Alchemy + You = Time You Will Never See Again

Air, Earth, Water, Fire. Go. Four elements, 380 possibilities ... for now. Alchemy, an Android and iPhone game, presents you with the challenge of creating nearly limitless (I’ll explain.) combinations with these meager building blocks. Currently translated to at least 17 languages, this title delivers addictive qualities in international flavors.

Click the image to view game screenshots

OK, limitless combinations. I promised. Not only must you rack your mind to create obvious combinations (fire + water = alcohol; alcohol + man = alcoholic), there is a submission form that allows more than 5 million users to submit their own personally prepared puzzles. You do the math.

Double-click on the screen, and your four base elements appear. Drag one over the other, and either a new element is created ... or it’s not. Air, earth? Dust. Fire, air? Energy. That’ll get you started. Double-tap on a specific element, and you duplicate it. This is a wise tactic when excitedly experimenting with a newly created item that you don’t want to lose from your screen. Fortunately, you never lose any of your efforts. Tap the + icon, and you have your entire library to add to the mix. You can add an individual item or press and hold for your gallery selection.

Eventually -- and unexpectedly quickly -- you will generate a “Terminal Element,” which thankfully does not end the game. Terminal Elements are items that “...cannot be combined with any other elements.” Like explosions, and omelets, and rainbows. Yes, rainbows. And don’t even bother submitting rainbows + unicorns. It’s covered.