14 DAY TRIAL // 
Playrix, the famous developer and publisher of puzzle games with titles such as Fishdom, Call of Atlantis, Gardenscapes, 4 Elements, Royal Envoy, has released the sixth title in the series of underwater match-three games: Fishdom 2. Even though the game will be available in two editions: Premium and Standard, only the first one has been released so far.
This is a beautiful match-three puzzle game with an underwater theme, where you will have to find hidden gems and decorate fish tanks, besides the classic tile swapping.
Allow your imagination to run wild while creating the aquarium of your dreams. Swap matching tiles, earn money and then buy whatever your heart desires in order to create a Fishdom paradise. It's as simple as that.
Gameplay
When you first start the game, you're instantly amazed by the colorful, cartoonish graphics and the great animation. It features two modes: the relaxed mode, recommended for most users, and the timed mode, which is not challenging at first, but that can prove to be quite difficult as you advance in levels.
You will have godly powers upon the tank's inhabitants and all the decorations: add, move accessories and remove whatever you want from the aquarium. The goal of the game is clear: you'll start out with a simple and empty tank while trying to earn money to buy various sea creatures, plants and other decorations, as well as comfort accessories. As you purchase various things from each of the three categories, a meter will continue to increase. Reach 100% on all meters and you'll get a bronze cup for your aquarium; after that, you can continue to play and win the silver and gold ones, or you can switch to the next aquariums: Ranch, Egypt, Merworld or the Bonus Vacation-themed aquarium.
The match-three rounds start up easily, but they get difficult really fast and have the specific Playrix trademark gameplay. On each round, you will have to turn all the golden tiles into blue ones by matching three or more of the same symbols. Some of the tiles are made of stone and will require an additional match, as they might have one or two chains around them and will need two or three extra matches.
Corner tiles will prove to be very difficult, but don't worry, you're in luck: there are several power-ups there to aid you: the firecracker (1 square radius), the depth mine (2 square radiuses), the dynamite charge (3 square radiuses) and warhead (4 square radiuses). After using seven of these power-ups, you will get the ultimate bonus: a lightning square that can discard all the tiles of a certain type from the board.
A nice plus are the gems that appear randomly in your fish tank. Pay attention and collect them as they will get you a small sum of money that you can later use to improve your aquatic habitat. The gold can also be earned in the extra levels of the game. There are 30 such levels where you have to collect a gem from a fish tank with movable scenery. This hidden-object mini-game offers a hint option in case you get stuck.
The eye button allows you to enjoy each aquarium in all its beauty without the extra items and menus. You can take as many photos as you like in this mode that you can later share or compare.
Graphics and Audio
The graphics of the game are like a blade with two sharp edges. If you've played all the Fishdom titles, then this one will seem quite similar to them. The animation is a little refurbished and the level graphics are finely tuned, but the game doesn't bring much from the previous versions. If this is the first time you play Fishdom, then you'll be amazed at the variety of fish, sea creatures, ornaments and comfort items. Each aquarium has its very own decorations and plants that will bring a unique feeling to the title.
The sounds and the music are really important for puzzle games, as they can influence the mood of the player. This title has an oceanic soundtrack, which is filled with nautical tunes full of bubbling percussion sounds and nautical effects. Due to its length, the music can get pretty annoying, especially if you're playing for long periods of time. Fishdom should be very relaxing, but, if you start to get cranky and upset with no apparent reason at all, just turn off the music and regain that calming and peaceful feeling that the game should bring.
Extras This is one of the best parts of the game! The extras are: wallpapers that can admired on the desktop, the soundtrack with relaxing oceanic sounds, the bonus screensaver that can add an exotic feeling to your computer and the Fishipedia that brings you fun facts about the Fishdom's sea creatures. Another amazing thing about the game is the option to e-mail tank photos. You can share the amazing pictures with your friends or compare aquariums with other players.
Conclusion Fishdom 2 can be appealing to everyone that enjoys the relaxed pace of the match-three games. It doesn't matter if you've played Fishdom before or not, the gameplay is very easy and intuitive, while the sounds and the animation can make you stay in front of the PC for hours on end.
As a side note, if you're just playing for the match-three part of the game and want to ignore the aquariums and the sea life, then just keep pressing play and you'll be directed to the matching board, but be warned: this thing takes away half the fun!
Overall, this game is great, what it lacks in novelty it most definitely makes up for in artistic touch and variety, so, if you're looking for a robust match-three game, then I recommend you give Fishdom 2 a try.
