A Ripe Find

When you are an avid player of internet game, every now and then you'll stumble upon a small game that, upon further inspection, isn't so small after all. Garden Dreams is one of those games. What seems simple in both premise and concept becomes incredibly deep in execution, giving you almost endless possibilities and scenarios. If you are even a slight fan of Insaniquarium, you will absolutely adore this product. Anybody who is a fan of sim games should definitely check this one out.

Granny Gertrude use to make bundles of cash selling her prized vegetables, but unfortunately for Granny, time marches on. She's getting to old to maintain her garden, and she's beginning to fall into debt. And that's where you come in. Since nobody wants to see an old lady suffer, you have taken up the task of growing her vegetables for her. You must tend to the plants constantly, pick the vegetables when they get ripe and fall off, and defend the garden from outside invaders with your flyswatter! This is no simple task, and it only gets harder as you go.

Gardening 101

Each level starts you off with a set number of plants. As you rake in more dough, you're free to buy more seeds and thus create more plants. The more plants you have, the faster you will reach your quota. On the flip side, however, more plants does equal more work. You'll have to water your plants constantly to keep them from wilting away into oblivion. If you have a keen eye, you can watch the ground turn lighter at the base of the plant, indicating that it will need water soon. Each time you water one, you have to wait for the jug to refill before you can water again. As the game progresses, you can buy bigger jugs and a faster means to refill them.

Once a vegetable is ripe, you only have mere seconds to click it before it spoils. And when I say mere seconds, I mean it. It will start to blink as soon as it hits the ground, indicating that time is almost up. You can also click vegetables as they fall, which is usually the safest way to go. Once you get good at the game, clicking vegetables as you pass over them will become second nature.

Every so often, your garden will be invaded by pesky insects looking to dine on your plants. You must fend off these intruders before they can do any damage. You start the game with a measly flyswatter but can soon upgrade to bigger and deadlier weapons.

Luckily, you won't have to do all of this by yourself. As you progress through the game, you'll unlock various friends and tools that will aid you in your gardening. Some of the first things you will unlock are Stinky the Skunk, you will stun intruders so that you can swat them, and Tom the Turtle, who will pick up any loose vegetables you may have missed. Don't rely on Tom too much though, he's a little on the slow side.

A Dream Come True

Garden Dreams is the most fun you'll ever have gardening. From goofy old Granny Gertrude to the pesky critters that wreak havoc on your plants, this game is teeming with hilarious and festive characters that are sure to make your day.