Works in Windows XP, Vista and Windows 7

My garden outside is resting for the winter, but I can still practice keeping the bugs out of my garden with this fun game from Big Fish Games.

In Garden Panic, you have a nice strawberry bed which you must protect from the invading bugs. This is a good game of strategy. While it is fairly easy to pass each level, getting the gold medal (none of your straweberries get eaten by the bugs) requires some planning of when and where you place your defensive plants.

As always, when you purchase from Big Fish Games using a link on this website, you help cover the cost of your weekly newsletter.

Elizabeth

Thanks for letting me know, Eva

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Dear Eva,

Windows 7 does come with games. How many games your Windows 7 computer has depends on what version you have on your laptop.

You should be able to find your games in two places on the start menu.

First, there is a games folder on the right side of the start menu. Just click on the “Start Orb” and click on “Games” on the right side of the start menu.

Secondly, there is another games folder in your programs section of the start menu. Just click on the “Start Orb”, then click on “All Programs” and scroll down until you find the Games folder.

If you don’t have games like Hearts and solitare in those two locations, it is possible that the games have been turned off. Here are directions for how to turn them back on.

1. Click on the “Start button”, then click on “Control Panel” in the right column.

2. In the Control Panel window, click on the word, “Programs”.

3. IN the “Programs and Features” section, click on “Turn Windows features on or off”

4. A small window will open. It might take a few seconds for all the available features to load. When it does, find the “Games” section and click the small plus sign to the left of the word, “Games”.

5. Click the small box to put a check mark in front of the games you want to turn on, and click the “OK” button at the bottom of the window.

It might take a few minutes for Windows to install the games you have selected, but when it is finished, you should be able to find them in the two locations I listed at the beginning of this article.

Elizabeth

From Big Fish Games

Works in Windows XP, Vista and 7.
Also available for the Mac.

I have never been very good at the old fashioned colored cube game, so I wasn’t very surprised when I was nearly stumped on the third level of this one, but with some serious thinking, I was able to figure it out, and get through a couple more levels before I was once more stumped again.

Cubetastic is a 3D puzzle game. All you need to do is create a path of colored squares for your glowing orb to travel on to get to the bright light. It might seem easy, (and for some people, it can be easy) but I think it is one of the hardest games I have every tried.

If you want to sharpen your thinking skills (and support this newsletter while having fun) give this cube a spin!

Elizabeth

I like games that require thinking to solve each level, and this game, while very easy for the first few levels, eventually require you to figure out what you have to do in order to finish each level in the time alloted.

Even though I like a challenge, this game will not be frustrating for the young or beginner. Each level has a time limit in order to win a golden cherub for that level, but once the time has expired, you can continue to play and eventually pass that level and move on to the next one.

In Pyramid Rising, you have been appointed the daunting task of reconstructing villages and bringing hope to the people of Egypt. You will hire workers, manage resources, build structures and gather stone all while fending off alligator attacks and more! Your workers will work faster if you buy them a camel to ride on, and you will need to mine stones in order to build houses and other structures.

I have enjoyed playing… I mean testing this game, and I’m sure you will as well. Give it a try today, click on one of the images in this article to learn more, and download a free 60 minute trial.

Elizabeth

PS: This game carries The Big Fish Games Guarantee:
Quality tested and virus free.
No ads, no adware, no spyware.

Thanks in advance for any suggestions, Maryellen

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Dear Maryellen,

There is a way that you can safely get rid of the games that you don’t want installed on your computer. Here is how to get rid of games, and other programs that you don’t need on your Windows 7 computer.

1. Click on “Start” and then on “Control Panel”.

2. In the Control Panel, find the “Programs” section, and click on “Uninstall a program” in that section.

3. Wait a minute or two while the list of installed programs loads, then scroll down the list until you find the games.

4. Click once on the program you want to remove, then go up to the toolbar at the top of the window, and click on the word, “Uninstall”

5. This will start the uninstall process. Answer any questions that might pop up, and you will be rid of the offending games.

Elizabeth

I love games that are simple to learn, but also challenge me as I play them, and this game is one of those games!

The game is simple to play. You click to string ropes across a maze and zap the bugs that are trapped inside the ropes. Zap all the bugs and you get to collect bananas and move on to the next round. If a bug collides with your rope, you get smacked and lose a life.

It is a simple game when you are playing the first few levels and there are only a few bugs in each maze, but as you advance, there are more bugs, and some of them move pretty fast!

This is a game that young and old players will love. Even my teenage son started playing it after watching me, and I must admit, I have played this game a bit more than I really needed to in order to write this review.

As always with Big Fish Games, you can play free for one hour, and if you decide to purchase the game, using the link below will support this newsletter.

Have fun playing!

Elizabeth

One of my favorite games over at Big Fish Games is Super Granny, and I was excited to see that they have come out with a brand new version of the game, Super Granny 5.

As in previous versions of Super Granny, Granny must rescue her kitties and guide them home while avoiding all sorts of obstacles. This time, Granny has been shrunk down to the size of an ant, and is rescuing her kitties from various locations in the back yard.

You have to be careful though. Granny must stay away from the snails, the ants, bees, carrots that run after her, and even the granny-eating plants.

I like this series of games because you have to use your thinking skills to figure out how to get granny past the obstacles. There is no time limit, so you don’t have to rush, and you can restart a level as many times as you want (just press the “Esc” key on your keyboard and click on “Restart”).

Super Granny gives me a nice way to unwind at the end of a hard day, I’m sure she will brighten your day too!

Play Super Granny 5 free for an hour by clicking on any image in this article.

I guess that I like farm games a lot because they remind me of my childhood. Farm Mania 2 is a new release from Big Fish Games and it is quickly becoming one of my favorites.

The characters in the game are cute, the graphics are good, and each level is a bit more challenging than the the last. You start out planting plants, feeding and watering the animals and chasing away the crows, foxes and moles.

As the game progresses, you move up to more complicated products like cheese made from milk, cakes made from grain and eggs, and jams made from berries.

Mixed in with the fast paced levels of tending the farm, there are levels where you find the hidden animals that ran into the forest. You click on each animal as you find it, but don’t click too many times on the wrong places, or a wolf will run out of the woods and chase away one of your animals.

When I have had a stressful day, I like to unwind by playing games, and Farm Mania 2 is a good game to lose yourself in.

Click on one of the links above to play Farm Mania 2 free for 60 minutes, and if you like it, you can support this site and purchase it for only $6.99

Elizabeth

Shelia

Dear Shelia,

You should be able to fix this problem by un-installing the game, and then re-installing it. Here is how.

You first want to remove the rest of your Mahjong game.
1. Click on “Start”, then click on “Control Panel”.
2. In the Control Panel Window, click on “Programs”.
3. Under “Programs and Features”, click on “Turn Windows features on or off”.
4. A smaller dialog box will appear. Click the plus sign next to “Games”.
5. Click to remove the check mark in front of “Mahjong Titans” and click the “OK” button.
6. Wait while Windows removes the program.

I always like to restart the computer before re-installing the program, so restart the computer now.

To re-install the game follow these directions:

1. Click on “Start”, then click on “Control Panel”.
2. In the Control Panel Window, click on “Programs”.
3. Under “Programs and Features”, click on “Turn Windows features on or off”.
4. A smaller dialog box will appear. Click the plus sign next to “Games”.
5. Click to place a check mark in front of “Mahjong Titans” and click the “OK” button.
6. Wait while Windows installs the program.

Elizabeth
New Game Releases - For Your PC

This is a great puzzle game for those who want to play with trains!

It is your job to move passengers from one color coded station to the next in a fast and efficient manner.
You don’t want to let your trains crash into each other, or into an open switch.

You guide your subway cars through miles of mazes, and collect power-ups and bonuses to help you move faster and collect subway tokens.

If you’ve ever played with trains, or dreamt of the power and romance of riding the switch on an urban subway system, this Subway Scramble will drive you wild!

Click on one of the images to try Subway Scramble free for 60 minutes.

Elizabeth