Riches to Rags and Back Again

Your stepfather, the Evil Lord Dredmond, has passed away, but unfortunately for you, he has left you absolutely nothing in his will. Instead, he has bestowed all of his riches upon his biological son, Lord Boras, who has now moved into the huge castle on the hill. There was one clause included in the will that is of great interest, though, and this could be your way to earn a way back to the cherished life. If you can amass 300,000 gold coins within 80 days, you will be granted entrance back into the grand castle and your evil brother, well, he'll be kicked out onto the street.

While it may be argued that this is a fantastic back story, it's not what will draw you into Grimm's Hatchery. No, my friends, it's the fantastic role-playing elements found in this game that will keep you captivated for hours on end. The graphics are simple but pleasing. The sound effects add just enough to the atmosphere, without distracting you from the task at hand. There's plenty to enjoy here... but don't forget about your real life outside of this fantasy one.

What Came First?

There are two primary elements to this title. When you start out there is a small farm -- Grimm's Hatchery -- where you oversee your virtual pets. I started out with a single dragonfly, but quickly progressed to raising a number of different creatures. Tending to the flock, you must make sure they stay fed (click on them with a bag of feed) and protected (click rapidly on incoming enemies like crows). At the same time, you must quickly snatch up the eggs that they lay before time runs out.

After collecting these eggs, you can then go to the market where you can buy and sell various goods. The eggs and creatures can be sold to gain gold coins, whereas you can use this money to buy more feed, more pets, or additional tools. You'll also notice a "hatching kettle" where you can try your luck growing a pet of your own. You plunk an egg in the kettle, keep your fingers crossed, and occasionally you will be rewarding with an extra pet. However, most of the time, the result is a rotten egg (and lost income).

Simple and Rewarding Progression

I think one of the main reasons why this game is so addicting is because there is a nice, rewarding progression. You start out slow enough for you to understand how to play, but by the time you've figured out all the intricacies of the game, you are provided with fun power-ups (like better, more expensive pets) and more challenging gameplay. If you thought tending to three or four animals was hectic, wait until you have a flock of ten different pets, each with specific needs and patterns. And then you get invaded by buzzing swarms and pesky crows. It's hectic, but richly rewarding.

A Clicking Frenzy Done Right

There's a lot of clicking in this game. You click to feed your pets, collect their eggs, and attack the invading enemies. You click to talk to the townspeople, buy and sell your wares, and accept interesting quests like acquiring a golden goose. In this way, Grimm's Hatchery is about as intuitive as it gets, because when in doubt, just start clicking. Thankfully, all this clicking never really gets repetitive, because you are so drawn into this fantasy world that you forget everything else. What's more, depending on which difficulty setting you select (easy, medium, insane), you get a different ending. Talk about replay value!