Alice Greenfingers
At a Glance
Gameplay is simple. Instead of a tutorial, you just play along, receiving occasional advice from a granny character or the aged agricultural shopkeeper. You dig in the dirt, sow seeds, and nurture your plants until they bear fruit (or flowers, or vegetables) enough to sell at the farmer's market. Over time, you transform your backyard garden into a model of bountiful, bucolic bliss. Alice really means business; the game tells you the current demand for crops, so you can tweak the prices of your wares accordingly and make more money at market.
The uncomplicated graphics and pretty music with birds a-twitter suit the idyllic setting. This is a game for relaxing, not for getting keyed up. The demo version works for just one hour; for more fun on the farm, you'll have to pony up $20.
For all its sedate pace, Alice Greenfingers is a surprisingly addictive game. I let loose a cry of dismay when the screen briefly went black and then told me my hour of fantasy farming was up.
--Laura Blackwell
