Around the World is a block-matching puzzle game with a few unique twists. Not only are the blocks in different colors, they also have symbols on them. This might be useful for colorblind gamers. The geographic element is just a way of designating levels of difficulty, but the graphics are pretty, so that's okay.

Players are competing against the clock to match a certain number of blocks to earn enough points to advance to the next level. Each level has an added bonus and impediment, either through new special blocks or board configuration. I breezed through the first "city" (ten levels) in about twenty-five minutes, but after that it got trickier.

The graphics are snazzy and easy to decipher. The game provides hints at the lower levels to help new users get familiarized with game play. I had no trouble jumping right in. Plus, it has a really cool Eurodance soundtrack.

I recommend this game to fans of puzzle and matching games. And Eurodance soundtracks.

Tropical Puzzle
Writer: Kaonashi

Tropical Puzzle is a fresh, simpler take on the classic Lines game. You have a blue-tiled grid sprinkled with a few colorful balls, and the objective is to eliminate the tiles by matching three or more balls. This may be done horizontally, vertically, or diagonally. The balls can only be moved if there's a clear path to its intended destination. More balls appear if moving a ball doesn't result in a match.

There are two game versions: In Adventure Mode you play through the 85 available levels, while in Endless Mode you play on one grid continuously matching balls. In higher levels on Adventure Mode, helpful items occasionally appear such as bombs, and diamonds that wipe out all balls of one color. Naturally, higher levels also introduce obstacles. Chained balls are freed by matching them with two of the same color. Black balls can only be removed with a bomb.

Tropical Puzzle is a fun and relaxing game, especially since there's no time limit. Game play is relatively easy since you only need to match a minimum of three balls, unlike five in Lines. I'm only on Level 10 so far, but I assume that the number of balls on the grid increase at really high levels, which would make it harder to move them around. However, if you screw up you can always undo a move or restart the whole level without penalty.