Astraware has taken five of its Palm OS (Nisqually, Alchemy, Abysma, Elixir, and Bounce Out) and converted them for use on the Pocket PC. The company said all the games have been optimized to take advantage of the color screens and sound capabilities of Pocket PC devices. Astraware is also announcing an upgrade to the company’s Diamond Mine game, the Pocket PC version of its Bejeweled for Palm OS handhelds.

Nisqually is a handheld version of GameHouse’s online puzzle game by the same title. Gamers aim to clear a screen full of blocks by sliding them to make groups. The challenge is to arrange the blocks to be left with just the right amount of each type to complete the level.

Alchemy is a handheld version of the online game by PopCap Games. Players attempt to turn lead into gold. The goal is to become the mythical Alchemical Grand Master. They place runes of magical shapes and colors onto the screen, and turn the board to gold. The company said the official Pocket PC adaptation retains all of the game play of the online version.

In Abysma, players are opposed by both time and a descending "bar of doom." A bar descends downward across a screen of multi-sized blocks. Energy is lost when the bar of doom comes across a blank space, causing players to race to fill in the gaps with adjoining blocks before the bar hits the empty spots and saps all of their energy.

Astraware said Elixir pits the player against the clock in a race to, literally, pop as many pills as possible. As iridescent capsules descend down the screen, the player must explode as many pills as possible, but only those that are not supporting the capsules above them.

Bounce Out is similar to Astraware’s Bejeweled and Diamond Mine titles, except that players are rushed to swap colorful balls rather than gemstones in order to line up three or more in a row and players may swap vertically as well as horizontally and diagonally. As sets of three or more are formed, the balls "bounce out" and the balls above drop and wiggle into place, completely reconfiguring the game-board.

Astraware’s new games sell for $14.95 each.