timothya's Profile
Stat Summary
- Average Rating:4.3
- Helpful Votes:1,143
- Reviews Submitted:199
- First Review:June 24, 2012
- Most Recent Review:September 3, 2025
- Featured reviews0
Status:
Invasion: Lost in Time
Complete dangerous missions amid dazzling landscapes of prehistoric Earth and alien worlds. Can you complete these thrilling puzzles in order to return home?
Overall rating
5
/
5
2 of 2 found this review helpful
Lots and Lots of Puzzles
PostedAugust 18, 2015
timothya
fromSandpoint, Idaho
Skill Level:Intermediate
Favorite Genre(s):Puzzle, Hidden Object, Adventure, Match 3
Current Favorite:
Drawn®: Dark Flight ™ Collector's Edition
(48)Fun Factor
5
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
5
/
5
Level of Challenge
4
/
5
Storyline
4
/
5
A very pleasant surprise. I love puzzles, easy or hard, love 'em all. This game has them. Game shows a few rough edges linguistically and the character interface is written only, but that doesn't really detract much. Very colorful art, Enough plot to keep the thing rolling with an entertaining twist toward the end. And did I mention puzzles? Loved the game.
I recommend this game!
Witches' Legacy: The Dark Throne Collector's Edition
The witches' dark legacy continues as Lynn becomes possessed!
Overall rating
5
/
5
5 of 5 found this review helpful
Give This One A Chance
PostedJuly 15, 2015
timothya
fromSandpoint, Idaho
Skill Level:Intermediate
Favorite Genre(s):Puzzle, Hidden Object, Adventure
Current Favorite:
Drawn®: Dark Flight ™ Collector's Edition
(48)Fun Factor
5
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
5
/
5
Level of Challenge
4
/
5
Storyline
4
/
5
I just about gave up on this one way too soon. It turned out to be a great game, fully worth the effort and the bonuses made it worthy of being a CE. I'd give it four stars but the bonus game kicked it back to five.
Pros: Great graphics, lovely colors, and LOTS OF PLAY! The latter is all too rare these days, but it went on and on and got better and better. Plot decent and coherent. Puzzles just about right level of difficulty, HO's of several different styles.
Cons: Too many cut scenes, especially in the beginning. Completely took the rhythm of the game off the rails. Assistant is less annoying than most but didn't seem all that necessary. In the first "alternate world" the direction was occasionally not very logical, you often didn't really know what to do next.
Overall, though, stick with this one. Full value for length, full value for bonus game.
I recommend this game!
Surface: Alone in the Mist Collector's Edition
All the adults have vanished. Is this a child's dream, or nightmare?
Overall rating
5
/
5
2 of 6 found this review helpful
Wonderful Entry in a Favorite Series
PostedJune 8, 2015
timothya
fromSandpoint, Idaho
Favorite Genre(s):Puzzle, Hidden Object, Adventure
Current Favorite:
Drawn®: Dark Flight ™ Collector's Edition
(48)Fun Factor
5
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
5
/
5
Level of Challenge
4
/
5
Storyline
4
/
5
Great opening, a child singing a song that is wonderfully creepy. The idea is that our antagonist has wished all the grownups away, and is enforcing that edict with an amulet that must be recovered. The major plot weakness is that the identity of the Wishmaster who gave it to her is never explored, but suffice it to say that he's a bad guy. The protagonist, a young woman with a penchant for archery, is not quite the stock character that would imply.
Pros: great art, atmospheric music, varied hidden object scenes and puzzles at about the right level of difficulty. Competent to excellent voice acting. Cons: plot resolves too abruptly. Amusement park is a little trite. Supporting characters could be fleshed out some more, they're rather charming but our acquaintance is too brief.
Overall, though, an excellent entry, very immersive, very diverting.
Pros: great art, atmospheric music, varied hidden object scenes and puzzles at about the right level of difficulty. Competent to excellent voice acting. Cons: plot resolves too abruptly. Amusement park is a little trite. Supporting characters could be fleshed out some more, they're rather charming but our acquaintance is too brief.
Overall, though, an excellent entry, very immersive, very diverting.
I recommend this game!
PuppetShow: The Price of Immortality Collector's Edition
Your friend vanishes after investigating the mysterious Theater of Emotions
Overall rating
5
/
5
3 of 5 found this review helpful
Worthy Successor to a Great Franchise
PostedApril 1, 2015
timothya
fromSandpoint, Idaho
Skill Level:Intermediate
Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Hidden Object, Match 3, Puzzle
Current Favorite:
Drawn®: Dark Flight ™ Collector's Edition
(48)Fun Factor
5
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
5
/
5
Level of Challenge
4
/
5
Storyline
4
/
5
It was only good until the bonus game, then it was brilliant. Great graphics with the familiar Puppet Show music, which I ended up turning up just for the atmosphere. A few fairly tough puzzles even on Easy mode. Lots of to-and-fro but the map helped a great deal. And yes, the Little Spider Guy we've come to despise is back! For once the assistant is really adorable, for once the bonus prizes let you do something you care about, and for once the Achievements gave you a little reward just for reading. Full marks. I really enjoyed this one.
Magic Gate: Faces of Darkness
Venture into a magical world and experience the struggle of good versus evil!
Overall rating
4
/
5
4 of 5 found this review helpful
A Sleeper - Love These!
PostedMarch 4, 2015
timothya
fromSandpoint, Idaho
Skill Level:Intermediate
Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Hidden Object, Match 3, Puzzle
Current Favorite:
Drawn®: Dark Flight ™ Collector's Edition
(48)Fun Factor
4
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
4
/
5
Level of Challenge
4
/
5
Storyline
4
/
5
Quite an old-school game, but beautifully done. And, for once, a male POV. Hurrah! Nice graphics, unobtrusive music, perhaps a little repetitive, a bit epic. More dialogue than I liked but it's believable and so is the voice acting. Occasional language errors in the HOS cost it a star - nothing more frustrating than searching for the wrong thing! Very nice SE.
I recommend this game!
Haunted Hotel: Death Sentence Collector's Edition
Welcome to Holy Mountain Hotel, where all criminals are punished.
Overall rating
5
/
5
2 of 2 found this review helpful
Outstanding Effort
PostedDecember 30, 2014
timothya
fromSandpoint, Idaho
Skill Level:Intermediate
Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Hidden Object, Puzzle
Current Favorite:
Drawn®: Dark Flight ™ Collector's Edition
(48)Fun Factor
5
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
5
/
5
Level of Challenge
4
/
5
Storyline
5
/
5
High on my list of games of the year, this one seemed to catch a certain air of the very best games of the past. It just had that feel. Excellent writing, coherent plot, excellent voice acting. And really creepy, atmospheric music and sound effects. A nice mix of HO styles, and plentiful puzzles, some of them small, some really challenging on the tougher modes. Very nice bonus area that I can't talk about for spoilers. Graphics quite up to the developer's already high standards. None of these stood over the others but every one seemed just a little bit better than its competition. Full marks to everyone involved!
I recommend this game!
Christmas Stories: Hans Christian Andersen's Tin Soldier Collector's Edition
The Rat King's wand has fallen into the hands of a vengeful baron. Team up with your new friend, the Tin Soldier, to stop him!
Overall rating
5
/
5
0 of 1 found this review helpful
Cute, Cute, Very Cute!
PostedDecember 17, 2014
timothya
fromSandpoint, Idaho
Skill Level:Intermediate
Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Hidden Object, Match 3, Puzzle
Current Favorite:
Drawn®: Dark Flight ™ Collector's Edition
(48)Fun Factor
5
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
5
/
5
Level of Challenge
3
/
5
Storyline
4
/
5
Whimsical, gentle, great to play with kids. A wonderful successor to the hit of a couple of years ago. Lovely music - a lot of Tchaikovsky, Swan Lake and the Nutcracker mostly, very Christmasy. Brilliant colors, excellent voice acting. There were, sadly, a couple of problems with game mechanics in interacting with the Toymaker that will prove frustrating to little ones. To me too, truth to be told. The bonus game involves kittens and some even better voice acting and that's all I'll say. Overall a nice, relaxed, sentimental holiday game.
I recommend this game!
Mystery Case Files: Dire Grove, Sacred Grove Collector's Edition
A deadly secret lurks in the woods of Dire Grove!
Overall rating
4
/
5
1 of 2 found this review helpful
Almost Up To A Very High Bar
PostedDecember 10, 2014
timothya
fromSandpoint, Idaho
Skill Level:Intermediate
Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Hidden Object, Puzzle
Current Favorite:
Drawn®: Dark Flight ™ Collector's Edition
(48)Fun Factor
5
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
5
/
5
Level of Challenge
4
/
5
Storyline
3
/
5
A wonderful game and a fun revisit to some old territory. Graphics top-notch as one might expect. Superb game play, nice mix of HOs in different styles and of course, the absolutely glorious MCF puzzles! I savored these - one of them took me a nice, leisurely hour. Excellent bonus time, and the alternate ending was worth the price of admission (and superior to the "real" ending, I think). Just loved the thing.
So why four stars? It was the writing. The inclusion of a certain old enemy in order to provide series continuity was unnecessary and seemed very contrived, and wisely was kept pretty much to the bonus content. But without him (and the original Dire Grove didn't have him) the game would have worked fine but lost that extra something we have come to expect from this stellar series. It simply wasn't as tightly written as the standard-setting series from Return to Ravenhearst through Madame Fate to Dire Grove. The subsequent two entries were, regrettably, not up to that standard and will be mercifully disregarded. It is a lot to ask for the entire story arc to be smooth but this was, I think, a little disjointed.
Things I really liked: nearly everything else. The choice to provide an alternate male POV (and narrator) was deeply appreciated and long overdue. And the puzzles, my gracious, the puzzles were superb!
Overall a great effort by Elephant to live up to a very high standard indeed.
I recommend this game!
Surface: Game of Gods Collector's Edition
Save your friends and escape from a deadly game!
Overall rating
5
/
5
2 of 3 found this review helpful
Very Entertaining Entry
PostedNovember 26, 2014
timothya
fromSandpoint, Idaho
Skill Level:Intermediate
Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Hidden Object, Puzzle
Current Favorite:
Drawn®: Dark Flight ™ Collector's Edition
(48)Fun Factor
5
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
5
/
5
Level of Challenge
4
/
5
Storyline
4
/
5
I liked this one a lot. Our protagonist is caught into playing a sinister game that vaults her (yet another female POV but not too obnoxious about it) through other worlds to confront gods and free her friends from the game's icy clutch. Great graphics, excellent voice acting. Music a bit more intense than would have been called for by the relatively static scenes but not enough so to turn it off. Very nice mix of HOGs of different styles. A couple of really original puzzles. Quite a few cut scenes, some adding considerably to the game experience, some not so much. Nice, if short, bonus. Great game mechanics overall.
I recommend this game!
Mystery Trackers: Blackrow's Secret Collector's Edition
You’re about to uncover the secret that’s been haunting Blackrow!
Overall rating
5
/
5
4 of 5 found this review helpful
Another Fine Mystery Trackers Entry
PostedSeptember 3, 2014
timothya
fromSandpoint, Idaho
Skill Level:Intermediate
Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Hidden Object, Puzzle
Current Favorite:
Drawn®: Dark Flight ™ Collector's Edition
(48)Fun Factor
5
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
5
/
5
Level of Challenge
4
/
5
Storyline
4
/
5
Beautiful game. Nicely but conventionally plotted, music not overly obtrusive and I left it on the entire time. The usual mix of HO scenes and quite a few puzzles - I love puzzles - some of which are quite original. Casual mode seemed a little too easy but the next one up, just about right. Oh, and Elf is back. Plenty of achievements and artifacts for those who find that sort of thing enhances the game. I'd trade those for a little more length but it isn't enough to take a star off. Had a great time!
I recommend this game!