Do you ever find yourself so attached to a product that you resist even trying others? Me? Totally. I'm pretty open minded about trying new stuff, in general, but there are some things I prefer to stick with. If it isn't broken, don't fix it.

Hellmann's mayonnaise is one of those things. It's the brand my mom used while I was growing up and was a key ingredient in her veggie dip recipe. I also felt it helped ensure the best Hidden Valley Ranch Dressing back in the day when it was made from a packet. You know, BEFORE Hidden Valley Ranch was available in a bottle.

When we moved to Los Angeles, I was disappointed to see Hellmann's missing from the supermarket shelves. That was back in 1997 and but I still vividly remember standing in the grocery store with DH, staring at the shelves and pondering our choices. We picked up a jar of Best Foods mayonnaise. I remember commenting that "It looks like Hellmann's." As we stood there surveying the jar of Best Foods, we found a quote on the label that changed our mood entirely. "...known as Hellmann's east of the Rockies." 

Because I've been such a fan of the product, I felt comfortable sharing information about their latest promotion - The Real Food Project.  It's a joint project with Bobby Flay (duh, chef extraordinaire) and Lori Loughlin (whom I will forever associate with "Full House").  It's an in-depth website offering recipes and tips for creating real meals.  Recipes span a wide range to meet the diverse needs of families - from sandwiches to entrees and side dishes.  Since it's easier to learn by watching, how-to videos hosted by Bobby Flay, are also available.  And from now until January 4, 2011, The Real Food Project has a sweepstakes running.  Log on daily to play their "Wheel of Real" for a chance to win prizes and get coupons!

As I said, I'm a huge fan of Hellmann's (and Best Foods) so it goes without saying that I like to keep up on their latest happenings.  You can to by following them on Twitter as Hellmann's or Best Foods.  They're on Facebook at Hellmann's and Best Foods.  Of course, you can always visit their respective websites: Hellmann's and Best Foods.  Good luck with their sweepstakes but stocking Hellmann's in the fridge is always a winner.

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When we lived in Los Angeles, I had the opportunity to participate in advanced screenings of movies.  I always loved it and it's one thing that I miss about living here in Iowa.  It was a time before we had kids and we frequently saw movies of all genres.  And loved it.

While we still love movies, we're more limited on being able to go.  The difference now is that our theater experiences are dominated by kid-friendly movies.  But we're okay with that because a lot of them are great these days.  A few weeks ago, we took the kids to see "How to Train Your Dragon."  You know... it was awesome.  Not only did the kids enjoy it, but DH and I did as well.  I've come to realize that just because a movie is animated or rated "G" or "PG" for that matter, doesn't mean it is only for kids.  "How to Train Your Dragon" is one of those movies that I would recommend to pretty much anyone.

But this isn't a review about the movie.  It's about the video game brought to us by Activision.  I've heard people before say that video games with movie tie-ins just don't work.  While some games make more sense if you have seen the movie, they can still be entertaining even if you haven't.  When our "How to Train Your Dragon" games arrived, we hadn't seen the movie yet.  The kids sat down to play on their DS's and created dragons of their own.  Once they had each created a dragon on their respective DS's, they proceed into single-player game mode to battle dragons.  And they had fun.

Here are a few observations I made about the game for the DS:

Let's talk about the game's rating.  I'll admit that I let my daughters, ages 7 and 5, play "'How to Train Your Dragon" which happens to be rated "E 10+" by the ESRB.  That means that it may be best suited for people aged 10 and over.  I watched the girls play the game when we first loaded it and honestly, the E 10+ rating is kind of overkill.  Yes, dragons fight to the death.  But a dragon's death, even if totally engulfed in flames or blood, still isn't what I would consider gory.  Did I have a concern that I was causing harm to my children (who are under the age of 10) by letting them play this game?  Heavens no.

With that said, they weren't particularly fond of the multi-player (dual cartridge) feature on the DS.  Which leads me to my next section - Single player vs multi-player:  Not only can "How to Train Your Dragon" be played solo, but there are also two different options for multi-player.  If you have two DSs, but only one copy of the game, two people are able to play each other but they are limited to the type of dragon.  If each person has a copy of the game, they're able to battle using their own customized dragons.  When I was talking to Miss K (age 5) about the game, she said "We don't like that (multi-player) because we have to fight each other."  There may be an option to team up and fight other dragons, but we didn't find that.  Once they realized they had to fight each other, they had no interest in playing multi-player.  For most, that's probably fine... for my girls, as I said, that didn't work. I was convinced that was a characteristic of their age and not the game itself.  Once I played the console edition, I changed my mind and realized it has everything to do with the game and not just my kids. I'll explain that in more detail when I explain the console features.

Graphics:  I can only describe the graphics as a mix of excellent and awful.  During the battle scenes, there was a decent amount of depth to the images giving it the appearance of a toned down console game.  However when moving between locations and back to the village, I felt like I was watching Pitfall for Intellevision.  (No comments from the peanut gallery about how old that makes me.)  At least the dumbed down graphics were during non-essential portions of the gameplay.  If you want great graphics for the entire game, grab a console copy instead.  In addition to the DS, it's available for the Wii, XBox 360 and PlayStation 3.  We had the privilege of demoing the Wii console version which I'll explain further on in this review.

Customizing dragons: As we discovered in more depth during the movie, different species of dragons have different strengths and weaknesses.  Actually, when we were watching the movie, I had to laugh because Miss M leaned over to me and whispered "This is where we find out what we can unlock!"  Anyway... when you first set up your dragon, you can select the features that you're most interested in utilizing in battle.  Torn between types of dragons?  That's okay because you're able to customize a few different dragons and store them in a stable in the village.  When you return to the stable, you can switch to a different dragon.  Not only does this give one person some variety, but it also allows for a few different family members to participate in the game using their respective dragons.

Gameplay:  You navigate your way and battle various dragons.  Utilizing a handful of offensive or defensive moves, you take turns fighting the dragon.  It isn't a Mortal Combat style game where you're both fighting simultaneously, you're literally taking turns.  After you make a selection, the game enacts your moves then shows how much damage you inflicted on your opponent.  Then you wait until they do the same.  While I felt this was monotonous, my daughters were fine with it.  My niece (10) and nephew (13) both played the game and said it was a lot of fun.  When I was talking to my nephew about it, he admitted that the battle scenes are a bit redundant but that the game in general was entertaining.

Here are a few observations I made about the game for the Wii:

Game Rating:  As is to be expected, the graphics on the console version are significantly more robust than the DS version.  However, I STILL wouldn't consider it a gory game and feel the "E 10+" by the ESRB errors on the side of caution.

Single player vs multi-player:  Story mode is single player, arcade mode is multi-player.  Unfortunately, multi-player is only PvP.  Unlike the camaraderie displayed in the movie, these dragons only fight each other.  As I said before, I thought it had to do with my daughter's ages but I was seriously disappointed that Miss M and I weren't able to launch an assault together. 

Graphics:  Be-a-u-tiful.  Vibrant colors and details.  I've provided plenty of pictures so you be the judge. (Try to look past the glare from the lights.)

Customization:  Yes, you can create different dragons.  As I said before, different dragons have different strengths and weaknesses.  Since dragons require rest, it helps to have more than one available.  This allows you to let one sleep, grab another and can continue to play. What makes it even more interesting is that not all dragons like the same items that increase food, health, mood and trust.

Gameplay:  I'll start with the easy one:  Arcade mode.  As I said, it's for PvP (2 player) or solo where you're battling the computer.  Miss M and I sat down to play and found that knowing the capabilities of each dragon makes all the difference.  Sure, you can hop into arcade mode and hit the ground running.  However, it's best to start in story-mode and learn about the pros/cons of each dragon, how to create combo moves as well as the back-story.  During story mode, you complete assigned tasks like learning how to forage for food - killing chickens or sheep in the village, picking plants and vegetables from the gardens and shopping at the merchant.  You also learn how to move and what it takes to make your dragon stronger.  After completing assigned tasks, you train with your dragon before competing in a tournament.  You also learn about creating recipes for increasing food, health, mood and trust.  I found the arcade mode to basically be a Mortal Combat or Street Fighter game.  It was fun but playing story mode made me feel like I was playing a modified version of WoW.  Something I found interesting when DH and Miss M were fighting each other in arcade mode... this isn't a game for sitting down.  They both were able to control their dragons better, taking advantage of swinging the remote easier by standing up.  Since shaking the WiiMote initiates a particular dragon move, standing up while playing is the best option... and it's funny to watch.

PvP. For both the DS and the console game, I hated that we couldn't team up to battle a common enemy.  If there was an option to do so, we didn't find it on either system.  Sometimes it is fun to fight each other but fighting together would have been a nice option.

Map. I don't believe there is an in-game map.  This would have been helpful.

Pause key.  As I mentioned in gameplay, flailing around to maneuver your dragon is pretty much a necessity.  Numerous times, we bumped the pause key.  DH's palm would bump it while gripping the WiiMote but Miss M and I just happened to keep hitting it while trying to remember which buttons were strike, evade, hit and taunt.

Overall:  It's a really entertaining game for the Wii.  The kids loved the DS version but if required to choose, I would pick a console copy.  The kids enjoyed it and weren't frightened or effected by the graphics.  Since we saw the movie, it just made it that much more fun.

Have you gone to see the movie yet?  If not, set aside some time to do that before it leaves the theaters.  In the meantime, representatives for Activision have generously given some extra copies of the game specifically for SahmReviews.com readers!

Participants -

...must provide a US shipping address
...must provide an email in the first comment, email me directly with an email address or have email accessible from their profile.

Sometime on May 7, 2010, winners will be chosen at random (using random.org) from all valid comments left. Winners have 72 hours from posting/notification to respond. If a winner cannot be contacted, I will move on to the next random selection.
(1) Go to the How To Train Your Dragon the game official website.
(2) Leave a comment on this post at SahmReviews.com with which ONE copy you would like to win. You must select DS, Wii, XBox 360 or PS3. I will draw separate winners for each.

If you want to increase your chances of winning, here are some options to earn additional entries -
-- Three Entries:  If you have a blog or website, add my button to your page. (Here's the code:)
<center><a href="http://www.sahmreviews.com" target="_blank"><img alt="SAHM Reviews" src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v737/ia2ca/Sahm/SahmReviews125.jpg"/></a></center>
-- Two Entries:  Publish a blog post regarding this contest and link back to it.
-- One Entry (Daily):  Follow me on Twitter and Tweet this contest by clicking here or copying the following text:
"I'm a Dragon Training Cadet. Trying to win a copy of How to Train Your Dragon for DS, Wii, XBox360 or PS3! http://bit.ly/c0iLho @SahmReviews". Comment with a link to your tweet.
-- One Entry: "Like" SAHM Reviews on Facebook.  Of course, don't forget to leave a comment.
-- One Entry: Subscribe to my feed via RSS or email.
-- One Entry: Follow SahmReviews using Google's Friend Connect feature.
-- One Entry: Become a fan of How to Train Your Dragon on Facebook ("like" it). Would appreciate you letting them know that SahmReviews.com sent you. Come back here and leave a comment for each one you did.
-- One Entry (Daily): Read any of my non-giveaway reviews here at SahmReviews.com and leave an appropriate comment on that post. Come back here and leave a comment stating which product/post you left a comment on.

Thanks go out to representatives for Activision for this very fun opportunity.  Keep your eyes open in May for when the Shrek Forever After game releases!

158 comments

When I was in grade school, I heard a snippit on the radio on the way to school.  It posed the question of "Do you prefer your toilet paper to go "over" or go "under".  Up until that point, I honestly had never even noticed that there was a difference in how the paper hung.  It was like "Okay, the toilet paper is gone. Replace it."  So when I heard this little trivia question, I made a mental note to see what on earth they were talking about.  Over?  Under?  Huh?

And then I realized the power of suggestion.  Something that I had never noticed before now became an obsession.  A preference.  An annoyance.  I discovered that I prefer the toilet paper to hang with the paper going over the top - away from the wall.  When it is hanging the other way, I feel like all the paper hanging down is rubbing against the wall and getting dirty.  Ick.

It's a strange feeling using the restroom somewhere away from home and finding yourself noticing whether they roll the paper over or under.  I find it even odder that I feel compelled to want to flip the roll when it is not hanging to my liking.  Do I?  If I'm at my mom's house, YES.  If I'm anywhere else, I respect them and leave it alone.  But none-the-less, I desperately want to flip it over.

While I thought I had developed some sort of obsessive-compulsive behavior, I know that isn't the case.  Cottonelle created a Roll Poll asking the question:  Which do you prefer?  I was so glad to see that 72% of the people felt the same way I did... they prefer "over".  Are they as fanatical about it?  Some, yes.  People have posted comments on the results page.  Some just say that they prefer "over" while others actually justify and explain why!  It's crazy.

Mom Central invited me to participate in this campaign and I'll be honest and say that while the debate itself struck a chord with me, I couldn't recall ever trying Cottonelle.  I usually shop for toilet paper at Sam's Club - and our local one offers only Charmin and Quilted Northern.  My preference had always been Quilted Northern until they offered pink ribbon packaging last year - with a portion of the sale supporting cancer research.  The price was the same so I was very excited to see that a purchase that I already make would now benefit breast cancer research!  Unfortunately, my opinion of Quilted Northern was dramatically deflated when I got home and found the package was much smaller than the prior package.  The rolls were smaller.  And my impression of the company was...well... in the toilet.  While I thought they were contributing a portion of the sales to a worthy program, I found that they were actually shortchanging the customer in order to make that happen.  So when Mom Central sent along the sample of Cottonelle, I was open minded about trying it out.

What did I think?  I liked it.  Can't believe I haven't tried it before.  It's soft yet sturdy but didn't clog the toilet.  The rolls are a good size and the price is fair.  The packaging even offers Boxtops4Education!  Will I purchase it again?  Probably.  I'll definitely put it in the suggestion box at Sam's Club!

If you want to voice your opinion about the Over/Under debate... and you aren't talking about gambling... stop by Cottonelle's Facebook Fan Page or find them on Twitter.  Feel free to leave a comment here with your opinion of over vs under!

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Thanks again to Seagate for providing the prize pack to accompany my review. The FreeAgent DockStar and FreeAgent Go provide a great way to share pictures, videos and documents with people outside your home - or for you when you're away! Thanks to everyone who entered in hopes of winning this fabulous prize.

But there can only be one winner and this time Random.org selected comment #74 - Nelsby.  Well, Nelsby, watch your email for details on how to claim your prize.  Be sure to respond within 72 hours or I'll move along to the alternate.

Thanks again for participating in this great promotion!  More to come...

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Until recently, the gym was my second home. I would go at least two times per week for a cardio/strength class and at least one or two times per week to lift weights. When my favorite instructor left, I found myself less motivated and I'm gradually working my way back up to the schedule that made me so happy.

It's not that I'm a fanatic about the gym. Or that I'm some elite athlete trying to keep in shape. Nope. Complete opposite. I'm overweight... gained weight during fertility treatments, had undiagnosed hypothyroidism then eventually became pregnant. The combo of the three has been difficult to overcome and I've yet to lose all that weight. But I go to the gym regularly because it keeps me from sitting all day, gaining more weight.

Or more honestly, I work out because I have a horrible sweet tooth.

And no will power.

There aren't very many desserts that I would turn down. Cakes, pies, cookies. Some varieties are higher on the list than others but chocolate is my biggest downfall.

I love chocolate. The entry level chocolates - basically, checkout aisle candy bars - are good. But quality chocolates are awesome. Lindt Lindor Truffles, Hershey's Bliss, Ghiradelli and Dove are among my favorites. I find myself savoring quality chocolates. When I take one, I eat it slowly and enjoy it.

If given the option, I would classify the chocolate and peanut butter combo as a food group of its own. So when Mom Central opened up a Dove Milk Chocolate with Peanut Butter blog tour, I was extremely excited. Delicious Dove chocolates and peanut butter. I'm all for that. I would be lying if I didn't say that I enjoy Reese's Peanut Butter Cups but they just leave me feeling unsatisfied. The Dove chocolates are rich and decadent and I was able to savor them.

When the package arrived, we had just returned from a trip to Chicago and had stopped at the Lindt outlet store. We had picked up a small bag of truffles so I thought the bag of Dove Peanut Butter Milk Chocolate Promises was going to be mine to enjoy... you know... by myself.  Unfortunately, I was wrong.  Other family members were eating the Lindt Lindor truffles, but my bag of Dove chocolates kept disappearing also.  It was my own fault because both the girls picked the Dove chocolates when given a choice.  Me?  I mostly ate the Dove ones but had a Lindor every once in a while, too.  Because we all savor quality chocolates, these bags lasted us quite a while!

I didn't used to think it was worth the extra money to purchase fancy brand chocolates.  I figured they probably tasted about the same but were extra expensive because they carried a fancy brand name.  Coach and first class are on the same plane and get you to the same place at the same time... but the ride, the experience on the way are completely different.  Dove chocolates may cost a little more than a standard candy bar - even ones produced by their parent company, Mars, but they are totally worth it.  The Dove chocolates are smooth and creamy.  When tasted side-by-side with a Reese's (which we had on hand from the Easter bunny), I immediately noticed the texture.  I expected there would be a difference in the chocolate itself - which there was - but I was surprised that there would be such a dramatic difference in the peanut butter.The peanut butter in the Dove chocolate melted in my mouth. 

On a side note, Dove used to offer personalized wrappers... You'll see the link on the Dove page that directs you to My Dove. Unfortunately, the website says they are no longer taking orders. You can still get personalized M&Ms. It's a shame because I thought the personalized Dove chocolates made very classy favors for weddings. Instead, you can send an e-promise message in a Dove wrapper via email but calorie-free, guilt-free cyberspace chocolate doesn't taste as good.  Think I'll stick with the real deal.  Even if it isn't a food group of its own.

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Hopefully, Linda Kish is hungry because she's the winner of Bisquick Pancake Nation prize pack.

As for the book giveaways:
Five winners were selected to win a copy of Corked by Kathryn Borel Jr.  Since there were several methods to enter, I drew 10 names to ensure that I pulled five unique winners.

Stash Mama, Enyl, Courtney, Megan and Debijot.

And for the giveaway for Spirited by Rebecca Rosen, Enyl will be walking away with the book.

Congrats to all the winners - watch your emails for your official announcement and how to claim your prize(s)! 

And everyone else... If you haven't already, be sure to enter the giveaway for a Seagate FreeAgent Go (portable drive) and FreeAgent DockStar (network adapter). The fantastic geekware package is valued at approximately $180 and as of right now, the entry numbers are pretty low.

Soon to come, chances to win a Yoplait Greek Yogurt Spa Package and a How to Train Your Dragon video game!

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Shortly after Miss M was born, we relocated from Palmdale to Arcadia, California.  A few years later, we decided to move back to Iowa where we could raise the girls around family.  It was always one thing or another that made things chaotic: the new baby (Miss M) or the pregnancy (Miss K) or the move to Arcadia (during the pregnancy) or the new baby (Miss K) or the move to Iowa.

And each chaotic thing gave me an excuse to avoid going to the dentist.  Oh, and I didn't have dental insurance so I used that excuse too.  It was a couple years between appointments but my teeth seemed fine so I figured "a little longer isn't going to hurt".

Anyway... In October 2006, I received a Philips Sonicare toothbrush as part of a BzzAgent campaign.  I had always wanted one but was just too cheap to spend that much on a toothbrush and I didn't want just any kind of electric toothbrush, I wanted a Sonicare. 

We finally settled into Iowa and I made an appointment with a dentist that we went to before moving California... and who my parents and brothers still go to.  When the hygienist cleaned my teeth, she grabbed my chart and asked me to confirm when my last appointment was.  She said that my teeth looked just as they would during a regular six-month cleaning.  She applauded the results and confirmed that the Sonicare is a great product.

Now... that brings us to an ongoing disagreement I have with DH.

Toothpaste.

I have used Crest with Tartar Control since, well, I can't remember when. Hubby, on the other hand, uses Colgate... exclusively. It's not that I've never been a fan of Colgate but I've always felt the "Tartar Control" part of Crest would help keep the tartar away. I would try DH's Colgate here or there like if we traveled and I forgot mine. I didn't NOT like it but I just thought that Crest Tartar Control was the ONLY way to go since I had used it for so long. As new Crest products came out, I shunned those also.  But after that dental appointment and talking with the hygienist, I realized that the Sonicare deserved the credit as opposed to my much-loved Crest with Tartar Control. 

I certainly didn't want to give DH the idea that he was right or that I was wrong or any gray area in between because, well, I just don't want to give him that kind of ammo.  But when one of my PR contacts asked if I would be interested in trying out a few Colgate products, I figured "Sure. If all else fails, DH will have a new stock of toothpaste." Besides, the package she was offering included some kids' toothpaste, and that was huge. My girls are big fans of Colgate's branded toothpaste line. Even before we let them start watching SpongeBob, they couldn't resist requesting Colgate's SpongeBob toothpaste.

So the package arrived and it was filled with several items:

Adult Toothpastes: Colgate Total Advanced Clean (with Whitening), Colgate Sensitive Enamel Protect, Colgate White and Colgate Max Fresh Cool Mint (w/ Breath Strips)

Kids Toothpastes:  Colgate Dora the Explorer and SpongeBob

Toothbrushes:  Colgate Motion, Colgate 360 Sonic Power, Colgate 360 Sensitive and Colgate Wisp.

What did I think?  Let's see...

First, it's important to know that I have two crowns that resulted from fillings from my childhood that finally gave out in adulthood.  As a result of the many fillings, I sometimes have sensitive teeth.  Every once in a while, when I start to experience discomfort while brushing I switch to a sensitive toothpaste until cold drinks don't bother my teeth. For that reason, I opted not to use the Colgate White because my dentist had told me that whitening toothpastes tend to be a little harsher on the teeth and might aggravate my sensitive teeth.

The first one that I started off with was Colgate MaxFresh. It's a very robust toothpaste that left my mouth feeling clean while giving me nice fresh breath without needing mouthwash. I liked it and would definitely add it to my personal 'approved' list. Following that, I utilized Total Advanced Care. Thinking it was going to be the most comparable to the Crest Tartar Control that I had been using, I used this exclusively for a few weeks. It did, indeed, give me the same clean feeling that my Crest did but it also made my teeth very sensitive. I hadn't noticed the small print that said "plus whitening". Because of that, I think that other products in the Colgate Total line would be fine for me but the whitening bothered my sensitive teeth. Thankfully, the package included a tube of Colgate Sensitive. Obviously, I switched to that next and have been using it since. My teeth aren't sensitive to the cold or hot now but I'll continue to use this one. Despite being a "sensitive" toothpaste, this toothpaste worked well and made me feel like my teeth were clean. It's definitely one that I would add to the list of toothpastes I would use.

As for toothbrushes, I decided that utilizing either the Sonic or the Motion toothbrushes wouldn't be appropriate. Because I've been using a Sonicare so long I didn't feel I would be able to prepare a balanced review. I'll turn those over to a contributing author who can provide a more balanced opinion of them.  For me, I opted to use the Colgate 360 to replace the manual toothbrush I use - as well as the variety of toothpastes with my Philips Sonicare toothbrush.  As I mentioned, I used my Sonicare mostly, but there are times when I use a regular, manual toothbrush. For example, I've been fighting a head-cold so I have been taking longer-than-normal showers to help steam my head clear. On those occasions, I opted to use the Colgate 360 while in the shower... figured I was just standing around wasting water so I might as well make use of the time and water by brushing my teeth. I have to admit that I loved this toothbrush. It's ergonomically designed handle and gel grip were comfortable. The bristles felt good (and effective) and the tongue/cheek cleaner worked great. I always brush the roof of my mouth but it often aggravates my throat, making me cough or gag. With the 360, I was able to do it without coughing. I've used a variety of brands and styles of toothbrush but when I used the 360, I didn't feel rushed to just finish up. Part of that is because my Sonicare has helped me realize how long 2 minutes is but mostly because it's just a very comfortable brush.

For the kids... well, I've already said how much they love the character toothpastes. The Colgate kids toothpastes are our usual purchase.  As long as they are happy with the toothpaste, they are more likely to brush their teeth.  I'm all for that.

The one thing in the package that is a little more unique is the Wisp. It's a disposable toothbrush that doesn't require water. They're perfect for keeping in your purse, desk or briefcase. I, personally, have a package in the car because as a mom... I'm in the car a lot. Just like some people keep gum on hand, the Wisp is small, handy and effective. And if you're on your way some place where you want to make a good impression, sometimes you want clean, fresh breath but you don't want to walk in chomping away at gum. They come four to a package.

Overall, I really liked the Colgate products. They've come a long way since I used them years ago and I'm glad I had a shot at trying a variety of them out. I realized that there are so many to choose from that it doesn't take much effort to find the one that targets exactly the 'issues' that I want. As for price, they are comparable to other toothpastes so I am comfortable adding them to my list of "approved" products.

Oh... and don't go telling my husband that I like Colgate... or I'll never hear the end of it.

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I love my iPhone…you may recall I have written about HellKid and Rise of the Triad.  I enjoy trying out new games as much as I enjoy asking my friends to try them out so we can compete, and I can WIN. Some of my favorite games are puzzles, such as Words with Friends, reMovem, MazeFinger, and Cubes Lite.  Those range from word games, to colored dots or squares that you double tap to make them disappear.

This past week I have been trying out a new game called Blyx.  It's a logical puzzle app with pictures of aliens.  First of all I noticed the colors.  They are so bright!  You start off seeing the picture of a cartoon alien with the majority of the squares in color and a few squares in black/white.  At the top of the screen is says how many steps to complete the puzzle.  On the bottom it says how many steps it is actually taking you. 

To be honest I was working on Level 3 and the lowest amount of steps it took me was 32.  Now I’m working on Level 1 and I’m currently at 39 steps for the puzzle I’m working on.  In other words, these aren't simple puzzles... they require quite a bit of thought.  There are 6 Levels and 16 puzzles in each level.  As you complete each puzzle you will have a check mark in that puzzle box so you can see how many you have completed successfully.  It’s a challenge and I love trying to figure out which square controls the one I need to turn to color so I can complete the puzzle.

Want to play it?  See if you can beat my 33 steps on the easier puzzles!  Let me know if you can, I'd love to hear how others do on this game.  Check out the website where you have the opportunity to win a promo code to play it.

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