New Kindle Game - Snap Sudoku #1

Snap Sudoku #1 ($0.99), by Puzzazz, is a new game in the Kindle catalog, joining their other recent title Mad About Sudoku #1 and their Unbound Sudoku/Wordoku titles.

Book Description
Are you looking for Sudoku puzzles you can solve in a snap? If so, this collection of carefully constructed and calibrated super easy Sudoku puzzles is right for you.

These 33 super easy puzzles are the easiest Sudoku puzzles that Puzzazz offers, and are designed to be simple, elegant, and enjoyable. You will appreciate features like in-cell notes that help make solving these puzzles as easy as it is on paper. You can move to another puzzle at any time without losing the progress on your current puzzle, and come back to that puzzle whenever you like. Snap Sudoku puzzles are specially designed to give you a quick and fun challenge, but if you're having trouble, you can always get a hint any time you need one.

If you're looking for an easy introduction to Sudoku, or just looking for quick, fun puzzles to solve, try Snap Sudoku today!

New Kindle Game - Deathtrap Dungeon

There is new episode for Worldweaver's Fighting Fantasy Adventure game series on Kindle today, Deathtrap Dungeon ($3.99). The first two are still on 1/2 price sale at $1.99 each.

Book Description
Deathtrap Dungeon brings the third installment of the popular game book series Fighting Fantasy by Steve Jackson and Ian Livingstone to Kindle.

A game book is an interactive story. As you read you will make decisions as to which way to go, what to say to other characters, and what to do with items you might find. A convenient in-game map tracks places you have visited, items, or monsters encountered.

In Deathtrap Dungeon, you adventure in the medieval fantasy land of Allansia, where a twisted Baron has set up a great contest which consists primarily of trying to survive the diabolical traps and vicious monsters in the deadly labyrinth, Deathtrap Dungeon. So far, none have survived to lay claim to the prize, but that was before you came along.

You are the hero! You decide which route to take, which dangers to risk, and which creatures to fight. But be warned - it will also be you who has to live or die by the consequences of your actions.

New Kindle Game - Nonograms

Nonograms ($2.99), is a new logic puzzle by Metalgrass Software. This one looks quite a bit different than any of the ones I've played before, so may be just the thing to exercise the old noggin in a different direction.

Book Description
Nonograms is a puzzle game designed to delight logic and number puzzle lovers.

Nonograms contains simple yet challenging puzzles, in which your goal is to uncover a hidden black and white pattern. The puzzles contain a grid with number clues that tell you how many groups of black squares there are in any given row or column, and how many black squares there are in each group. With this information, and some skillfully applied logic, you can solve the puzzle.

With three difficulty levels, Nonograms can be enjoyed by beginners and experts alike. An optional game clock lets you see how quickly you can solve the puzzles, and you can try to beat your best time for each difficulty level. If you find a puzzle too hard, you can ask for hints or view the solution to that puzzle. Nonograms randomly generates new grids, so it is unlikely that you will ever run out of puzzles to solve.

Nonograms are an enjoyable way to exercise your mind, and if you like sudoku and similar number grid puzzles, you'll love Nonograms.

New Kindle Game - Mad About Sudoku #1

Mad About Sudoku #1 ($0.99), by Puzzazz, is a new game in the Kindle catalog (hey publishers - it is getting hard to find the new Active Content entries in the Kindle store, so be sure to send me a press release when you have a new one).

Book Description
Are you mad about Sudoku? Or mad at Sudoku? Either way, this collection of carefully constructed and calibrated Easy Sudoku puzzles is right for you.

Each of the 33 easy puzzles can be solved without heroic effort, and you can always get a hint when you need one. You'll appreciate features like in-cell notes that let you solve puzzles as easily as you do on paper. You can also move on to another puzzle when you get stuck, and return to that previous puzzle at any time.

If you've enjoyed solving the easier puzzles in paper books, then these puzzles are perfect for you. Enjoy!

Braintonik Kindle Games Sale - 99 Cents

All three of Braintonik Games' Active Content Kindle games are 99 cents this week (thru July 25). Although the last on the list is 99 cents all the time (or, at least it has been, so far), that's a three dollar savings on the first two on the list. At these prices, I went ahead and picked up the one I didn't already have. These games are great fillers when you want to give your brain a bit to work on (or to play during commercials if watching TV). Great value, too, since we can load them on everybody's Kindle with one purchase.

Strimko (A Logic Game for Kindle)
Jump into Strimko and enjoy classic Sudoku gameplay with a twist!

The object of the game is to place a set of numbers in rows or columns without repeating them in any row or column. Strimko adds a concept of "streams" that crisscross throughout the puzzle. With streams, you must consider not only the rows and columns, but also the streams, and make sure that each contains different numbers.

You can choose from four different difficulty levels. Each difficulty level increases the size of the grid you play on: "Easy" has a 4x4 grid, while the "Master" level challenges you with a 7x7 grid. Each of the four difficulty levels has 30 different puzzles, allowing for a total of 120 different puzzles to play. A hint function can also let you keep playing if you get stuck.

Challenge yourself and tease your brain as you master the logic required to solve Strimko puzzles!

Blossom (A Puzzle for Kindle)
Solve clever puzzles with Blossom, the game that challenges you to create a network of pipes that water your flowers.

The goal of the game is to build an irrigation system that delivers water to flowers by manipulating the game tiles with water pipes on them. Just select the water pipe tiles and rotate them until the water flows through them and reaches the flowers to make them bloom.

When a pipe is connected to the water network it will fill up with water. Make sure the water flows in all the pipes to keep your flowers beautiful. You'll have to rotate the tiles with pipes, flowers, and that all-important watering can to make each part of the grid connect together and fill up every tile. All the flowers need to be connected to the watering can and every pipe must be used to finish the puzzle. Are you facing a drought? The Hint system is there to help you figure out the next best move.

With Blossom's 120 puzzles, spring is always just around the corner. Soon you'll be a fantastic florist, watering your way to a brighter future.

Futoshiki (A Logic Puzzle for Kindle)
Futoshiki is a Japanese number logic puzzle.

The rules of Futoshiki are deceptively simple but the game is challenging and addictive. Each row and column must be filled with unique numbers. However, Futoshiki has a twist. It adds greater-than or less-than signs between some cells. You must honor these signs in order to solve and complete the puzzles.

This collection of 120 puzzles is grouped into four different sets ranging from easy to expert. The grids are 5x5 in easy, medium, and hard modes. Expert mode holds thirty 7x7 puzzles. The game features annotations to help you keep track of possible solutions, and a hint function to help you keep playing if you get stuck.

Free Kindle Game? Maze-a-thon (of a sorts)

There is a very strange entry in the Kindle store this afternoon. Test release notes (Testing old pipeline with newPubs version set), by Anand Krish, is free in the Kindle store and the cover images is for Maze A Thon, which is currently 99 cents. There is no description and the other images are for a card game, but I downloaded it (hey, it's free!) to see what it is and it appears to be a fully functional copy of Maze A Thon. So, if you don't mind seeing a very odd title for the game, you can pick it up for free.

I have to wonder what's going on at Amazon today, what with the earlier free game now missing entirely from the store and Accuweather was free for a short period (which I missed before it was pulled), now this entry. I hope they eventually figure out a way for us to see all the Kindle games at once, also, as they have now crossed the 100 line with Kindle Apps and Games, so the bestseller list can no longer be used to see which ones are new.

Book Description
Maze A Thon is a collection of different-sized puzzles with the goal of getting a mouse to his cheese.

There are three types of mazes to choose from: Classic, Wrap Around, and Cubetastic. In Classic, you go from point A to point B on one screen in a standard maze. In Wrap Around, use the keyboard to travel from one side of the maze off the screen to the opposite side. In Cubetastic, navigate through a rotating, six-sided maze.

Multiple levels of difficulty make Maze A Thon fun for kids and puzzle experts alike. You can play a quick, easy game, or spend hours finding your way out of intricate puzzles. And, every time you finish a maze, a new one is created from millions of possibilities, so you'll always get something different!

Simple yet addictive. Get ready to be a-mazed.

Free Kindle Game - Flash Cards (for Kids)

Flash Cards: Alphabet, by Digi Ronin Games, is currently free in the Kindle store.

Book Description
Flash Cards: Alphabet and Spelling helps kids learn the alphabet and improve their spelling skills.

There are three study modes: study guide, multiple choice, and type-in-the-answer. Flash Cards: Alphabet and Spelling keeps track of your high scores so you can try to beat your best, or to add some friendly competition among friends, classmates, and family.

With the portable convenience of the Kindle, Flash Cards: Alphabet and Spelling can turn even a long road trip into a fun learning experience for your child!

New Kindle Games: Flash Cards (for Kids)

Digi Ronin Games has released two new Kindle Apps in their Flash Cards for Kids series today. Both display pictures and then require a properly spelled name to be entered, so can be used both by kids learning to spell or those who are newly learning the English language (although the scope of the game is a bit limited). For kids, though, just seeing foods in their native state may be something they are not used to (in one school, most kids had never seen a potato in it's native state, let alone an eggplant, despite eating french fries on a regular basis).

Flash Cards: Animals for Kids ($1.99)

Flash Cards for Kids: Animals helps children learn to recognize 81 different animals while helping them with their alphabet and spelling skills.

Flash Cards: Foods for Kids ($1.99)

Flash Cards: Foods allows children to use flash cards to learn 76 new foods while reinforcing their alphabet and spelling skills.

Children can review words that are new to them, practice with multiple-choice options, or fill in answers directly. The title has two different play modes, each with three levels of difficulty. The first play mode shows a picture of a food and asks children to learn by typing the first letter of its name. The second play mode shows a picture of a food and asks children to spell out its entire name.

To give students timely feedback, correct answers are acknowledged and incorrect answers are corrected immediately upon submitting an answer. A high score table tracks the ten highest scores to help track progress and improvement.

Turn your Kindle into a learning tool today!

Free Kindle Game - Hidden Expeditions

Hidden Expedition: Amazon, by Big Fish Games, is a brand new hidden object game for Kindle and is currently free to download. From the pictures on the product page, this is a new level of graphics for a Kindle game and, as you can see from the picture below, you play it with the Kindle on it's side. I don't expect it to be free for long, so if you have a compatible Kindle, grab it now.

Game Description
Hidden Expedition: Amazon is a hidden object game set deep in the jungle.

Featuring a story never before told in the Hidden Expedition franchise, you join the Hidden Expedition Team in search of a professor lost in the Amazon rainforest. You get to explore cities, temples, and ruins while unlocking the secrets of the professor?s groundbreaking research. With a tattered passport as your only clue, embark on an adventure and investigate 19 beautiful levels and 4 brain teasing mini-games.

You can invite up to 3 your friends and family to create their own profiles so they can play without disturbing your own adventure. Take advantage of the dynamic Hint system whenever your search becomes too difficult. Enjoy a scene? Replay any level as many times as you wish with the Chapter Select feature and pursue randomly selected items in that scene.

If you seek adventure, lush landscapes, and a good challenge, journey into the wonderful world of Hidden Expedition: Amazon.

New Kindle Game - Inheritance

Inheritance ($1.99), by Gang of Penguins, is a new text adventure game on Kindle. This one sounds pretty cute, so I'm going to get it to try this weekened.

Book Description
Inheritance is a text adventure in which you use the items you find to solve puzzles that help you advance through the game.

In the game, you play a character whose crazy uncle Osmo passed away recently, leaving you everything. But there's a catch. He has turned his house into a series of crazy challenges that you'll have to overcome if you want to see a dime! What is the deal with that elevator? How do you get past the tiger? And most important of all, where can a person find a decent pair of sneakers?

Inheritance uses an innovative new input system to make moving through the adventure fast and easy. Now you can enjoy all the laughs and fun of classic-style adventure games without all the typing and guesswork.

Play Inheritance and discover a lighthearted adventure filled with puzzles that will delight clever readers.

As with all Kindle games and apps, this one is limited to those in the US.

New Kindle Game - Word Quest

Word Quest ($1.99), by Compulab, is a hidden word puzzle that is newly generated each time you play, guaranteeing you'll never run out of new puzzles to solve.

Book Description
Have fun solving Word Search puzzles on Kindle!

The objective of Word Search is to find words hidden in a grid full of letters. Words are placed horizontally, vertically, and diagonally, and can even be spelled out backwards. The words you are looking for are shown at the bottom of the screen for reference, and marked off both on the board and on the list as you find each one.

Puzzles are suitable for players of all ages with board sizes ranging from 12x12 to 16x16. Each board is created with words populated from 50 themed groups, and includes topics such as Zoo Animals, Nautical Terms, Olympic Sports, and Internet/Computing.

It is unlikely that you will run out of puzzles to play because each time you solve a puzzle, a new puzzle is created with words selected randomly from the selected theme. You can also get hints, see the solution, and change the layout of the display. Your games are automatically saved so you can take a break and pick up right where you left off.

No matter how often you play, you will always have puzzles to solve. Fans of word games will enjoy this word puzzle on Kindle!

New Kindle Game - Puzzle Baron's Cryptograms I

Puzzle Baron's Cryptograms: Volume 1 ($1.99), by A Gamz, contains a series of codebreaking puzzles for Kindle.

Book Description
Cryptograms are popular word puzzles that will test your deductive and word finding skills as you decode a series of letters to reveal a hidden message.

Puzzle Barron's Cryptograms contains one hundred puzzles. Each is a quote, and is organized into popular categories like Ancient Wisdom, Celebrities, Philosophy and Sports. Special features include displaying the letters remaining in a puzzle and letter frequencies to further assist the solver. Three difficulty levels will challenge beginners and seasoned players alike, and there is a hint option if you get stuck. When you finish the puzzle, you'll see a graph showing how your time compares to other people who have completed this puzzle and the number of hints taken if any.

If you like word games or logic puzzles, Cryptograms is a fun way to exercise your brain!

New Kindle Game - Blossom

Blossom ($1.99), by Braintonik Games, is a new puzzle game for Kindle.

Book Description
Solve clever puzzles with Blossom, the game that challenges you to create a network of pipes that water your flowers.

The goal of the game is to build an irrigation system that delivers water to flowers by manipulating the game tiles with water pipes on them. Just select the water pipe tiles and rotate them until the water flows through them and reaches the flowers to make them bloom.

When a pipe is connected to the water network it will fill up with water. Make sure the water flows in all the pipes to keep your flowers beautiful. You'll have to rotate the tiles with pipes, flowers, and that all-important watering can to make each part of the grid connect together and fill up every tile. All the flowers need to be connected to the watering can and every pipe must be used to finish the puzzle. Are you facing a drought? The Hint system is there to help you figure out the next best move.

With Blossom's 120 puzzles, spring is always just around the corner. Soon you'll be a fantastic florist, watering your way to a brighter future.

4th of July Video Game Sale - Buy One/Get One Free

Even if you didn't take advantage of the current KSO offer to get $10 off a video game, if you are a gamer, you need to check out the 4th Of July Sale - Buy One, Get One Free at Amazon. There are 11 pages (302 total games and accessories) to choose from and you can combine the $10 off coupon with this sale to save even more. Browse the the entire list or sort by console type and add two items to the cart, then go thru the checkout (no one-clicking) to verify the discount before placing the order. You can take advantage of the sale more than once, but be sure to group your items into orders of two items at a time (if you put four items into your cart at once, you may get two free, but they will be the cheapest of the four, which isn't always the best deal for you).

If you are in the market for a new computer, are a student and wouldn't mind having a nice, shiny new XBOX 360 in your dorm room this fall, be sure to check out the Buy a PC, get a free XBOX 360 sale at Amazon (more details on the sidebar).

New Kindle Games/Apps and 99 Cent Game Sale

Amazon has a number of new entries in the Active Content for Kindle category, some games and a few apps. Since it is sometimes difficult to find these, I'll highlight those that I haven't previously mentioned. In addition, be sure to check the end of the post for the titles included in the 99 Cent Kindle Game Sale (sadly, Pirate Stash isn't on this one, as I'm holding out for a sale on it).

Math Star ($2.99) is a new learning game from puzzle.tv. If this is up your alley, then be sure to also grab Why Math Isn't an Awful Nerd, by Jason Marshal, which is still free on Kindle.

Book Description
How good is your math? Find out by taking the Math Star Challenge, and progress through 100 increasingly difficult levels to see how good you really are.

Math Star features ten different game types including "Add it Up!", "Takeaway!", "Multiple Trouble!" and "Divide and Conquer". Also included are fun and challenging games like "Fill the Gap!", "Fifty Fifty!" and "Decimal Danger!". With math problems ranging in difficulty from '2+2=?' to complicated decimal and fraction based equations, Math Star is suitable for all ages and abilities. Four user profiles let you save your progress and compare high scores with friends and family who may also wish to play.

Math Star adapts quickly to the proficiency of the user. The level at which you start is initially based on your age, and adjusts up or down according to your performance in the Main Challenge portion of the game. In addition to the Main Challenge, you can practice at your current level by selecting one of the Quick Games. As you progress through levels, you will unlock new Quick Games to play.

Improve your math today with this entertaining game. Are you a Math Star?

Kee-Ko's Quest ($1.99), by A Gamz

Book Description
Kee-Ko's Quest is a puzzle game in which you need to rearrange objects to clear a path for Kee-Ko, a robot.

Kee-Ko works in a factory alongside other robots. Her boyfriend, F4R4W4Y, has been reassigned to a different room at the end of the factory. Kee-Ko has assigned another robot to take her place, and now intends to make her way to her boyfriend's new room. She and all the other robots in the factory are built to move only on the rails set on the factory floor, and she'll need to move other robots out of her way to exit each room.

Help Kee-Ko navigate all 100 rooms and get to the end of the factory. Earn badges for accomplishments, beat your previous times, see how many rooms you can solve in the minimum number of moves, or just enjoy the challenge of solving them. If you want to skip ahead, feel free. You can complete the rooms in any order you like and return to each room just the way you left it.

Help Kee-Ko find F4R4W4Y and enjoy the challenge of solving clever puzzles at the same time!

YAHTZEE ($4.99 $0.99), by Electronic Arts Inc.

Book Description
Now you can play YAHTZEE, the classic dice game on Kindle.

Roll the dice with YAHTZEE, a game in which players roll five dice to try and make 4-of-a-kinds, full houses, and straights. Keep the dice you want and re-roll the rest, but think carefully to score the best combination and the most points!

YAHTZEE for Kindle has three modes to enjoy. Play in Classic Mode and brave the luck of the roll, or remove luck from the game and play in Duplicate Mode where each person plays with identical die rolls and only your strategy can make the difference. You may also compete in Battle Mode, where your goal is to reduce your opponents score.

Play solo or Pass 'n' Play with up to 3 other players. Track stats like best scores, total victories, win ratios and more. Share the fun with 3 difficulty levels: easy, medium and hard.

One of the world's favorite dice-driven game scores again. Now play it anywhere you take your Kindle.

Affairs of the Court ($1.99), by Choice of Games

Book Description
Affairs of the Court is an interactive romance novel where you control the main character. In each chapter, you choose how the story proceeds, unlocking different endings.

Play the role of a young noble who comes to court in search of love and power, and catches the sovereign's eye. Plunge into court politics and change the course of history, or pursue a love affair that rocks the kingdom to its foundations. Match wits with the schemers of the court, or play your suitors off each other.

This omnibus edition for Kindle contains both Choice of Romance and its sequel, Choice of Intrigues. The mobile app review website AppSafari called Romance "... a wonderfully fascinating and addictive experience that will leave you playing it over and over again."

If you like gamebooks, you'll love Affairs of the Court. Its unique approach to interactive fiction allows larger, deeper, and richer stories than traditional gamebooks. Will you find true love? Gain a crown? Lose your head? The choice is yours.

Note: May not be appropriate for children.

CodeWord (Codewords and Cryptograms for Kindle) ($0.99), by Oak Systems Leisure Software

Book Description
CodeWord is a word game with a splash of logic.

CodeWord includes two different types of word decryption puzzles in a single title: cryptograms and codewords. A cryptogram is a puzzle where you must map letters to numbers to solve the code. All of the cryptogram puzzles are based on famous quotations, but each letter is replaced by a different letter or number. A codeword puzzle is similar to a crossword, but with no clues. Instead a number in each square represents the letter, and you are given a word to start you off.

CodeWord includes 50 codeword puzzles and 50 cryptograms for a total of 100 puzzles. Hints are available if you would like some help, and if you get stuck you can give up and reveal the solution. You can play at your own pace or against an optional timer if you want more challenge. You can also reset each puzzle so you can replay as many times as you like.

People of all ages who like puzzles and word games will enjoy playing CodeWord.

Puzzle Pack 1 ($0.99), by Oak Systems Leisure Software

Book Description
Enjoy a variety of classic puzzles on your Kindle.

This pack contains 100 puzzles: 20 Sudoku (5 each of Very Easy, Easy, Medium and Hard), 8 American Style Crosswords, 7 British Style Quick Crosswords (which contain more black squares than American Style puzzles), 15 Word Searches, 10 Codewords, 10 Cryptograms, 10 Symbol Blocks (Easy to Hard), 10 Compass Points, and 10 Criss-Cross puzzles.

Play at your own pace or against the clock. Your game is saved, so you can pause partway through a puzzle and return to where you left off. You can also reset each puzzle and try it again as many times as you like. If you get stuck on a more challenging puzzle, you can get hints or give up and see the correct solution.

People who like puzzles and word games, or people who want to try a variety of puzzles will love this fun collection of games on Kindle.

Jumble, 200 Puzzles ($4.99) expands on this series of games from Puzux, with more puzzles than ever.

Book Description
Solve two hundred Jumble puzzles on Kindle with this new interactive version of the popular word scramble game.

Each Jumble puzzle features four jumbled words for you to unscramble, Each Jumble puzzle features four jumbled words for you to unscramble, which gradually identify letters that can be used to solve the bonus phrase. Unscramble the bonus phrase to complete the puzzle. Each puzzle contains a cartoon clue, that will help you crack it, but watch out for puns!

Jumble contains a Solve Puzzle feature if you get stuck and want to see the answer, a Reset Puzzle feature if you want to start over, and a Hints feature to help you out along the way.

Jumble: That Scrambled Word Game! is one of the longest continuously running word games in the world. Try out Jumble on Kindle today and find out why!

Fortune Teller ($1.99), by Sonic Boom

Book Description
Have your Fortune told on Kindle!

Fortune Teller for Kindle helps you look into your future in three unique ways: Fortune Teller Hectar Predicts, Fortune Cookies, and Mystic Pyramid.

Hectar the Fortune Teller will look into his crystal ball and make new predictions every day for different areas of your life: Love, Career, Friendship, Money, and Life. Fortune Cookie is inspired by Chinese fortune cookies. Each cookie may give you advice or reveal your fortune, and you may choose up to 3 cookies per day. Mystic Pyramid is a mystical Egyptian-themed pyramid. You are advised to think of personal questions that are important to you "with great reverence and intent" and press a button to get the Mystic Pyramid's answers.

Don't pass up the opportunity to take a sneak peak at your future on Kindle!

Calendar ($0.99), by 7 Dragons

Book Description
Calendar is a user friendly scheduling tool and daily planner for Kindle.

Calendar lets you see events and to-do lists quickly and easily with day, month and week views. It lets you create events (including recurring events) and daily to-do lists. You can set reminders that show up when you start Calendar; and sort and search tools make working with your data a breeze. US Holidays are included, but you can turn them off if you want to do so.

A Go-to-Date and Go-to-Today feature helps you move around quickly, and fast typing speed with word-wrap helps you work quickly too. You get 6 font sizes and 9 backgrounds or a simple full-screen mode from which to choose, and you can use the built-in Backup and Restore feature to save your calendar data to a PC or Mac.

Put getting Calendar on your to-do list for today!

Calendar - Appointments, Birthdays, Holidays and Sticky Notes ($0.99), by Compulab

Book Description
Calendar is a tool that offers daily planner functions for Kindle users.

You can add and remove notes for appointments, put a sticky note with a short list on a page, and set reminders for the birthdays and holidays that matter to you.

In the Month view, you can quickly see what day is a holiday or a birthday or see if you made a note for that day. In Day view, you can enter appointments and attach short notes for those appointments. You can attach a note to a day, which can be handy if you have a list of things to remember. Calendar also allows you to copy appointments and paste them back in at another time or day.

Use Calendar to manage your schedule on your Kindle today.

Stopwatch and Timer ($0.99), by A Gamz, was the first of two stopwatch apps out for Kindle.

Book Description
A Gamz Stopwatch and Timer provides a stopwatch, countdown timer and a date and time display for Kindle.

You can use Stopwatch and Timer as a convenient kitchen helper, a break reminder, or as a stopwatch. The stopwatch has lap timers and the ability to pause. With the countdown timer, you can pause your countdown or reset it at any time. The countdown timer also has commonly used presets of thirty seconds, one minute and five minutes to make countdowns quick and easy, or you may enter any duration you wish. Stopwatch and Timer will also tell you how long since your countdown finished -- in case you miss the end.

Make the most of your time by using Stopwatch and Timer today!

Please Note: Stopwatch and Timer does not make sound nor wake up your Kindle. Stopwatch and Timer will however, keep accurate timer or stopwatch times while your Kindle is asleep.

Anywhere Stopwatch ($0.99), by Nickel Buddy, came out second and seems to fill about the same functions as the first stopwatch program. Neither produce any sounds (a Kindle limitation), nor have a large clock display (to be fair, using as such would probably kill you kindle battery quickly).

Book Description
Anywhere Stopwatch is a stopwatch and countdown timer for Kindle.

Use the stopwatch to time your kids at the track, the swimming pool, or just laps around the house. You can save up to 20 stopwatch sessions, so you can go back to see improvement over time. The stopwatch has a lap feature, allowing you to see lap and split times.

Also included is a countdown timer. The display counts down by seconds to 0, and also displays a dial that represents elapsed time and time remaining. Stopwatch does not play sound on Kindle, but the dial makes it easy to see at a glance how much time is left on the timer.

Anywhere Stopwatch is a fun utility that can really come in handy. Get one for your Kindle today!

Cocktail Mixer ($1.99), by HandyX, is a reference title that you can use both when behind the bar at your next party and when shopping for it beforehand.

Book Description
Cocktail Mixer is a collection of recipes for 350 delicious drinks including classic cocktails, seasonal drinks, the coolest new mixes and a selection of non-alcoholic drinks.

The cocktail browser feature helps you find your perfect cocktail by organizing them into easy to use sections. Sections include classic cocktails, shooters, non-alcoholic cocktails, cocktails by base ingredient, cocktails by glass type and a range of occasion and party themes. The advanced search function also lets you search for cocktails by name or cocktails that contain specific ingredients which makes it easy to explore new drinks you're likely to enjoy.

You can keep track of all your favorite drinks using the 'My Favorites' function, and you can learn about cocktail making and ingredients in the comprehensive help section. Cocktail Mixer will help you get the taste you're looking for in your old favorites, and can introduce you to new drinks that may become new favorites.

Start mixing it up today with Cocktail Mixer!

Whew! That's a long list of new Kindle apps and games that have snuck into the store over the last few weeks (at least one of which I'm buying today). If you've managed to resist temptation on the existing titles so far, Amazon seems determined to get you to succumb to your urge to play with your Kindle (rather than just read), with the current 99 cent Kindle Game Sale. All of these are marked down thru July 10 (and no longer). Several of these games usually sell for $5, so this is a great discount to take advantage of. Interestingly, the new YAHTZEE game from Electronic Arts Inc. isn't a part of the official sale, so it's 99 cent price could change at any time.

1. EA Texas Hold'em, by Electronic Arts Inc.
2. SCRABBLE, by Electronic Arts Inc.
3. EA Solitaire, by Electronic Arts Inc.
4. Word Soup, by Fuzzy Bug Interactive
5. Mahjong Solitaire, by Mobigloo
6. MONOPOLY, by Electronic Arts Inc.
7. Hangman 4 Kids, by Sonic Boom
8. EA Sudoku, by Electronic Arts Inc.
9. True Backgammon, by Compulab
10. NY Times Crosswords Vol. 5, by The New York Times
11. NY Times Crosswords Vol. 6, by The New York Times

KSO Offers Update and Video Game Day at Amazon

First, for all of those that didn't get the $20 off $30 Tools offer (and a few that didn't get the $20 gift card offer that I heard from), go check your offers again this morning. It took a few days to get a reply from Amazon, but here is what they said when I complained about being skipped on an offer:

... In general, the special offers are updated regularly when your Kindle is connected wirelessly and sent to all our customers with no individual restrictions....

So, the offers should go to everyone, not to selected owners (as happened with this offer). Frankly, I think they may have done this on purpose, to see if anyone noticed, but it could have been a glitch at their end that "forgot" to send this offer to anyone who had had their KSO for more than a couple of weeks. In any case, this morning my KSO finally downloaded the Tools offer (it has WiFi on all the time and I checked it late last night before turning in). Today is the last day to sign up for that offer, so be sure to check your KSO if you want to get in on it (we have a month to use the credit, but only today to sign up).

The other big news this morning is that it appears to be Video Game Day for Amazon's Gold Box and Lightning Deals today. They have a great deal on the Xbox 360 Console with Kinect ($299.99), which comes with a $100 credit today (only). I like several of the exercise and other games on Kinect (hey, I can beat the pro bowler in the house using the bowling game!). The first game up in the Lightning Deals is for the Wii, but I see both XBox and PS3 represented in the upcoming selections.

Get a $100 Credit
Order the Xbox 360 4GB Console with Kinect and receive a $100 promotional credit toward the purchase of items shipped and sold by Amazon.com (certain exclusions apply, including Kindle books, MP3s, and video rentals and downloads). The promotional credit will be added directly to your Amazon.com account within two days after your order ships. Limit one per household. Offer valid when shipped and sold by Amazon.com. Amazon reserves the right to change or terminate this promotion at any time.

New Kindle Game - Futoshiki

Futoshiki ($0.99) is a new logic game for Kindle from Braintonik Games, the makers of Strimko. I have to admit I am a sucker for this type of game, so I've already downloaded it and played thru one game. It's a lot like Sudoku (but with a field of 5 or 7 and only one square), but with additional rules, where some blocks must be greater or lesser than the ones immediately adjacent to them. Definitely worth a buck and I've got 29 puzzles to go, just on the easy mode.

Book Description
Futoshiki is a Japanese number logic puzzle.

The rules of Futoshiki are deceptively simple but the game is challenging and addictive. Each row and column must be filled with unique numbers. However, Futoshiki has a twist. It adds greater-than or less-than signs between some cells. You must honor these signs in order to solve and complete the puzzles.

This collection of 120 puzzles is grouped into four different sets ranging from easy to expert. The grids are 5x5 in easy, medium, and hard modes. Expert mode holds thirty 7x7 puzzles. The game features annotations to help you keep track of possible solutions, and a hint function to help you keep playing if you get stuck.

Free Android Game and Three New Kindle Games

Today's free Android app is one that you'll want to grab, if you have any Android device so that you can (I've been told there is an Android emulator for the desktop that will allow you to get these, too, but I haven't tried it). At least one person has it running on his nookcolor (after jailbreaking) and I've just downloaded it to my phone (and played the first three levels). On the Kindle side, three new games, one of which is also a learning tool.

First up, the free game in the Amazon Appstore is the ad-free edition of Random Mahjong Pro (the Random means that game boards are randomly generated, so may not be always technically winnable; 50 preset boards are all winnable games).

Game Description
Just when you thought Mahjong had been covered, along comes a stylish new solitaire Mahjong game ready to take centre stage on the Android platform. Random Mahjong Pro looks incredible on tablets while still managing to stay visually sharp and play great on smartphones.

The game uses a unique, random-board generator. This means that every time you fire up your Android and start a game, a fresh challenge awaits. The levels can be as small as 32 tiles, or as large as 152 tiles. You can play a sequence of expanding boards (with Score, Levels and Lives), or use the random generator to build a custom level to fit your needs.

Tiles Ready!
With Random Mahjong Pro, you have full control over the look and feel of your games, whether you're a mahjong master or a someone that's brand new to the game. Choose to zoom in and scroll as much as you need during play and adjust the size and complexity of the levels. You can also look over the game guides and take a peek at the move hints option to bolster your learning during play.

For beginners there's the small, 32-tile level. For every level, there's a solution walkthrough corresponding with each board. The combination serves as a perfect teaching tool for the game's basic rules and logic, especially to anyone who has not played the solitaire or Shanghai variant of mahjong before.

On the Kindle, Pirate Stash ($1.99) is a new puzzle game from Amazon Digital Services. It's the first non-free game direct from Amazon and appears to be worth the two dollars being charged. there are 100 or so maps, each of which you play thru (but not much replayability). Of course, if you have more than one Kindle reader on your account, each person can download the game at no additional cost.

Game Description
Pirate Stash is a logic puzzle game that challenges you to hide all of your treasure chests on a deserted island.

X marks the spot as you push one or more treasure chests to be buried in designated hiding places. Maneuver your loot through a maze of obstacles, but be careful not to make the wrong move. You can only move one chest at a time and the chests cannot be pulled. When the treasure chests are all in place, you have solved the puzzle.

Your score for a puzzle is the number of times each chest is pushed, with a lower number of pushes being better. Achieve up to three stars on a puzzle. Gain one star for solving the puzzle, two stars for matching par for the puzzle, and three stars for a perfect score. Over 100 puzzles of increasing difficulty allow anyone, from beginners to experts, to challenge their minds. Can you beat them all?

If you like puzzle games, you'll love Pirate Stash!

Peg Solitaire ($0.99) is another puzzle game, this time from Nice Games. If you've ever played this at Cracker Barrel, while waiting in the endless line for a table (or for the food to arrive), then you know how it works. Big plus: you don't have to go to a noisy restaurant to play (or track down one of their boards, if that's where you currently are).

Game Description
Peg Solitaire is a collection of classic peg jumping puzzles.

The object of Peg Solitaire is to jump one peg over another, removing the jumped pegs until only one peg remains on the game board. You can choose from three difficulty levels: Easy, Medium, and Hard. Each difficulty level has nine different puzzles, for a total of 27 different puzzles. Easy puzzles are relatively simple and are a great introduction for new players. Hard puzzles on the other hand, can be very challenging and require some thinking and strategy to finish successfully.

Peg Solitaire also tracks how long it takes to solve each puzzle so you can try to beat your best times.

Spelling Star Spanish Edition ($2.99), by puzzle.tv, is played just like their well rated Spelling Star, just in Spanish, rather than English. I actually see two different markets for each game: first, those who are working on their written language skills for their native language (whether adults or children) and, second, for intermediate learners of a second language. If you are learning English or Spanish and the other is your native tongue, you're the perfect market for this company, as you may need both games.

Game Description
How good is your word knowledge? Find out by taking the Spelling Star Spanish Edition challenge and progress through 100 increasingly difficult levels to find out.

Spelling Star Spanish Edition features ten different game types using Spanish words including straight spelling; anagrams; misspellings; and noun, adjective and verb tests. Instructions can be shown in English or in Spanish to accommodate different fluency levels.

With thousands of words, ranging in difficulty from 'amor' to 'amodorrarse', Spelling Star Spanish Edition is suitable for all ages and abilities and adapts quickly to the proficiency of the user. The level at which you start is initially based on your age, and adjusts up or down according to your performance in the Main Challenge portion of the game.

Improve your Spanish spelling today with this entertaining game. Are you a Spelling Star?

New Kindle Game - Choice of the Vampire

Choice of the Vampire ($2.99), a text-based adventure game by Choice of Games, is a new Active Content game in the Kindle store. I'm tempted by this one (but would like to see a review or two, first).

Book Description
Choice of the Vampire is a text-based game where your choices control the story.

Play as a newly created vampire, struggling to survive your first nights of immortality. Begin your two-hundred-year journey as a vampire in New Orleans of 1815, and choose whether to seek love, power, or redemption as you negotiate the growing pains of the young Republic.

Throughout the game you'll choose between a set of options which decide the action your vampire will take next. Will you embroil yourself in the intrigues of elder vampires? Can an undead creature find true love? How will you balance your waning humanity against your thirst for blood?

If you love gamebooks, you'll love Choice of the Vampire. Its unique approach to interactive fiction allows larger, deeper, and richer stories than traditional gamebooks. Will you discover all of the hidden endings?

Please note: Choice of the Vampire contains content that may be inappropriate for children.

New Kindle Game - Scripps Spelling Bee: Word Games

Scripps Spelling Bee: Word Games ($2.99), by THQ, is a new Active Content game in the Kindle store.

Book Description
Scripps Spelling Bee on Kindle offers three word games: Word Search, Honeycomb Hunt and Mystery Bee.

In Word Search, the game displays a word box with words hidden among a grid of letters. The round is completed once you've found all the words or 10 minutes have passed.

Honeycomb Hunt is a word scramble game. You are given a list of words and a grid of hexagon blocks containing letters. The object of the game is to rotate clusters of letters until all the words on the list are found. The trick is that you must move letters by rotating them without disturbing a word you had previously created.

Mystery Bee is a hangman-style game. For each wrong guess, a body part is filled in on a picture of a bee. If you need them, you can get clues such as the definition of the word, or word's origin.

Scripps Spelling Bee can be used to learn new words in 4 different levels of difficulty, and Spelling Bee can also help you learn your own word lists. Just type your study words into a word list and you can use those words in the games.

Scripps Spelling Bee will help make it fun to learn new words or to study your personal word lists. Get it today so you can truly "Bee" a champion!