Boonka is also in the Match 3 genre, but of a completely different vibe. Where Spooky Runes is dark and mysterious, Boonka is colorful, vibrant, and merry. The premise is that there is a world that was once lush and green, but has since been taken over by "skours", evil creatures who have turned everything grey and barren. At the behest of "The Spirit" -- who could be a long-lost Pokémon by the looks of him -- you're to bring new life to the land by helping tree stumps to grow. You'll do this by making matches.

The game board resembles a standard Match 3: a well with various items in different colors, the items in this case being cute critters called "boonkas". The object is to bring together three or more boonkas horizontally -- they won't match up vertically. Putting two together starts a block, where you'll see a thick outline around the matched boonkas. You can keep adding to the block on either side, but the width of each line is only so long before it reaches the limits of the enclosure.

The idea is to create a block of boonkas of the same color, then launch that block by putting two "sprites" next to each other under the block. When this is done, the block lifts off and launches off the board, taking everything above it with it. With each block lifted, the tree's growth is advanced. When it's full-grown, the level is complete and you're treated to a bird's-eye view of that portion of the land getting its color back.

The boonkas and sprites are fed into the well from the "creche" below the well. You can see what's coming as the creche is filled one space at a time; when all spaces are filled, the creche moves upward, becoming the lowest line in the well, and pushing the previous lines upward by one. If the line of boonkass reaches the top of the well, you get three chances to form and launch a block before it's game over.

What makes this game challenging is the simplicity of the mechanics. To make a match, you click and drag a boonka next to another. Depending on where you drag it from, the boonka will displace others on its way, sometimes forming blocks accidentally. The problem is that when a block is formed, you can't drag boonkas through it, only around it. So if you've made a block that's too large, you've effectively cut off access to any boonka above it, limiting your options for further matches.

Later levels feature "skourlings", which must be matched to remove them from the board. These skourlings don't contribute to the growth of the tree, and since sprites don't show up nearly as often as regular boonkas, this can have a deleterious effect on the overall game.

There's a lot more to Boonka than this, including two different play modes, and the game itself gets tougher as you go, making it a great addition to your collection. It definitely does more than the average Match 3 game. Check it out!