Hexacto Games Inc. noted at this week’s E3 Expo in Los Angeles that it would be bringing its suite of casual games to the Macintosh. The company has developed several titles for PC, PocketPC and other platforms already, including a chess game, mahjong and more.
Hexacto will kick off its Mac efforts this July with four two Mac OS X-compatible titles — Emperor’s Mahjong, Lemonade Tycoon, Pop’s Pipes and Slurp.
One of Hexacto’s most popular titles is Lemonade Tycoon. In this business simulation game, you start out with a small lemonade stand a few dollars. You find the best location, check the weather forecast, manipulate your recipe, set your price and manage your inventory. Good business decisions are rewarded with increased cash reserves and more business success. You can even post your results on the Lemonade Stock Exchange (LSX) to find out how you’re doing against other Lemonade Tycoon players.
Mahjong is the millennia-old Chinese tile puzzle game in which you much match sets of tiles together to clear them from the board. Emperor’s Mahjong features 72 different layouts group in six different themes, three game modes including a multiplayer version, multiple difficulty levels, and a built-in Level Editor that enables you to create your own levels. What’s more, you can compare your scores with other Emperor’s Mahjong players online through the game’s Score Cast system.
Pop’s Pipes and Splash are a pair of action-oriented puzzlers. In Pop’s Pipes, you must connect the pipes in a race against time. The more pipes you connect, the higher you score. In Slurp, you use your pen to “slurp” up the colored drops and reform them into different shapes. Drops not slurped up turn solid. The game features multiple difficulty levels.
August will bring two more games to Mac OS X: Hard Rock Casino and Kasparov’s Chessmate. Featuring chess master Garry Kasparov, Kasparov Chessmate features multiplayer online gaming along with realistic computer opponents. The game features hundreds of drills based on the legendary Kasparov’s actual matches, 2D and 3D modes and more. Hard Rock Casino, meanwhile, features casino-style game play with Baccarat, Blackjack, Craps, Poker, Keno, Roulette, Slot Machine and Video Poker, all themed around the popular Hard Rock Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada.
September will bring Merriam-Webster Around the Words. The game combines different word games in one package, based on an “Around the World” theme in which you collect points that represent miles traveled on the globe.
Fans of the old Apple II game Pinball Construction Set will be thrilled to learn that Hexacto plans to revive this genre on the Mac this December: Crazy Pinball Factory enables players to create their own 3D pinball games using built-in editing tools. Premade tables are included, and editing tools include dozens of different flippers, bumpers, lights and other pinball elements. You can also play hidden mini-games by hitting targets in sequence, and more.
If you’ve been looking for a Bridge game for the Macintosh, rejoice: Hexacto also plans to bring its World Bridge Federation (WBF) Bridge game to the Macintosh. It features multiplayer support, support for any bidding convention and subtype recognized by the WBF, and lots more. A release date hasn’t been scheduled yet.
Hexacto will also bring three other games to the Macintosh, including Lemonade Tycoon II, a racing game, and a trivia game, the details of which are yet to be revealed.