How do I play Alchemy?

Tap the screen on 'Easy Game' to start a game!

The screen will start with just one block in the center of the screen. In the top left hand corner is a colored rune - tap it with your stylus, and drag it next to the block. It will fix in place, and another rune will appear.

The aim of the game is to turn the whole screen into gold, by placing runes onto every grey square. Once you manage this, the whole board clears, you get bonus points, and you start over with a couple more runes or colors....

The rules for placing runes are simple. You must place them next to at least one other block or rune, and it must match every one it touches in either color (shade) or in shape.

If you find that there isn't a place you can put the rune, then you will have to discard it, by dropping it in the forge, which is in the top right hand corner. Every time you do this, the forge will fill up - and it can only hold three runes! If you try to place a fourth, the game will be over. Luckily, every time you place a valid rune, the forge will empty by one, and if you get a complete line, the forge will empty!

Sounds simple?

Well, it is! But... to clear a complete board requires more thought than it initially appears! If you accidentally surround a space with three different rune/color combinations, you won't ever be able to fill in that space, unless you are lucky enough to get a grey block (which can go anywhere) or a bomb - which you can use to destroy one of the offending runes.

In later levels you get more and more possible runes, and more colors! Let's hope you're up to the challenge!