I was about 5 stages from the end and now, the program won't start! Anyone else having a similar problem?

I was just turned on to this site from a friend and this game was the first thing I downloaded. I was stuck on one level for quite awhile before finally beating it and now I think that I might have become an addict! Thanks a lot for finding for me yet another way to waste my time on the computer. You all are great! Keep 'em coming as I'm sure that once I beat this i will need another object for my addiction. :)

Download, activation and installation went smoothly.

Rise of Atlantis is a fun match-3 game with a tiny twist (releasing puzzle pieces from the grid). If you like match-3 games, this one's for you!

Thank you so much. This is the best I have downloaded and had to put it on my grandsons computer because he was using up all my lives and bonuses! Not to easy and not to hard. Just right for me.

This one didn't work for me. And the one-hour demo wouldn't work either. I just got as far as the green lizard-o-saur, and then things quit back to the desktop, no error message, no game, no hints.

This was on a Windows XP SP2 system, with all of the updates (except for a video card "update" that takes me from version 6.1 back to 4.3, and then refuses to go higher than 4-bit color!) and 1.5GB of memory, over 900 MB free. There was at least 6GB of disk free after installing, as well.

Sorry, for me, life is too short to spend more time trying to get it to work than I'd spend playing it (in the first day, at least). Maybe if it comes around again, with some kind of error message instead of silent death, I'd be happy. If their one-hour demo would have worked-- or even gave a hint about what went wrong-- I would have kept trying until the giveaway was over. At least I didn't have to pay money to a store that won't take it back when it doesn't work.

To treblemaker (#87) and Joe Momma (#104) - Yes there are a few difficult levels but I have been around the board and 'raised' Atlantis 4 times and working on my 5th time. It takes a little perserverance but it is not as tough as you are making it sound. If I can do it, it can't be that tough. ;)

VERY FUN!!!!! :) Different take on match 3 games too!!!

This is another of those little games that should be banned!
You sit there, before going to work in the morning, and think."one more round and then I'll quit" - 6 or 7 rounds later, you're going to be late for work, - ok, one more round.
This game is so addictive. 2 Thumbs Up.

This is a great game, really enjoyable.

2 thumbs up :-)

Angof

BTW, the free screensaver is from Astro-Gemini.

Gotta agree with #87 - once you get through the levels the first time, the game becomes almost impossible to beat.

But there's a way around it. The 12th level in Troy (the last level of the game) gives you two of each power-up right at the start. If you run the game in a window, you can close it by clicking the X in the upper right corner. If you close the window after you've collected all eight power-ups, next time you run the game, you'll restart the level, but you'll still have the power-ups you collected last time.

So you run the game, start Troy level 12, collect the power-ups, then click the X to close the window. Repeat until you have enough power-ups to make it through all the levels again. You can also use macro-recording software to automate the process if you don't want to do this manually. (that's how I did it)

There are several levels that give you power-ups fairly close to the beginning of the level - this same procedure can be used to stock up on those power-ups. Just start the level, get the power-up, then X out of the game. Repeat until you have enough power-ups to get to level 12 of Troy, where you can stock up on all four different power-ups.

Once you have enough power-ups, getting through the game becomes much easier.

i love it! =) one of the few games that we've gotten that run flawless on windows vista..... thanks gaotd! =)

I got this one the last time, and still play it. It does get a bit more difficult near the end of the "journey", but if you saved up the power-ups, you can beat it! I played through to nearly completing the 9th journey before I ran out of power-ups and lives. :)

Yes, it's extremely addictive, and FUN! LOL

This game has got excellent graphics so even though it's a simple game it's very pleasant and entertaining to escape into its world for a while. :-)

the games u post i have most of them they r good for relaxation when the day is done

i have it installed .it did activate but it sure wont play i even reset my settings to see if that was it.
i am really disappointed. :(
i enjoy these games really miss game give away a day.
look forward to more great games to come.
Thank you anyway.
If anyone knows a fix it would be nice lol.

Works ok on my XP box and Vista Laptop - would not run on any of the (4) W2K boxes I tried it on. OS specific?

To Stephen (#85) thanks for the suggestions on how to get it working. It was more than anyone else offered. Unfortunately, this is not an issue with a PC or how it is set up. Something in the program is crashing, period. It needs to be fixed by the developers. I tried to DL it from their site directly over the top of my GGAOTD version and then ran just the activation software but got the same exact problem. Crash to desktop after the dragon splash screen.

It would be nice if the developer would either address this issue or update the minimum requirements as they missed something. When many many PCs with far more resources than what they claim are needed are crashing, it is obvious that something needs to be changed on their side.

Ugh. Oh well another week of no game DLs.

I always enjoyed the free versions found online. I snapped the chance to get this full version and have been playing it since I downloaded it (hours ago). It gets more difficult as you progress but that's when those powerups come in handy and I have plenty of extra lives that sometimes, I just lose that stage (lose a life) and re-do it. The game tells you that there is no "end" to the game, that you'll end up repeating it however it won't be the same (pieces are placed in different spots). I have finished Journey 1 - I raised the City of Atlantis, Journey 2 starts back at the beginning, but now there is a new obstacle 'debris'.

After Journey 1, you are able to download the 'reward' - a screensaver. I enjoyed staring at it for 10 minutes but when I tried to close it, my computer froze. I had to reboot. It could be a fluke, or not.

Thank you GOTD and Playrix for this game! *Thumbs Up*

Downloaded this game before and it worked great. I lost it on my computer so I downloaded it this time. It would not load when I went to play it. Did this reinstall it 4 times still would not load.

WOW! Look at all the great comments!:) And mine is also a big thumbs up! :) Thank you very, very much! Excellent game! No problems at all, only a really fun time! :)

I'd like to get this game but can't get it to open after downloading
and installing. So far, other games have been okay. I'm using Win XP1.
Previous copy given away earlier (which also could not open) has been
deleted before I downloaded this time but still no success. All I get
is the splash screen for 2-4 seconds, after which it disappears.

Anyway, thanks to GOTD for all those great games!

this game is fantastic! I have been playing all day :)
Constantly changing puzzle shape, and puzzle obstacles have kept me entertained and challenged all day without any frustration! Puzzles require thought and good use of bonus items... I am a puzzle person and this is definitely one of the best I have played in awhile. Thanks GOTD!

Thanks so much for repeating this game! I recently reinstalled my OS and lost all my games, now I'm glad to have this one again, it's really great!!

It is a very nice game. Loved the animations (like Babylon after the gate, and the remake of the artifact from all its pieces), as well as the continuity of the story. Thank you.
From my POV, there is just one comment. I believe the game might be nicer if ALL facts had a map to go along with it. For ex, if the phoenicians did trade with x, y,z, or somebody did agriculture in x area, a little map with the exact terminology/ area would be nice. This is not only so that prior facts are not to be assumed to be known but also so that the context of each piece of information may be understood.
Thanks for a great game :)
I'm really looking forward to the Egypt part :)

I'm addicted, been playing this game all day. thanks GOTD and Playrix. I love 3match games.

Totally enjoying playing this game. Great fun and a nice difficulty curve. The tutorials suggest, early on in the game, to save your power-ups for later levels so that's what I did. But there is also generally a way out of most situations with a bit of lateral thinking. ;¬)

DON'T get this game if you are one of those people who actually enjoys playing one to its completion! This game has good graphics, good music and is an excellent game - AT THE LOWER LEVELS!

Overall it sort of gives you a chance to win... until you hit the UPPER LEVELS, then it becomes almost impossible to beat. I'm sure a few people managed to make it through to the end, but the shapes of the game boards mixed with more and more immovable objects means you'll be stuck at the same level for as long as it takes you to do what I did - angrily delete the game and write a nasty letter to the publishers.

To make things even harder, at one point, when you think you have a handle on the game, it deliberately throws a loop at you and forces you to essentially go back and RE-DO the whole game up to that point.. and there's NO chance of avoiding this arrogant move on the part of the game planners - I tried several different ways - It's rigged AGAINST you.

SO, if you enjoy beating your head against a wall - go for it!

Great match 3 game....love it! Thanks GOTD! It's relaxing to get back to an easy, calming match 3 after some of the games I've been playing online lately :)

Thanks Ros, Robert Lee, dude, HOSS, and Kim for your kind comments and or support; as ever, it's always appreciated, and makes it worthwhile writing my reviews. I've actually had a great Easter vacation away from all things computer orientated, (apart from my favorite games, lol) though I thoroughly enjoyed returning to reviewing the games given away this weekend.

I will hopefully be posting a review of SAGA in the forums sometime soon. So far all I've done is set up my city and thought I'd leave it a week or so to see how my gold diggers etc improve the cities coffers. It's not the best r.t.s. game I've played, (the Total War series; especially the latest: Total War Medieval II) but it's the only one of its type that you can play online in such a way so is worth having despite the limitations that have been added.

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For those having problems running this game. The following are some ideas that you could try that may allow the game to work:

1) Delete the program manually (or save the game file to a disc, external hard drive or flash drive) then defrag your computer, then reinstall by manually placing the saved file or re-downloading it before the giveaway is finished


2) Clean out your computers temporary folders, internet cache etc then re-download and reinstall the game (or use the one you saved)


3) Install the game to a custom location as opposed to the default location. Also try a different hard drive.


4) Temporarily turn off all your security software (that includes adware, spyware, anti –virus software and firewalls) until the game has been installed and tested. Though always ensure that it is turned back on before you start browsing the net again.


5) Turn off as many background programs (from the task bar next to the clock as you can and also use the task manager to turn off unnecessary hidden programs - generally if it says system you should leave it, but if it has your name or the name of the account you are using next to the process then it usually can be shut down. If you do make a mistake, the only thing you need to do is re boot the computer.


6) Download the game from Playtrix and install as normal. You must have installed the giveaway one first. Do not use an uninstaller to delete the giveaway one from your computer though; manually remove it; (though this may not matter as I don’t think the game requires registry entries to work)


Give your computer a good going over with any software you have that improves the performance of your computer and/or cleans your hard drives etc. We have been given quite a few software packages that may help such as Glary utilities (one of the packages that I was able to save before a format – though I’m not allowed to say how)

All of the above are only suggestions. One or more of them have in the past helped me solve a particular problem running a program. Someone mentioned memory access violations above. There was a post a month or so ago in the games comments section that gave a possible fix for this, but I can't remember exactly how to do it or when it was posted. Sometime around the time Arcon Toys was posted though I think it was a week or so before that.

I've been having problems downloading stuff from the giveaway project for months, though I think it's something to do with either my provider (Virgin Media), or my router (Belkin N1 wireless) as I get the same problem on all of my computers. I find unplugging the router for a few minutes then re-booting as well as right clicking on my internet icon selecting internet properties then deleting cookies and other files more than not fixes a lot of the problems I've been having with giveaways.


I did say that this game appears to be self contained. That is that it doesn't rely upon registry entries, (though you will find a couple in a few of the registry hives), which means theoretically this could be played from a flash drive, external hard drive or possibly even a CD or DVD. As someone else mentions above, it is worth keeping this for when you upgrade your computer, or even if you buy a new one; because the game should still work when transferring it to another computer (which answers ema's comment #55)


I do hope the suggestions above help someone get this excellent game running, and to Playtrix, if you decide to create a second version of this game, I will probably buy it as the re-playability of this one, the game play and sheer enjoyment would be well worth the money spent. Thank you again for the give away. :lol:

Regard’s

Stephen

Hey #48! (Nanny). Even though you have dial up, you can still get this weekend's Saga offer. The actual giveaway was the 10 booster packs worth $29+. The thing to do is to go in and get those at the link below (as well as signing up), then at any time in the future, when you have a better connection, or you have the time for the dial-up, just go to the actual Saga site and download the free game. Here is the link that will get you the free boosters:

http://www.playsaga.com/intro_gaotd/

Someday, when you can actually play the game, your membership, along with the 10 booster packs, will be waiting for you at the Saga site. Just make sure you do it by Monday.

I have to agree with those who are saying that today's giveaway, The Rise Of Atlantis, is one of the better Match-3 games. Normally I would not buy one, even at Big Fish with my discount. But when it is as good as this one AND it is free, how can I resist? Thanks GOTD! -Dan

Very nice graphics. It's a bit jerky, but that's probably because I have several graphics applications running too - will have to finish my work first and test again when there's nothing else fighting for CPU &RAM.
Thank you!

`_~

This game installed and played OK on only 1 of 3 computers. Would not open on winxp with celeron processor and 512 Mb ram. It also would not open on win 2000 pentium3 with 384 Mb ram. I'm wondering...I had this game for 60 minutes free from Big Fish Games. Could this jam me up? I can't remember if I had the 60 min version on all 3 computers.

Definitely my type of game. It is the traditional 3-tile swap, but there are enough additional challenges to make it interesting.

It loads quickly and plays well on my Lenovo laptop.

Thanks for making this one available again. I had to wipe out my hard drive and that meant the loss of many great games offered by GOTD.

Beautiful game, really lovely.

And it's addictive as heck. I downloaded this when it was offered, have completed 26 journeys and have earned over 9,000,000 points. It's a great stress-reliever from my job (with its never-ending deadlines).

Thanks, GOTD team. I really appreciate your efforts in bringing a variety of software products to us. I find the comments from the reviewers to be extremely helpful, as I am not that computer literate.

Thanks again!

Ok, it works now. Tried it briefly and seems like fun. My daughter will like it for sure. Thanks GOTD!

When I tried to download it and unzip, all I got was the message saying that there were "no files to extract". I'm trying the mirror site download now. I hope it works, I really wanted to try this game.

Downloaded to my laptop running XP. Already had the Real Arcade demo installed. There was no problem. I have just spent the last hour (or more) playing the game, so I must like it.

We have been playing the Real Arcade Bejeweled 2 lately. The two are different, yet the same. A little more variety in our gaminglife.

Thanks to the developers, GOTD, and to the early adopters who made the game sound interesting.

Steve

Thanks GOTD!!! Incredibly fun and addicting game. I am so glad I dropped in today. I installed the game early this morning (EST), and have been playing off and on all day!

I love this game.

PS - Easy install, and no problems to speak of at all.

Oh yes in addition to DirectX 9.0c on a Win2000 system with 64 MB of video RAM I also have 720 MB of system RAM so this is well beyond any of their posted requirements.

Great game.Graphics are spot on and easy to download and install...I did it in less than 3 minutes...thanks GOTD

Great game, still playing it. I got it the first time around and highly recommend it as the match 3 challenges get harder and harder to drop the special pieces as you progress.
The last power up is for swapping tiles so you can get your special piece out of an impossible situation.... it will only swap tiles, not the special pieces

Well I turned on logging with the setup.ini file and now I get the initial splashscreen with the dragon/dinosaur. Then crash to desktop. Looking in the log file it made, here are the last few lines:

Load particles : MultEffects.xml
FATAL ERROR : Access violation!
Exception information
Exception adress : 004BF082
Exception flags : 0
Exception code : 3221225477

Googling the exception code I find that this was a common problem when this game was first released on GGOTD - http://www.giveawayoftheday.com/forums/topic/2211

I am running DirectX 9.0c on a Win2000 system with 64 MB of video RAM. Looks like this problem existed back then and no one has fixed it or addressed it.

Oh well, it looks like a nice game if you can get it to run.

If anyone has any ideas to make it work (like maybe the Playrix???) I would appreciate it. I'm sure others would too.

This is a really pretty game. I just downloaded and played it for a while, and it's quite enjoyable. It's definitely not "fast paced" so I wouldn't recommend it to people who like speed in a game. The music and graphics are really pretty as well. It's definitely a keeper, imho.

Thank you so much for giving this game a way again. I had it from before and lost it and a lot of other great games when my computer crashed. I just love this type of game with various levels and a story line. I'm a match 3 addict.. lol.. Once again thank you for offering this great game again and I hope to build up my games again to recover the ones I lost.

Before 8 months ago Give a way of the day site put this game on game section and today it's done same. That pretty cool for that new users old give a way of the day users just mentioned not. Enjoy the site with its free products & also free ware softwares.
"Feel Good & Bad Factor of the game"
1.When play levels sound was pretty nice
2.using mind at the middle of the level is.........

3 You think play levels and get free screensaver, it can't possible,because on Completion of level screensaver can't download, enjoy. :) at the just feeling bad for why screensaver can't download.
Region for that GOTD tells you i can't say :)

I am having the same problem with my installing. It installed fine but when it goes to launch the game, nothing happens. When I click on the icon, it flashed off and on,and juSt sits there. Frustrating! I have installed it twice and guess Iwil have to uninstall it again. My sisiter says it is wonderful and wish I could get it.
Donna

As many others in the comments, the game will not run for me. I have well past the minimum requirements, but when I double click the icon, or the executable itself, all I get is a flash of the opening screen. That lasts less than a 1/4 second and the program exits to desktop.

If ANYONE has any helpful information, it would be appreciated. It would be nice if the manufacturer would take a look at the comments...nothing on their webpage was of any help at all.

AWESOME GAME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!