Dragon Review

Written by: David Laprad Published: January 29, 2007 Luxor and Zuma clones are a dime a dozen. But every once in awhile a similar game comes along that's worth its weight in megabytes. Dragon from Alawar Entertainment is such a game. Its foundation is the same as the other clones: You control a cannon that fires colored marbles at a chain of even more colored marbles in an effort to create matches of three or more. Doing so removes those marbles from the screen. Your goal is to destroy the entire chain before it reaches the bottom of your display. Different powerups aid in this task. But Dragon builds on the standards other games established to create a unique experience that's worth trying. Perhaps the most dramatic example is your ability to knock marbles off one part of the chain and onto another -- creating eye-popping combos in the process. You'll also appreciate the Oriental-inspired graphics and animation. (The Chinese Dragon at the head of the chain looks great in motion.) And obsessive compulsives will have fun earning all 66 trophies awarded for special feats. So carve a few days out of your busy schedule and make time for a clone that's good enough to make you forget about its source of inspiration. 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 Dragon.