simonthedog's Profile
Stat Summary
- Average Rating:4.2
- Helpful Votes:140
- Reviews Submitted:20
- First Review:November 15, 2011
- Most Recent Review:December 8, 2021
- Featured reviews0
Use your botany skills to survive the strange new planet of Botanica. Can you find your way back to Earth in this thrilling Hidden Object adventure?
Overall rating
4
/
5
Great game!
PostedDecember 31, 2012
simonthedog
fromMichigan
Skill Level:Expert
Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Hidden Object, Large File, Puzzle
Fun Factor
5
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
5
/
5
Level of Challenge
5
/
5
Storyline
5
/
5
This was a wonderful game!! I played expert level. As others have said, the graphics are diverse and VERY beautiful. Any game worth four stars should have graphics like this. Nice story and a great variety of challenging puzzles, some of which I have not seen before! HO scenes required many manipulations other than just spotting the object, which I also liked. The only reason I did not give this game 5 stars is that I felt for 5 stars it needed to be longer. It is of average length. Definitely recommend!
I recommend this game!
A classic Christmas tale tail, with a whole new twist! Help the Nutcracker rescue the princess from the evil Rat King!
Overall rating
5
/
5
3 of 3 found this review helpful
Great Gift from Elephant Games!
PostedDecember 28, 2012
simonthedog
fromMichigan
Skill Level:Expert
Fun Factor
4
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
5
/
5
Level of Challenge
4
/
5
Storyline
4
/
5
Such a beautiful game--perfect for the holidays!! I hope they do more. A little short, but giving it five stars for capturing the spirit of the holidays!
I recommend this game!
After your student goes missing alongside several other children, it is up to you to solve the mystery of Everlake.
Overall rating
5
/
5
A 'High Standards' Game!!
PostedOctober 10, 2012
simonthedog
fromMichigan
Skill Level:Expert
Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Hidden Object, Large File, Match 3, Brain Teaser, Marble Popper, Puzzle
Fun Factor
5
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
5
/
5
Level of Challenge
5
/
5
Storyline
5
/
5
I will not repeat what everyone before has said so well...I thought this was a great game!! The story line was very well done and there are several hours of good playing time! I would have liked a map to shorten travel time, but then again I really enjoyed taking my time with this game :-)
I recommend this game!
Overall rating
5
/
5
0 of 1 found this review helpful
Way to go Elephant games!!
PostedMarch 4, 2012
simonthedog
fromMichigan
Skill Level:Expert
Favorite Genre(s):Hidden Object, Large File, Card & Board, Brain Teaser, Marble Popper, Puzzle
Fun Factor
5
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
5
/
5
Level of Challenge
5
/
5
Storyline
5
/
5
LOVED this!! Great story, great graphics, many changes of scenery to move the game along, great puzzles-- quite challenging at times! A beautiful game, and so very LONG!! It even had an ending that animal lovers will adore! Definitely deserves all 5 stars!! Way to go Elephant games!! :-) Cannot wait for the next one!
I recommend this game!
After their yacht is sunk by an incredible storm, Jane and Mike are separated in Sea Legends: Phantasmal Light!
Overall rating
4
/
5
1 of 2 found this review helpful
Good, solid game
PostedFebruary 20, 2012
simonthedog
fromMichigan
Skill Level:Intermediate
Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Hidden Object, Large File, Marble Popper, Puzzle
Fun Factor
5
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
5
/
5
Level of Challenge
5
/
5
Storyline
4
/
5
I am not going to repeat what all the other positive reviewers have said, since I am mostly in agreement. There is nothing really new here (therefore only 4 stars), but it is a solid, enjoyable HO game, and while dark and gloomy (due to the ever present storm clouds), I also thought the ship wreck and sea graphics were very good. A solid value :-)
I recommend this game!
Uncover a secret that lies beneath the surface of a traditional ryokan! Stop the terrifying ghost before it has its revenge!
Overall rating
2
/
5
17 of 25 found this review helpful
Too much dialog, not enough sleuthing!
PostedFebruary 19, 2012
simonthedog
fromMichigan
Skill Level:Intermediate
Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Hidden Object, Large File, Marble Popper, Puzzle
Fun Factor
2
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
4
/
5
Level of Challenge
3
/
5
Storyline
3
/
5
Having done all of the previous Nancy Drew Mysteries, I had high expectations for this game. Unfortunately, I was disappointed. There is a great deal of silly dialog, which if you like that sort of thing, fine, but I am a quick reader, and it was excruciating having to wait for the characters to get their words out. Especially when it is Bess and George discussing nothing at all! The puzzles really should have skip buttons, especially the timed ones.. Some of the puzzles are quite lengthy, and you cannot save a partially done puzzle. The ending was not very believable either. While it was set in a great location, has interesting characters, and the visuals are well done, the game gets very repetitive, very quickly. The mini-game at the arcade was ridiculous--just mind numbing clicking until you collect enough marbles. No thinking what-so-ever. This is nothing like Phantom of Venice which was a great game!
I don't recommend this game.
Journey across Italy as best-selling novelist Dana Knightstone in Death Under Tuscan Skies: A Dana Knightstone Novel!
Overall rating
5
/
5
11 of 14 found this review helpful
Bravo!
PostedJanuary 2, 2012
simonthedog
fromMichigan
Skill Level:Expert
Favorite Genre(s):Word, Brain Teaser, Adventure, Hidden Object, Marble Popper, Puzzle
Fun Factor
5
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
5
/
5
Level of Challenge
4
/
5
Bravo! This game grabbed me from the start--what is not to like about going to Italy!
Graphics: They are superb--crisp, bright, colorful, and detailed. Not a lot of HO's in this game, but they are very well done.
Story: The story is interesting and refreshing; not so macabre as so many are these days, The game plays logically, and I love the plentiful use of the Italian language in the background details. I speak some Italian, so this makes the game extra fun for me :-) I found the music soothing, but it is repetitive which might annoy some. It is more of a romantic mystery than a frightening one, so to each their own.
Game play: I played the advanced version. The game is smooth and logical. This is less of an HO game, and more of an interactive adventure game. There are plenty of mini puzzles, some which are quite easy, and a few that are more challenging. I found all the puzzles entertaining though, because they are refreshing, colorful, and some are puzzles within puzzles. While there is back and forth, it is not overdone, and completed areas will no longer highlight. Also, you move through chapters to keep the game moving forward, which presents fresh new scenes, a plus since the graphics are so beautiful. Some objects you collect will have to be used again (realistic!!), so don't forget to retrieve them! The goal sheet and journal are helpful, and if you are truly stuck, the hints will tell you what you need to know. The characters you meet in the game are helpful and well placed.
Game length: I took my time with this game to savor the graphics, and because I liked all the Italian details. It took me a little over four hours to finish--which I consider a good value for my money. For me, this had most of the elements of a 5 star game.
What it lacked: I like HO's where you have manipulate some objects, like open a box, or use a pair of scissors. Also, I like when a certain object is hidden throughout the game. For example, find all 50 frogs. These are minor things though, and my personal preferences.
Bravo to the developers! I hope they continue to produce such high quality games!
I recommend this game!
After a terrible traffic accident, Amy Walters finds herself trapped in dark, mysterious world that seems to have a mind of its own!
Overall rating
3
/
5
4 of 4 found this review helpful
Average game
PostedDecember 27, 2011
simonthedog
fromMichigan
Skill Level:Expert
Favorite Genre(s):Word, Brain Teaser, Adventure, Hidden Object, Marble Popper, Large File, Puzzle
Fun Factor
4
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
4
/
5
Level of Challenge
3
/
5
This is a nice, but average HO game. The story line is somewhat novel and intriguing, and it is nice to have a game that does not take place in a creepy old mansion, or have lots of blood and gore. HO scenes lead to finding necessary objects that move the game forward, which I always like, but they are straight forward, and I like when some objects must be altered by other objects first, such as finding the knife to slice open the apple, to get apple seeds. Also, the playing environment is rather small. Because there is a lot of returning to places, sometimes that is a plus, but I prefer moving on to fresh new places with fresh new graphics. There are a few mini puzzles of average difficulty, but most are familiar ones like picking locks or placing gears, There is a simple logic puzzle that I have not seen before, but it could have been a bit more challenging. The graphics are a bit grainy and more like drawings than crisp, lifelike images. This makes the HO scenes more difficult, but in a frustrating way, rather than in a challenging way. Overall, I liked the game because the story line and setting were refreshing to me, but I think they made a good game when they could have made a great one.
I recommend this game!
Adventure runs in the family! Join Nelly and Tommy in their quest to retrieve their pirate grandmother`s hidden treasure!
Overall rating
2
/
5
14 of 17 found this review helpful
Slow going
PostedDecember 21, 2011
simonthedog
fromMichigan
Skill Level:Expert
Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Hidden Object, Marble Popper, Large File, Card & Board
Fun Factor
2
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
2
/
5
Level of Challenge
3
/
5
I did not care for this game. Rather than a list of objects, you must match the objects to a picture. I found the objects very difficult to find and often resorted to haphazard clicking. This led to impatience with the game as a whole. It is also very quiet. At times there is music, but then it stops and you are left with total silence. There are no voices either, just word bubbles. I did like the mini puzzles--they were such a welcome break from the HO scenes--however they were pretty simple. I am not sure what age group this is aimed at. It is a sweet story, nothing gory or gross, but the objects are very hard to find, often half hidden, and rotated. You would have to love this style of HO game to like this one, in my opinion.
After leaving something in your car, a hitchhiker vanishes! Track her down and return her things in Shiver: Vanishing Hitchhiker!
Overall rating
4
/
5
69 of 93 found this review helpful
Nice game
PostedNovember 15, 2011
simonthedog
fromMichigan
Skill Level:Intermediate
Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Hidden Object, Large File, Puzzle
Fun Factor
4
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
3
/
5
Level of Challenge
4
/
5
Played expert level. Graphics were occasionally grainy, but interesting, HO's fairly well defined. The story is a bit weak, and there is the usual skeletons and blood, but overall I enjoyed it. Voice over was not over done...I liked the intermittent rain. Because it is rainy, the graphics are pretty much grey and muted. The Hint option was helpful, but did not give too much away. It helped me avoid retracing my steps haphazardly when I was stuck. The journal saves clues, but I did not find it to be a lot of help other than recording a code. Gave several hours of playing time. Not a lot of puzzles, and they were not too difficult, but I liked the way the game broke up into puzzles, HO, and searching for 'useful' items.
I recommend this game!