Ancient Mosaic Review

Written by: David Laprad Published: December 11, 2006 It's not easy to create a unique casual game in today's crowded market. Yet each new release must offer something special that distinguishes it from dozens of similar offerings. The hook in Ancient Mosaic is the hand drawn backdrops. The developers must have known their detailed depictions of primitive cultures were exceptional because they included an option to set them as desktop wallpaper. They're that good. That's not meant to take anything away from the gameplay. Ancient Mosaic challenges you to solve dozens of inlay puzzles by taking small shapes from a conveyor belt and placing them on the matching fragments of a larger figure. Your goal is to fill the puzzle with pieces before time runs out or the conveyor becomes overloaded with shapes. Several powerups can prevent this from happening (including a hammer that can smash pieces on the belt and a magic wand that can fill in fragments of the larger figure). Fans of Arctic Quest and Puzzle Inlay will like Ancient Mosaic. The gameplay is at least as enjoyable as competing offerings while the visuals are a cut above the norm. Scoring (out of five stars): Graphics: Ease of use: Gameplay: Difficulty: Sound effects: Music: Final analysis: Click here to download the free trial version of Ancient Mosaic.