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PopCap Games and Astraware have done an excellent job in bringing handheld owners everywhere games that give them a great bang for the buck. This game just makes that buck seem to go a bit further. Big Money is another classic game created in the same mold as Bejeweled (PopCap and Astraware also combined on that one), combining great graphics, addictive game play, and the best game sounds this side of a classic Nintendo Master System.

Game Play
Big Money is a Tetris-type game that works on the build from the bottom theme. For those that have played Collapse, it is quite similar, yet offers some interesting options. Like Collapse, there are three levels of play, Easy, Normal, and Hard. With the difference being the speed at which each level of coins appear and the number of coins that appear in matching pairs (the higher the level, it seems that there are less combinations, and you have to be more strategic). It is quite easy to get mastery of, though not so much so that the game is boring. The hardest part that I have had to encounter is in the higher levels when you have to pick your spots where you click on matching coins, sometimes you get a combo that will lead to other combos, other times, you will sentence yourself to quick exits from the game. This makes Big Money frustrating and challenging at the same time, and keeps its replay value high.

Graphics
As with most Astraware releases, Big Money has some of the best graphics a game can have on the PalmOS. The coins that appear are easy to distinguish from each other with different markings (cent, dollar, yen and euro). There are even money bags that fall down from the top of the screen that look as if they are about to burst from the gold contained within them. There is some lag when loading the game from the Storage card, but all in all, when you start Big Money, you are treated to some expensive looking visuals.

This game is bound to be a classic with those who like games that just pass the time. I find myself playing Big Money just to pass the time. Usually for me though, it is about an hour before I want to put it down. Big Money is just simply addictive.

In-Game Sounds
The most important thing after a game’s looks and game action, are its sounds. If a game says Big Money, it should sound like it. Big Money delivers here with some excellent sounds. The sounds compromise of excellent sound effects (money clanging, coins dropping, and voices telling you what is going on) along with a great music compliment from the same people who did the music for Bejeweled (Skaven). From the sounds alone, I believe that you will want to play Big Money quite often. The sounds are refreshing. Though it is the same sound over and over again, it never seems to get old or make you want to mute it (lest you are in church and don’t want to attract attention).

Test Environment
Palm Zire 71

Pros
• Fun game play to drive you crazy
• Slick Animation
• Runs on Color and Grayscale machines
• Bombs to test your strategy
• Three difficulty settings
• Configurable Sound Effects
• Individual high score table for each difficulty
• High Score export to Internet High Score Table
• Pause and resume your game later
• Palette adjustment on grayscale machines
• Built in function to beam a demo to your friends
• Clock and Battery Meter

Cons
• So addictive that you will forgo all responsibilities to get a higher score.

Conclusion
Big Money is at the top of my list for a fun diversion from the money troubles that economic news can bring. It is a refreshing game that is not groundbreaking, but just does its theme well. Astraware has another winner on its hands with this one.

Purchase Information
Big Money is available from our Handango software store for $14.95 in both Palm and Pocket PC formats, with a free trial.