Epic renovation projects are rarely as entertaining as the mansion makeover at the heart of Homescapes. All you need is a little inspiration and a lot of match-3 puzzle-solving.

When dapper butler Austin learns that his parents are planning on selling his childhood home, he sets out to restore it to former glories. Luckily, he’s short of neither motivation nor ideas, as he embraces every home improvement task imaginable.

Each room presents a unique set of challenges, whether it’s resurfacing a floor or choosing new furniture. Even better, Homescapes gives you plenty of decor options, meaning you can help Austin fashion the house of his dreams – but will his efforts be enough to persuade mum and dad to stay put?

Progressing through the to-do list is a never-ending adventure, but there’s plenty of fun to be had assisting Austin’s redecoration efforts. Stars are the currency he needs to bring his ambitious plans to fruition, and they can be earned by completing a succession of inventive match-3 games.

It couldn’t be easier to get stuck into those crucial puzzles. The mechanics are simple and intuitive, but never get dull thanks to the games’ impressive variety – in one level you might be trying to clear the board of cherries, in the next you could be steering a batch of doughnuts to the bottom of the screen.

Homescapes also brings an inventive array of boosters and power-ups into play – some of them unlockable, many of them explosive – designed to help you clear each level more quickly. Indeed, on many puzzles you’ll run out of moves if you don’t deploy them strategically.

And if you fancy getting out of the family home for a while, you can embark on limited-time Expeditions. These one-off adventures follow all-new stories, with progression largely dependent on the energy you collect via the main game – in other words, make sure you’re well stocked before you begin your quests.

Austin’s talents aren’t limited to interior design, and he gets to show off his green fingers in Playrix stablemate Gardenscapes. He was also once arrested in the game Mystery Matters’ by Detective Leonard Gomez – though in this case the butler definitely didn’t do it, as Austin’s brush with the law was later revealed to be an April Fool prank.