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It is time for another visit to the colourful world of StarL as Version 5 of this product arrives.  Developed by Itera Labs, this Match 3 oriented challenge spreads its challenging influence over 130 levels of grid mastery.  As you travel along its journey of action, you will be expected to complete a series of individual challenges as you remove set numbers of colourful pieces of fruit while overcoming obstacles through the use of various boosters.

Little has changes from the earlier offerings of this series with the appearance of this latest version.  Positioned against a picturesque background scene, depicting an area from StarL, the current grid will appear centrally situated and accompanied by a panel giving access to a range of features.  Among these features, and available information provided on the panel, will be those of Options Help, Hints, Level and a rechargeable Hammer.  There are also Time and Steps allocation which, rather than indicate a cut-off when exceeded, relate to when your reward of stars which will be cut if you fail to keep within their limit.

Grids will arrive populated with a mixture of items.  Along with different types of fruit, some in the early stages of growth, you could be faced with dealing with crates, ropes, shields, locks which need to be paired with a key that you need to lower to the base of the grid, and ice blocks which have a habit of spreading over the rest of the grid if left unattended.  Occasionally you may be faced by vacant areas under the protection of a Smilie icon.  You will need to locate and remove the appropriate symbols to remove the Smilie before you are allowed to enter that area.

Generally, when clearing away unwanted debris from the current grid, you will need to make use of the standard Match 3 operation of swapping two adjacent tiles to create a group of three or more elements.  The group will then disappear and be replaced by other tiles falling downwards thus causing possible explosions.  Unlike other Match 3 titles, you need to be aware that the StarL environment is colour sensitive especially with regards to explosions what only occur when appropriate colours match.

As well as the standard group of three and the Hammer tool for removing a single tile, you will have the ability to create some special power-ups.  Groups can be create with four tiles which will bring the reward of a bomb.  If the group formed is in the shape of an "L" or "T" then the reward will be a lightning bolt that can clear a row or colour that matches its colour.

As mentioned this game is spread over 130 levels of Match 3 action.  Every tenth level will be allocated a special challenge which will require you to reach a specific target within a set number of moves.  Should the challenge prove too difficult then you can opt to skip[ the level.

With its combination of colourful graphics and challenging Match 3 game play, this game has an addictive quality which I found hard to resist.  The title can be downloaded from Gamehouse.com where it is priced at $9.99.  The game requires a 2.0 GHz processor with 1024MB of RAM and 288MB of hard disk space running Windows 7 and later.

StarL 5 | GameHouse