You’d never think that jigsaw puzzles could make for good console gaming, but the sheer fact that Puzzle Arcade exists on Xbox Live Arcade is all the proof anyone could need.  And you too can experience this proof for eight hundred Microsoft points.

Basically, I’ve already given you the plot–you’ll have a series of jigsaw puzzles to assemble all on your TV screen using your Xbox 360 controller, a concept that I had thought would be boring but turns out to be at least somewhat entertaining.  Between that and the music, it’s one of those excellent kind of “chill games” that you can sit down to with a hot cup of tea after a long day and just unwind with, slapping puzzles together, and without having to keep a whole bunch of cardboard boxes in your hall closet and find some decent smooth jazz.

It’s a very niche title, and definitely not for everybody, but if you can appreciate a game that’ll calm you down just as much as it’ll pick you up, then you’ll definitely enjoy a round of Puzzle Arcade.

Addicting Games has put out yet another interesting game for you to blow some time with, and it may be one of the toughest I’ve tried to tackle.

If you’re a fan of jigsaw puzzles, chances are you’ve realized you’re in something of a minority.  This is why Puzzle Picnic may well prove to be a welcome but unexpected oddity.  Basically, it’s a jigsaw puzzle in Flash.  And it’s also a head-to-head battle with a plot–you have to arrange various scenes of you and your friends out for a picnic, and you have to do so before your computer opponent can do the job.

I can’t remember the last time I played head-to-head jigsaw puzzles online, so Picnic Puzzle represents a new and fairly interesting direction.  If you even vaguely enjoy jigsaw puzzles, swing by and give this one a try.  But only if you’re deeply, DEEPLY, into jigsaw puzzles.