To commemorate Earth Day on April 22, I proudly bring you a new game called �Recyclorama�.

Waste, rubbish, trash, garbage, or junk whatever you chose to call it, it all means the same thing - unwanted and undesirable stuff that people throw away because they no longer need it or want it. We are producing more waste than ever before. In the U.S. alone we produced more than 245 million tons of waste this past year, that�s equivalent to about 4 � pounds per person a day!

So with our newfound awareness and diligence in cutting down on our waste it�s no surprise that the recycling craze that's sweeping the nation has even caught on to become a PC game called �Recyclorama�. It�s a quirky, unique Indie game that doesn't just recycle the same ol� ideas found in other casual games that just waste our time and turn our brains into mulch these days. Man, I'd love to see the big grin on Al Gore's face when he hears about this planet-saving little diversion! But will it appeal to everyone- well that remains to be seen!

The story starts off with a girl named Mia who lives on a beautiful Hawaiian island. One day she sees a garbage truck dumping trash on her beloved beach. Horrified, she comes up with a plan to help save her home and the environment from being buried under trash. Get ready to do your part by helping Mia run recycling centers all around the country in order to protect our Mother Earth for our children and our children�s children and our children�s�

You will be responsible for sorting, cleaning, compacting and delivering garbage to your customers (pick-up trucks). The more garbage you recycle, the more points you earn. On an average day you will be sorting through several tons of debris coming down a conveyor belt and then quickly processing them for the trucks that come to your plant waiting to haul it all away. Recycling materials include: metal cans (red), plastic bottles (green), glass bottles (blue) and papers (white). You will be clicking on specific colored items depending on which trucks are waiting for you, for example a red truck picks up metal, a blue one is for plastic, and so on and so forth.

Depending on which colored trucks are waiting for you -you must focus on these particular materials only and let the rest slide on down the conveyor belt. But if you have the time, you can also pick up other kinds of waste, such as banana peels and half eaten pizzas, and dispose of them in the trash. Yuck, I can only imagine what this place must smell like but nobody said it was going to be glamorous. Along with food scraps, bonuses will periodically roll out onto the conveyor belt, which gives you a bit of extra cash for clicking on them, and it goes towards your overall score (like many other service type games, such as Diner Dash, your goal is to earn a certain dollar amount by the end of the day).

As you fall into a kind of rhythm; clicking on items, dropping them into a washer, then a compacter, and lastly the trucks the game gets quite addictive and really gives the term �cleaning up within a level� a whole new meaning!

However, as fresh and fun as �Recyclorama� is - there are a few drawbacks as well. For one, even though the game starts off in Hawaii and you're whisked around to other locations you will soon come to realize that the game itself really doesn't change all that much! For example, over time you'll be given more conveyor belts, a few more added washers and compacters - but aside from that the game-play itself doesn't really evolve into anything more than that to keep you interested. It would've been cool if the recycling plants changed in appearance or if we were given the ability to purchase faster machines and other upgrades with the money we�ve earned. Ah, well as with all non-profit organizations I guess they just couldn�t afford it with their meager, tight budget.

Secondly, �Recyclorama� kinda lacks in the graphics department � the animations are just ok, not exactly what I would call complete rubbish but it will certainly take some global warming up to, for some of you.

Look I liked �Recyclorama� a lot so I�m not going to trash talk it. I found it to be a truly rewarding and gratifying experience. It is sure to please fans of micromanagement type games and Earth lovers alike!

Who knew recycling could be so much fun?