Casual Friday: Update for July 10 – 16, 2010

There are lots of new casual games available this week. While there aren’t too many that also work on Macs, there’s still a great selection to choose from. Also, oddly enough, this week seems to have a large influx of time management games. Of course, there are new hidden object games, but the number of time management releases is extraordinary.

In particular, you should pay attention to Cake Mania: Lights, Camera, Action! (Windows). Like the previous Cake Mania entry, it allows players to manage Jill’s bakery and other shops like Risha’s boutique and Chef Gordo’s restaurant. So you get a lot of variety, even though they’re all customer service games.

This week’s best bets are: Secrets of the Dragon Wheel (Windows, Mac) and Cake Mania: Lights, Camera, Action! (Windows)

Club Control 2
Genre: Simulation (Time Management)
Availability: Big Fish Games, Harmonic Flow
Retail Price: $6.99
Platform: Windows XP and Vista
Premise: Run and maintain clubs in the Paradise Islands.
Demo Available: Yes

Artifacts of the Past: Ancient Mysteries
Genre: Puzzle (Hidden Object)
Availability: Big Fish Games, Harmonic Flow
Retail Price: $6.99
Platform: Windows XP and Vista
Premise: Help Dr. Artifact investigate and research relics people bring to him.
Demo Available: Yes

Time Dreamer
Genre: Puzzle (Hidden Object)
Availability: Big Fish Games, Harmonic Flow
Retail Price: $6.99
Platform: Windows XP and Vista
Premise: Travel to the past to save the hero’s father and make the future a better and safer place.
Demo Available: Yes

Samurai Last Exam
Genre: Simulation (Time Management)
Availability: Big Fish Games, Harmonic Flow
Retail Price: $6.99
Platform: Windows XP and Vista
Premise: The way to become a samurai is to serve sushi. If you do well, you’ll pass your exam and be an official samurai.
Demo Available: Yes

Super Smasher
Genre: Action
Availability: GameHouse, Harmonic Flow
Retail Price: $6.99
Platform: Windows XP, Vista and 7
Premise: A mini-game collection set in a carnival where you pop balloons, throw cakes, punch clowns and more.
Demo Available: Yes

Last Heroes 4
Genre: RPG
Availability: Amaranth Games
Retail Price: $11.99
Platform: Windows XP and Vista
Premise: In the last entry in the Last Heroes saga, Amelia and her friends finally find her mother.
Demo Available: Yes

Secrets of the Dragon Wheel
Genre: Puzzle (Hidden Object)
Availability: Big Fish Games, Harmonic Flow
Retail Price: $6.99
Platform: Windows XP and Vista and Mac 10.4 or better
Premise: Epiphany O’day is risking it all to sneak on the Imperial Majestic and find the dangerous Dragon Wheel relic.
Demo Available: Yes

Midnight Mysteries: Salem Witch Trials
Genre: Puzzle (Hidden Object)
Availability: GameHouse
Retail Price: $19.95
Platform: Windows XP, Vista and 7
Premise: Travel back in time to Salem during the time of the witch trials to find out what happened to Nathaniel Hawthorne.
Demo Available: Yes

BumbleBee Jewel
Genre: Puzzle (Match 3)
Availability: Big Fish Games, Harmonic Flow
Retail Price: $6.99
Platform: Windows XP and Vista
Premise: Help a bunch of bees save their island’s colors from an evil wizard.
Demo Available: Yes

Cake Mania: Lights, Camera, Action!
Genre: Simulation (Time Management)
Availability: Big Fish Games, Harmonic Flow, GameHouse, Sandlot Games
Retail Price: $6.99
Platform: Windows XP, Vista and 7
Premise: Bakersfield is now a tourist destination and movie filming local, meaning Jill has to work extra hard to keep up with and satisfy all her new customers. You’ll also help Risha manage a boutique and Chef Gordo manage a restaurant.
Demo Available: Yes

The Great Gatsby
Genre: Puzzle (Hidden Object)
Availability: Big Fish Games, Harmonic Flow
Retail Price: $6.99
Platform: Windows XP and Vista
Premise: A hidden object adventure based on the classic novel, The Great Gatsby.
Demo Available: Yes

Golden Trails: The New Western Rush
Genre: Puzzle (Hidden Object)
Availability: Big Fish Games
Retail Price: $6.99
Platform: Windows XP and Vista
Premise: Bring justice to the wild west by solving hidden object puzzles.
Demo Available: Yes

Editor’s Note: Due to so many casual games sites offering game plans or preferred member prices, which can cause a game to have multiple price-points, the games’ average retail prices is mentioned in Casual Friday.

Site [Big Fish Games] Site [PlayFirst] Site [GameHouse] Site [eGames] Site [Alawar Games] Site [Amazon] Site [Reflexive Arcade] Site [Harmonic Flow]