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Cradle of Rome 
1st Runner-Up Best Puzzle Game of 2007
Build the heart of the Ancient Roman Empire and become the Emperor! This legendary city was one of the most beautiful and powerful capitals to ever exist in history. And you'll be able to bring back to life all the masterpieces of the Roman architecture. Use your matching skills to Coliseum can become a good training school for your brave gladiators! And the Pantheon - the Temple of all the Roman Gods - will bring you luck! The fabulous Caesar's land opens its gates in front of you in this engaging puzzle game Cradle of Rome!
- 20+ masterpieces to build.
- 5 epochs to build through.
- 8 original bonuses.
Click images to enlarge
Game System Requirements:
- OS: Windows 2000/XP/Vista/7/8
- CPU: 600 Mhz
- RAM: 128 MB
- DirectX: 6.0
- Hard Drive: 42 MB
Game Manager System Requirements:
- Browser: Internet Explorer 7 or later
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Cradle of Rome
0 out of 5 (0 ReviewsReview)
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Customer Reviews
Cradle of Rome
13
13
LOVE IT!
Awesome game!! Keeps me playing for hours!!
August 15, 2012
Challenging, engaging M3
Pros: Game length, secrets to obtain citizens, good learning curve
Cons: Timed only, highly difficult near end of game
If you want a good, classic M3 swaps type game, it's hard to beat Cradle of Rome. The basic objective is to remove all the non-gold tablets from each board, but the main goal is to build up ancient Rome by using the resources you collect from playing each board. Each game tile has a value in either money, food, or building supplies and it will take a number of each of these to obtain a new building for your city. As you progress, you will also earn powerups to help you in your quest for more materials, and the game tiles will be upgraded accordingly with the rising costs of new buildings.
Along with all this construction comes the people who will live in your city, and these citizens are the Easter eggs to find. The tricks for obtaining new citizens are kept a secret until you perform one and the popup dialog appears to tell you who has just moved in. If you manage to build up ancient Rome (it will take you more than a day assuming you do other things sometimes) and get a full complement of citizens, you will be rewarded with the opportunity to visit Olympus, the home of the gods.
The gameplay eases the player in gradually, with the first 10 levels being more of a tutorial. But the learning curve picks up very smoothly and goes all the way to very hard by the game's end so that everyone will be challenged sooner or later. Unfortunately for some, there is not an option for untimed mode, so finishing COR is a job for the experienced M3ers. Even if you play a lot of M3s, you're going to hate those double chained tablets in later stages of the game.
The graphics are a little dated now, but are on a par for the time the game was released and the music is OK, but a little repetitive over long gaming sessions. I always wondered if the developers meant to cut the fisherman from the citizen roster but left him in at the very end, because the fisherman is not only the hardest citizen to find, but he's invisible in the city view screen even after he's moved in. Happy building, and good luck!
November 21, 2011
Finally a good challenge!
I really enjoyed this game and played it to the end. It was quite a challenge when you get into the higher levels. It's a swap type of M3, which is my favorite. The graphics are beautiful and the game plays beautifully without any rough areas. The good news is that you don't go all the way back to the beginning if you fail a level -- you go back to the previous epoch. The bad news is that if you're close to the next epoch, you get knocked back several levels. I highly recommend!
July 10, 2012
beginning
This game led me into the world of games. I just love it. It is fun but not over the top hard. Great for the reflexes. My challenge is to have my name in some form on every level. I have about 80 out of 100. Great Fun
January 17, 2012
Cradles of Rome 1 and 2 Great! Need Cradle 3
This is one of my favorite games I go back to all the time. It is fun, challenging and has many levels to complete. Each level getting little harder. I would like to see a Cradle of Rome 3 and would definately buy it. Try this game, you will love it, Great 3MG, try Cradle of Rome 2 also, even better. Big Fish get a Cradle 3 if available!
July 20, 2012
Cradle of Rome
I found it too boring... was toooo easy as well . sry
August 10, 2012
Booooooooooooooring
Match 3 games are one of my favorite genres. Since they are all basically the same, they need some spark and flash to be fun and keep you interested. I guess some people would call Cradle of Rome "challenging." Anytime someone calls a game "challenging," I run for the hills. To me "challenging" is a synonym for "frustrating." One of my biggest complaints about Match 3 games is taking too long for powerups to recharge. On this game, it takes forever, and you only earn one predetermined type of powerup per level. This is one of those games that you feel was developed by sadists who are laughing as the game works against you. I resent having to play the same boring levels over and over as time repeatedly runs out, trying to earn paltry amounts of resources to buy tiny little buildings. This game has dinky, outdated graphics. I have always been interested in ancient Rome, but this game doesn't have enough substance to engage me on that score, either. I always like to finish a game even when I know I'm never going to want to play it again, but this one is really a struggle. It is sooooooooo booooooooooooooring.
November 3, 2012
Cradle of Rome: A Best Of Best Match 3
Definitely one of the best Match 3 games available from Big Fish. Unfortunately, I have been unable to load game well on my Windows 7 Lap Top. The game concept and goals are entertaining and add additional challenges. This game is well done! I rated 3 on Fun Factor, because had board play area and tiles been designed larger, people with vision issues could play with more ease. There was ample open background area to design so. The music was less than I expected for a Roman themed game, but tolerable. User friendly and comfortable challenge. The entire Cradle series looks well worth trying.
June 11, 2012
Cradle of Rome
Not my favorite Cradle game. The tiles change so quickly you don't have time to plan moves. Only timed mode and near end very hard. However, if you like a challenge I can still recommend it.
March 16, 2013
Addictive and Fun Challenge
Got carpal tunnel? Want it? You can have it with Cradle of Rome. This game is so addicting and fun you won't want to stop until your wrist falls off.
Toward the upper levels it is crazy hard. But, nice challenges with different bonuses, working to the goal of mount olympus, and building yourself from peasant to emporer.
Music is delightful and the game moves swiftly along adding things each turn so no two screens look the same.
I predict at the end you will say 1 thing:
"I hate those chains!" -- still you will love this game - long, and worth the cost.
September 24, 2012
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