Welcome to the Enchanted Cavern

The story of the Enchanted Cavern has been passed down through generations. From grandparents, to parents, to children and grandchildren, the tale had become nothing more than legend until eventually it was forgotten altogether. This worked out well for the cavern, as it has remained hidden from the outside world.

Now, however, everything has changed.

Less Is More

If there was ever a great example of the age old saying "less is more," this game is it. It features simplistic play mechanics and a story so vague that it's more of a synopsis. I'm not complaining, however; quite the contrary. This product doesn't feel the need to overburden you with a weak, forced story or tacked on bonus levels. What you have here is a game that's confident in its gameplay. So confident, in fact, that the gameplay alone is the only selling point. No fancy bells and whistles, just a product that is what it is. It's quite refreshing, to be honest.

What does exist of a story has you gaining access to the fabled (and titular) Enchanted Cavern. You do so by solving a series of match-3 puzzles that are brilliant in how simple they are. At first I thought I would be swapping shapes to make matches. That isn't the case. The only thing you need to do here is click. That's right. Shapes will fall however they're going to fall and you just capitalize on where they land. You do have some amount of control, of course. Deciding which ones to click and match will determine where new pieces fall. You can strategize, like always, you simply have no direct control. You can't just grab a piece and move it to where you need it. The object is to erase all of the tiles that lie underneath certain shapes, so you'll need to find a way to control the flow of falling gems.

What you're left with is a matching puzzler that's a whole lot more difficult than your usual fare. You have to deal with whatever the computer decides to throw at you. And I know just clicking around sounds like a pretty easy affair, but if you were planning on just randomly hammering that left mouse button, you'll need to come up with a new plan. This product takes a page out of the hidden objects rule book and penalizes you for random clicking. Each stage pits you against the clock and each time penalty just brings you closer to the end.

And of course, no matter how stripped down a game may be, there are power-ups. Some simply explode, others obliterate whole rows; whatever you get, odds are it will help you destroy tiles.

Beautiful In Its Simplicity

There isn't much more to say about this product and that's what I love about it. I don't have to go over a laundry list of features, I just have to explain the gameplay and why it's great. It's a thinking game. You use your head and your mouse if you want to prevail. Thinking ahead and planning is the key to success here. Enchanted Cavern is a classic in the making, plain and simple.