Birds Connect Deluxe

Birds Connect Deluxe is a fifteen-level link puzzle set in a forest, and the tiles carry pictures of birds rather than suits. Two identical birds clear when a path joins them with no more than two turns, so the board is read as a network of open lanes instead of a stack of layers. The comparison of the two boards walks through the same rules from the start.

The bird library is the twist. With that many species on the tiles, the bottleneck is recognition, not geometry — two brown finches at opposite ends of the board look the same until you check the markings, and the clock is running while you do. Beating that clock is worth bonus points, and the game rolls straight into the next level without a menu when a board is finished. For a second flat pair-up, there is the Chain board.

Lof Games kept the interface plain at 800 by 450, with a hint on hand for stalled boards, and it takes a mouse click or a tap. Clearing the middle early is the standard opening here, since the centre tiles block the longest lanes. Full screen is worth turning on for the same reason the artwork is detailed: plumage decides matches, and plumage needs pixels. Halloween Connection keeps the pace of this one.

1. Find two tiles showing the same bird — check the markings, not just the colour.
2. Trace a connecting path between the two birds that turns no more than twice.
3. Clear the lane of other tiles first if the route is blocked.
4. Empty the bird board within the time to collect the bonus.
5. Play straight on: the next of the fifteen levels loads automatically.

• Centre first — middle tiles in Birds Connect Deluxe block the longest routes.
• Read the markings — several of the species share a body colour.
• Beat the clock for bonus — a Birds Connect Deluxe board is worth more when it is finished early.
• Save the hint — the later of the fifteen boards are the crowded ones.
• Turn on full screen — plumage detail is what separates two similar birds.