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Ah, Spring. That time of year when the sun is shining, birds are chirping, flowers are blooming, and people are itchy to get outside and PLAY. I never give up hope that Mother Nature will bring new life after a dormant time, but is there new life in PC casual gaming or is it deeply buried under all the clones? What better way to answer that question than to spend an hour in virtual nature, hanging out with birds and birding geeks.

SIGNS OF LIFE
Spring has sprung in Snapshot Adventures: Mystery of Bird Island, the newest game created by the talented people at Large Animal Games and published by iWin. At first glance, it looks like a variation on popular hidden object games like Mystery Case Files, but that perception changes quickly once you start to play — Snapshot Adventures can’t be described with a comparison to other casual titles.

GONE TO THE BIRDS
In Snapshot Adventures, the goal is to travel around the U.S. photographing birds while gathering clues to solve a mystery surrounding the plane crash and disappearance of your grandfather, a famed naturalist.

At each location you receive photography assignments from one of your grandfather’s quirky colleagues. As the game progresses, items are earned that assist your ability to photograph birds. There’s a limit to how much gear you can schlep, so choices are made depending on time of day and objectives for the assignment. Once the required shots are taken, photographing additional birds will earn bonus points. The assignment is repeated if you fail to take the required photos before time or film runs out.

Along the way, pieces of the mystery are revealed through non-interactive storytelling screens drawn in a sketchbook style. Unlike many casual games, the map used to track your journey doesn’t show progress relative to completing the overall story, but perhaps the reason for this approach will reveal itself beyond the one-hour mark.

In addition to completing your assignments, you must fill your field journal with photos of 111 species in stationary and flying shots. Photos are scored based on a set of criteria cleverly called PEEP (Process for Equitable Evaluation of Photos). From within the field journal you can also share your bird photos via email.

At the end of each assignment, new shots are scored, added to the field journal, and new birdsongs are unlocked. Duplicates shots are eliminated by selecting the best composition, hoping your eye for photography matches the PEEP. Although the game’s judgment is debatable at times, the selection process is fun and evokes a feeling that nature photography is in your blood.

Early in game play, an additional module is unlocked that allows you to create fantasy birds, download new birds from the wilds of the Internet, and photograph them in locations across the fantasy map. I was too immersed in the story mode to spend much time in this module, but was impressed with the added dimension and the ability to feel connected to other players through their creations.

Overall, the game’s production values meet or exceed the highest standards in downloadable games. The visuals, while simple in comparison to some of the higher-end casual games, are well-balanced to support game play and evoke feelings of nature using multiplane animation, subtle movement of trees, and great attention to authentically detailed birds and bird sound effects. The acoustic guitar music is distinct, enhancing the game’s feel without being intrusive.

TIME’S UP
I’m feeling optimistic about my career as a bird photographer and determined to find out what happened to my eccentric grandfather. While I’d much rather be outside in Mother Nature’s world, on those days when April showers are nurturing May flowers I can escape to a virtual world and gain a greater understanding of the varied species of birds that make the *real* world a magical place.

As for our virtual Mother Nature, her sun is shining, birds are chirping, and flowers are blooming in Snapshot Adventures. $18.47 is a small price to pay in support of new life in the world of PC casual gaming.

:: DOWNLOAD THE FREE TRIAL OF SNAPSHOT ADVENTURES ::

Disclaimer: One-Hour Reviews are pure editorial fun, unbiased by anything other than the B-Labber’s perspective as a fan of casual games and a media professional.

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While many casual game companies are pumping out sequels and clones faster than a book-loving insect can gnaw through chapter one, PopCap has inched along slowly to capitalize on the success of Bookworm, their classic word game. Now the sequel has arrived with plenty of buzz-buzzing around its plump budget and premium price tag of $30.

I’m tempted to join the debate about whether this is sheer brilliance or blind arrogance, but that wouldn’t be much fun. Instead, let’s see what we get for free. But first…

An Open Letter to the Original Bookworm

Dear Lex,

Thank you for many, many hours of hypnotic word puzzling as you stood to the side, a witty and knowledgeable companion. Your insatiable appetite helped expand my vocabulary, and you were very forgiving when I burned down the library. Sure you’re a bit of a nerd, but I’m happy to see your career taking off. Can’t wait to see what’s in store now that you’ve wormed your way into the big time.

Your friend, the B-Labber

P.S. Admittedly, I played the free web version of your game. Oh, and the free trial of Bookworm Deluxe. Sorry.

Words and Meanings
When you read PopCap’s witty description and Gamezebo’s stellar review of Bookworm Adventures, it sounds like a crazy mash-up of adventure story wrapped around a word game with characteristics of a role-playing game; help Lex save the library, create words to fight bad guys/gals, earn treasures, gain powers, save the girl. My initial impression was — yuck, what a schizoid game! And why does it have to be about saving the girl?

But as a bit of a bookworm myself, I know when you combine words into sentences, the meanings can be subjective and broadly interpreted (especially when it comes to marketing copy and product reviews), so I had to see for myself.

The Clock is Ticking
In my hour of trial, I found the fundamental appeal of Bookworm is still intact. It’s mostly about creating words from a selection of 16 letters on a 4×4 grid. Letters don’t have to be adjacent, although you must click them in sequence to spell the word because the interface doesn’t allow you to rearrange letters as you form the word. The better the word, the better you fare in achieving your goals.

Lex is still witty and helpful. This time he’s not just lobbing definitions — he’s head-butting monsters! Unlike a “serious” fighting game, you don’t directly control the battering, you just create a word then click the “Attack” button (analagous to “Submit” in previous versions of Bookworm) and Lex does the rest. It’s all cartoony violence that shouldn’t be too offensive for family gaming.

The storyline is well-integrated and filled with interesting tidbits from mythology. The visuals are high-quality, the audio is engaging, and the writing is good. The game appears to have tons of play value, with a lengthy adventure mode and several mini-games for interstitial and ongoing play.

But don’t be fooled into thinking a spending premium of more than 200% over other high-budget productions plus a 50% premium on the price equals an exponential increase in quality and fun — the game is good, but (like most sequels) it’s more evolutionary than revolutionary.

Time’s Up
Bookworm Adventures is another fine offering from the talented folks at PopCap. Like any well-executed product, it doesn’t lose sight of the core audience (word gamers) while offering a range of emotional “hooks” to (in theory) attract a more diverse audience. Still, I need to be straight with my little green friend, so here goes…

Dear Lex,

Congratulations on your new game. I’m very impressed with your fighting abilities. Did you learn those moves in a book, or are you working with a stunt double?

Although I enjoyed spending an hour in your adventure, my time has expired and I’ve returned to reality. I’ll still visit you in the free web version of your original game. I promise not to burn down the library again, especially now that I know you can beat the you-know-what out of me…

Your friend, the B-Labber

With the holidays approaching on top of everyday life, I don’t have much time to play games and $30 would buy a nice gift for someone on my list. I don’t know that my opinion would change if the game cost $20, although I’m more likely to make an impulse purchase at that price. But the real clincher for me — no Mac version, and no free web version to make me feel happy about getting something for nothing (not to mention putting some ad dollars in PopCap’s pocket).

‘Fess Up!
Of course, this review is subjective and the meaning can be broadly interpreted. Discussion or debate? Bring it on. But first, form your own opinion by downloading the free trial of Bookworm Adventures.

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No Bull! I did not know about Cash Cow, a new game from Big Fish, before writing the previous post. Talk about irony! How can I resist a one-hour review?

But first, a MOO of thanks to the casual game industry for allowing me a full sixty minutes of free trial. After all, I’m no different than most female casual gamers, and most female consumers in general — I love getting something for nothing and, when it comes to parting with my hard-earned twenty bucks, I’m a savvy shopper.

Fresh Milk or Udder Bull?
Let’s start with first impressions from the marketing materials. Cute name, cute theme. Production values are high, as I’ve come to expect from Big Fish (one of my favorite publishers/developers). The copy says:

Cash Cow is a brand new experience that you won’t want to put down!

• Totally original puzzle experience!
• Gorgeous landscapes & dazzling special effects!
• Watch your farm come to life!
• Two unique ways to play!

All those exclamation marks might get me excited if the screen shots and videos didn’t tell a different story. Cash Cow looks suspiciously like a new twist on the same old “match adjacent sets” game. So let’s boot up the ‘ole PC and find out what makes this a brand new experience.

A MOOving Story
Like many casual games, Cash Cow uses a story theme to provide context, emotional connection, and motivation for play. In this case, it’s the classic conflict-resolution equation:

Meet character X. X has problem Y. Resolve Y by doing Z.

X = Buck the Cash Cow (a male cow, ironically).
Y = Too much debt, the bank is threatening to foreclose.
Z = Match coins to achieve a goal in each level. Complete all levels, problem solved.

Nothing brand new here, but let’s look…

Inside the Bucket
Indeed, Cash Cow has a few game play twists that tie in nicely with the theme. Here’s the poop.

You will spark some different synapses as you try to group sets that are not merely visual matches. Cash Cow requires you collect five specified groupings of adjacent coins (as shown in the image to the left) to create nickels, dimes, quarters and dollars. Remove a grouping of coins to create a glowing coin. Earn power-ups like:

• Piggy Bank - Remove a group with two glowing coins to earn a piggy bank. Click the bank to remove all adjacent coins.
• Gold Nuggets - Remove coins adjacent to the gold nuggets and earn bonus cash.
• Coin Roll - Remove all coins of a particular denomination from the board.

Cash Cow’s “two unique ways to play” are:

• Classic (aka “story mode” in many casual games) - Progress through levels, advancing the storyline by earning items at successful completion of each level.
• Timed - Continuously remove coins to prevent a timer from running out.

And now the free trial has run out. Time to…

Fork Out the MOOla
Bottom line, Cash Cow is a fun, well-executed game that may bring twenty dollars worth of happiness to many casual gamers.

But me? I’m quite blissful with one hour of something for nothing. My twenty bucks will stay in the bank until a game comes along that treats me like a Sacred Cow and delivers a *truly* brand new experience.

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