Looking for a New iOS or Android Game App? How About 'Fairway Solitaire Blast' by #BigFishGames?

This Fairway Solitaire Blast game post was written as part of a compensated campaign for Big Fish Games.  All opinions expressed are my own.

I love playing games on my smartphone during my precious few minutes of downtime here and there. I think it is amazing how much diversion can be packed into a device we carry with us everywhere. Whether I am waiting in a lobby or in line at a bank, I am moments away from some reality-escaping fun.

I installed Big Fish Games' Fairway Solitaire Blast recently and have been fighting addiction to the game app ever since. Fairway Solitaire Blast is the followup to Fairway Solitaire, but with some added power ups to help you clear levels fast and in a thrilling way.

Fairway Solitaire Blast is a cross between solitaire and golf . . . sort of. The game is essentially a streamlined solitaire that progresses through a golf-like structure of advancement, gophers and all!

The game is fast paced and easy to understand, I hate games with a high learning curve, especially on my mobile device. I want fast and simple fun on my phone and Fairway Solitaire Blast delivers nicely.


Like many current games for your mobile device, Fairway Solitaire Blast offers social connections through Facebook and Google+ with rewards for sharing with your friends. There is a host of power-ups available as well to keep the game moving along.

If you like Solitaire but want something faster and a little different, you will love Fairway Solitaire Blast by Big Fish Games. The game is available free to try for Android, iOS, and Kindle Fire devices.

Visit www.BigFishGames.com to view the vast selection of games currently available for PC, Mac, mobile devices, and online gaming.

Checkout the Top iOS & Android Mobile Game Apps by Big Fish Games!

Thank you to Big Fish Games for providing a prize for our giveaway and for sending a Google Play credit and a Big Fish Game code to me as a thank you for taking the time to share these fun mobile game apps and PC games with my readers.  All opinions expressed are my own.

You may have heard me complain once or twice (or 20 times) about being too busy to do much gaming in recent years.  I have turned to Big Fish Games many times in search of shorter mini games to play on my computer that require less commitment than MMO's.  Now that mobile devices have pretty much taken over our lives, I can play games on-the-go and sneak in a little gameplay whenever I have some extra time . . . while I watch TV in bed at night, during my children's Taekwondo classes, and even while I'm waiting for pasta to boil.  If you're always looking for a fun new mobile game to try, a great place to start is the lists of iPad/iPhone/iPod game apps and Android game apps at BigFishGames.com.

Even though I enjoy playing games on my phone and tablet PC, I still love playing games on my widescreen computer monitor.  Hidden object games are my personal favorite with Diner Dash following at a close second.  Since there are so many out there, I consult the current list of Big Fish Games' Top-Rated Games when I'm looking for a new game.  You can see the current top 6 games below . . .

4 Tips for Gaming Fun with Big Fish Games . . . 

1.  Big Fish Games releases a new game everyday!

2.  Some games are free to play and some are paid.

3.  You can try any game for free for up to an hour before deciding to purchase it.

4.  The casino games at Big Fish Games use virtual money, so you can gamble for fun without using real-life funds.

To view all the games currently available at Big Fish Games, visit www.BigFishGames.com.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Good luck in the drawing!

This giveaway is open to U.S. entries only. You do not need to be a blogger to enter, but you must have a valid email address and be age 18 years or older. A random drawing will be held shortly after the contest closing. The winner will be announced here and will be contacted via email. If the winner does not respond within 48 hours, a new winner will be drawn.

Have Fun Making Pixel Art with M&M's While Entering to Win an Xbox One Forza 5 Prize Pack! #FueledByMM #shop #cbias

I am a member of the Collective Bias® Social Fabric® Community. This M&M shop has been compensated as part of a social shopper insights study about an 8-bit sprite pixel art contest for Collective Bias and its client.

Last week, my husband and I sat down to do a jigsaw puzzle without the children for the first time in a long time.  It turned out to be a nice quiet and stress-free evening.  The best part was that we sat face-to-face, as opposed to forehead-to-forehead.  What I mean is, we usually are sitting across from each other at our computers and the only part we see of each other is our foreheads peeping over our monitors.  Since we had so much fun with the jigsaw puzzle, I thought I'd invite my husband to join in on the Gaming is Better with M Pixel Art Contest on Instagram.  To my delight, he accepted my invitation (most likely because he wanted to win an Xbox One and Forza 5 prize pack) and we soon learned that creating pixel art with M&M's, although extremely fun, was not as easy as we thought it would be.

Want to play along?  First you'll need some M&M's.  I went to Walmart and was faced with making a choice from more types of M&M's than I knew existed.  I chose Peanut Butter M&M's because they sounded tasty.  They ended up being delicious, but if I had to choose again, I would have chosen the classic milk chocolate M&M's because they are more consistent in size and shape.  Even though our candy pieces were a little rounder and varied a bit in size, we still had a blast constructing our 8-bit sprites.  The most difficult part of it was remembering that we were working on a fixed grid (like on a peg board) that requires all your pieces to line up in perfect rows, both vertically and horizontally.

Here is what we came up with . . . 

We tried to stick with a racing theme, since Xbox is celebrating the release of the new Forza 5 game.  I was super-impressed by my husband because he was able to create an 8-bit sprite for almost anything that popped into our heads, including a racetrack, race car, and checkered flag.

Because of the size of our Peanut Butter M&M's, it took me several tries to make this finish line.  I think the next time we do this, I'm going to look for the mini baking M&Ms, whose smaller size would allow our designs to be more elaborate.

My favorite of all the 8-bit sprites I created is the first place trophy.  I attempted several times to put handles on it, but decided that it looks better without.  What do you think?

Are you all revved up to enter to win an Xbox One Prize Pack?  Just follow these easy steps . . .

• Create your own Pixel Art using M&M's (R) candies and snap an Instagram Photo. 
• Tag your image with #FueledByM AND #Contest and post the image on Instagram and Twitter.

One lucky Pixel Artist will win a new Xbox One and Gaming is better with M pack including the Forza 5 Motorsport game and a 14 oz bag of M&Ms(R). Contest runs Dec. 4th - Dec. 18th and winner will be chosen at random.

Be sure to stop by the Gaming is Better with M contest page to see all the creative entries.

Are you a Walmart shopper?  Here's how you can get a $10 Walmart eGift Card to help with your Holiday shopping . . .

Buy, Snap, Redeem!

• Buy Forza 5 game at Walmart

• Buy participating M&M’s products at Walmart  (Participating products include: M&Ms Peanut 42oz Stand Up Pouch, M&Ms Milk 42oz Stand Up Pouch, M&Ms Peanut Butter 38oz Stand Up Pouch, M&Ms Pretzel 30oz Stand Up Pouch, M&Ms Peanut 19.2oz Large Laydown Bag, M&Ms Milk 19.2oz Large Laydown Bag, M&Ms Peanut Butter 18.4oz Large Laydown Bag, M&Ms Pretzel 15.4oz Large Laydown Bag.)

• Snap a photo of qualifying items on the receipt on your phone and text it to 811811. Include the code M&M with the picture of your Walmart receipt. Game and M&M’s must be purchased on the same receipt between November 22nd, 2013 and December 31st, 2013.

• Redeem: You will receive a text back with a reward code valid for a $10 eGift Card to Walmart.

Silly Monkey Stories: Our Daughter the Speed Demon

As part of our recent Coco Key Water Park staycation, we spent quite a lot of time in the arcade located inside the DoubleTree by Hilton hotel.  The first time we went to the arcade, our nearly 6 year old daughter was a little upset because, being a classic over-achiever, she does not like it at all when she does not excel at something right away.  She ran into this problem with many of the games we recommended for her, such as the jump rope game or the dinosaur crane.  With each game she played that she could not win within the first few attempts, she became more and more upset.

On the second evening that we returned to the arcade, she really did not want to go, but I told her that we would keep trying new games until she found some that she liked.  Well, she surprised me by accepting my invitation to try some of the games that even her nearly 6 year old brother and her 9 year old brother were too timid to try.  I was so proud of her.  Even though she did not win at the games, she clearly enjoyed herself.  I think she learned an important lesson that evening at the arcade.

Our daughter the speed demon, ladies and gentlemen . . . 

Click here to read all our Silly Monkey Stories!

Change How Your Kids Play Games in 2013 with the MG Portable Android Wi-Fi Game System

A little while ago we received the Play MG Android based pocket gaming system to try out. At the time I was very excited to have a device I could hand off to my kids instead of my smartphone. After spending some time with the Play MG I can say it performs as advertised and has not disappointed.

The Play MG comes in a clever yet simple drawer-style box with just a few items inside. The most notable item in the box is a debit card. The SpendSmart Mastercard creates a “digital wallet” that your kids can use to buy apps without pestering you when they want a new app that is not free. Once the SpendSmart card is loaded with money you can see your balance prominently displayed on the units main home page. Your kids will always know how much they have left to spend.

The next “surprise” in the box was the very noticeable lack of a charger. I spent a few moments looking about to make sure I didn't drop it someplace. After reading every word on the box I noticed it is in fact not supplied. The instructions state to use any standard mini USB adapter. Before I got outraged over the situation, I realized I had a half dozen such chargers about the house.  Anybody progressive enough to be considering a device like the Play MG probably does too and it stopped being an issue.

The Play MG looks great and feels good in your hands, just as a portable gaming device should. Although substantially smaller than traditional handheld gaming devices, the buttons and shape feel right. Although the screen is smaller than most dedicated gaming devices, it is in tune with screen sizes of similar sized Android phones (which is the point).

The screen is bright and the pixel density is superb making for a great looking experience. The performance of the unit is at least as good as any late model smartphone and keeps up with the screens quality. There is nothing worse than a great screen coupled with a slow processor, no such problem with the Play MG.

The device feels and looks like any Android smartphone using a late edition of the OS. If you have an Android phone you already know how to use the Play MG. I was up and running in minutes as a result. Downloading apps is as easy as it is on your phone, in fact its the exact same process, and I like that.

Setting up the Play MG for my kids could not have been any easier. My unit came with a plethora of pre-installed apps to get us started. In fact, my kids have yet to request anything new as they aren't through with the included apps yet! Combine the loaded apps with my existing familiarity with the Android OS and it was a total snap. I will warn you against linking any of the apps with any accounts you use on your smartphone however. My Play MG attempted to set itself up as my smartphone was, not something I want for a device primarily for my children's use, but I suppose a nice feature if I was the sole user of the Play MG.

The only issue we had was the initial version of the OS that shipped with the unit had some stability issues. I should say for full disclosure that our unit was a pre-retail demo unit and these things are to be expected. After the update was available (and easily applied) we have yet to have any issues.

Overall the Play MG is an excellent idea and a well executed product. My kids love to play it as much as my phone leaving us all much happier. This aspect alone is worth the price. In a way, the Play MG is as much of a gift for mom and dad as it is for the kids. You can currently buy the Play MG directly from PlayMG or from Amazon for $149.99. It is a bargain compared to a top tier smartphone.


Thank you to the PlayMG Corporation for providing a complimentary product sample for us to base this review upon and for providing an additional product for our contest prize.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Good luck in the drawing!

Holiday Gift Idea: Take "Skylanders Giants" For a Test Drive at Your Local Best Buy Store

What a great time I had on a recent visit to my local Best Buy. Prominently located at the front of the store was a living room-like endcap that featured a super-unique new console game called Skylanders Giants. The display was fun and inviting so we stopped and checked it out.

The game itself is completely unique. It integrates these super cool figures and accessories that actually link into the game via a special pedestal-like device that plugs into your console.  The figures represent the avatar or character you play in the game. Simply place your figure on the pedestal and the game changes to represent that character! You know instantly you made the link as the Skylanders figure and the pedestal light up. Once the game registers the figure used (pretty much instantly), you are allowed to play that character and use any unique abilities it has.

Which character you choose dictates what areas of the game you have access to as well as what abilities you can use to defeat your enemies. The kids thought it was amazing.  When it was their turn, they simply dropped their figure onto the pedestal to make the change in the game.

The graphics are colorful and stylized with a slight World Of Warcraft feel. The gameplay is easy to follow yet challenging. My 6 year old learned the controls fast enough as to not get frustrated and my 9 year old was fighting bosses in a short time.

It's fun to see a game that extends beyond the console and your TV. You can buy different figures and accessories to add new gameplay and adventure.  All are 100% compatible with the base starter set. I can easily imagine my kids playing with the figures without even turning on the game itself! The options for creativity and imagination are greatly expanded with a game like Skylanders Giants.

I am not embarrassed to say I played the game far too long before handing the controls over to my kids!

Visit Best Buy online to find out if there is an in-store demo at your local store and to learn about the Skylanders Giants Exclusive Launch Loot Bonus for those who pre-order the Skylanders Giants Starter Pack or Portal Owners Pack for any of the following platforms:  PS3, Xbox 360, Nintendo Wii, or 3DS.

The reviewer has been compensated in the form of a Best Buy Gift Card and/or received the product/service at a reduced price or for free.  All opinions expressed are his own.

Pre-order the MG Android Gaming Device for $99 (Retail $169) by September 27th

I could not be more excited about the new MG from PlayMG!!!! My kids ask me every 2 minutes for my mobile phone when they have nothing else to do. Finally I can keep it to myself while the kids occupy themselves with their own device that plays everything my phone can.

Have you checked out the MG yet? You MUST see it. The moment Karen shared this with me I was ecstatic about the whole thing. Go to Kickstarter and check it out. Show your kids, they will go bananas. Heck, I went bananas! My kids aren't ready for a smartphone and can't be trusted with a tablet, the MG is the PERFECT solution.

The MG is a portable gaming device a lot like a mobile phone, but without actually being a phone. It plays the same 60,000+ games available to any phone, both free and paid apps. It is small and designed to be portable but also ergonomic like a game controller. You can preload your account with money so your kids can buy apps without hassling you. The MG can also be set up for parental monitoring.


If you pre-order the MG by September 27th you can save $70!!! This thing is a no brainer for the holidays! Can you tell I am excited about this? Kickstarter is a site that startups can use to help fund their product or service. By making an investment in the product (like the MG) you can earn perks like a fantastic discount or a free MG!

Look for our upcoming review of the MG gaming device coming up this fall!