"Being an aquarium owner isn't easy these days. Not only do you have to ensure that your fish are well fed, but you also have to fight off nasty aliens!"
from http://www.astraware.com/all/insaniquarium/?category=1
Insaniquarium is a
windows based
computer game, played entirely with the
mouse.
At the start of each
level, you have $200 in the
bank and two
baby guppies in your care that are
swimming in your aquarium. They are
small,
cute,
orange and
hungry! Guppies grow through being fed, and quickly go from being
teeny babies to
medium sized, big eyed guppies. This is where they begin to pay their own way and drop coins for you to collect. Click on the coins and they are added to your 'bank' at the top of the
screen. Medium sized guppies drop
silver coins that earn you $15 each. After more food, medium sized guppies become
large guppies that drop
gold coins worth $35.
A very hungry guppy turns a sickly shade of
yellow as a warning. If you don't get food to that guppy quickly it turns
blue and
ceases to be. Take care of those guppies as new ones cost $100 each.
Food costs $5 a
pellet and at the start of each level you can only drop one pellet at a time. There are three '
quality' levels and ten '
quantity' levels. Improving the quality costs $200 a level; improving the quantity of the food costs $300. Obviously, higher quality food will keep your guppies fed for longer, and having a larger quantity to drop means you can feed more guppies more quickly.
Aliens appear on every level from Level 2, Stage 1. They have one aim and one aim only - to destroy your guppies. You have to stop them, and fast. When an alien appears, clicking on the screen fires your anti-alien laser gun. The gun only works when there is an alien to defeat, and you must click directly onto the alien to
damage it. When it disappears your tank is safe once more.
There are four different aliens to fight, two in Stage 1 levels and two in Stage 2. Stage 1 Aliens are straightforward to kill using your handy laser gun; Stage 2 Aliens are somewhat more tricksy and thus slightly harder to kill.
As a baby guppy grows, more game options become available. As well as augmenting the type and amount of food, options can include:
- Upgrade your laser gun - inflict more damage on those pesky aliens
- Buy other types of fish, including Carnivores and Star Catchers
- Buy potion
- Buy Egg pieces
Each level is completed when you have bought three egg pieces. There are ten levels in total, five at Stage 1 and five at Stage 2. After completing all ten levels you can play against the
clock in the Stage 1 or Stage 2 tank.
There are ten pets to 'collect', and they are 'found' at the end of each level, in the egg that you have bought. The pets appear
randomly and are (in no particular order):
- Itchy the Swordfish - Assists you fighting aliens
- Stinky the Snail - Collects coins that drop near him at the bottom of the tank
- Niko the Oyster - Occasionally creates pearls for extra points
- Prego the Momma Fish - Gives birth to baby guppies
- Zorf the Seahorse - Helps with feeding
- Wadsworth the Whale - Hides small and medium sized guppies guppies in his mouth to protect them from aliens
- Meryl the Mermaid - Sings and coaxes extra coins from the fish
- Rufus the Crab - Assists you fighting aliens
- Vert the Skeleton - Drops coins like a large guppy but doesn't need feeding
- Clyde the Jellyfish - Collects coins that he floats near
Level 1, Stage 1 is done without a pet to help you. Levels 2, 3 and 4 of Stage 1 will contain the pets you have found at the end of each previous level. Going into Level 5, Stage 1 you have to choose which three pets to take with you and this is the maximum you are allowed at any time. All combinations of pets are permitted.
Insaniquarium is available from
www.popcap.com, made by
Flying Bear Entertainment. The web version is
free to play and super-addictive.