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Crazy Daisy, ShapeShifter, and Zuma
March 15, 2005
Crazy Daisy
Crazy Daisy is definitely a “flower power” kind of game. The theme is cute, and the concept is interesting. You’re faced with a field of flowers, each having petals of different colors. Spin the flowers, pinwheel-style, to line up petals of the same color. Those petals then disappear, to be replaced over time with new petals that “grow” out from the center of the flower. If you happen to clear all of the petals off of a flower, they regrow instantly. Line up petals on three flowers instead of just two in order to score some big bonuses.
Three gameplay modes are included: arcade, puzzle, and endless mode. The graphics are bright and colorful, and the sound effects are great. While I had plenty of fun with this game, it isn’t as challenging as many of Astraware’s other games, and it would be a good choice either for a younger player or for someone who wants a more relaxed gameplay experience. It can even be a little frustrating, since each flower can spin in only one direction. Tap once more than you meant to, and you have to tap several more times to get the flowers lined up right. Arcade mode can certainly be rather frenetic at times, but I found puzzle mode to be more entertaining over the long haul. In puzzle mode, the game keeps going until you run out of moves, so you have to plan your matchups rather carefully. Endless mode is exactly that— a gameplay mode with unlimited time, for when you have a few minutes to play here and there.
Crazy Daisy requires 691K of space on your Palm OS device, and there is also a Pocket PC version available. Regular price is $14.95, but the game is currently on sale for $9.95 at the Astrware web site.
PocketGoddess Rating for Crazy Daisy: 
ShapeShifter
ShapeShifter is definitely my favorite game in the bunch. The concept is absurdly simple: match the shapes to the cutouts moving back and forth on your screen like a carnival shooting gallery. And at first it is rather simple, but as you progress through the levels of the game, it gets harder and harder. There are two different gameplay modes, Beat the Clock and ShapeSpeedster. Beat the Clock is my favorite mode; when you start you’ll be presentd with five different lines of shapes to fill in, some moving left to right and others moving right to left. At the bottom of the screen you’ll find the actual shapes, just tap one with your stylus and then tap the spot you want to fill in. You’ll occasionally see special sparking pieces that give you bonus points, more time, or a “revealer” ability that shows you where the fit in the playing area. The best one is the wildcard bonus, which turns all of the shapes at the bottom of the screen into “paintbrush” shapes that can be used to fill any space. You have to move quickly though, because if time runs out before you fill in all of the shapes, the game ends. Fortunately you get a breather at the end of each level, because you have to tap to continue on to the next level. After every five levels, there’s a bonus round. If you can’t get all of the shapes in fast enough on the bonus level, that’s OK— but if you can, there’s a sizeable score bonus you can earn. As you progress through the levels you’ll see that the shapes become more and more similar to each other, sometimes with only minor variations. It can be frustrating, but also very fun, to be faced with a puzzle that has three different crescent moon shapes and two different kinds of “X” pieces.
The second gameplay mode, ShapeSpeedster, has a Tetris-like twist. You’ll only be faced with three rows of shapes to fill in, but as time goes on, additional rows are added. You have to fill in all of the shapes on a row in order to clear the row from the screen. If you can’t do it fast enough, the game will end when the rows reach the top of the screen and there’s no more room for another one. In both cases, you can start the game at whatever level you like; this is great for advanced players who find the opening levels too easy.
ShapeShifter is an absolute blast to play. About the only thing that would make it better is some sort of “endless” mode, suitable for younger players. ShapeShifter provides excellent training in hand-eye coordination and shape differentiation, but the difficulty does ramp up rather quickly. As an avid gameplayer I find it enjoyable, but this small lack is the only reason ShapeShifter gets a five goddess rating instead of the coveted “Perfect 10” award. ShapeShifter requires just over 1MB of memory on your Palm OS device, and a Pocket PC version is also available. Either one will cost you $19.95 at the Astraware web site.
PocketGoddess Rating for ShapeShifter: 
Zuma
Zuma is the quirkiest game in the bunch, with a SouthWestern/Inca-Maya theme and puzzling gameplay. In some ways it reminds me of Puzzle Bobble, in that you have to shoot colored playing pieces accurately across the field in order to make groups of three or more of the same color, which then disappear from the screen. But in this case instead of advancing down the screen, the advancing ballss follow a curving track. This makes the game rather difficult at times, because you can’t shoot past the nearest layer of balls, even if you see a tempting combo further out on the screen. In some levels, such as mudslide, you can’t see the balls at certain points, making the game even more challenging. Fortunately there are some powerups available that make the balls retreat, pause, or give you a laser-like aiming beam that helps make sure you get the balls you’re shooting from the mouth of your frog in the center of the screen in exactly the right place.
That’s important, because if you miss, you might just make the line of balls longer, instead of making a group of three and causing some of them to disappear. If the line of balls reaches the skull pit in the middle of the screen, you lose a life, and you have to restart the level. Lose all of your lives, and the game is over, but you’ll be glad to know that once a “temple” of five levels is cleared, you can start your next game in the next temple without having to restart from the very beginning. You’ll probably want to keep playing though, because the graphics are lovely, and the soundtrack is perfectly authentic— complete with a catchy beat and a flute that sounds right at home in this Mayan context. Zuma requires 2.1MB of space on your Palm OS device, and Pocket PC and Windows PC versions are also available for $19.95 each. Get a free trial or purchase your own copy at the Astraware web site.
PocketGoddess Rating for Zuma: 
Category: Palm OS: Software, Windows Mobile: Software
Published: March 15, 2005 5:00 PM
Comments
1. Sally Flower on December 20, 2005 4:03 PM said...
As for me, I prefer ShapeShifter. Nice, funny and easy to understand game. Good for spending your free time.
