The stats are out there. Despite the clichéd reputation of gamers as a closed-off, shut-in group, there are more people gaming now than ever before. While this speaks to the current popularity of console gaming, it is just as much due to the so-called "casual" gamer - the PopCap gamer, the Facebook gamer.
This new audience has led developers to program easily created games to be released at budget prices. This is how we get games such as "Snark Busters: Welcome to the Club" (PC; not rated; $9.99).
"Snark Busters" is a hidden-object game, something like most kids' favorite part of Highlights Magazine, except, you know, on a PC. "Snark Busters" actually goes beyond the typical hidden-object game by making you search for pieces of objects rather than full objects, making for easier hiding of the pieces among the environments.
To tie it together, "Snark Busters" has a threadbare little narrative about a girl running away from home to go find a "snark." Your mileage with something like "Snark Busters" depends entirely on your patience for looking for things on a computer screen - it's fine, but if you're seeking excitement, you'll have to look elsewhere.
Another way of courting the casual gamer is the one that "Puzzle Quest 2" (Nintendo DS; rated E10; $29.99) takes: innovate within the genre. The original "Puzzle Quest" was a highly popular and successful attempt at merging "Bejeweled" with traditional role-playing game mechanics. Like most RPGs, this involves exploring the environment, speaking with townsfolk and battling enemies of gradually increasing strength.
The innovation here lies in the battles. Match lots of jewels - the right jewels - and you'll win. If your opponent matches more, you lose. It's as simple as that.
The problem is, the first "Puzzle Quest" already did this, and it did it in a much deeper role-playing system. The second game in the series strips away the mounts, the real estate and the world map for the sake of a stripped-down experience that offers little more than walking to the next goal. The use of weapons is a nice touch, but not nearly enough to compensate for what was lost from the first game to the second.
Despite both games' issues, "Puzzle Quest 2" and "Snark Busters" are decent enough gaming experiences that will surely find an audience with some segment of the casual gaming population.
