This Game is So Cool

When most people think about a relaxing vacation, they envision swaying palm trees, sandy beaches, and azure seas, but who would have thought that you would have as much fun in the freezing cold of the arctic? This is exactly the case with this wildly imaginative game. The graphics are vivid and vibrant with all sorts of bright colors; this creates quite the cheerful environment. If you're tired of the same old puzzle games and want a big break from the standard match-three formula, then this offering is most certainly up your alley with its unique gameplay, challenging puzzles, and long-lasting appeal. It's so hot, it's cool.

Playing with Shards of Ice

In the main part of the game, you will see the outline of a mysterious arctic creature or plant. It could be a fish, a bear, or even a flower. Within this outline are a series of small triangles and it is up to you to fill all of these triangles with the colorful shards of ice falling from above. Each of these shards of ice are shaped differently, so the key to success to using them all in unison with one another, placing them next to one another in a great sense of universal harmony. The small diamonds, for example, take up two triangle spaces, whereas the trapezoids take up three, and so on.

When you first start out the creature layouts are vast and the variety of falling shards is not as numerous. In this way, it is not all that challenging, so it's easy to get into the game and figure out how to play. The different shards slowly fall from the top and you must "grab" them by left-clicking with your mouse. Click a second time to place it in your chosen spot in the layout. Don't let these shards accumulate at the bottom (they float in the water) though, because if they fill the lower section of the screen, the stage is over.

Later levels are considerably more challenging than early ones. The shards start to take on some very difficult-to-place forms. There are parallelograms and even pieces that bend around corners. What's more, the layouts become much more restrictive, so there aren't as many options as to where you can place the larger pieces of ice. Further still, there are crazy items that change the gameplay: water elements fill empty spaces whereas fire elements destroy pieces.

Visiting the Trophy Room

Now, all that hard work wouldn't be any fun if you weren't rewarded for it, right? Well, that's where the Trophy Room comes into play. When you achieve certain milestones, you are awarded a very special trophy that is placed in this room, showing everyone how great of a puzzle game player you are. It's these little things that separate a good game from a great one.

Putting It All Together

I've played my fair share of puzzle games, and I can honestly say that Arctic Quest 2 is one of the most enjoyable experiences I have had thus far. The colorful graphics are a joy to look at, but because they're not so complicated, this title runs very well on even older computers. The gameplay mechanic is intricate and intuitive, combining the brain-teasing elements of challenging puzzle games with the frantic mouse-clicking of timed action-adventure games. It's a complete package.