Curses Candy Crush!!!

Oh how those luscious calorie-free candies draw me in!  I proudly gave up FarmVille and vowed to never get addicted to another game.  I kept that promise for almost two years.  I got curious as to what all the fuss was about Candy Crush Saga on FB (By King Entertainment) and wound up downloading the free version of what was in the beginning a deceptively simple game.  Initially, it appealed to me because you could pick it up in short spurts.  What I didn't realize is it can be hard to put down.  Luckily, the game will do it for you!

If you've been living under rock candy, the game is kinda like Bejewelled but with brightly colored candies.  There are very annoying sound effects, so I always have the sound off.  But when you do well, there are colorful explosions and Swedish jellyfish swimming around adding points to your score. This is the only place where I don't want to see chocolate because it is evil.  (The game can be evil too.  Lots of nasty surprises can undo all of your hard work.  It is exasperating and confounding, leaving you with little notes at the end saying "You failed!"  Nice to see it in writing...)

Though the app is free, they would love you to buy all sorts of "tools."  Sometimes, they even put you in position to make it nearly impossible to continue without them.  However, I haven't spent a single cent and I am on Level1218 as of 10/01/2016.   But alas, I caved and spent five bucks---still cheap entertainment.)  Lately, they have had a "wheel of fortune" that can get you little boosters for free.  I would like to think I am brilliant and highly-skilled, but there is a bit of luck to this, so it's doable for anyone who can take the punishment and get back on "the horse."  There used to be only 300 levels, but I hear they just added a whole lot more, so I will likely never be done.  I spent days on Level 275 and was getting to the point of putting it away, then things fell into place.  The next few levels often go by quickly as they know not too push you too far or you will give it up.

It's helpful to have FB friends who also play as they can send you "lives" or when you need a "ticket" to the next adventure.  It's fun to see their high scores and we go back and forth on who is ahead.    I have googled tips on occasion from several websites.  Some are helpful, some not.  But often you just need to see a different perspective.  There are actual videos of watching folk's moves and how they beat the level.  There is a "rehab" FB page for folks needing talked away from the edge...

Another benefit is you can play even if you aren't online at the moment.  Once you get back online, they will sync you back up with everyone.  If you are never online, instead of friends sending you tickets, you can do quests to get to the next "chapter" of the game.  I play this on my wi-fi tablet, so when I can't be online, I can still kill a lunch hour!  Takes my mind off of work for a little bit.

If you are looking for something new to play, I suggest you try it.  Let me know what you think and if you have tips...bring them on!  We'd all like to see them!

Until next time (which would be sooner if I weren't playing "Crush!"),
Gale