Game Review: Strimko

The game uses pretty much the same principle as Sudoku – the player needs to complete the grid using numbers in such a way that they are not repeated vertically, horizontally, or within a stream. There are 220 puzzles to solve. The game is very intuitive, so there will be no need to dig around for rules.

Strimko offers two modes – Adventrue and Classic. While the Classic mode simply takes the player through the four sub-modes (Zen, Fit, Pave, and Tri), the Adventure mode tells you a story and challenges you to help Luana save her dying planet. To do that the player has to solve puzzles and unlock magical amulets that will reassemble the Luana’s Astrolabe.  Puzzles from the four levels are intermixed, which makes the Adventure mode more fun to play. Also there is a nice bonus – ten additional mini games. The player can get hints all the way through, which eliminates the possibility of getting stuck. All this make Strimko a great game for children, as it will help them to develop and practice logical skills.

Strimko’s developers have done a lot of work and created a really nice looking user interface. The graphics are smooth and sleek, and there are fabulous Aero-style backgrounds. If you love Windows 7, you will love the way Strimko looks. The music is very calm and relaxing.  The sounds track is a whole hour long and doesn’t get repetitive, which means that it will actually help you think rather than annoy you, like with a lot of games. Other game sounds have been done very tastefully – they don’t interfere with the music, but rather compliment it.

However, a lot of puzzles are very easy for an adult and when all of them are solved, there is not much point in playing the game again. This factor makes the price seem to high, unless you are buying it for your children. Also keep in mind that there is a free Web version of Strimko – you don’t get the nice design or music, but the puzzles are just as interesting and challenging.

Overall rating: 4/5

Game is available at http://www.strimko.com