Who needs Mardi Gras when you’ve got a non-stop party all across Japan? Before you can join in the parties though, you have to help by setting up the most integral part of any proper party: colorful lanterns. And I wouldn’t want you to be that guy who conveniently forgets to bring something to share with everyone but is happy to eat what’s provided, so I’ve got a great Tempura recipe for you. So pour yourself some sake and let’s party!

Your Delightful Game:

It’s time to party! And luckily you’ve found a great tour guide, Hana, who knows just where to find the best street parties, or matsuris, in Japan. In Boomzap’s Magic Lanterns, the two of you go party-hopping all over the country, stopping to learn about the history and traditions associated with each festival. Before you can enjoy the parties though, you have to do a little work.

At each matsuri you begin with a full board of lanterns, which you get rid of by making sets of two or more identical ones. The bigger the block of lanterns, the more points you get. When you hover over a set, the amount of points it will be worth appears in a box on the lower right-hand side of your screen, so you can determine which set will be the most worthwhile. You’re only allotted so many moves in each level, so while there is no time limit in “lantern quest” mode, you must use fewer than your given number of moves to get a certain number of sets in order to complete the levels.

As you move to new parties, you get new power-ups. A wildcard piece changes the colors of the surrounding lanterns to any color you choose (usually to that of a nearby color set to increase your block), paint bottles cover nearby lanterns in a new color, slicers omit entire rows or columns, and randomizers switch all adjoining lanterns to random colors.

Completing a few regular stages leads you to a bonus puzzle stage. These are challenging and require some thinking, and in my case, more than one failure, so don’t get cocky just because you easily figured out the first one. In these stages you have to clear the screen of all the lanterns, so be careful not to leave a sole lantern stranded apart from the others, or you’ll have to start over.

Magic Lanterns offers three additional game modes. Panic mode is timed, but clicking on lanterns adds more time to the clock. It’s a bit too frenzied for me; I kept feeling so rushed to click on something that I was clicking on anything, pair or not. Perfect mode works just like lantern quest mode you just aren’t traveling to any parties. If you’re looking for a challenge, puzzle mode allows you to work on nothing but the bonus puzzles.

This game is really quite beautiful. The backdrops range from flowering cherry trees to snow covered hills to bamboo filled jungles. The colors are often warm reds and blues, which are calming. The music, while appropriate, gets a bit repetitive. Overall, Magic Lanterns is a fun, simple and entertaining game. The power-ups are useful, the bonus levels are challenging, and everything is colorful. Plus you get to party all across the Japanese countryside!

Your Tasty Dinner:

Today I’ve got a tasty recipe to accompany your party tour. Tempura, a traditional Japanese treat, is essentially a lot of deep-fried goodness. You make the tempura batter and then you deep fry whatever your heart desires – chicken, fish, vegetables, even ice cream. This delicious Japanese dish will keep you partying all night long!

Tempura

You’ll need:
- 1 egg
- 1 cup ice water
- 1 cup all-purpose flour

-1/4 cup vegetable oil for frying
-Vegetables or meats, cut into small pieces:
- Carrots, broccoli, cauliflower, onions, eggplant, peppers, etc.
-Shrimp, scallops, cod (or other white fish) etc.
-Chicken
-Soy sauce or teriyaki sauce for dipping

1. Beat the egg in a medium-sized bowl before stirring in the ice water.
2. Add the flour and combine. Be sure not to over-mix; lumps are OK.
3. Meanwhile, heat the vegetable oil over medium-high heat to about 340 degrees in a deep-fryer (a big pot will work too). You can check the temperature by dropping a bit of batter into the oil. If it sinks toward the bottom before floating to the top you’re at the right temperature.
4. Lightly coat the vegetables, seafood, and chicken in batter.
5. Fry until golden brown. (Do the vegetables before the seafood or chicken).
6. Drain on paper towel.
7. Serve them up and enjoy the party!