Imitation truly is the sincerest form of flattery and an imitation that surpasses its subject matter is definitely deserving of some kind of honor. Indie developers that don't deal with the casual space could learn a thing or two from all those copycat match three games: somebody is buying them. But why are they buying them do you suppose?

Because the most popular of these variations put a smart spins on the concept and add a unique layer to create something different. Now among hardcore gamers there are games that are legendary; Master of Magic, Master of Orion, X-Com, Civilization, Fallout, Jagged Alliance and thousands of other great titles. People want these kinds of games but most of the time their wants, desires and needs for games like these go unanswered. I would honestly do anything to play a game that closely models the beauty of Master of Orion and I'm not alone.

So my point is that developers should not be afraid to imitate a particular game - but make that creation your own and then get it out there for the masses to see. A good example of this is Urban Legend, which reminds me of Jagged Alliance. It's not a perfect game but it tries to deliver a familiar experience with its own unique flavor. Now if I could just find a game that brings back the fun of MOO or MOM I could die a happy man.. Now onto this week's list.

File this one under "one to watch." 100 Quests is a party style multiplayer role-playing game that features an art style that looks like it was ripped from a late 80's NES game. That's not a knock on the graphics, because the style looks like it will work well with what the developers are putting together. The game promises top down turn-based strategic Advance Wars style combat, the ability to hire an army of up to 16 units, the ability to equip your heroes with weapons that you can create and name yourself, and randomly generated content such as encounters, quests and maps. Hit the link above and learn more about this game. Here's to hoping that 100 Quests gets finished, because it looks like it will be a whole lot of fun.

Here's something a little different that you can let anyone in the family play: Tasty Treats Adventures - The Secret Recipes . Tasty Treats Adventures is an action-adventure platformer hybrid that lets you take control of a little pig on his quests to become a chef. You play Billy Bob Bacon who dreams of being hired at his home town's most prestigious restaurant as the head chef. As this spirited pig you'll jump and run around the world, find secret recipes, gather ingredients, solve quests, puzzles and riddles, master mechanical traps and more... Hit the link above to check it out.

Urban Legend caught my eye no less than two times this week. The first mention of it was in GameTunnel's Monthly Round-Up , where it scored pretty high among the panel that played it. The next place I saw the game was over at Manifesto Games where it is currently being highlighted. And rightly so - Urban Legend is a tactical strategy RPG similar to Jagged Alliance. While the game is far from perfect, the interesting River City ransom art style and tactical gameplay makes it lots of fun for fans of this sub-genre. Check it out and if you like it buy it from Manifesto Games...

If you're a fan of Legend of the Red Dragon -- or even the spiritual sequel Legend of the Green Dragon -- then you may want to check out this web-based multiplayer duel game, MEGADUEL . MEGADUEL is a multiplayer browser game where you battle a warrior against others' warriors. Each warrior has its own unique personal skills that can be modified as you play. Megaduel is divided into battle leagues to give everyone the opportunity to excel. Of course there's a lot more to it with plenty of tweaking to be done to your character and plenty of challenges to take on in between. Hit the link above to give it a try.

Super Mega Blackjack Supreme combines classic blackjack with a list of new features. You start at the public table and work your way up to high roller seat at the Grand High Roller’s table. With the built in banking system, you can take out bank loans and keep playing even if you go bankrupt - which you'll probably end up doing considering the unlucky nature of playing Blackjack for long periods of time... or perhaps i should gamble. Check out the demo at GameTrove.net .