Dave Ozzy

Zoo Orbs will appeal to merge-puzzle fans because it is so different.

You’d be hard-pressed to find a more satisfying low-budget merge game than Bun Buns. It’s definitely not big and it’s certainly not clever, but it’s cheap and delivers a lot of flavour in one mouthful. If it was a bakery item it would be a macaron: exquisitely presented, finished in a single gulp, but flavoursome.

When every tenth game is inspired by Balatro, JokerJack needed to be so, so much more than whatever this is.

I’m tempted to say that you should vote with your wallet: Fennec Fox is Hungry shouldn’t be encouraged, with its litany of bugs and control issues.

Deckline may be a competent take on Durak, but it had potential and squandered it. It’s not a mortal  wound for anyone hoping to play Deckline, but it’s quite the flesh wound.

Meow Moments: Celebrating Myth & Machine wiled away a couple of hours. I alternated between slightly bored and slightly engaged, which is hardly the most enthusiastic of recommendations. But for the low price, that might be just enough to dip your paws into your pockets. 

Hidden Cats in Spooky Village is as good as all the other Hidden Cats in… games, which is to say that it’s very good indeed. Finding cats is as seamless, characterful and cozy as it has always been. Just with added Cthulhu.

It’s the more-ishness where Grind Survivors stumbles.

I have a theory. Anyone with eyes and opposable thumbs would have told EpiXR Games that Wolf Pack - Howling Spirits wasn’t ready for release. It’s a miracle that it even passed certification.

My relationship with Death Howl is imbalanced.

I look at the breadth of stuff in Defending Camelot - Tower Defense Action and kind of marvel.

First Time in Rome Collector’s Edition averages out as promising but faulty. It’s got too many rough edges to recommend to newbies, but there’s plenty to satisfy a fan of the genre. Treat it as ‘Further Reading’, rather than an essential to pack for holiday.

I just can’t get past the dead-eyed, negative-personality of Motorhome: Traveling America Collector’s Edition. It’s a black mark on an otherwise very well-made hidden object game.

Unless Monster Ramp Racing drops its strange determination to only use two buttons - an accelerate and brake - it’s going to remain virtually unplayable.

If you’ve ever enjoyed a bout of Frogger but wished it would do something new, or wanted to dial its difficulty down a notch, then Risky Roads will be your (traffic) jam.