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ImpArea and Charm Rocks are two interesting action games from DOKA that resemble a combination of board games and whack-a-mole.

The objectives of both games are similar: catch as many 'imps' as you can. In ImpArea, you catch the imps by trapping them inside a drinking glass, while in Charm Rocks your objective is more complicated. Here, you need to shoot the imps with your magic bow before they succeed in pilfering your 'charm rocks' that scatter around the board and bringing them back to their world. And to make things even more difficult: each shot you miss will open up a new hole in the board, from which more imps will come through. If your missed shot lands in an already-opened hole, the imps will come through at a faster rate. To close opened holes, you must kill all the imps of the same color from the board.

The game is over when all your charm rocks have been stolen, or if you successfully close all the holes. You can multiply the number of charm rocks on the board by hitting the imp that is carrying a charm rock precisely when it is standing on a tile that has another rock - any rock that touches each other will multiply itself to surrounding tiles. And last but not least, if your arrow misses the imp but hits its shadow, you will effectively sever the shadow and make it come alive! These shadows are a big nuisance because they will go on the same rock-hunting spree as their "hosts," and the only way to kill them is to kill their hosts.

After the first few minutes, you will start to see dozens of imps - and that is when Charm Rocks gets intense, frantic, and quite fun. This makes it more fun than ImpArea, where the objective is more turn-based and less hectic. Both games, especially Charm Rocks, deserve a look by anyone who enjoys quirkly little action games that are refreshingly different. Recommended, but not nearly Top Dogs.

Review By HOTUD