News From the Dragon's Lair

December 2007

Perfect Holiday Gifts

The holiday season is a very special time for all of us at DreamQuest. As we watch homes glow with lights, listen to holiday music and gather with friends and family, we are simply delighted in all that this season has to offer.

But, stress invades the holiday joy with the party throwing, the dinner planning and the gift giving. DreamQuest has solutions for you. We are offering you Championship Mahjongg at no cost when you purchase a sweet treat from our partner, David's Cookies.

If you are looking for the perfect gift for friends or family members, give them any of our casual games or a game gift certificate so that they can choose the game for themselves. These are excellent and easy gifts to give your friends and family. Give the gift of relaxation and minimize stress with our casual games, such as our award-winning Championship Spades Pro or the very popular Championship Euchre Pro and Championship Chess Pro.

Your friends and family will have something to share with loved ones as they play together. Give the gift of gaming and help yourself and your loved ones have a less stressful and more enjoyable holiday season.

Happy holidays from all of us at DreamQuest!

In This Issue:

Spades Wins Top Honors
New Update Release
Special Holiday Offer
Chess Game Tip
Did You Know?

Holiday Trivia Question:

What did they use as buttons on the world's largest snowman?

A) Steel rings
B) Laminated construction paper
C) Rubber tires
D) Giant rocks

Three correct entries chosen at random will receive a deck of official DreamQuest playing cards!

Submit entries to contest@dqsoft.com
by January 2nd.

November Trivia Question:
How high must a cranberry bounce before it is harvested?

Answer:
4 inches

Championship Spades Pro Receives Top Honors

We are proud to announce that our Championship Spades Pro has been chosen by Smartphone and PocketPC Magazine as the Best Pocket PC Card Game for the second year in a row!

The Smartphone and Pocket PC Magazine Annual Best Software Awards identify the best Pocket PC and Smartphone software available to you. Out of nearly 4,000 eligible software products, 180 winners were selected in each category. DreamQuest's Championship Spades Pro took home top honors in the card game category again this year.

Keeping the quest for excellence in the family, DreamQuest's Championship Cribbage Pro and Championship Euchre Pro were the only other finalists in the card game category. As the first mobile card game created by DreamQuest five years ago, Championship Spades Pro still reigns as the best Spades game anywhere.

If you would like the opportunity to

Try different spades variations
Adjust settings such as passing, scoring and deck size

Then Championship Spades Pro is right for you. Own your copy of this award-winning-game today!

New Update Release!

The start of a new year is a perfect time to make changes and reach for the best. At DreamQuest, we believe whole heartedly in this, and have thus upgraded not just a few, but all of our 12 Championship level games.

Updating is free and easy:

Select Check for a newer release from the File or Help menu
Follow the prompts on your screen to upgrade your game
Your personal settings will still be saved in the upgraded game

New features with the upgrade include:

In-depth explanations for beginners
A new and improved Professor Coach with tips to improve your game
Increased capacity to save win and loss history for your games
Improved sound capabilities for Windows Vista users

So, with 2008 quickly approaching, take some time to update those DreamQuest games you already own.

Our Special Holiday Gift to You

Have you always wanted to own Championship Mahjongg, but thought that it just wasn't the right time to buy? Well, now is the perfect time because with our special holiday offer, Championship Mahjongg is our gift to you!

Just treat yourself to one of David's Cookies delectable goodies and prepare to dive into mystical Championship Mahjongg titles at no charge. With this special offer, you can send your friends and family sweet treats from David's Cookies.

Championship Mahjongg awaits you! Race against the clock to match tiles of ancient text, DreamQuest characters or one of various other tile sets. Access personal statistics, play online and much more.

Chess Tip:
Keep Your Center Strong

From the very beginning of each Championship Chess Pro game, the play that controls the center of the chessboard controls the traffic between the two armies. If you're weak in the middle, you'll likely be facing an invasion soon. Before starting a successful attack, you first need to gain a firm foothold in the center. The following are some opening game tips that will help keep your center strong.

Be extremely careful when moving your pawns. They can never back up! Try to control the center with pawns. The center of the board is the four middle squares: d4-e4-d5-e5. Pawns create a more permanent presence than just having your pieces influence the center. Pawn moves in the opening should accomplish one of two things: control the center or free your bishops to develop. As moving the center pawn does both, there is seldom a need to move the wing pawn in the opening. Moving wing pawns can often create structural weakness.
Knights and bishops should be attacking center squares. Even though it is more important to control the center with pawns than pieces, every bit helps. Your knights and bishops should be pointed at the center of the board in the opening. They can be used to pin enemy knights against their king or queen and to prevent these knights from being able to attack the center.
Get your bishops and knights out as quickly as possible. If you get your pieces out fast and your opponent does not, you may be able to score a quick knockout. However, move knights and bishops out first and don't start an attack until ALL your pieces are ready. Don't move up your queen too far where your opponent's knights and bishops can attack it and win tempos. Lastly, the player who makes the best use of his rooks usually wins the opening!

DreamQuest's Championship Chess Pro spans across five levels of difficulty and offers challenging realistic opponents. Own your copy of Championship Chess Pro today and explore dozens of chess variations, including Fischer and Progressive, sharpen your skills with your in-game DreamCoach(TM) or practice these game tips!

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