Computer Times
Editors' Choice Game
5 Realms of Cards
Reviewed by Angie Kibiloski
5 Realms of Cards (Retail $19.95) is a solitaire style puzzle game, available for download from Sugar Games, at http://www.SugarGames.com. The citizens of these Realms used to live in harmony and peace, under the protection of the magical Signs of Suits, given to them by the Joker. Evil forces have destroyed these Signs and the Realms are in ruin. By successfully completing the levels in each Realm, you can help rebuild them and regain the protective Signs.
The point of the game is to make chains of adjoining cards in both descending and ascending order of rank. Each level has a number of cards required to clear in order to beat the level and progress to the next. As you progress through the levels, the difficulty rises, both with the number of cards needed to satisfy the requirements for the level, and the number of different ranks to connect. In the beginning, you only have Aces, Twos and Threes, so you are able to connect cards together easily. As you move up the levels, Fours are added, then Fives, and so forth, so connection options between multiple cards become fewer. There are two ways to play this game, the Untimed version, where you can take as long as you like top complete a level, or the more challenging Timed version, depending on your skill level and your mood.
There are special cards that pop up to challenge and reward you, and sometimes these contribute to the level qualifications. For instance, there are some cards that change rank and suit after each move, and some that are frozen in place and cannot be cleared until you have made other chains around them. For every card you clear, you add progress to your flag. When the flag is filled, you get bonus points.
There are five separate Realms in this game, one for each suit, and a final Realm of the Joker. Across these 5 Realms, there are 72 levels in total, and as you win each level you receive a graphic to build that Realm, with suit-themed decorations: a flag with that suit, a horse drawn coach, a piece of a castle, etc. Also, as you complete certain goals, you are awarded with Trophies, for collecting a certain number of cards, flags, or chains of a certain length. You can view them all in your Trophy Room.
The concept of this game is simple, but it is surprisingly addictive. The Trophies are a nice little added incentive to keep playing, and it is fun to watch your Realms grow as you win levels and add more decorations. For solitaire and puzzle lovers, 5 Realms of Cards will be a fun new addition to your casual game collection.
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