Ranch Rush - just 3 acres of land and your determination

Fresh Games and Alias Worlds have brought us a great example of time-management games that make you click, and click, and click, and never stop until the game is over. Ranch Rush is one of such games. You have three acres of land to do there whatever you wish - and save your ranch from bankruptsy. You have 8 weeks, a starting capital and a host of grateful customers - and your strategic thinking to cope with all this and earn the necessary money.

You act as Sara, a real natural with plants and animals. She loves experiments and they always end with a success. Now it's time for the biggest experiment in her life.

One day Sara had to hear the sad news - unless the situation changes, in 8 weeks Jim, her boss, will be forced to sell their ranch. An idea immediately appeared in Sara's pretty head: why not use the extra plot of land (just 3 acres) and try to earn enough in order to keep the ranch? Once the idea got to her mind, it wouldn't go out, and Sara decided to give it a try. The biggest experiment starts - and you are invited to share the success!

At the beginning you have a plot of land, a barn, a well, a stack of crates and a little money. You buy soil and seeds and start working. You will get orders from customers willing to buy your products. Each order corresponds to one day of week and, accordingly, has a limited time within which you have to fulfill it. Some orders will require real strategic thinking and planning, because some products take much time to make and need additional actions. While, for example, everything is simple with crops - you just plant seeds (you have to do it once and will get harvest several times), then wait for the crop to ripen, collect it and take it to the barn, other products need more attention. Say, to make milk you have first to give cows some clover, which you have to grow yet. Ketchup machines will consume tomatoes, making wool requires first feeding the sheep, then shearing them and taking wool to the barn, and to collect honey you first grow clover, then wait for the bees to produce the needed amount of the sweet mass, and then - the most tricky moment - to wait for the bees to leave their home and collect the honey.

So it's better to plan your level at the very beginning - and, say, first make the ketchup and then collect tomatoes. Mind that you will get no bonus for making more products than necessary, so better keep the surplus amount for the next customer.

Each Saturday you will hold a Farmer's Market - here you have to sell as many products as possible within a limited time and try to earn as much as you can.

Tip: if you have time on Friday, prepare some products that take much time to make in advance - selling them at Farmer's Market will bring you extra profit.

The most attractive feature of the game, to my mind, is your complete freedom in designing your own ranch. You decide how much land you allocate for each type of crop, where you place your buildings and machines, and whatever, and in what sequence you fulfill your orders. You determine, how many wells you need and where your cows will live, and whether you will feed your livestock. As starting from approximately the second week you'll always have enough money for all your needs, I recommend that you buy additional wells and barns and place them in different corners of the plot so that you can go to the nearest one and save time.

The game gives you total freedom in where to place all the stuff in your ranch. In Move Mode you can move anything you have already place wherever you wish. The most efficient way is to locate cows next to clover, sheep next to wheat, seeds next to corresponding soil patches etc. This helps you save precious time and fulfill your orders quicker.

Ranch Rush features two modes - Casual and Expert (needs to be unlocked) and a trophy room giving you real challenges to overcome.

Beautiful graphics (you are welcome to take snapshots of your ranch at any time), merry country music and perfect voicing will significantly enrich your game experience.

Ranch Ruch is one of the best time-management games I've played lately - and you?

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