Cradle of Rome

Cradle of Rome is a pretty good match-3 puzzle game, but there is little to differentiate it from scores of other match-3 games out there. Although the city building component is novel, it's a rather contrived way to implement bonuses which doesn't add much to gameplay. There are plenty of levels to conquer, and I think match-3 fans will find them sufficiently challenging.

Cradle of Rome is part of a flood of match-3 puzzle games building on the success of hits like Bejeweled and Big Kahuna Reef. You swap out adjacent tiles to create sets of 3, which clears them from the game board. Certain tiles must be removed to advance to the next level, and the higher levels include locked tiles and tiles that must be matched twice to be removed. The controls are very intuitive and they will be immediately familiar to anyone who has played a match-3 game.

Bonus items, such as a hammer that lets you break a tile of your choice, are tied into a city building component. As you progress you can purchase buildings for your city with resources you earn by matching specific types of tiles. Certain buildings grant you access to one of the 8 bonus powers that appear on the bottom of the screen. These are vital for getting out of tight corners and other trouble spots.

While Cradle of Rome is a solid offering, it's ultimately just the same old match-3 concept wrapped in slightly different graphics. Judging from the deluge of match-3 games on the market, people still find them entertaining.

I have a frustrating technical problem with Cradle of Rome. During long sessions it gradually slows down to the point where the cursor becomes unresponsive and the game is barely playable. The only solution I've found is to close the game and restart it.