Bubble Safari tips straight from the monkey's mouth

Zynga jumped on the Facebook bubble popping game bandwagon with the recent release of Bubble Safari. After an initial reaction that went something like, 'Oh gawd, another bubble popper," we started playing and found that, as far as puzzle games with bubbles go, Zynga has crafted one of the more compelling ones out there. In fact, this game has kicked off a heated interoffice competition that we haven't seen since the debut of PopCap's Zuma Blitz.

In an effort to gain a competitive edge, we asked Zynga San Diego Senior Creative Director Mark Turmell to give us seven pro tips on how to transform into a mean bubble popping machine.

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1. Any time that you disconnect some bubbles, they turn into fruit. Once you see fruit dropping, look at the bubble in your cannon, and the next bubble in your hopper to see if there's another drop that's possible. The On Fire mode is the key to beating this game. You need to drop fruit three consecutive times to catch on fire, and you should be able to do so two or three times per level.

2. Bank Shots, Big Drops, Big Pops, and consecutive successful shots will fill the Boost Bubble meter more quickly.

3. When a swarm of bees fly away from the hive to sting your monkey, quickly use your next shot to drop the hive or blast it with a fire bubble, and the bees will change their mind just before stinging you.

4. On Spawners levels, the Spawners will add a bubble to the rack upon each shot you take. But if you shoot quickly before the first spawned bubble lands, they won't shoot a second bubble up into air!

5. The most important Powerup is the Extended Aim pointer. Try it out because it makes each level sooooo much easier.

6. Use the Anti Poacher Trap Powerups to clamp down all traps for several turns, making the level safe.

7. Always remember to use your bubbles from friends. They can help you at the most important moments. And remember, if you use one friend's bubble enough, they'll send you back a Boost Bubble for even more destruction.

Have any other good tips and cheats for Zynga's Bubble Safari? Leave them in the comments below. Add comment.