mechanics of the mummys ice creation exactly clear. Some types of matches next to them seem to trigger them, some don't. Strategy seems to be to find ways of avoiding them - matching away from them if u can, or trying to maneuver 3 together. Other than that, seems best to stay away from them. A little unfair on documentation. Didn't mention the black ice block mummys, where you can't see the frozen tokens to make matches to them. Or the turning blocks to stone mummys, though you can move them and match them. Basically, just makes it harder because you can't rely on seeing the color to match on the "stoned" tiles. No warning on either, and perhaps future surprises.
Not too worried about the graphics. That's nice, but don't care that much in a match 3, too busy matching. Lol. However, the red and orange pieces a little difficult to differentiate, also the stone blocks. But that could be my old, failing, darkish monitor, too. I agree with 6.5, as documentation is 6, and play is 7 to me. Other things, like looks, are important, but I give less weight. Since match3 are repetitive mind turn off/relaxing games, replayability is by nature high, if you can stand to play at all.
Music is a little arcadish stereotypically mock Egyptian, although that could be purposely tongue in cheek. In any case, don't find it annoying. Swells near end of clock running out, perhaps intentionally, which I'd say is good.

BTW, I agree that Vertex errors are definitely related to DirectX and and update will clear it up. Think it's actually part of the Direct3d rendering routines, even on 2D games. But just a guess/observation.



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



Thankyou for your feedback. Sorry about the late reply.

Dear sweet furry, long eared Wabbit,

Here's a giant hug across the waters just because.

I already had this game and it runs fine on Win7 64 bit. (I guess I should complain since I had both games this week..NOT!) It's not one of the best match 3s but it will keep you busy for a while. If they wanted to make one improvement..they should add a Zen/untimed mode of some sort.

Thanks Star Ashes and GGOTD for the game. Thanks Wabbit for the review and I like you giving all the game info you do. I can send others to the page for reference. Since Dec 2006 I have learned many things from you. You gave me the courage to try other types of games I would have never tried if not for your explanations and nudging.

Hugs to the family also...




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



Thankyou Delenn. :)

SOFTWARE_VERTEXPROCESSING error shown when trying to run program. Using Windows 7 Starter. Anyone else able to get the program to run on this operating system?

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

SVP has something to do with direct X so I'd first reinstall the latest version of Direct X 11. If that doesn't cure the problem try updating your graphics drivers. Another cause could be that your graphics card isn't connected properly. turn off the computer, disconnect from the mans, touch some metal piping such as central heating pipes or taps (to discharge any static), then make sure your graphics card is in its socket fully. It may not be sitting fully in the socket. If you aren't sure whether you have a card, check the back of your computer. If you are using a card, the monitor cable will connect to one of the bays rather than the motherboard proper. another way to check is to open the Direct X diagnostics pane by typing dxdiag in the search field. Click on the dxdiag icon then open up the display tab. you should be able to see whether you are using a card or an onboard graphics chip.

Failing all of the above try defragging your hard drive. That may cure the problem.

Is this the same version as the last one?



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

As already mentioned a couple of times above, yes.

You have had several games recently that have had a GCD addition. I am running Win 7 - 64 bit. None of these games will open and I am frustrated. I don't know if I need to DOWNLOAD a fix or just ignore the game completely. Right now, I have to ignore the game(s) as I just don't know how to fix it. WHY do you include games with this GCD addition when it's just one more step to have to download/install?

Can you offer a solution for me in order to use THIS game?

CJ


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

Prior to using the setup.gcd file it was too easy to create a reusable executable file that then went onto peer to peer sites, thus making the games available 24/7. This was not fair on the developers who had agreed to giveaway thousands of copies (we've had as many as 28 thousand downloads with some games, and over on the main site there are regularly hundreds of thousands of downloads).

The giveaway team decided to make the giveaways less prone to hacking by adding Themida as security. for you to be able to install the program you may need to configure your security software to allow the gcd file to run. Some security software sees Themida as a threat so will automatically block it. Once you've installed the game, the gcd file can be deleted.

your server doesn't respond for download it is 3:34PM EST


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

I've had no problem downloading the file four times earlier to day and just to test whether there was a problem downloaded it again with no problems a few moments ago. If there was a problem we would be innundated with posts from the community, but only yourself and one other user have had problems.

That would point to a problem from your end. Try clearing out your internet cache. If you are using Firefox make sure I.E. isn't set to offline and reboot your modem and/or router. If none of those work check the FAQ's section over in the Game discussion forums. I've linked to the thread in my review above.

Whiterabbit, thanks so much for all of the information about other games and other gaming sites that you've compiled for us. I didn't know about half of those places, and I've been playing computer games for thirty years.

I know this isn't about today's giveaway, but given that Swamp Thing chose to complain about your efforts, I wanted to tell you that they ARE appreciated!

Thanks for all you do.


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

Thank you Corylea

Whiterabbit--You are a treasured resource on GAOTD games that always keeps me coming to the site. I am always grateful and amazed at the time you spend, and your kind words and attention to the people that come here. Please disregard the ignorant and nasty comments from " " and know that one of the chat room types who love to denigrate and state their uninformed criticisms in aggressive words made an appearance here today. ♥ You are loved ♥

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

Aww, thank you meadowlark (you name conjures up memories of days spent in the meadows of my youth, laying with my back to the grass watching the clouds roll by. (I was a very long haired hippy) :)

Sorry Stephen my apologies lol ooops :)

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

no problem. Once i know you've seen my reply i'll delete these two posts. :)

thanks Stephen i gave you a compliment as did others and my comment you deleted. Thanks alot...........that in itself said alot to me. My comments aren`t aren`t worth anything. It might be awhile before i comment again. :(




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

Hi Russ,

I never delete comments unless they are rude, have swearing or are just out and out ignorant. I've been asleep for four hours, so no moderation had taken place over that time. I'm usually the only moderator working on these forums. There is someone else who visits around 2 hours after the giveaway starts and sometime in the evening, but generally I'm the only one. I have a hormone imbalance (virtually no growth hormone due to a damaged pituitary which was caused as a result of an accident seven years ago ) Low GH plus the high dose of opiates I take and gabapentin cause me to sleep excessively (up to 17 hours a day).

OK - I've downloaded the game without any problems - Win. Vista, 32 bit . Game play isn't too bad for a match 3 , though the custom cursor - which should be optional - does tend to stick on the game pieces . Music is good, and graphics are simple, but that lends to the charm of the game. A nice little match three, all in all, and a good one to have for rainy days . Thanks GGOTD !

Hey White Rabbit ; Haven't downloaded the game yet - though I assure you I will - but I had to send a note , as I felt you, yourself, needed some feedback ! I feel certain that I speak for the majority of GGOTD visitors when I say that we are heartily glad to see your highly detailed pre-views of the day's offering, along with the additional information on other games ! You are thoughtful and thourough when repying to inquiries, and your help as a volunteer moderator is greatly appreciated ! This site would loose a lot without you ! Please, keep up the good work, and ignore your detractors - some folks just aren't happy unless they have something to complain about ! Have a great day !


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

Thanks Twenty Cats, much appreciated

Thanks Stephen for the GREAT JOB you do here. I don`t understand why some people take it upon themselves to complain so much. The games are being offered for free and you do a fantastic job as the Moderator. I say if they don`t like it here don`t come here and complain. just stay away and let the rest of us have a good time. We all like you and appreciate you even if there are a few that don`t. Way to go Stephen!!!
GOOD JOB!!!



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

Thanks Russ, much appreciated. Sometimes I just have to reply ;-)

I only get chance to check the site every other weekend so I keep missing games.

Normally I prefer hidden object adventure games, like the Mystery Case Files, Ravenhurst series.

@ 11,Debra; to find the game folder go to start then go to my computer then open up c drive find game folder open it and your games should be in there. You can create a shortcut by clicking on the icon and then select send to desktop.

To Whiterabbit thank you and game giveaway for all your time and effort to bring us these games.



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

Thanks Maurice

Pity,
Only timed (non-relaxed) play :-(

Whiterabbit your reviews, suggestions and links are the only reason to come here. The #8's of the world are to be ignored...maybe they will just go away. Keep up the awesomeness that is you. And THANK YOU for all your hard work.



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

Thanks Badhippo, much appreciated

This game is pretty good. If it wasn't timed it would be too easy. Thanks

#5, my game was dated August 2011. So is this the same version as that one?



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

Yes

I'm always happy when match3 games are offered, being a big fan of them. This one isn't too bad; the graphics are alright. Installed fine on Win7 Home Premium 64-bit. I wish game developers would have the initial startup in Windowed mode; I always have issues with Full Screen startups in Win7 (had them too in WinXP SP3), and it's taxing on my temper to have to jump through hoops to finally get into the game so that I can change the mode.
Thanks GGAOTD.



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

Thanks for your feedback. :)

I downloaded this game before and all is fine with Win7. Great game. I appreciate all the help from Whiterabbit, especially the recommendations about games on other sites. Please continue and know that some of us appreciate your kindness.

WinRAR:

Extracting files to C:\Windows\system32 folder
The archive is either in unknown format or damaged

How do I resolve this?


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

Hi Artie, Check the FAQ's in the Game discussion forums. This issue is covered there.

I already played this on an earlier give away day and didn't like it that much than other match 3 games but it's still a good one to recommend.

Hi WhiteRabbit, Weezie, BlackKnight_UK & the rest Mods ...
I am hoping that you guys offer this game again

"Sun Aug 5th – Around the world in 80 Days"

I had this a long time ago and I loved the screens, then my laptop took a hit and I had to reinstall. Well, on that Sunday, I had to go to Church and I missed it. That is why I always make the comment that you folks give your Best Games on Sundays ... well it seems to me.

Thanks,

G! :)



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

Hi G, You can get Around the world in 80 Days 24/7 from MyPlayCity. Though check Gametop first as they are not as aggressive w.r.t. toolbars etc.

I appreciate both the positive and negative comments. It takes both to help me make the choice to install or not. I also appreciate the links to other free programs/games, although I like the ones who actually used those 'other' programs/games, rather than the one who just does a listing of search results, but that user is easy enough to spot and skip over.

There have been a number of times that most of the comments were 'super' positive, I've downloaded and install only to find myself with a less than positive experience with the program/game. More negative in those instances would have been welcomed.

Anyway, anyone who takes the time to post, negative or positive comments deserves a thank you for giving their time. We're all born with a brain, we all have the ability to determine what is believable and what is not.

Cheers



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

Thanks for your feedback freeme

@Whiterabbit aka Stephen,
You say, for every game given away,
"Developers rely on good feedback to improve their games."

But why bother taking the time to leave the feedback if the author's never use it ("it" being suggestions and bug reports) to update their programs/games? Seems a waste of time then since the same versions of the games are being given away repeatedly, correct?

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

Some developers don't, but I'm sure some do. In fact somedo use the information. Of course many of the repeated games never seem to be updated. I think that's becasue they are already past their sell by date. Suggesting improvments may be used for new games. some games given away have been updated becasue of what the community have said. Not to give feedback just becasue many are not used, doesn't mean that all ideas are not used.

First, thanks GGOTD for all the great FREE games you provide for us to try!!! Now onto today's game. Downloaded and installed using Win7 64bit, Home Premium. Nice match 3 game with the typical gameplay made more difficult as the levels progress. Not the best match 3 game I have. It could be better by adding mini games and a relaxed mode. Thanks again for offering these games. I miss them on the weekend day there is none! :)


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


Thanks for your feedback Kate.

I would like to know how to download this game. I have tried to download this game & a few others, & it gives me 3 options, read me, setup....which when I go to it it takes me to windowa media player, it dosen't say what to do there, then the next opt that I get is set up. I have run this as always on several other games, & when I get threw I can not find the game on my computer anywhwere, even though it goes threw the set up process. Please help because I really enjoy the game giveaway of the day, but have missed out on a few good games, because I can't figure out what I am not doing, or doing right Thanks Deb

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

When you install the game make sure you make a note of where it's going to install to. I've written the path in the installation paragraph in my review above. You should also find the path in the read me. You should find the game at that point. You could also use Windows search to find the exe file by typing in The Great Pharaoh.exe

If you are being directed to the media player evertine you click on the orange setup file (the one with the key) it probably means you've somehow associated that file type with the media player. right click on the file and select open with. you will be given a selection of file types to open the file with. (I'm having to redown load the setup file so can't say which one to choos at this time. I'll get back to you soon)

The Great Pharaoh is a nice game with smooth graphics and animation , The music and sound effects are well done too .
It installed flawlessly on Win7 x64 and plays without a glitch or hick-up :)

Thank you Stars Ashes and GGAOTD .

I love this game!! I have downloaded it twice and lost it twice through computer crashes!! Glad to see it back!!

You spent more time today, shilling games for other companies than you did reviewing the GOTD game being offered. It's no wonder companies don't want to offer their games on this GOTD site anymore when all you do is recommend "better" games at other Internet sites. How much do these other companies pay you to do that?

How is it that you always get to make the first post on these pages anyway? You claim that you don't work for GOTD. What's up with that?


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


Hello Patrick/Henry/ Giofannie/Swamp Thing, the game suggestions are at the request of the giveaway community. All I see you doing is complaining about such things as the game giveaway name and what I do here. Why don't you post comments about the games for a change instead of complaining? tThat would go some way to attracting more developers.

I'm a 'volunteer' moderator whose been posting reviews in one form or another virtually since the game giveaway project started on the 2nd December 2006. I've spent thousands of hours (with no remuneration except for the games we get here for free) trying to do a reasonable job so when I read a post like yours it really makes me see red. I know I should just ignore it, but sometimes I feel I have to reply to ignorance such as yours.

I've always supported the game giveaway site and have tried to persuade the community to give something back for all of the games they get free by giving pertinent feedback, be it positive or negative. (Though I do realize not everyone has the time). I've always believed that decent feedback would attract more developers. Some members have responded to that, but only a tiny percentage of those that actually download the games. (on average 0.01% of those downloading bother to post any pertinent feedback, which is statistically insignificant when you compare the number of community members actually downloading the games).

How do you know how long I spent on the extra games part of my post above? In reality it was copied over from yesterday and took no more than a couple of minutes to edit a couple of changes.

The other games are to let the community know what games are on sale at this point in time. Not everyone has the time to check, so I feel I'm doing a service for those members.

I've said a couple of times over the last year that I was going to stop posting details of the game deals here, but quite a few community members responded by saying it was the only reason they bothered to visit the game giveaway site; with that in mind i decided to carry on with the posts. Personally I don't see the problem. If more community members are reading my posts it means more are reading about the game being given away and hopefully persuading them to check the developers site out. I always post a link to the developers site in the intro to the game.

As for being the first to post, its because I'm here just before the giveaway comes on line so that I can post the review. The owners of this site give me advance information on what games are going to be posted so that I can write a review of the game. (Though most of my reviews of late have not been very good).

Does it bother you that I'm posting first? Do you want me to write Yeah I'm the first to post. (I think I grew out of that when I stopped wearing short pants to school at 11 years old). The only reason I'm usually the first to post is that hardly anyone bothers to visit the site as soon as the new game comes live, plus I try to get the review posted as early as possible so that the community can read about the game and make a reasonably informed decision as to whether to bother downloading the game. Some users are still on modems with low download speeds and others are on capped download limits, so its useful to be able to read about a game to see if its worth downloading and thus saving bandwidth, or waiting all day for the download to complete only to find the game wasn't what you wanted.

Whiterabbit aka Stephen,
Have they (Alawar) fixed the problems most people complained about on the previous releases? Sound problems, crashes, "game pieces are hard to grab hold of and sometimes seem to stick to the pointer which again slows the player down", etc.? Can you tell if this is an updated version? Thanks.

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

Hi Avid Gamer, I've compared the two and they look exactly the same.

Installed with no problems on Windows 7. Overall game play and music is good. Graphics could be a little better and having an option of the game not being timed will be a welcomed addition.

What is the version, is it same one as last time as last august 2012?

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

Yes, though it was May 2012 when it was last given away not August

I've tried 2 times now to download and it keeps telling me that file is not available

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

Hi Mary, there's nothing wrong with the download link. I've downloaded the game four times so far today over the last four hours. Go to the FAQ's section that I've linked to in my review above (see the problems section). You'll find the FAQ's thread in the Game Discussion stickies over in the giveaway forums.

Some things you can try are to make sure I.E. is tuned to online working (assuming you are using Firefox), clear out your internet cache (If you're not sure how to do this I think I describe how to in the FAQ's - can't remember offhand whether I did. you can Google it as well. If you are still not sure how to find the internet cache I'll post details later. Also try rebooting your modem and/or router.

Is it just my imagination or does this site only give away match-3 games?


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

In answer to your question:

Sat Nov 17th Helic (Helicopter sim) - 6408 downloads
Sun Nov 11th - Arctic quest 2 (pattern puzzle) - 9406 downloads
Sun Nov 4th - World's Greatest Places Mahjong (Mahjong patience) - 13062 downloads
Sat Nov 3rd - Amy's Murder (HOG) - 11751 downloads
Sun Oct 28th - The Adventures of Sinbad (HOG) - 12755 downloads
Sat Oct 27th - Chinese Chess soul (board game) - 5663 downloads
Sun Oct 21st - Lost Kingdom Prophecy (Match 3 with HOG elements) - 12341 downloads
Sat Oct 20th - Incinerate (Vertical Shooter) - 5455 downloads
Sun Oct 14th - Dancing Craze (Time Management) - 3731 downloads
Sun Oct 7th - Lost Inca Prophecy - (Match 3 with HOG elements) - 13041 downloads
Sat Oct 6th - Indie Cannon (Physics based flash puzzle) - 3289 downloads
Sun Sept 30th - Enchanted Cavern (Match 3) - 12370 downloads
Sat Sept 29th - Oh My Candy (physics based flash puzzle) - 3177 downloads
Sat Sept 23rd - Basketbird (physics based flash puzzle) - 3573 downloads
Sat Sept 22nd - Fairy Island (Match 3) - 11964 downloads
Sun Sept 16th - Bilbo: The Four Corners of the World (Time Management) - 5896 downloads
Sat Sept 15th - Putrid Putters (Physics based flash puzzle) - 3500 downloads
Sun Sept 9th Catch the tune (Music based puzzle game) - 3903 downloads
Sat Sept 8th - Facebookeria (Physics based shooter) - 2383 downloads
Sun Sept 2nd - Amelia's Cafe (Time Management) - 5417 downloads
Sat Sept 1st - Between worlds (HOG) - 12870 downloads
Sun Aug 26th - Fishdom: Sooky Spalsh (Match 3 with sim) - 10636 downloads
Sat Aug 25th - Hit the Troll (physics based flash puzzle) - 2764 downloads
Sun Aug 19th - Alex Gordon (Platformer) - 10667 downloads
Sat Aug 18th - Cyclops Physics (physics based flash puzzle) - 3301 downloads
Sun Aug 12th - Action Ball 2 (Breakout/arkanoid) - 10817 downloads
Sun Aug 5th - Around the world in 80 Days (Match 3 with Screen savers) - 10930 downloads
Sat July 28th - Football Live - (Soccer/football management sim) - 2372 downloads
Sun Jul 22nd - The Rise of Atlantis (Match 3) - 11083 downloads
Sat July 21st - Morbid Mansion (Pacman clone) - 3934 downloads
Sun July 8th - Fishdom Premium (Match 3) - 9888 downloads
Sat July 7th - Arcanorum (physics based flash puzzle) - 4494 downloads
Sun July 1st - Turtle Lu (Platformer) - 8272 downloads
Sat Jun 30th - Unreal World (RPG) - 7127 downloads
Sun Jun 24th - Fanged Fun (physics based flash puzzle) - 3141 downloads
Sat June 23rd - Egyptoid 2 (breakout/arkanoid) - 7826 downloads
Sun Jun 17th - Last Galaxy Hero (3D Space Invaders) - 4956 downloads
Sat June 16th - CryptoPics (Nonograms/griddlers) - 7154 downloads
Sun June 10th - Egyptoid (Breakout/arkanoid) - 13902 downloads
Sat Jun 9th - Gardenball (physics based flash puzzle) - 4256 downloads

Between March 18th to Jun 3rd we had four Match 3's out of 23 games. that's approximately 17% Over the period I've detailed above we had 8 match 3's out of 40 games of various genres (in all 17 different genres), that's 20% or a fifth of the games were Match 3 based. All in all, when you look at the download numbers for these games its quite obvious that Match 3 games are amongst the most popular genre, which is why we probably see more of those than the other genres. Over the period covered above, 19% of the games were Match 3, yet if you calculate the percentage of total downloads for all games over the period covered above, you'll find that 44.5% of downloads over the whole period were Match 3 (Match 3 downloads - 92253 other games - 207222 downloads).


Hidden Object and Time Management games are still cash cows for the developers so are less likely to be given away, so we don't see as many of those yet. Match 3's were all the rage around five or six years ago. There's over a hundred free ones available over on MyPlayCity.

Anyway, to your post, I think the above disproves your 'theory' that all we get are match 3's. They are the most popular so we are bound to see a higher percentage. We've actually had some fabulous non Match 3 games, yet the community appear not to like them (when looking at the number of downloads for those games compared to the number of downloads for Match 3)

Hello everyone,

FYI - This month's Alawar free game is NOT "The Curse of Montezuma" but "Sprill". Just thought I'd let you know cause it's been that game since the last week of October or even before that.

As for this game, it installed fine on Win7 x64. It's very basic match 3, nothing fancy. In fact, it's pretty much repetitive game play. However, it does get harder as you advance in the game, but it's nothing as fun as (IMHO) "Around the World in 80 days or 4 Elements"(always free at Gametop).

There's construction of an Obelix on level 1 (other construction on every level) but you have nothing to do in regards to that. You play a level with success = construction is being done. Might be nice if the player actually had a say in this. Inventory of items that the player could choose from to embellish/improve the construction.

They could spice it up with mini quests at the end of a level. Also, you need to accumulate a certain amount of gold in a certain amount of time and once that's done, the level is over. Why not let the play go on until time runs out and with the extra gold one can purchase items to improve construction or whatever else.

BTW, is the maniacal laughter when you touch a pharaoh really necessary? Or the red evil eyes when you miss a level? Personally, I don't think it adds anything to the game-play.

All in all, it's probably a good match 3 for lovers of that type of game but nothing that stands out for those who like plenty of challenges and hands on play in games. Nonetheless, thank you Star Ashes and GGOTD for this free giveaway.

Have a great day and God Bless You All :-)

P.S. Stephen, I asked you your opinion last week in regards to downloading to the Users folder instead of Program Files x86. A tech told me we should always download to that folder and I just wanted your input if you have the time. Thanks! (Y)

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

Hi weezie,

Thank you for your feedback on the game. As for installing to the Program folder. I'm no tech expert but i've always installed my games to a separate folder in fact to a different hard drive and applications I'll install to a utilites folder and have never had any problems. There may be something in rhat the expet says with respect to 32 bit and 64 bit programs, but i've not really been interested enought to research the issue.


Spill was the previous free game. it's quite possible the cookie in your internet cache is causing you to see the old game rather than the latest game, which has been available for six weeks now andd is overdue for another change.

I'd clear out your internet cache. The Curse of Montezuma first became available the first week of October.

I've just opened up Alawars game box and taken a screen capture of the free game:

The Great Pharaohl>:

Installationl>

The Great Pharaoh downloads to a 50.1 MB zip file that unpacks to a wrapped setup and activation module plus a setup.gcd security file, a read me that contains details of the installation and the terms and conditions. Once installed the game uses 81.8Mb of disc space.

I’ve tested the game on all my installations and it works on XP Pro 32 bit, Vista Home Basic 32 bit, Vista Home Premium 64 bit, Win 7 Pro 64 bit and Win 7 Ultimate 64 bit installations. There’s no shortcut installed so make a note of where the game is installed to so that you can manually create a desktop shortcut. By default it installs to the following path:

C:\Games\TheGreatPharaoh


Registrationl>

Registration is automatically done when you install the game. You will require an active internet connection to complete activation. If you have any problems see the section above the review.

Introductionl>


The game has been given away three times before; earlier this year May2012 where it received 68% positive votes out of 294 votes last year, back in March 2011 and September 2011 where it received positive votes of 62% and 75% respectively. You can read the previous comments HERE (May 2012), HERE (March 2011) and HERE (September 2011).


Developers Introductionl>

From generation to generation, each new Pharaoh wanted to be more powerful than the previous one. One got his wealth by seizing the lands of others, another - in the fertile lands of the Nile. But there was another way to gain overwhelming richness... Legend says that in the abandoned temples of the City of the Dead, the treasury of Egypt ancient rulers was kept. Priests put the gold into magical blocks, guarded by those who were gone for eternity. Only the Great Pharaoh could take back the gold, gathering together the blocks and presenting seals. The seals were lost with time. There were no Pharaohs who wished to return ancient treasures, as the price for a mistake was great - eternal wandering in the dark world of the dead. Would you like to try your luck? Returning the treasures of the ancestors, you will build the City, the glory of which will live for centuries... In this fast-paced Match 3 game, the goal is to restore the temples of the City of the Dead, getting hidden gold. You can get the gold by matching 3 ancient blocks. At the same time you should keep an eye on mummies who can put a curse, stealing gold and freezing the blocks. You have limited time to meet your goal on gold and become the Great Pharaoh!

Reference accessed HERE 5th March 2011

The Gamel>

This is a reasonable match three game with decent graphics and additional elements that add to the overall game experience. Game play is as you’d expect from a match three; that is you have to swap adjacent blocks so that three or more blocks of identical color, including those that are frozen line up in columns or rows. This destroys the blocks and releases the gold that is hidden within the block.

There are some original features that make it worth downloading such as the building of a town and the addition of mummies that steal gold from you as well as add a curse which freezes several blocks for a specific length of time. This occurs when there is a line of three similar blocks next to the mummies. If you can line up three of these mummies in a row or column you will get extra gold and destroys the mummies. You can see various symbols within each colored block, these have various values for example collecting 3 ankh’s is worth 120 gold pieces whereas collecting three squiggly lines are worth 250 gold pieces; collecting additional blocks such as a line of 4 or five gives you more gold. You’ll find 7 different values within the blocks ranging from 100 gold pieces to 250 gold pieces. (100, 120, 140, 160, 180, 200 and 250). Destroying three mummies is worth 500 gold pieces. There are 40 levels broken up into eight different stages. Each stage ends in the completion of a specific Egyptian building or object such as an Obelisk, the Temple of Anubis, a city gates or the Pyramids. After each level you are awarded a part of a key. Collecting all the parts will unlock the next stage in the building of the town.

As you would expect levels start off easy with grids of 8x8 which increase in size as you get further into the game. Progression is mapped out via the levels map, which shows you the various buildings and monuments that you will build throughout the game. There doesn’t appear to be any power-ups added to this game (I didn’t encounter any while playing the demo, which included the first five levels).

The options menu enables you to change several parameters such as screen resolution , windowed mode and an advanced lighting mode that adds shadows to the game (not very obvious) as well a sound and music sliders to adjust the volume and a difficulty slider that has three choices, easy, medium and hard difficulty.

Featuresl>:

• Collect gold from ancient tombs in this entertaining Match 3 challenge.

• Restore the Temple of Anubis, the Great Pyramids, the giant Obelisk and more.

• Watch out for mummies and their curse as they steal gold and freeze blocks.

• Rush to clear 40 levels before time is up.

• See the megalithic structures take shape before your eyes.


Images & Videol>:

You can see a slideshow of around 50 images showing the first area to be unlocked HERE. You’ll see help screens, several levels, statistic screens and the level map. Unfortunately the images were uploaded backwards, so you see the later images first


You can view all the images in full screen or as a grid with adjustable slider to view in various sizes. Just click on one of the two buttons to the bottom right of the screen, just above the film strip; (you need to hover your mouse over the bottom of the screen to see the filmstrip)

You can see a couple of videos of game play HERE and HERE

Conclusionl>::

This is a match three game of medium quality. It’s not the best in my opinion, but still playable. It’s got similarities to games like Atlantis Quest which was given away some time ago, but the quality of the game does not match Atlantis Quest by a long shot. The graphics are uninspiring and drab with no power ups to add sparkle and excitement. That said, it’s a basic match three; and if you like match three’s you’ll probably play this one, but too be honest I’ve added links to far superior match three’s below in the ‘Similar Games for Free section’

I’d give it an average score of around 6.5 out of 10. This is broken down into a 7 out of 10 for game play (I’m being generous) and 6 out of 10 for graphics and sound. I like Match Three’s as they are mindless and sometimes I need a mindless game that’s easy to play. The main problem with this game is that this genre has moved on from the original Jewel Quest type game play and now we get match three’s that are combined with RPG elements for example Puzzle Quest 1 & 2 or card playing games like Gyromancer, or more traditional match three’s like Treasures of Montezuma that have upgradeable power ups and spectacular graphics or give you screensavers at the end of the game like Atlantis Quest; (or several if you play Around the World in 80 Days). The amazing thing is the last three games I mentioned above can now be downloaded completely free for the full version - (follow the link to MyPlayCity).
Apart from the addition of a quest to build various landmarks and buildings in between levels this match three game is very basic. The attempt to spice the game up with this building quest really didn’t work in my opinion because there is no actual contribution from the player apart from completing a match three level because the building stages are automatic and occur when you’ve completed a level. You’ll be whisked off to the site and magically see a new building or a city gate appear, and then the next level will start.

Reviewsl>:

Check out THESE reviews from Big Fish, they are all basically negative with respect to uninspiring game play

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More Gamesl>



If today's game doesn't take your fancy then check out the game discussion forums and the free games synopsis. We’ve posted a couple of thousand free games over the last four years, many of which are excellent alternatives to their commercial cousins.


Steam has several games on sale at the moment including the 24 hr Steam deal which today Dogfight 1942 a game similar to todays game giveaway, but with far better graphics and game play. You'll find DogFight HERE. It has 50% off it's a steal at £5.99 (approx $9). There's also two dlc's available with 50% off.

This weekends big deals over o Steam are the excellent sim game called Tropico 4 which you'll find details of HERE. with 75% off the game and most of the DLC's and 25% off the recently released DLC's its a great bargain. There's also a free weekend plus 50% off with another game called Awesomenauts an action strategy platformer. rel="nofollow">Snapshot an indie platformer also has 50% off and there are at least another 20+ games with varying percentages off, ranging from 10% to 30%, including unreleased games like Hitman Absolution which is due for release any day (competing with the likes of Call of Duty which was released a few days ago and as always is one of the most expensive games on sale - it'll cost you almost £90/$135 for the deluxe edition plus a season pass for future DLC) Another game to watch is the complete Saints Row the Third pack, with all DLC content plus the main game for only £29.99$45 that's a saving of £50/$75 compared to what it costs at the moment. That is available from the 17th November HERE. Oh yeah, nearly forgot, you can get Bioshock for free from Gamefly at the moment; check it out via the game giveaway forums HERE (I'm not sure whether the offer is only available to those that installed the Beta client. If you owned any Direct 2 Drive games you're likely to have installed the beta; then again it may be open to all.




Check out Gamersgates offers. There's loads of 50% to 75% off offers (for example Crusader Kings II, Janes Advance Strike Fighters, Crysis: Maximum Edition, Storm over the Pacific, Cities in Motion, Need for Speed: The Run, plus more. Some of which come with Steam keys. Gamefly and Desura also have a sale on as well. (Dungeon Defenders, Torchlight, Nuclear Dwn, Gratuitous Space Battles, Osmos, Space Pirates & Zombies, Bulletstorm, Medal of Honor: Airborne ( a great game that was released and unjustly overshadowed by the release of Call of Duty Modern Warfare - COD4) plus more.







I've also posted several links to sites where you'll find loads of decent game deals. Just look in the Game Discussion sticky section for the thread.

This months Alawar game is still The Curse of Montezuma (despite being on for six weeks - hopefully they will change it for another soon). for those that are new to the game giveaway project you will need Alawar's free game box to be able to download their free monthly game. this months is an excellent match three. You can download the game box HERE.




Oh yeah, nearly forgot, you can see all of the live indie bundles that are available HERE . They don't update it every day (Indie Gala X is showing as still live, but that ended a few days ago), still it'll give you an idea as to whats still available. alternatively you can visit the giveawayoftheday Game discussion forums as all bundles are detailed there as well.

Also check out the latest game available on IndieGame stand HERE. You can pay as much as you want but no less than $1. The present game has just changed to Syder Arcade, which is a free scrolling, multi directional shoot 'em up, an uncompromised old-school experience. There are several $5 bundles available from the Indie bundle site HERE, each bundle has three games. There's quite a few decent deals over on Desura HERE also the latest Indie Royale: Harvest Bundle is in full swing with just over a day to run (ends on Sunday afternoon 2pm GMT) You get Mutant Mudd (Desura), Pineapple Smash Crew (Steam & Desura), Spirits (Steam & Desura), Avernum: The Great Trials Trilogy (Steam & Desura), Basket Belle (Desura) for a minimum of £3.47.

. Virtually all of the bundles mentioned above include a combination of Steam and Desura keys as well as DRM free copies or a combination of 1, 2 or all three. Sometimes you also get a choice of operating system (Windows, Mac, Linux, Android) .Another Humble bundle called the Humble Bundle 4 Android was released last week. It still has five days to run and you can get nine excellent games (Splice, Eufloria, Waking Mars, Machinarium, Crayon Physics Deluxe, Superbrothers: Sword & Sorcery, Avadon: The Black fortress Trilogy, Canabalt, Cogs, Sword & soldiers, and Zen bound 2. I paid around 4180 for the above games when they were initially released, now you can get all of them for just over $6. Definitely one to get. You can have PC and Android versions (as well as Mac and Linux versions). Also most l of the games have Steam keys as well as a downloadable DRM copy plus at least one comes with a Desura key.

For a minimum of less than $6 you can get all of the games in the build a Bundle 4 pack. These include Stellar Impact (Steam), Robin Hood: The Legend of sherwood (Steam), Vitrium (Desura), Qasir Al-Wasal: A night in-between (Desura), Men of War (Steam), Fantasy War (Steam), Zombies (Desura), Velvet Assassin (Steam), Orczz (Desura). I paid $45 for Velvet Assassin when it was first released a few years ago. Now you can get 9 great games for less than $6. The Groupees group also do the Be Mine bundles. Number six is in the pipeline for release any day now The main difference between these two bundles is that you can choose what games you want in the build a bundle. The fewer you choose the less you pay.



You'll find details of all the bundles still available over in the first two pages of the game discussion forums as well as several of the main game distributors that seem to have permanent sales HERE


You can get several excellent match three games or similar from Gametop. Gametop isn't as aggressive with respect to toolbars and home page changes as MyPlayCity is at the moment. You can get over 50 math threes from MyPlayCity, but you will need to uncheck boxes for toolbar and home page changes every time you start the game up. plus during installation you may get adverts.

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Problems:

If you have any problems with the game, either installation issues or getting the game to work check out the FAQ's section over in the Game discussion forums. you can find it HERE






If you are posting requests for help late in the day I would suggest posting in the main giveaway forums in the game Game Discussion . If you’ve installed the game but it won’t work for some reason, it should still be registered, so someone may be able to help at another time. Unfortunately if your problem is actually installing it then once the giveaway period is over there’s nothing that can be done until the game is given away again (though that isn’t guaranteed). It’s always worth checking out the free games sites as sometimes the games we get here are also available for free from them as well.




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.

Regards

Whiterabbit aka Stephen