Arabica Review

Written by: David Laprad Published: March 27, 2007 Arabica from Big Fish Games shouldn't be as addictive as it is. Take the graphics, which are attractive, but won't win any awards. Then there's the audio, which again, does its job, but won't knock off anyone's socks. That's not to mention the gameplay, which is built on an idea so simple, you'll kick yourself for not thinking of it first. In Arabica, you shift gems from the bottom of four columns to the base of a fifth column in an attempt to create matches of three or more gems. The fifth column is located at the center of the game screen; colored gems drop down the other columns at ever increasing speeds. When you make a match, the gems disappear and you earn points; to win a level, you must score a certain amount of points without allowing any of the columns to fill up with gems. A couple of bonus items drop at random to help, including a bomb that will clear some or all of the center column. Other than that, you have to rely on quick thinking and even faster clicking. Since Arabica gets tricky fast, its makers play fair, allowing you to try each level as many times as you need to without penalizing you. This, combined with gameplay that's more addictive than it should be, turns Arabica into an offering every casual game fan should try. Scoring (out of five stars): Graphics: Ease of use: Gameplay: Challenge: Sound effects: Music: Final analysis: Click here to download the free trial version of Arabica.