Cookie Rookie
by The Downloadable Beast!
(DB HQ)
Quick verdict
Game:
Cookie Rookie
Play online at:
For fun or for REAL CASH at King!
Rating:
4.5/5
Cookie Rookie is a fast-paced, fun and addictive variation on the solitaire theme. Even if you *HATE* solitaire, though, this game is different enough to grab your attention. Warning: Don't play it if you have anything more important to do!
What's it about?
You are a cookie chef who has to clear the table of cookies by making cakes. (That's as close as you're going to get to a justification for this game, sorry!)
Each level begins with a table being covered in cookies of different shapes, with numbers iced onto each. The task is to click on matching pairs, either of shapes or numbers, until the table is cleared.
If you can't make a match in the centre of the table, you can pull a cookie out of a storage jar at the bottom of the table. There are downsides to this, though: the jar has a limited number of cookies in it and if you run out and cannot make a match, the game ends.
Also you don't get a chain bonus if you have to click on the storage jar.
The chain bonus adds an extra 100 points per sequential match you make. You get an additional 100 bonus if you match number to number instead of shape to shape, but this is a risky option, as I'll explain in a moment.
The other reason you want to chain matches is the cake bonus. At the bottom left, each match fills in a slice of a cake. Chain enough matches together and you complete the cake. Successfully clear the level and you receive a cake bonus, plus 200 points for each unused cookie in the jar.It's dangerous to match too many numbered cookies, rather than shapes, is that you risk running out of matches towards the end of the level. There are an exact number of shaped cookies, but unless you have the kind of brain that can remember which cookies and numbers you matched, you're setting yourself up for a game-ending fall.
Clear ten levels and the game ends prematurely, but that's really advanced play. You have five minutes to amass the best score you can: you'll be doing really, really well to clear all ten levels.
Pros and cons
+ Fun concept that feels totally unlike a card game, even if it's loosely based on solitaire.
+ Great graphics, cartoon-style, and a soundtrack that keeps you entertained while you play.
+ A good balance of time pressure and thinking time, with different ways to clear a level and risk/reward balance that's truly challenging.
+ You can play tournaments for fun or REAL CASH online against other players from all over the world!
- Won't appeal to people seeking an action game fix.
The verdict
Cookie Rookie is dangerously addictive, easy to learn but hard to master. I have played it way, way too much. And the best bit is, it's FREE! Plus you can win cash in tournaments when you get better at it.Highly recommended.
