Some of My Favorite Computer Games

When I need a break from blogging, I generally sit down and play my favorite computer games. My personal favorites are time management/strategy games. I’m always on the lookout for new games but so far here is a list of ones I’ve really enjoyed to date.

1. Island Tribe 1-3 by Realore Studios

I started out with Island Tribe 1 and to my delight they have added two more. Of course there is always a debate about how the new games compare to the old but all in all I have enjoyed each one. In Island Tribe 1 you find yourself on a small island in the middle of the ocean. All is well until the volcano which has been sleeping for thousands of years awakens and sends everyone running to the other side of the island. It takes you through jungles, swamps, and mountains trying to build the villagers new, temporary places to live on their way to safety. It progressively gets harder in a fun way, makes you think about which task to do first or which tasks that are not necessary at all just put there to get you off course.

• The second Island Tribe takes you to a new island where villagers are safe from the volcano. On this island there are pirates, jewels and new adventures. The pirate puts a new twist in the story, if you don’t have enough money to pay him off he goes around destroying your buildings. Each building has something you desperately need such as water, wood, stone, a fishery, etc. It’s very important to keep these up and running to meet the time restraints and complete your village. There are bears blocking the road, bee’s nests, mountain lions, you name it. Makes for a little more excitement and a new strategy.

• The third Island Tribe finds them back on their home island. There are even more perils in this one, lots of caves where there is nothing but darkness. Where it’s imperative you keep your wood mills up, running and upgraded to the highest output level just to keep the torches lit and see where you’re going.

I had a great time playing all three of these games. In the midst of game play they ask you to find a couple of hidden items to win the gold. This added to the challenge. I liked the fact that you could adjust your strategy, and sometimes made it necessary to play the same level over several times to master but they aren’t impossible to figure out. Similar games I’ve playing have ended up frustrating me to the point of just giving up but not this one.

2. Royal Envoy 1&2 by Playrix Entertainment

In Royal Envoy 1 you are commissioned by the King to save Islandshire. You go from island to island to build and upgrade buildings and houses before the torrential rains hit. There are pirates blocking the roads and demanding treasure. There are secret places to dig to get more gold or wood, and markets where you can sell your wood for a bartered price when you need money to pay off the pirates. The roads are blocked by piles of wood and at the center is always a castle where the workers and tax collectors reside. You can hire more workers and tax collectors as you need them to meet each challenge. Each island that you complete becomes animated in some way which is really just a fun little plus. If you complete the entire gambit of islands there a whirlpool shows up in the middle of the ocean that you click on and it takes you to the expert level, same as the first but faster. I really enjoyed this game!

• Royal Envoy 2 was a little different in that you aren’t on islands; it takes you from snowy lands where you have snowball fights against other workers from nearby towns, to volcanic eruptions, etc. There are new challenges in this one; this one was harder for me, got a little frustrating at times. They took away the cute little tax collectors also and added dovecotes and fruit markets. They changed a few things but it was along the same lines. I enjoyed it also, it had new twists that I liked but I must say I enjoyed the first one just a bit more.

The graphics on both of these games were great, the colors, sounds and characters. I enjoy almost all the Playrix games, very well done.

These are a couple of my top picks for time management/strategy games, another game that I feel worthy of mentioning is Roads of Rome 1-3, also by Realore Studios, another very enjoyable series of games. The third Roads of Rome adds an additional element by having you fight fires to save the village. If you haven’t tried these games I’d highly recommend them all.