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SET: More Fun Than Reading The Directions

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Reading The Directions Only Tells Part Of The Story

This has to be the dumbest thing I’ve ever heard of, I thought to myself. Why did I even buy this? And I hadn’t even finished reading the directions yet! Fortunately, reading the directions and playing the game are entirely different matters.

Reading the instructions for SET is a strange experience — the premise of the game is so simple that it doesn’t even sound challenging: Each card has a number of shapes on it with different colors and patterns. Your job is to find a group of three cards that are all similar or different in each characteristic.

That’s it.

Well I learned shapes, colors and matching in pre-school, so I was afraid I must have accidentally bought a game to pass the time rather than stretch the mind.

One Twist That Makes All The Difference

But I was wrong! The tiny little element of the game that I overlooked while reading the directions was this: everybody else at the table is playing at the same time. And let me tell you, that simple twist changes everything. Not only do you have to match groups of cards based on four different characteristics, but you have to find it before somebody else does!

Perfection In Simplicity

The genius of SET is its simplicity. It’s very easy to teach other people how to play, and the actual games take very little time. Depending on the group you’re playing with, you can complete the deck in 15-30 minutes — faster, if you are playing with some pros.

It can even be played with younger children in the family as long as they understand the concept (the instructions even have a learning format that can be used with new or young players). SET is an excellent family game and I heartily recommend it.

game reviews, mmorpg, pirate game, puzzle games, rpg

A Pirate’s Life for Me

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Hoist the sails and mind the cannons, that merchant brig looks ripe for a pillage!

Puzzle Pirates is a remarkable creation — a perfect mix of puzzle games, role playing and socializing, combined to create the singlemost satisfying and re-playable gaming experience on the web.

The concept is simple: you’re a pirate, trying to make yer mark in the ocean — and you play puzzle games to do so. Many of the puzzles may remind you of your favorites on Yahoo, PopCap or MSN games, but Puzzle Pirates adds a new multiplayer twist. No pirate is an island, and your crew mates are counting on you to do your best!

Your Puzzling Skills Actually Matter

That’s right — on Puzzle Pirates, your puzzling skills directly impact the success of your crew. To get from one port to the next, you and your mates will play the sailing puzzle. The better you do, the faster the ship sails. Wanna pillage that other ship? You’ll have to play the battle navigation game and use the cannon puzzle to boost your firepower. And if you get on the receiving end of a cannonade, better work on your carpentry and bilge-pumping puzzle skills!

Get Pirate Bling With Yer Pillaging Money

So, what does a pirate do with all those pieces of eight won from a successful raid? Why, buy some fancy clothing and furniture, of course! Or perhaps a ship of his (or her) own. The economy of Puzzle Pirates is intricate and well-built. Different commodities are produced by different islands and can be shipped back and forth. Those commodities can be bought by shops that create new goods out of them (using labor puzzles), and many of those goods can be combined to create even more goods. What’s more, inflation is slowed by allowing items to wear out over time. After all, nothing good lasts forever.

Engaging The Pirate Community

Are you a competitive pirate? Puzzle Pirates has a rating system that lets you track your pirate’s progess as you play the game. Over time, you will find that your skills in some puzzlesare far beyond those of your fellow pirates, while others may require more work. You can get trophies if you are incredible at puzzling or if you have proven invaluable in a naval battle.

But the community on Puzzle Pirates completes the puzzle. While a real pirate might be perfectly happy to send you to Davy Jones’s locker and take yer treasure, the players on Puzzle Pirates are extremely friendly and helpful. In fact, much of the support for new players comes from experienced players who volunteer their time to assist new pirates. And to make the experience complete, you will find that yer most enthusiastic players all have a tendency to use piratey words like “blimey” and “ahoy”.

If you enjoy puzzle games, you will surely enjoy being a pirate. Here’s wishing you a long and successful pirating career…PLAY “PUZZLE PIRATES” NOW