by Chris Nycum

Created on: May 20, 2008   Last Updated: October 12, 2010

Combining elements of the old Match, Hidden Object, and Concentration games with a rather unique theme, Yard Sale Junkie is an addictive game for virtually all ages. The heroine of the game is trying to open her own boutique shop in Hollywood but needs $50,000 to do so. Her plan is to hold several yard sales at different locales with a variety of merchandise. That is where you, the player, step in.

The game interface is very easy. You start on a map of the Southern California area with stepping stones to get from one city to the other until you finally reach Hollywood with (hopefully) enough cash to open your boutique. Each stepping stone is a yard sale. Once you select the next sale you are put into different scenarios where you must match the merchandise that is scattered over the sale area to the customer's request. The sale area is a photographic matte background with objects placed as icons in, around, and on the layout. Some objects are cleverly camouflaged while others are in plain view. Up to 3 customers can appear at any given time and each has a timer as to how long they will wait until they get matched or leave. Some customers will also give bonus cash to get their needs fulfilled first. There are a limited number of hints to use if you get stuck, but pleasing these bonus customers can create a selling frenzy which earns you extra hints. The sale has an overall timer and you can get bonus cash if you finish early. Matches are made by a simple left click and drag with the mouse. Once everything is sold or time runs out you get a total of cash raised and can go on to the next sale.

As you progress the storyline is continued with encounters in a comic strip format that tells what is happening between sales and let's you know what is upcoming. Sometimes these are specialized sales such as jewelry, shoes, balloons or even surfboards. These sales tend to bring in the elements of matching in the case of having to combine pairs of shoes and concentration in having the jewelry in boxes that you click on to see what is inside before being able to sell to the customer. These variations do keep the game from getting stale by mixing up the play in a fun way.

Instructions for the game are not there though they really aren't needed anyway. Pop up messages tell you what to do and explain anything special on each sale. The pop up message on one sale did block the view of one of the objects however. The music is pleasant and your game is automatically saved at the completion of each sale. There are 3 difficulty levels that basically just lower the amount of time you have for each sale.

Overall the game is enjoyable if simplistic and bug free. I did find myself wishing the objects would be randomized upon replay though. This would make for much longer game play and value. After one play through the only variation is the difficulty settings and that is not much to look forward to. This downside makes it difficult to recommend paying for "unlimited" game play. In fact I would save my money and find a longer lasting game experience.

Rating 3 out of 5

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