subject: Game Review – Fishdom 2 [print this page] Game Review Fishdom 2 Game Review Fishdom 2
Players clear levels by making matches all over the yellow titles, which then turn blue after a successful match. Clearing levels earns one point, which are used to make shop purchases. Some tiles require more than one match in order to clear them. As levels increase in difficulty, the game provides opportunities to acquire and use special power-ups like bombs, charges, firecrackers, lightning, and warheads to help clear the game board. The more matches you make in one go, the better the power-up you are offered. Once enough cash is accumulated, you can purchase fish, beauty items, and creature comforts to turn your computer-based aquarium into a first-class act.
Although Fishdom 2 possesses the same objectives and same interface as the original Fishdom release, it still manages to please the casual gaming audience. After all, if a game's basic concepts work out well the first time, winning over fans and critics alike then there is hardly a good reason to change them. The geniuses at Playrix obviously recognised this fact when they focused on improving graphics and sound rather than tinker with the basic mechanics of the game. Fishdom's fans have so far welcomed its 120 new levels, 30 bonus levels, and themed tanks (Ranch, Egypt, and Merworld) with open arms. The game even features, wallpapers, screen savers, hidden object mini games, and a "Fishipedia" to keep players amused for a very long time.
When players get tired of matching tiles, they can instead switch up the pace and take photos of their customised fish tanks which, in turn, can be sent to friends via e-mail, added as part of their own PCs screen-savers, or set as desktop backgrounds. The game's excellent soundtrack, full of realistic nautical sounds, is even completely accessible to the players outside of the game.
According to the game's project manager, Leonid Pakholkov, it is the virtual aquarium feature that sets Fishdom apart from other match-3 games, allowing people to "unleash their creativity" within a "unique atmosphere with bright colours and a relaxing environment."
Fishdom 2 runs on computers running Windows NT or greater with a 1GHz CPU, 512 megabytes of RAM, 128 megabytes of video RAM, and DirectX 8.0 or greater. It can also play on Apple computers running Mac OS 10.4 or greater with a 2.0 GHz CPU, 1 GB RAM, and 128 meg video RAM. A playable demo is available for download on playrix.com.
