Hey, Relax, They're Casual

Casual games? Forget that silly old name - we've found a new one!

OMNI-GAMES!

Coined by a new Scottish site - cobimobi - it's the work of Cobra Mobile, a company that previously only released games for your telephone. Now they are creating games that work on formats from the PC to the iPod, hence the grand name.

There are two games so far, with another teased on the site. Each has a 45 minute trial offer (blimey - only 45 minutes? PopCap et al offer an hour!), and of the two you should definitely try Numba. Because the other, Cobi Treasure Deluxe, is yet another Columns clone. Really - if you're launching a brand new games service, maybe don't have Columns as your first game, even if it does have the certainly beneficial inclusion of Sally The Seahorse.

Numba, however, is much better news. It's a simple puzzle idea, pleasingly executed. There's a large grid of numbers, and you need to clear them away by finding lines that make patterns. These could be as simple as finding a row of 2s, or as complex as spotting a Fibonacci sequence. As you progress, lots more elements are added in, including traditional puzzle nonsense like burning tiles and jumbling bonuses. And then the numbers start getting more peculiar. It's certainly worth looking at the free trial.

Meanwhile:

OMNI-GAMES!