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Editor's Choice Game
Magic Match
Terrance Kibiloski, Editor
Magic Match (Retail $19.95), from Codeminion, is a fun and challenging game that is as addicting as potato chips and M&Ms. You can't settle for just one game. This is truly the first game in the history of Computer Times that hooked two of our editors for literally days when we began our review. Magic Match is crafted so well that it is both fun for the beginner and challenging for the experienced gamer.
The two game developers, Maciej Biedrzycki and Konrad Olesiewicz, created the perfect blend of challenge, fun, frustration and rewards that will keep you playing this game into the wee hours of the night. I suggest you have plenty of spare time when you start your first game. The carefully designed intuitive game mechanics have you playing like a pro in a matter of minutes while revealing new twists and challenges as you journey through the Lands of Arcane.
The Lands of Arcane (see screen above) are vast and hold many secrets. Your journey begins in Merlin's lab in his tower, which is situated at the base of the Howling Mountains in the Realm of King Richard. During your journey you will travel through the Forest of the Druids, Pirates Bay, the Deserts of the Far East, the Marshy Jungles and the Pits of the Underworld.
When you first begin the game (see left screen above) you must set up a profile for yourself. Here you will provide the name you wish to use on your journey. You can then set the game to play full screen or in a window about half the size of the screen, and set other cosmetic features before beginning the game. When you click on Start Game, you are treated to a wonderful song about the realm of King Richard (see right screen above). To help you sing along, or to help younger children with word identification, the words light up on the bottom of the screen as they are sung. The only flaws we found in the entire game were some grammar/spelling errors in the words to the humorous songs, which are sung by a mediocre singer who obviously had a great time recording them. The final song of the series even has this singer humorously coughing like he ran out of breath. These songs are just one of the many features that will continue to entertain you.
As you enter the game (see left screen above), you are challenged with a playing board that is twisted to stand on one of its corners. This enhances the challenge as your mind must adjust to this twisted environment as you search for strings of at least three like symbols that are connected together by sharing a common border. Some of the strings will be straight in a row, while others can be found turning corners. The longer the string you can find the more points you receive. To earn your points you must drag your mouse over the string to select the like symbols and make them disappear from the board, only to have other symbols scoot into their place.
Sounds simple, right? Did I tell you it is timed? Did I tell you that you have to find a certain number of each of the symbols and as you complete each of the symbols the timer, displayed as blue fluid draining out of a glass tube, speeds up? Did I tell you that as you progress on your journey there will be obstacles on the screen (see right screen above) that can only be removed by having a string of symbols disappear next to them, sometimes more than once? Did I tell you that more symbol types are added and sometimes you must get considerably more of one than the others, yet the ones you need the most of are in scarce supply? Did I tell you about the magic points you must earn to reshuffle the board or to swap the symbols among two squares when there are no more moves left on the board? Are you beginning to understand the challenges of Magic Match? This is just the beginning of the challenges you will face.
Don't worry, though, you will have furry and friendly Giggles (shown on the left of the screens above) to guide you at every turn. Giggles is a magical creature that Merlin summoned on his final year at the Wizards University. Despite his squeaky voice and childish appearance Giggles, who's real name is Gorgonoth (he was just nicknamed Giggles by Merlin's roommate at the university due to his irritating laughter) is an old and wise friend who helped Merlin a number of times.
There are 126 levels in the Story Mode that progress from quite easy early on to downright nerve racking in the later stages, where you must play as fast as you can to find all the symbols you need before time runs out. Remember, though, you are not alone. Giggles is always there to help. If you cannot find a move, Giggles will reveal it to you, but by then you have wasted precious time. Giggles will also give you encouraging words if you do well. If Giggles' squeaky voice becomes annoying you can silence him. But, he will still say "Oh, oh!" when your time is running out, as a somewhat annoying reminder that you are about to fail your mission.
When you successfully finish each screen (see left screen above), Giggles congratulates you and your points are prominently displayed. When you fail (see right screen above), Giggles will encourage you to try again.
Throughout your journey, you will be rewarded for your success with helpful items like magical orbs (see left screen above) and promotions up the magical success ladder (see right screen above). You will also be challenged with more difficult hurdles. I now provide a great tip. Before you play, go to http://www.magicmatch.codeminion.com/about.html and make a copy of this Web page. It will show you the meaning of both useful artifacts and challenges. Learn these before you have the draining blue fluid timer to worry about.
There are actually three modes of play - Story, Free, and Duel. The strategic Duel mode is quite different from the action oriented Story and Free Play modes. As a player you will have the opportunity to duel against Adept or Master computer AI. Also, if you prefer you can duel against your friend on the same computer using the same mouse in turns or using the Mouse Party™ feature where you each use your own mouse.
As you can see, Magic Match is a carefully developed game with many features:
If you become totally enchanted with this great game, as we have, you can go to http://www.magicmatch.codeminion.com/extras.html to download wallpapers and music from the game, plus see cartoons depicting funny adventures of Merlin and Giggles - special thanks to Sebiastian "Yoshi" Woszczyk.
Systems Requirements
Well, there you have it, the most addicting and enjoyable game we have reviewed in over 15 years. As it becomes better known throughout the world, I predict it will become a classic like our old friend Tetris. At $19.95, Magic Match is a real bargain and has readily earned our Editor's Choice award. Our highest praise goes to everyone involved in its design and production. It is obvious that as you were creating this enchanting adventure you became residents of King Richard's realm and had a bit of Merlin's magic running in your veins. Well done!
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