Talismania Review

Written by: David Laprad Published: September 4, 2006 Did you ever wonder what happened to King Midas after he turned his daughter into gold? Publisher Popcap Games and developer Rocketjump Games have answered that question via a casual offering called Talismania. In it, the repentant ruler must earn money by connecting talismans and then spend his earnings on the poor and other worthy causes. Talismania begins in Story Mode, in which you have all the time in the world to rotate stones with protruding conduits in order to create a pathway between two talismans. The longer the pathway, the more money you earn toward your goal. Fixed stones such as Methuselah and the Minotaur create obstacles if you fail to include them in a path. Eventually, you'll unlock Hero Mode, which is timed. Prior to that, Talismania lacks energy; the timer, however, gives the game a much-needed boost. Talismania features all of the bells and whistles we're used to seeing in a Popcap title, including great visuals, lavish audio and gameplay that's easy to learn but gets harder the further you progress. Like King Midas, everything Popcap touches turns to gold. THe Talismania isn't a classic on par with the Bejeweled series, but it still shines. Scoring (out of five dragon heads): Graphics: Ease of use: Gameplay: Difficulty: Sound effects: Music: Final analysis: Click here to download the free trial version of Talismania.