In this hectic world we live in, many times work and appointments must come before the fun and joys in our lives, including that of getting to play videogames whenever we want. Gone are the days when we could fire up a game of our choice and spend hours toiling away – now we seem to game in stolen moments here and there. With that in mind, perhaps it is no wonder that casual games have become such a popular gaming choice (especially with women who make up the vast majority of casual game players), as casual games allow us to either jump in and get those quick fixes of gaming bliss or either play them for as long as we want when we do have the time. In honor of the casual game, we'll be bringing you a new Casual Game of the Week every Monday to help you find that fix you might be needing in your life, and this week we have: Four Houses

The duality of certain games is amazing, as it can be both the most tranquil and pleasant thing you participate in all day, and yet at other times you find yourself screaming at the game with nothing but contempt. I love Asian art and its culture, ranging from everything from Tao Te Ching to high-flying martial arts movies like Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon and Hero. So when it comes to casual games it's only natural that I pick an Asian influenced game.

Four Houses is a piece matching game where you complete a level when you've managed to make every square tile on the grid a coin, signaling that you've made at least one match over that tile. It sounds simple, as other games have had the same gameplay before, but what makes the change here and ultimately makes it difficult is that you almost place every piece on the board, so if you fail to use all the tiles and find yourself with no other moves, don't blame anyone but yourself.

When lining up picture tiles on the board, you need to consider the three ways in which you can make a match vertically, horizontally, or diagonally. You can make a match by having all the tiles be of the same color (red, blue, yellow, etc), all the tiles being the same picture (all parasols or hand fans, for example), or you can make a match based on number (every picture has something like two objects). The game gives you plenty of ways to make matches, but unless you look ahead and don't place pieces on a whim, you'll end up losing over and over. Helping you out are some powerups, which come in the form of things like paint brushes that allow you to change the color of a picture image, depending on what color the paintbrush will dip in. You've also got environmental hazards to overcome, such as bamboo pictures tiles, and in order to remove those you must use them in three different matches before they will break away.

Everyone will have their own method in trying to clear the levels and keep moving along on their journey, but it seems that the game plays a lot like a Sudoku puzzle. You see, when placing objects on the Four Houses board, you have to be wary of what you have where. For example, if you make a complete row of red objects on one row and a whole other row of yellow on the row below it, a smart plan would be lining up the similar red and yellow pieces, so that you could go down and make a connection with that match. So, if you have a red parasol out on the top line and in the second line you have yellow and have an open spot on that row, place a yellow parasol there when you get it. Then, when the next parasol comes around you can keep working down while focusing on straight lines of color. This is but one way you can play the game, though you're sure to find strategies for yourself.

The default mode is a Journey Mode, which has you walking across the countryside, completing Four Houses boards. There is no time limit in the Journey Mode, only lives which you'll lose when you find yourself with no more move options. The other mode is a Time Attack Mode, which has you playing the Journey Mode, though now you have a timer that is constantly going down, and in order to win a level you have to fill the timer completely up by making matches. We don't like the rushing around feeling the Time Attack mode provides, so we'll stick with the Journey Mode.

Graphically the game is simple, but the backgrounds are really nice, looking like very old Asian watercolor paintings. The pictures on the tiles, meanwhile, are good, but not nearly a visual treat. The sound is great, featuring Asian influenced strings and melodies, which are hauntingly beautiful. I'm usually one quick to turn the music of a game off if it's grating enough, but Four Houses is an audiophiles' dream.

Four Houses doesn't do much new in the casual game market, but it's still a pretty fun game. The best thing I can say about the game is that the visuals and audio really bring you under a tranquil spell, as you'll find your mind at peace while playing the game…that is until you can't get the pieces you need, lose the game, and start jumping and yelling like a wild monkey.

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