Next up is a series of Flash games designed by Uminin of Japan and available on his Flash Game Zone website. Each of the games exhibit high production values with a solid design that offers compelling and rewarding gameplay. From puzzle games to shmups, Uminin has created a nice variety of Flash games to challenge gamers of all ages.

The first one up is Cube, an action strategy game of skill. Similar to a Shuffleboard game, the objective is to propel colored cubes across the play field so that they come to rest within designated rectangles. Each rectangle contains a number indicating the number of cubes required to eliminate it from play. Eliminate all rectangles on the play field to move on to the next level.

There are two modes to choose from: Snipe and Quick. Each mode features six (6) stages of increasing difficulty, with each stage consisting of five (5) levels of play.

Snipe mode provides you with a fixed number of cubes for each level, arranged in a formation, and requires you to eliminate all rectangles using only the cubes provided. Sharp shooting is required to advance in the later stages. If you fail to complete a level in Snipe mode, you may retry the level as many times as you wish until you get it right.

While Snipe mode emphasizes precision, Quick mode is all about haste. Each level is presented with a timer that counts down and within which you must eliminate all rectangles from play. Cubes in this mode replenish as you shoot them, so fire them fast. If you fail to complete a level in Quick mode, you must start the stage again from the beginning.

Cube control is entirely with the mouse. Simply click and drag on a cube to view the angle and power meters, and then position the mouse for the correct angle. The power meter will fluctuate rapidly between the two extremes, just let go of the mouse button at the desired power to fire the cube like a slingshot.

The controls are intuitive and the graphics and sound effects make this game very effective in its presentation. The gameplay is solid and offers an excellent difficulty curve with each new stage. The game saves your progress as you complete each stage making it easy to pick up where you left off. Cube is exactly the kind of casual game I like to play. Click.