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    Tips & Tricks: How to Play Ice Breakers

    Posted Aug 1st 2009 12:20PM by Robin Yang
    Filed under: Game Help, Tips and Tricks

    Written by John Logsdon

    Ice Breakers is one of the most popular games on Games.com! If you haven't played it yet, here are some tips to help you get started.


    Save your power-ups for higher levels. While it may be tempting to use your power-ups at the lower levels, you may end up regretting that decision as you get passed level 25!


    You only get power-up points for the matches YOU make. After you have made a match, any matches that occur afterwards (due to the board dropping down new tiles) will not count toward your power-up points. So make sure to look carefully at the board before rushing into a match.


    Power-up points do not convey from level to level. If you have extra time left on a level, you may consider avoiding the final color matches you need and instead try and find matches of 4 or more to gain power-ups.



    Make sure you look at the color indicators at the start of each level so you know how many of each you will need in order to complete that level.

    Make sure to read what the penguins are telling you between levels. The information that they provide may help you to know what's coming up in the next level!

    Think you're ready? Play Ice Breakers now!

    Tips & Tricks: How to Play Bubble Town (and Other Bubble-Shooting Games)

    Posted Jul 29th 2009 4:24PM by Robin Yang
    Filed under: Game Help, Tips and Tricks

    Puzzle games like Bubble Town have come a long way since their origins in Bust a Move and Puzzle Bobble. The basic principle in these games is simple -- match three or more of the same bubble by shooting new ones from the bottom of the screen to the rows towards the top. Here are some tips and tricks that'll help you get through even the most difficult levels.

    It's All About Reflection

    Use the walls to your advantage! You can bounce shots off of the sides of the board to get bubbles into hard-to-reach areas. For the most part, bubbles will bounce off walls at the angle which it comes in contact with the wall (high school physics!).


    Knock Down Multiple Bubbles With One Shot

    While this is difficult to pull off at the very beginning of the game, you'll gradually begin to whittle away at sections of the board, leaving stalactites like the ones above. You'll not only clear away a few layers, but you'll earn extra bubbles to shoot (they'll fall down into the tube automatically).


    Don't Always Go for the Easy Shot

    Sometimes there's a really obvious shot that looks like the best option to take -- like in the screen above. Sure, you could hit that first row of three pink bubbles, but look higher -- there's a whole section of pink bubbles just waiting to get knocked down, and it'll even take care of the ones you were originally going to hit anyways! Since there's no timer, it won't hurt you to look around and consider your options, then set up your shot and go for it.


    Know Your Powerups

    There are five different powerups in Bubble Town that you can acquire by knocking them down from the top (they will automatically activate with the next shot):
    • Sureshot - gives you an aiming reitcule active for three turns that ensures your shot goes exactly where you want it to go.
    • BubbleBubble - turns all touching bubbles into the same color.
    • Hotfoot - clears a path through the bubbles.
    • Plunger - retrieves the bubble that it touches so you can use it on your next shot.
    • Wild - matches with any color on the board that it hits. If you plan ahead with your shots, you can maximize the powerup benefits you acquire!

    Tips & Tricks: How to Play Hidden Object Games

    Posted Jul 28th 2009 1:59PM by Robin Yang
    Filed under: Game Help, Tips and Tricks

    Plus, check out the best ones you can play right on Games.com!

    If you haven't played any of our hidden object games, you're missing out on a wealth of seek-and-find fun. Like I SPY and Where's Waldo riddle books, hidden object games challenge you to look closely at each scene to discover a set of items in order to complete the level.

    So how do you master hidden object games? Take your time, and look closely. Some objects are actually lying in plain sight, while others will take a little more sleuthing to find.

    In Mystery of the Crystal Portal, you have to find various items to activate multiple objects in each scene.

    Look for corners of objects.     Sometimes only part of the item you're looking for will be visible -- if something looks like it's sticking out from behind a box, or peeking out from under some stairs, click on it! It may be the object you're looking for.

    Look for patterned surfaces.     Wallpapers, posters and curtains are prime places to look for objects, especially ones that may blend into the background. For example, the pen you're looking for may be hidden in between the stripes on the wall -- the flower you're looking for may be part of a photo or painting.

    Look for areas that don't seem to be hiding anything. If there's a surface or object that takes up a large space, chances are there is an object hidden in it. It may be the same color as the large object, or rotated so that you don't immediately recognize it as the item you're looking for.

    In Mystery Case Files, you are given a list of items on the right side to find under a certain time limit.

    Here are some of our staff's favorite hidden objects games that you can play for free right on Games.com:
    Mystery Case Files - Madame Fate
    Jewel Quest Mysteries: Curse of the Emerald Tear
    Mirror Magic
    Hidden Expedition: Titanic
    Mystery P.I. - The Lottery Ticket
    The Mystery of the Crystal Portal

    For even more hidden object games, see the Hidden Object Puzzle Games portal on Games.com.

    What the Heck! - Issues with the site.

    Posted Mar 25th 2008 11:37AM by Hing Yen
    Filed under: Game Help, News




    As many people have noticed our site has had some trouble. Yesterday we had a hard ware issue that caused the games to go down. We battled and worked to get the games back up. The games were up and down most of the day.

    When the games were finally stabilized we were all excited. However, we then found out that our star rated games (Bingo, Solitaire Classic, Tri-peaks Solitaire and Slots Lounge) were having issues. Stars were simply not being awarded in those games. Once we found out about that, we had to ACTUALLY take the games down again and restart them.

    Finally, at around 10 PM everything was back to normal. It was a very trying day and we thank everyone for hanging in there with us. We know you have a choice in playing games and appreciate that you have chosen to play with us.

    Please feel free to contact me with any questions or concerns you may have.

    Problems with games March 17th

    Posted Mar 17th 2008 11:51AM by Hing Yen
    Filed under: Game Help





    This morning we made a change to our sites code that seems to have caused a problem. We're in the process of rolling back the last update and hope to have the site and games stabilized in the next couple of hours.

    This is effecting specifically, Bingo, Slots Lounge, Solitaire Race and our star rated Solitaire suite

    We apologize for all the trouble and appreciate your patience.

    Just a Little Time Out- Comments removed from No Limit Texas Hold Em.

    Posted Mar 6th 2008 11:55AM by Hing Yen
    Filed under: Game Help, News




    Don't be alarmed. I took down the comments on Poker just a way of letting everyone cool off on that comments board. Having comments on the games is something we think is good for the community but we have to make sure that it is not some place of abuse or malice. We just want to make sure everyone knows that if there is abuse on our comments boards, we can simply remove them all together.
    The comments will be put back tomorrow.

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