Sudoku Puzzle Blast - Cheesy goodness incarnate.

Welcome to Sudoku Puzzle Blast, by Pogo! Complete the puzzles to help a mouse in a mining cart get through tunnels, hopefully find cheese, and pick up a nice bonus at the end!

It makes sense. I swear! ^_^

Pogo actually has a pretty good guide up already. Do read it if you get stumped! And if you haven't played Sudoku before, here is a guide to get ya started. Basically you have a 9x9 grid, and you have to fit the numbers 1-9 on each row and each column once. To make things even tougher, there are nine 3x3 grids inside the BIG grid, and the numbers 1-9 also have to fit inside each mini-grid.

Neon green guidelines not included.

See why I linked you to a guide?

Still, Sudoku Puzzle Blast is a really neat twist on Sudoku. ^_^ In addition to figuring out which numbers go where, you have to figure out which *pieces* go where. Grey blocks are "cemented" to the board and will not move. The colored pieces are the ones you have to fit in!

It's jigsaw Sudoku! Sweet!

The puzzle above is an easy puzzle. There are 7 difficulty levels: Beginner, easy, medium, hard, expert, master, and bonkers. Harder puzzles have fewer gray pieces on the board and more colored puzzle pieces to work with.

I tried a bonkers puzzle for fun.

Why yes, I am masochistic. What made you ask?

Much to my surprise, I actually completed the darn thing! O_O

Oooohhh. Pretty!

You can crank up the insanity (and the points) by turning on rotation. This means you may have to turn a piece a few times in order to figure out where it goes. It's quite a challenge! On the upside you get 4x the points for completing a game with rotation on!


Features

When you make an invalid move, the board kindly highlights all of the reasons why your move was dumb. In bright, bright red.

Oh. I meant to do that.

It's a helpful feature, but kind of annoying at the same time. I REALLY hate seeing the board light up with red.

Since you can't exactly "pencil in" what numbers might go where, Pogo created Ghost pieces. Basically you hold down shift and you'll get a "ghost" piece to work with. The downside of Ghost pieces is that you can't see if there are any errors in your work, so you can easily build something that fits together perfectly but is completely wrong.

It looks perfect!

Yeah, that picture above? Not perfect. Once I right-clicked to de-ghostify the pieces, the board lit up in red. Dangit!

I'll be honest, I only used the Ghost pieces one time and that was to get a screen shot of them. As much as I dislike the red you-are-dumb numbers, if I'm going to make a mistake I want to find it early. But that's me. You might love the Ghost pieces. ^_^

Now if you get stuck or just want a little extra help, you can always hit the HINT button. All it does is take a random piece, tacks it on the board, and turns it gray. So really it's more of a this-piece-goes-HERE button.

You only get one hint, and there *is* a bonus for not using the hint, so try not to use it if you can. The harder the level, the more points you get for not using the hint!


The Story

Okay, I fibbed. There really isn't a story. You're just helping a poor miner mouse work through a maze-mine. At the end of each puzzle you get to pick whether the cart should go left or right.

Go right!

When you go down the track you'll find some sort of treasure.

That must be heavy.

The treasure is always cheese-themed, so enjoy that. ^_^ The token bonus is added to your puzzle score.

Twelve minutes? Slowpoke.

After completing the 5th puzzle you finish the track and uncover a bonus multiplier! It multiplies your entire score for the last level!

Toldja to go right. :P

You also get to see where the best multiplier is, and see how fate cruelly twisted you away from it. Sad day. :(


Jackpot

Sudoku Puzzle Blast at Pogo has a progressive jackpot with a max pot of $4,999. To earn a jackpot spin you must complete five puzzles and reach the end of the track! As with all Pogo games, the odds of winning the cash prize is teeny tiny. However! You're nearly guaranteed to win tokens, and that buffers the pain a little. ^_~


Tips & Tricks

No matter what difficulty level you pick, work around the gray pieces first. They are the firm foundation of your rainbow Sudoku house. ^_^

I like to work within the smaller grids instead of rows/columns. It's just easier for my eyes to focus on. Check the example below.

Okay..

In this example, there is one spot left open in the 3x3 grid. When I count all of the numbers, I can see that it's missing a 3. This means that I need to look for a piece that has a 3 AND would fit in the spot.

This actually makes it a little easier than regular Sudoku, because when you figure out one number, you have 2-4 that go with it. ^_^

Although the puzzles are timed, there is no visible bonus for finishing under any specific time. Take your time and relax!

And remember, for the best points you want to use rotation. You may have to work up to it, but the points are pretty skimpy without it.


Final Rating

I really love Sudoku, so this game is perfect for me. ^_^ Add in the bonus of having 14 difficulty levels to work with (if you include the rotation option) and there's a Sudoku puzzle for every mood!

If you like Sudoku at all, I highly recommend trying Sudoku Puzzle Blast. It's different, but extremely fun!

5 stars out of 5!

Bugle Games - Where Bingo is #1!

BingoBingoBingo!!!

BugleGames is small gaming company run by BingoBugle. (Say that five times fast!) I'm new to the Bingo world, but it seems that BingoBugle publishes a completely Bingo centered newsletter and even hosts a Bingo cruise!

Of course, BugleGames features more than just Bingo! They have several games, both single and multiplayer. There are no paid membership options, so everyone is on the same level!
 

Layout

I love simple layouts. Give me something organized where I don't spend 5 minutes trying to find the sweepstakes, and I'm pretty happy. ^_^

Here, everything is clear and easy to find! At the moment the forum link isn't working, but hopefully that will be fixed soon. (It will take you to the BugleGames facebook page when it's fixed.)

The one thing that bugs me is the banner. It's constantly flickering and that really bothers my eyes. =( I usually scroll down so I can't see it.


Community

Another benefit of a smaller site is that the community is very close. Whenever I pop in to Bingo everyone is friendly and welcoming. ^_^ It's a lot of fun!

BugleGames is also incredibly active on Twitter, which I love! I strongly suggest following them so you don't miss out on the Special Pots announcements!


Tokens & Prizes

As you play games you'll (hopefully) earn oodles of tokens. ^_^ You use tokens to buy tickets for sweepstakes!

Each month they have 4 sweeps for $25 Amazon.com certificates. One ticket costs 1,000 tokens, and the sweeps are up for a full month. One thing I like is that when you go to enter, you can see how many total entries are in the sweeps. ^_^ This feature highlights one of the MAJOR benefits of playing on a small site.

There aren't many entries.

On large sites you can expect millions (literally) of entries for any sweeps. In comparison, the average number of entries for a BugleGames sweeps is 50,000!

As always, remember that even though the odds are more in your favor here, you're not guaranteed a win! But it's still fun to try. ^_^
 

Final Opinion

I like BugleGames! It's not a top-of-the-line site, but it feels... cozy. *^_^*

I'm sitting here with a big grin on my face, and whenever I think of BugleGames I just feel happy. *Sheepish grin* That sounds extraordinarily corny, but it's true! The players are wonderful, and that makes a HUGE difference.

A good site is more than tons of games and oodles of money. The people in it can really make or break a site. And on BugleGames, they make it. They really do. ^_^

No more contests. Just Points4Prizes!

Hi there! This page used to hold info about contests and giveaways at Free2WinGames, but we’ve switched everything over to the Points4Prizes system. Now, instead of having a single shot at winning a prize, you can earn points and then pick what you want!

The prizes are always changing, but I try to find unique and interesting items. ^_^

I’m leaving the rest of this page up so you can see what *used* to go on, but if you’re here for prizes, sign up for Points4Prizes!!

 

(Original contest page below.)

 

Welcome! This thread stays up-to-date with current contests and promotions. Everything is free to enter! Most contests require you to leave a comment on a post, so pay attention to this next bit.  ^_^ (If you’ve already read this before, click here to jump to the contests!)

If you don’t have a Blogger/LiveJournal/Wordpress/AIM/OpenID account, PLEASE select Name/URL when you leave a comment.

Done! Now what?

When you click that a little box will pop up. Put whatever name you want to be called in the top box. This is so I can identify you later!

What about the URL?

If you want to link back to Gamesville so I know where you came from, you could put Gamesville’s address as the URL. (That’s just an example.) Or you can leave it blank! You do not need a URL (web address) to sign your name!

If you don’t leave any name then I have no way to contact you. This makes both you and I very sad. ~_~ Leave a name and we’ll both be happy. ^_^

Now, what's the difference between a contest and a giveaway? Well...

• A contest means only one person will win. (Maybe a few winners for large contests.)
• A giveaway means that everyone who enters will get a prize.

Check back often to see what’s new!

Current Contests

None right now!

Current Giveaways

None right now! (A GSN Oodles giveaway is in the works!)



Previous Contests & Giveaways

 

Winster Week (Five 1-day contests)

Held from: September 13-17th

Prize: 5 Winster day passes, 1 for each daily winner.

Winners: Cassandra, @JenniferKrumm, @mbif, and Tasha. (On one day there was only 1 entry, so no prize was awarded.)

Winners picked by Randomizer.org.

 

Gamesville Comment Contest

Held from: August 16th - 22nd

Prize package: 1 Gamesville bumper sticker, 1 Gamesville t-shirt, and 1 Gamesville tote bag!!

Winner: Terry (aka Silverkat46)

Picked by Randomizer.org

RSS/Subscribe Contest

Held from: July 1st - July 31st

Prize: Slingo Magnet

Winner: @JenniferKrumm

Picked by Randomizer.org

Gamesville Comment Contest

Held from: July 19th-25th

Prize: 2,000 GVs!

Winner: emilyne

Picked by randomizer.org.

BugleGames Giveaway
Held from: June 5th-11th
Prize: 100,000 tokens
Winners: mbif, momof4kdss, and BubblesMama

The Duck Hunter - Quack!

Look familiar?

I took a wonderful trip down memory lane when I played The Duck Hunter on iWon. It's very simple but very fun! ^_^

You are The Duck Hunter. (Duh.) Use the mouse to aim. ^_^ Your mighty orange gun holds 3 shots, and when you run out, just hit spacebar to reload!

Boo-yah!

There are 4 levels, and each one requires you to shoot a few more ducks to continue. It's not that hard.

90% accuracy? Not bad!

You get more points for shooting ducks that are father away, but uh.. I'm not a sharpshooter. *^_^* If I manage to hit them at all, I'm happy!



Coins & Prizes

On average I earned about 3,500 to 4,500 coins each game. And I ALWAYS ended up with 10 jackpot spins! (Even the time I played the first round and nothing else.)

The Duck Hunter features a progressive jackpot, with a max pot of $2,000.

The odds of winning the jackpot on The Duck Hunter are "no worse" than 1 in 1,000,000.
The odds a stamp collector collects stamps about ducks are 1 in 100.

All around, this game has great rewards. The odds for winning the JP don't get any better than 1 in 1,000,000 on iWon. ^_^


Final Rating

I'll admit it. One reason I like The Duck Hunter is because I played the original Duck Hunt on the NES when I was a wee lass. ^_^ While the games aren't *exactly* the same, it's close enough. If you never played Duck Hunt then this game may not rock as much for you. But it's quick to play, so I say give it a shot!

3.5 out of 5 stars.

Trident Layers Factory - Flavorful Fun!

When it comes to sponsored games I keep my expectations low. *^_^* So I was.... unsure about trying Trident Layers Factory at Candystand. But this turned out to be a pretty awesome game!

Meep!

Okay, so you have a bubble gum magnet to pull down blocks of gum. If it's the same color, you can stack up to 7 blocks on the magnet at one go.

You clear bubble gum blocks by forming layered piece of gum. There's a pink sandwich and a pineapple/apple mix. New rows are pushed down from the top, so you better be quick!

I totally thought that was lemon/lime.

The picture makes it look like the combos only work if you have one of each color block. Well, I have good news!  The game looks for the pattern of colors and not the number of blocks. See?

Oooooh... I wanna chew that!

Everything inside that blue box counts as one piece of layered gum. When I release the magnet all of the layers smoosh together into one nice piece! ^_^

Sweet!

Sometimes you'll see combos already on the board, but they won't vanish on their own. You have two options.

1. Add more end-color blocks to make it bigger. It will then smush into a small piece and vanish.
2. Pull the last block down with the magnet, then release it. Even though you didn't add anything the game now sees it as a completed piece and it'll vanish.

Since your magnet can hold only 7 blocks at a time, and the board would get crowded FAST when you make uber-pieces, Trident Layers Factory decided to squish the gum blocks for you.

I see numbers. What do they mean?

Whenever you release blocks of gum so that they form a group of four or more same-color blocks, the blocks combine. This new block will have a number on it, and it's treated as one block! (See scoring for more info.)

Combining blocks is very handy for making big combos without using a ton of space. Use it! ^_^

And have you noticed the little number under the magnet? (Check the first picture.) That's how many laser charges you have. Despite the impressive name, the laser removes only one block per charge. Save your charges for metal and ice blocks. ^_^

Jackpot

Whenever you make 7 pieces of apple/pineapple gum OR strawberry/orange gum, you get to spin the Fruit Flavor Jackpot!!

Yay! I'm lucky! (They told me so.)

Jackpots are the only way to pick up charges for your laser. The lasers are very helpful in the last few levels, so save them up!

I have mixed feelings about the jackpot. In unlimited play it's great, because it's essentially a pause button. You can get up and grab food, use the bathroom, chase your cats off the counters, whatever. ^_^

But in high scores mode it's more of a nuisance. You don't have a choice about when to spin, it just POPS UP. When I get in a gaming groove it's sort of like when I get into a good book; disturb me and you will die. So yeah, I really hate having to wait for the inexplicably slow jackpot to finish spinning, and then trying to remember what combo I was in the middle of making. Ugh.

Oh, and since the two fruit flavors are on two different meters, frequently I spin the jackpot, make two more matches, and have to spin again!

I will admit that the bonus points are nice. One time I was lucky enough to get 5 of a kind. Pretty sweet reward!

Nice!

But for the most part, I could do without the jackpots. Ah well.


Special Pieces

Trident Layers Factory has two different modes. You can play unlimited, where the fun never ends. (Literally. If you die you just start over!) Or you can play high score mode and earn a shiny trophy!

High score mode has 10 levels, with each level lasting 2.5 minutes. If you manage not to die then you get to move on to the next level!

Starting on level 2 of high scores mode, you're introduced to the first special piece. A metal block.

Wha?

Despite the fact that this is the ONLY metal object in the game, it will not work with the magnet. That's just funny. ^_^

If you build a gum combo right next to the metal block, then when the combo vanishes, the metal block will vanish too.

Personally, I found that difficult if not impossible to set up when a metal block sticks waaaaaaaaaay out from the rest of the board. In that scenario it's best to fry it with a laser. OR you can use one of the following special blocks to get rid of it. ^_^

"Row Destroyer." That sounds like a band.

The row destroyer is exactly what it sounds like. ^_^ It destroys -rows-. To activate it just pull it down with your magnet and then fire it back up. Activating *other* special blocks can also activate the row destroyer!

Looks like a lava block to me.

Bombs blow up everything in a 3x3 radius. If a row destroyer is in that radius, it will fire off and destroy the row too. Very handy. ^_^ Mira + Bombs = Love

Column Destroyer says, "RAR!!!!"

But as much as I love bombs, I *might* love column destroyers even more. ^_^ Grab one and use it on the longest column. BAM! Everything gone! It tears through metal and activates all row destroyers and bombs. Oh! And it cracks ice blocks too.

Looks cold.

This is a frozen solid block of annoying. In order to remove it you have to "hit it" twice with a row/column destroyer, bomb, or laser beam.

I'm so very, very glad that this pesky thing is only in the last two levels. Ugh!

Oh my.

That's what level 10 looks like. Remember that a steady stream of new rows come down from the top, so be quick!!


Scoring

In unlimited mode you get 100 points for every gum block that you clear. This means that a finished piece made with 17 blocks (it's possible!) is worth 1700 points! Sweet!

In high scores mode it *appears* that blocks are worth 50 points instead of 100. I'm not positive on this and if anyone knows for sure, please tell me. ^_^

Either way, if you want to rack up points you have two options.

1. Make as many finished pieces as you can. The extra points from the jackpots are worth it!
2. Make as many BIG finished pieces as you can. No extra bonus, but they're fun!

Since I don't like the jackpots, I went with option 2. That seemed to work out pretty well. ^_^

 Woohoo!!!

Not bad, right? But how does it compare to oh, the rest of the world?

Hey... That's me!!!

Pretty good, actually. ^_^

Okay, enough of tooting my own horn.

Toot!

¬_¬ MOVING ON!

Numbered blocks don't provide any bonuses. A 4x block is worth the same as 4 un-squished blocks. It's just easier to move. ^_^

No matter what you score, don't forget to hit SUBMIT SCORE when you're done! That's the only way you get tickets!


Tips & Tricks

The last two levels in the highscores mode gets pretty hectic. Keep an eye open for ANY bomb or destroyer that you can grab. Try to activate bombs so they set off any destroyers buried in the gum blocks.

Unlimited mode essentially dumps you into an unending level 10. But after you die once, it takes you to an unending level 1! This may be a mistake, but I prefer an unending level 1 to an unending level 10. It's much more relaxing. ^_^

Also, in unending you cannot submit any score you earn. If you still want tickets just hit "Main Menu" when you're done and submit a score of 0.


Final Rating

Trident Layers Factory turned out to be a pleasant surprise. ^_^ On the whole it's a great game and really kept me on my toes!

The one downer is the jackpot. I wish they'd saved it for the end of the level instead of right in the middle. Honestly, the jackpot is the only reason this one isn't getting a perfect score. Still, 4 out of 5 stars ain't bad!

Try it today (Tuesday) at Candystand and get the bonus of double tickets every time you submit your score! Then come back here and let me know what you think! ^_^

The Sunday Reader - Issue 1

ALERT: This entry is all text and it's really just for people who want to know how I'm connected to different sites. If you don't care about that, check out this random game review instead and have a great Sunday! ^_^


Income

Right now I'm reviewing games from 7 different sites. None of them pay me to do this, and I don't want them to pay for reviews either! I'd be more inclined to give positive reviews if people paid for it, which isn't fair to you.

I also do not work for any of these companies as an employee. I definitely don't want to do that, because then I'd be ineligible to win anything!

HOWEVER! I still have bills to pay. If I want to keep doing this (and I do!) then money has to come in somewhere. That's one reason I put up the tip jar. ^_^ As of right now (May 23rd) I've earned a rockin' $1.73 through AdSense. Keep in mind that each post takes me about 5 hours to research and write. (It's a LOT longer if I make a full guide for it.) Can you blame me for wanting to earn something for that work?

My end goal is to have various game sites sponsor this blog. From how I understand it, this means that I'd earn a few pennies anytime someone goes from my site to theirs. It would have nothing to do with the reviews, so I'd be free to share my opinions.

Another goal is to have contests sponsored by different sites. Contests are always fun, and hey, it's another chance for you to win something! ^_^


Site Connections
 
So! None of these sites pay me to review their games. But I'm still human, and I react to kindness. *Sheepish grin* I get excited when a site plugs me on facebook or Twitter, because I know they don't have to. My readership is still tiny, and I can't pretend that I'm throwing any extra business their way (yet.) So really, they are doing me a favor!

Here is exactly where I stand with each site that I currently review. They're listed in alphabetical order. Links take you to the site review, when applicable. Twitter and facebook links take you to that site's page. So uh.. lots of links here! ^_^

• BugleGames - They found me via Twitter, through Gamesville! I really enjoy tweeting back and forth with the BG Twitter manager. ^_^ They linked me on their parent site (scroll down to see it!) and I think that's just awesome.

• Candystand - The community manager contacted me and said she loved my reviews. Major rush! ^_^ She's working to get me early access to their Tuesday release games so we can promote each other! So far they've kindly plugged some of my reviews on facebook and Twitter.

• iWon - No contact at all with anyone from iWon. *Crickets chirp*

• Gamesville - It may (or may not) be clear that Gamesville is my favorite site. ^_^ For one, they give more prizes to more people than any other site I've seen. Secondly, they're very supportive and have repeatedly plugged my reviews on facebook, Twitter, AND their own blog!! I've talked a few times with their product manager and he's been very helpful.

• Pogo - No contact at all with anyone from Pogo. *More crickets chirp*

• Slingo - It's amazing how quickly things change. ^_^ When I started this post, I'd had barely any contact with anyone from Slingo. Now they've plugged me on one of their facebook pages, and I might be getting some Slingo merchandise for a site contest! Sweet!

• Winster - I sent Winster links to the reviews and asked if they had an active Twitter account. The response was brief. "Thanks for playing!" and "I don't know if we have a twitter account." They do, btw. Last time I checked it had 58 followers and zero tweets, but yeah. Technically they're on twitter.

I hope this has been informative. ^_^ If you have any questions for me, please ask! 

Mega Slots - Oooohh... Spinny!

Mega Slots at Slingo is a pretty basic slots game. Three spinning wheels, one line to bet, and a max bet of 3 credits per spin.

I'm game!

Each game you have 100 credits and 50 spins to score as high as you can. Since you aren't betting Slingo coins there's no reason not to click BET MAX each spin. ^_^

Ordinarily this is my least favorite type of slots. With only one line you have few chances to win, and it's just not very exciting.

Slingo addresses the potential boredom issue with two minigames in Mega Slots! If you get the Slingo logo anywhere on the line then you get to spin the Slingo Wheel!

Yay!!!

Prizes range from 150 credits to 15,000! I usually get the Slingo Wheel at least a few times in each game. But the downside is that what you get is completely random. No user input required!

The second minigame lets you do more. ^_^ If you get a Cherub and a Coin (or 2 Cherubs or 2 Coins) then the Bonus Game pops up! In this minigame you have 15 numbers in front of you. You can pick up to 4 numbers, and each number has a different prize behind it. The credit prizes are listed on the left, with 5,000 credits as the biggest prize!

5000! Woot!

When you pick a number, you have to decide whether you want to keep the prize or try for something better. There is only one of each prize on the board, so if you find the 5,000 credit prize, take it!!

After all 50 spins are up, the credits are converted to Slingo coins and you get a brief commercial break before the game starts again. They are quite generous with the coins!

Nice!

That's 7 times your score in coins! And of course, with REALLY good games that makes the payout just shy of insane.

Holy shmokes!!!

Of course, that was a REALLY good game. I got 15,000 credits from the Slingo Wheel! Twice! And I got 5,000 credits from the Bonus Game. Twice! ^_^

All in all, I was quite happy!


Final Rating

After immersing myself in thinking games this week, Mega Slots was a relief. Sometimes it's nice to play a game that requires so little thought. And this is a very, very good game to play when your brain is fried. *^_^*

Still, I have to admit that it's a very basic slots game. The minigames add a little pizazz, but not enough to make me go WOW.

I rate this 3.5 stars out of 5.

Give it a shot and tell me what you think! ^_^

Turbo 21 - Most addicting card game ever.

Okay, I have to write this review so that I'll STOP PLAYING Turbo 21!! It's like I opened a bag of heroin laced potato chips!

Turbo 21 is a Pogo game, and as you may have guessed, it's addictive. ^_^

The goal is to make cards add up to exactly 21. Whenever you get a stack of cards to equal 21, the entire stack/lane is cleared and you have a place for more cards! If you go over 21, it's called a "bust," and you lose 5 tokens. You have 4 "lanes" to place cards anywhere you want. (They went with a racing theme, if ya couldn't tell.) The total values of the cards are written above each lane, which helps with the math. ^_^

The number cards are worth their face value. (4 = 4.) Jacks, Queens, and Kings are all worth 10. And Aces are either 1 or 11. Turbo 21 automatically scores Aces as 11 points, unless that would make the lane bust.

A lane counting an Ace as 11 might say "soft" under the total. This means that if you add another card so that the total goes over 21, the Ace will squish down and count as 1 instead of 11. To be honest, I'm not a big fan of soft Aces. They mess with my speed math. :(

Now there are a total of sixteen 10 point cards, so the best thing to do in Turbo 21 is to make the lanes equal 11, and then drop a 10 point card on it for an easy 21.

This means you want to look for the following combinations:

• 2 + 9 = 11
• 3 + 8 = 11
• 4 + 7 = 11
• 5 + 6 = 11

With practice you'll see these combinations easily and quickly. Heck, last night as I was trying to sleep I kept seeing 9's and 2's. *^_^*

The more 21's you make, the more points you'll earn! So far the most 21's I've hit in one round was 16! The max is 18. That takes some serious skill. 


Timer Bonus

Turbo 21 has three difficulty levels, cleverly named 1, 2, and 3. The only difference between these three levels is the timer.

1. 70 seconds on the timer. If all 52 cards are used before the timer ends, you earn 15 bonus tokens!
2. 65 seconds on the timer. If all cards are used you earn 20 bonus tokens!
3. 60 seconds on the timer. If all cards are used you earn 25 bonus tokens!

The timer bonus is exactly what it sounds like: a bonus! If the timer runs out just keep playing!


Special Combos

Making any of these combinations is worth an extra token.

• 777 = Lucky 7's!
• Ace + 10, Jack, Queen, or King = Blackjack!
• 5-Card Gimme = Any 5 cards that are equal to or less than 21 will do.

Jackpot Spins

In order to get a spin at ye olde jackpot wheel, you need at least thirteen 21's. Turbo 21 features a progressive jackpot with a max pot of $4,999. I've spun this wheel many, many times, and I'll ever won were tokens. That will probably be your fate as well. ^_^


Power-Ups

When you get ten 21's in one round, you get a power-up for the next round! Once you have a power-up active, you have to wait for the next round to earn a new one.

Power-ups last only one round, and there are three different kinds.

• Easy spin - With this power up you only need ten 21's instead of thirteen to win a jackpot spin.
• Extra time - 10 seconds added to the bonus timer!
• Free Peek - You can see the next card for the entire game.

 Woot! Free Peek!

My favorite power up is the free peek, hands down. It helps a TON with planning!




Bonus Round

Once you win 4 jackpot spins, it's time for the bonus round!!

On your marks! Get set! GO!!!

In the bonus round you have 30 seconds to find as many 21's as you can! You'll see a group of 4 cards (like in the above pic) and only one group equals 21. As soon as you pick, the 4 groups are replaced with 4 new groups of cards. Again, only one group will equal 21!

For each correct pick you earn 20 tokens! (No penalty for boo-boos.) Every group has 2 number cards and a 10 point card, so just look to see what number cards add up to 11. That's all you need to do!

On average I find about thirteen 21's in the bonus round, which is an extra 260 tokens! Sweet!!



Tips & Tricks

First off, don't try to play Turbo 21 after you've been playing something like Pyramid Solitaire for a while. It's really hard to go from looking for 13's to looking for 11's. *Shudders*

When I play I put a 10 point card in one lane, and attempt to keep it free for an ace. The other lanes I add up to 11. But when I tried to get a screen shot of this scenario, it never worked. (The cards!! They conspired against me!!) Just imagine the last lane is a 10 point card. ^_^

By leaving one lane open with a 10 (or two 10 point cards for a 20 total) I can quickly play an Ace, should it appear. The Ace gives you an easy 21. Try not to waste it. ^_^

Don't get hung up on scoring special combinations. If you flip an Ace over and you have a lane at 10 and a lane at 20, use it on the 20. Getting a Blackjack bonus gives you +1 token. Busting a lane is -5 tokens. And if you don't use the Ace on the 20, you will bust that lane.

If you have to bust a lane, I suggest one of two options:

• Go for the lane with the highest total. Fewer cards can turn it into a 21.
• Go for the lane that has the same total as another lane. If you have a 20, 19, 18, and an 18, take out the extra 18. It's doubtful that you'd get two 3's in a row to turn them into 21's.

Now, let's say you're trying to make lanes equal 11, but dangit, you keep getting 10s! When you start a new round, spread the cards out so you aren't crammed into 1 or 2 lanes.

Yay! A King!

Now I'm looking for an 8 and a 2 to turn the first two lanes into 11's. But after several turns, I still didn't have those numbers. But I had a lot of 10 point cards!

Hit me! *Smack* OW!

To turn those first two lanes into 21's I still need an 8 or a 2, so I'm still looking for the same things. I just saved a step by using the extra 10 point cards before the lane reached 11. ^_^

Lastly, DO NOT play Turbo 21 when you're tired! You'll make a ton of silly mistakes and it won't be a bit of fun. Trust me on this one.


CAUTION
Turbo 21 is literally addicting. The rounds are quick, usually lasting no more than 50 seconds once you get the hang of it. Additionally, when you get to the bonus game there is no "replay" option. It automatically takes you right back to the beginning.

When you put speed and thrills on an automatic loop, it's very hard to stop the cycle on your own. It's just so easy to keep going!

If you have trouble pulling yourself from games and remembering to eat, playing Turbo 21 might be a bad idea. If you can't resist, then at the very least set a timer and stick to it! Take a break every hour to stretch your legs, use the bathroom, call a friend, whatever. ^_^


Final Rating

Pogo gets major points for hooking me onto Turbo 21. ^_^ I definitely will play again. The hard part is stopping!

I have to confess that when I first started playing Turbo 21, I didn't like it. I earned about 7 tokens each round and it was just terrible.

Then an amazing thing happened. I got better! ^_^ Once I figured out how to play, wow... time flew. I had one of those moments where you think 20 minutes passed, but really it's been an hour and 20 minutes. Whoops!

Alas, I cannot give this a perfect score. The soft Aces mess with me. I would prefer having both numbers listed, like 8/18 instead of 18(Soft.) Yes I know it's picky! :P

Anywho, because it's such a minor thing, I'm going to make a new rating: 4.9 stars out of 5. ^_^

Super Chef - The Saga Concludes

Welcome back, Super Chefs! Yesterday we covered the basic rules of Super Chef at Gamesville and how to win. Today we'll cover giant food, advanced tips, and how to get 2x jackpots for non-gold members!!

Oh, and the final rating. That's here too. ^_^

Get comfy!


Giant Food

In medium and hard mode there is giant food.

Whoa.

It may look scary, but it's easy to deal with. The key to remember is that you don't have to use the entire food. You can use just a corner of it.

Or you can reach waaaaaaay in the back and go right through the giant food.

Fear my paint skillz!

Both of these methods work fine, but be precise when you click. Just clicking anywhere on the giant food isn't going to work most of the time. Look at the grid to figure out where the match is, and aim for that spot.

Whatever is "extra" turns into normal size versions of the food. So the extra apples bits above would turn into regular apples. Strategic use can turn those bits into a match bonus!


Advanced Tips and Tricks

1. When a new board loads, check the corners first. If 2-3 corners are the same, try to "use" the other corners to get them to change. If you're lucky you can get a quick Super Chef!

2. Work from the edges. I like to start at the top left corner and work my way down. This is going to be really hard to explain, so just stick with me. ^_^

In the board below I saw that 2 corners were tomatoes, and I didn't want to mess with that. I couldn't make matches out of the other corners, so I moved to the next step.

I started at the first pepper on the second row. (It's circled in green.) Then I looked across the row for a matching pepper.

My apologies for the poor color choices.

When I got to the pepper circled in blue, I looked down the column for a 3rd pepper. When I found it I looked back to the left for the 4th corner, and found a match!

I like this method because it's easier to see. Sometimes I get lost in the middle and *think* I've found a match, but I'll be off  by one line.

3. Before making a BIG match, look inside the rectangle. All of the food inside will change as soon as you make the match, and you may cheat yourself of a match bonus!

Take a look at this.

I found this match using the method described in tip #2. And I was about to click on it when I saw another match inside.

Glad I didn't miss that!

As I congratulated myself for finding the second match, I spotted a third match inside the second one!

Okay. Now yer gettin' wild.

By taking the time to *look* I turned an impressive gathering of 56 bell peppers into 110 bell peppers! I also had 3 matches in a row, and easily found 3 more matches to complete the bonus!

Looking before you click is especially important on the medium and hard difficulties because you need a lot more of each item.

4. This is not a sponge. It's cheese. ^_^

Cheeeeese!

Cash Prizes

When you spell W-I-N you'll go to the Gamesville Vault. From there you pick a letter (W, I, or N) and reveal your prize! Current prizes for non-gold members are $2, $3, $4, and $200. Gamesville gives out 436 prizes a month for Super Chef. That's fourteen people each day!

UNCONFIRMED BUSTED RUMOR: I talked to four winners and all of them said the same thing.

They all said the letters showed up at once. As in, the level loaded and W-I-N was already on the board! If this was the only way to win, well.. it would definitely change how I play. No more dragging a level out in hopes that the 3rd letter would drop!

Chris Cummings, Gamesville's product manager, kindly set me straight. ^_^

...it's not accurate to say that winners always start with W, I, and N already on their screen. It certainly *can* happen, and has happened (in fact, that was the experience of our very first Super Chef winner), but it's not always the case. Often times, people need to really wade through those puzzles to find that win.

Alas, there are no easy wins. Well, technically there *are* easy wins for some people, but you and I probably aren't that lucky. Get back to searching for those letters!


Double Jackpots

Gamesville Gold members get double jackpots automatically. This means that their prizes range from $4 to $400! But I found a way for non-members to get double jackpots too! It's on their Super Chef rules page and it's completely legit.

You need a business size envelope, 3x5 index card, postage, and something to write with. I suggest a pen. ^_^

Write ALL of the following information on the card.

• Your full name
• Gamesville account name
• Your mailing address
• Date of birth (mm/dd/yyyy)
• Daytime phone number and e-mail address

Seal the card in the envelope and mail it to:

"Gamesville Super Chef Double Prize Game "

c/o Lycos, Inc.

100 Fifth Ave. 

Waltham, MA 02451-8703

As soon as they receive your entry you'll get double jackpots in Super Chef for a MONTH!! So don't spam them with entries!

I *just* found out about this, and dang... it's really cool. ^_^ If you fall in love with Super Chef and are not a Gold member, send this in!


Final Rating

I'm going to be honest and admit that I got burned out on Super Chef while working on this guide. I doubt I'll play it for a while. *^_^* Still, it's a great game and I learned a lot! I also earned a TON of GVs which I will use to enter their sweeps. (They're very generous with the GVs in Super Chef!)

The difficulty levels provide an easy game for beginners, or a mind-twisting hard puzzle for the masochists. I really like that it's flexible and that I can choose which type of game I want to play.

I'll give this one 4.5 stars out of 5. Great work, Gamesville!



Guide updated June 2nd, 2010 to reflect new prize amounts.

If you made it this far, why don't you enter the current contest? It's free to enter, and let's face it, my blog is still tiny so your odds of winning are pretty good! ^_^