biscuitsmama's Profile
Stat Summary
- Average Rating:4.3
- Helpful Votes:67,036
- Reviews Submitted:1148
- First Review:July 13, 2012
- Most Recent Review:December 16, 2020
- Featured reviews0
Status:
Can you stop an ancient menace from taking over the city?
Overall rating
5
/
5
89 of 121 found this review helpful
SECRET CITY IS BACK WITH AN EXCITING ADVENTURE INTO THE MERFOLK REALM
PostedJanuary 24, 2019
Fun Factor
5
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
5
/
5
Level of Challenge
5
/
5
Storyline
5
/
5
The Secret City is a magical place where mystical and powerful beings live hidden alongside the human race. Many years ago Tenebris, the princess of the Merfolk, killed her father to take over the Merfolk kingdom. The ambitious princess had her sights set on the Secret City as well since she wanted to become the supreme ruler of all mystical beings. Fortunately the revolt was stopped and after her generals were killed Tenebris and the Merfolk Kingdom disappeared. Now the petrified body of a renowned Dwarven explorer has washed up on the shoreline and your friend Sakir needs your help. Sakir believes that the death of Bolrekin Nibley is somehow related to the Merfolk Kingdom and it could mean bad news for the Secret City. Will you and Sakir be able to solve the case and find out what this means for the future of the Secret City.
I loved the first game in this new series “London Calling” that was released last year and since that time I’ve been waiting for the next game to appear and today my wait is over. I played the beta for the game a few months ago and I knew it would be a game that I would love. The Sunken Kingdom is everything I thought it would be and more. The only issue for me is that there are far more puzzles than HOP scenes in the game. The HOPS in the game are very well-crafted but they are outnumbered by puzzles. Even though I enjoy HOPS more than I do puzzles, the puzzles in this game are entertaining and fun to solve. Thankfully there are some puzzles that rely on using one’s brain rather than simply twist this and then twist that to solve.
Another critique of the game is the offering of a pseudo Custom game setting. If a developer is going to offer a Custom setting it implies that the gamer can choose to set the game up the way they want to play. In recent games the developer sets the lower end of the time settings for skipping puzzles or getting hints. Sometimes it might be 10 seconds or even 15 seconds but I believe that the gamer should be able to change that to fit their needs. I tend to be a bit impatient and when I want or need a hint I don’t want to hang around and wait. Please developers allow us to select that bottom range for ourselves. I realize it is a time-stretcher when we must wait to skip a puzzle but why even offer a Custom setting when we cannot set the hint and skip times?
Overall The Sunken Kingdom is an excellent game with a well laid out storyline. I love the premise of having a hidden city within London that only a few can see or find. Kudos to BFG and the developer for coming up with this interesting new idea. I have enjoyed playing the game well into the wee hours of the morning and find it to be one of the best games that I have played recently. It was refreshing to see a mystery game that didn’t have some evil monster hiding in a decrepit and dark haunted house. As always, please try the demo to see if Secret City The Sunken Kingdom is a game that you will enjoy as much as me. Happy gaming!
Stop the Ice Queen from turning the world into a giant snowball!
Overall rating
5
/
5
29 of 35 found this review helpful
INCREDIBLE DRACULA THE ICE KINGDOM IS AN INCREDIBLE GAME!
PostedJanuary 18, 2019
Fun Factor
5
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
5
/
5
Level of Challenge
5
/
5
Storyline
5
/
5
As you may know I mostly play and review HOPA games and have generally avoided the TM genre until a few years ago when the first Incredible Dracula game grabbed me and fired up my interest in the TM genre. I own every Incredible Dracula game and have eagerly been awaiting the next game and it is finally here. When I saw this morning’s game Incredible Dracula the Ice Kingdom I began doing my happy dance. I love, love, love Incredible Dracula and The Ice Kingdom continues the humorous and entertaining series. If you haven’t already discovered Incredible Dracula I heartily recommend that you try The Ice Kingdom and let the fun and laughs begin.
The sound effects in this game are as usual but they still cause a chuckle to escape every time I hear them. The graphics are of exceptional quality and add to my enjoyment of this game as Dracula and his friends tackle the freezing cold this year.
Incredible Dracula The Ice Kingdom was an instant purchase for me because this is the first TM series I fell in love with. With our cold and wet weather I now have a great game that will keep me warm and happy as I play with Dracula and his pals. Even though this game was an instant buy for me, as always, please try the demo to see if The Ice Kingdom is a game you will enjoy. Happy gaming!
I recommend this game!
Can you stop an ancient evil from breaking free?
Overall rating
2
/
5
62 of 86 found this review helpful
WHEN WILL THE COOKIE-CUTTER ASSEMBLY LINE END?
PostedJanuary 17, 2019
biscuitsmama
fromDoes anyone need a glass of milk to go with their cookies?
Skill Level:Expert
Fun Factor
1
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
4
/
5
Level of Challenge
1
/
5
Storyline
1
/
5
Jump on the conveyor belt to another cookie-cutter game in the Redemption Cemetery series - The Cursed Mark. The premise of this game is the same now as it was in 2010 when the first game was offered. The storyline is only different in that this time there are two demons duking it out for supremacy - one good the other the bad guy who needs to steal souls in order to flesh out his skeletal form and take dominion over, yes you guessed it guys, the entire world.
Is it BFG or is it the lack of creativity with a developer that keeps bringing us this assembly line of games over and over and over? Honestly if this continues to be what I have to look forward to with games from the same handful of BFG developers, then it is a bleak gaming outlook indeed.
There is nothing remotely interesting in "The Cursed Mark" that would entice me to even complete the demo of the game. It was boring from the get-go with the same storyline, the same tasks, and the same gameplay. HOPA games are now littered with mini-HOP scenes since they probably require less work to create and serve to act as game fillers so that a game with three chapters might seem much longer. IMHO anytime I see an in-game strategy guide that shows a game has only 3 chapters, then I am not going to spend my hard earned dollars to purchase the game - even if it is on sale.
Those of you who haven't been around long enough to play the previous thirteen games in the series might possibly enjoy this game. This developer creates some of the most realistic characters in gameland and their artwork is probably enough to entice you to having a go at Redemption Cemetery The Cursed Mark. As for me, I've been there/done that over and over and over again so this one is definitely a pass for me. As always, please try the demo to see if you will enjoy The Cursed Mark. Happy Gaming
I don't recommend this game.
Can you save your brother and the worlds in time?
Overall rating
5
/
5
60 of 89 found this review helpful
LABYRINTHS OF THE WORLD LOST ISLAND HITS THE MARK!
PostedJanuary 10, 2019
Fun Factor
5
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
5
/
5
Level of Challenge
5
/
5
Storyline
5
/
5
Labyrinths of the World is back with Lost Island the ninth game in the Labyrinths series. This has been a series that is somewhat on and off for me but fortunately, to start 2019, this is one of the better games. In Lost Island Margaret who is fairly new at this seeker business will have to go it alone without her brother and fellow Seeker Simon has gone missing. Not only is Simon missing Earth is facing cataclysmic disaster from Dietrich who has managed to escape from a Seeker prison. Yes folks this is another game with yet another madman bent on destruction and control but in spite of the “we’ve been there, done that” storyline it is an excellent game with some great HOS and puzzles.
The HOS in the game are very creative and well-integrated into the storyline as are the overabundant puzzles. Lately I’ve been on a rant about far too many puzzles in HOPA games and even though Lost Island has an almost two to one ratio between HOS and puzzles I found that this game “worked”. Recently it seems that puzzles have been slapped into a game by developers in order to stretch the game when in reality they have, at least for me, taken the fun out of playing. However, in Lost Island the HOS and puzzles worked together to create an excellent game and with the puzzles fitting seamlessly into the storyline and gameplay.
While other developers seem to be cutting down on game size, Domini always creates long games and Lost Island is no exception. There is no skimping on the content or the extras with this developer and if you love the series then Lost Island is a game you will most likely enjoy.
As is the case with most games now there is a Custom Mode of gameplay in Lost Island. It is another of my pet peeves that if a developer offers a Custom Mode then it should be FULLY customizable otherwise the gamer can select one of the other modes. It rather irritates me that developers set the hint and skip bottom time limit for us. If a game is customizable then the hint and skip ranges should begin at “0” seconds rather than “15” seconds. Since I tend to be rather impatient I hate to wander aimlessly for the hint meter to reset when I need a hint to move forward. PLEASE developers allow the gamers to select their own hint and skip times in the Custom Mode of gameplay.
The HOS in the game are excellent and very well-designed and because I don’t want to spoil your fun I will simply say that Lost Island has some of the best HOS that I have seen in a long time. Even though I dislike having far too many puzzles in a game, I really enjoyed those in Lost Island. This developer offers an option to select between the “Easy” and “Hard” setting for playing most puzzles. If you select the hard setting at the beginning of the game you still have to option to change it for each puzzle you play. One of my favorite puzzles was early in the game where we had to align crystals with their matching positions. The puzzle seemed to set the tone of the game and I found myself thoroughly enjoying each one I encountered.
Thank you BFG and Domini for bringing us a great new Labyrinths of the World game. Lost Island is one of the best HOPA games I have played in quite some time. I’ve been looking forward to this game since playing the beta, and the final CE does not disappoint. This is a beautiful game with a good storyline and a lot of entertainment value. Even though Labyrinths of the World Lost Island is a perfect game for me, please try the demo to see if it is a game you will enjoy. Happy gaming!
I recommend this game!
Dark Reapers kidnapped your mother and aunt! Will you be next?
Overall rating
4
/
5
56 of 61 found this review helpful
WHISPERS OF THE PAST HAS REVIVED MY INTEREST IN THE SPIRIT OF MYSTERY SERIES
PostedJanuary 4, 2019
biscuitsmama
fromHaving way too many puzzles is a way to sink a good HOPA game!
Skill Level:Expert
Fun Factor
4
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
5
/
5
Level of Challenge
5
/
5
Storyline
5
/
5
Spirits of Mystery is back with game twelve of the series – Whisper of the Past. I had fairly much burned out on the series but decided to give this game a try, and although there are some mixed reviews on the game I actually think this game is better than several of the previous games. Yes, we have the same evil entities trying to make trouble for the Kingdoms but in many ways this is a much milder game that I could play instead of a game that was becoming quite violent in its storylines.
Before I go much further, I have to say that I think no other developer can beat the graphics and the artistic renderings of the characters than those that are created by AMAX. Along with the characters being mostly beautiful, they are so realistic. As a doll artist I am swept away by the characters created by this artistic team. When I first began playing HOPA games ERS/AMAX created the games that I loved the most, and their game created my passion for playing HOPAS. The sound track is good and I found that there was only one scene that had howling wolves. The soundtrack with the baying wolves is one from the Shadow Wolf series but developers do reuse the tools they have!
Our storyline finds Princess Airrin of the Fire Lion Kingdom in a fight to save her mother and aunt after they have been kidnapped by the Dark Reapers. With the help of the Oracle, Airrin will need all of her strength to overcome the Reapers and free her family from the unseen power that is controlling the Reapers.
In spite of a series that I thought was long past retirement, I found that I really liked this game. Whisper of the Past is a great improvement, IMHO, over some of the more recent games in the series and although we have the smoky cloaked Dark Reapers the tone of the game is not as dark as the past four games. I enjoyed the storyline and the gameplay, even the gimmicky Song of the Moon looking glass was still fun to use.
A disappointment for me is that the game did not have as many HOPS as I would like but the ones that were in the game were excellent. As is the current trend after gamers began to demand more puzzles, this game is buried in puzzles. Want to move forward – play a puzzle; need a tool – play a puzzle, and the list goes on, and on, and on. I think the reason so many games are now considered cookie cutters is that the puzzles replace the creativity of storyline and HOS. Puzzles cut into my enjoyment of a good storyline and quite frankly, I am becoming very tired of playing a HO game to find that they are really becoming puzzle games. I would prefer more HOS than puzzles and would like to see more of a balance. I do enjoy puzzles but when they become the game that is where I begin to lose my interest.
Although there is nothing really new, I still have enjoyed the game. The puzzles have been my least favorite part and even with skipping many of them I think the game is longer than the three chapters would indicate but I play games slowly so what make take me a long time to play isn't necessarily what it might take others to complete. For me the game was quite enjoyable and I recommend that you try the demo. I’m happy that I did and even happier that I purchased the full game. I have only deducted one star because the game had too many puzzles. I would like to see more HOS and less puzzles in HOPA games. That being said, I hope you will enjoy the game as much as I do. Happy gaming!
I recommend this game!
A couple's fixer-upper is haunted by a fierce creature.
Overall rating
2
/
5
87 of 128 found this review helpful
RING OUT THE OLD BUT WAIT, WHERE IS THE NEW?
PostedJanuary 3, 2019
biscuitsmama
fromAnother dingy, haunted house with a monster that is not quite so hidden
Skill Level:Expert
Fun Factor
2
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
2
/
5
Level of Challenge
2
/
5
Storyline
2
/
5
Ring out the old! But, well here we go again with a worn out tale of an unsuspecting couple who finds them facing some terrorizing by yet another monster. I had hoped for a breath of fresh air or at least a game without a monster, but there is nothing new in Dreadful Tales: The Space Between.
Didn’t we recently have a game about a writer of horror stories? Oh let’s run with that idea and then let’s throw in the dingiest and most decrepit old house we can find. Oh and just to make things better, let’s give the gamer sub-par graphics to boot.
All I could do at this point was struggle through the demo of a game that, BTW, once again has too many puzzles for my gaming pleasure. I did like the creativity of the HOPS but I could leave the rest of it. I preferred the earlier days of this developer when they creative beautiful graphics and gave us wonderful storylines and fantastic gameplay. I was so relieved to admit to myself that this was simply another game that I wasn’t going to purchase.
So here we are the first week of 2019 and nothing has changed except that the games are becoming shorter and more dismal. My mantra for this year is to no longer feel that I need to purchase HOPA games when they do not at least hold the promise of something new. I look forward to a year of games with at least five or six chapters before I will spend my hard earned cash. Dreadful Tales is simply that – a dreadful game that I doubt I would even purchase as an SE let alone a CE game. For all of you out there who love this sort of thing – happy gaming!
Can you disrupt a dangerous plot against the crown?
Overall rating
5
/
5
49 of 55 found this review helpful
GREAT QUEENS IS FINALLY BACK!
PostedDecember 31, 2018
biscuitsmama
fromI must prove the Queen’s innocence before it's too late!
Skill Level:Expert
Fun Factor
5
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
5
/
5
Level of Challenge
5
/
5
Storyline
5
/
5
If you love a great historical game Secrets of Great Queens has returned this time with Regicide. I loved the first game – Old Tower and have been waiting for two years hoping there would be another game in the series. History has been one of my passions so when I see a game based on historical events it is sure to be a keeper for me.
King Henri IV has been assassinated by Francois Ravaillac and you play the game as Alfonso Campanella the head of the Royal Secret Service. With your companion Adrianna at your side you are off to find out the truth of who hired Francois and to clear the name of Queen Marie who many believe was behind the assassination.
With most of the more recent games containing only three or four chapters this game is a treat with five plus the bonus game. The graphics are colorful and crisp with realistic looking characters and this always adds to my enjoyment of any game. While the characterizations are excellent, the voiceovers do not even attempt to sound realistic but that’s not surprising.
King Henri IV has been assassinated by Francois Ravaillac and you play the game as Alfonso Campanella the head of the Royal Secret Service. With your companion Adrianna at your side you are off to find out the truth of who hired Francois and to clear the name of Queen Marie who many believe was behind the assassination.
With most of the more recent games containing only three or four chapters this game is a treat with five plus the bonus game. The graphics are colorful and crisp with realistic looking characters and this always adds to my enjoyment of any game. While the characterizations are excellent, the voiceovers do not even attempt to sound realistic but that’s not surprising.
The HOPS are excellent and well-designed with many of them including puzzles. I enjoyed the variety in the HOPS and even those that were not my favorite list style were still very good. The Puzzles in the game were more interesting and most seemed to have a bit more challenge – another good thing about this game.
This is a wonderful and refreshing game without glowing dark eyes and some evil entity attempting a takeover of humanity! For many, this might just be another same ole, same ole HOPA game but since I love a great historical game based mostly on true events my criteria might be a bit different. My enjoyment of a game is mostly based on the storyline as well as the HOPS and Puzzles. Secrets of Great Queens: Regicide is quite entertaining to play and has a well-developed storyline. With excellent graphics, sound, and interesting characters Secrets of Great Queens becomes the complete package for me. Even though this is a game I will buy, please try the demo to see if it is one you will enjoy. Happy gaming!
I recommend this game!
Return the Guardians to slumber to keep evil from the universe!
Overall rating
3
/
5
61 of 94 found this review helpful
ANOTHER ONE BITES THE DUST . . .
PostedDecember 29, 2018
biscuitsmama
fromI look forward to much better games in 2019 – ones with far fewer puzzles and some amazing HOS
Fun Factor
2
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
5
/
5
Level of Challenge
2
/
5
Storyline
2
/
5
Reflections of Life returns with game seven in the series – Slipping Hope and hopefully the title of the game alone should be warning enough that this series is most likely doomed. Although the game appears to be slightly better than the beta version, I still was not enamored with either the storyline or the gameplay. The Reflections of Life games were at one time among my favorite games but somewhere along the line they “slipped” off the rails. Since the early games these newer ones have been merely cookie-cutter versions. Unfortunately the clamor of some players for more puzzles has made this latest game rather boring as one cannot accomplish anything in the game without playing a puzzle.
Yes, the game is rather puzzle intense as far as this reviewer is concerned. I play HO games for the “hidden object” scenes and would like to see far fewer puzzles in the game. IMHO, the storyline and continuity in HOPA games has been lost by the need to insert puzzles where none are really necessary. One reviewer stated that the game has 35 puzzles while there are only 19 HO scenes. While there are those mini-HOS that I believe the developers use because they don’t want to provide a full HO scene for player enjoyment, those are not even worthy of being called HOS.
Since 2008 when the HOPA Collectible Editions were first released, this gamer has purchased all of them until this year. My love of the CE HOPA games has dwindled since the games became more puzzle intense. I happen to enjoy a FEW puzzles in the HOPA games but certainly not a two-to-one ratio which robs the game of storyline and creative HO scenes. As a result of the games becoming so puzzle-intense I have opted to not purchase as many HOPA games as I did at one time.
Although this developer has gone back to the format of some earlier games in the series and has designed a beautiful fantasy game, I still found it lacking and certainly not enough to hold my interest. Perhaps the developers would start looking at the balance of puzzles to HOPS and go back to the roots of great HOS and storylines. As always, I recommend that you try the demo before you buy the game. Perhaps Slipping Hope is a game that you will enjoy far more than I did. Wishing you a Happy New Year and happy gaming!
I don't recommend this game.
Mother Goose has gone missing, and Christmas is in danger!
Overall rating
5
/
5
79 of 87 found this review helpful
STORYBOOK CHARACTERS COME TO LIFE IN THIS AMAZING CHRISTMAS GAME
PostedDecember 23, 2018
Fun Factor
5
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
5
/
5
Level of Challenge
5
/
5
Storyline
5
/
5
I love Christmas themed games and Domini has provided an absolutely wonderful and beautiful game with The Christmas Spirit Mother Goose’s Untold Tales. What could be better than to celebrate the season with colorful and terrific graphics as you are surrounded with the younger members of the family all?
Mother Goose has gone missing and King Cole has turned into a real bah humbug piece of work as he cancels Christmas. Humpty Dumpty comes into the real world and asks you to please help find Mother Goose since she is the only one who can stop King Cole and save Christmas.
Travel through the Christmas landscape as you meet some of your favorite characters and interact with them as you search for Mother Goose. This is one of the best Christmas games from Domini and, IMHO, is much better than their previous Christmas games. Maybe I am simply a big kid who loves Christmas but this game is so much fun with all there is to do as I search for Mother Goose.
There is no need for me to go through all of the spoiler details as others have provided that information. Personally, I would rather play a game and find those special details for myself because discovery is most of the fun. The only thing I will say is that I enjoyed the HOP scenes, even the storybook ones. I was fun to search through the Christmas themed scenes to find the tools I would need to progress in the game. The puzzles although easy (even on the “Hard” setting) still added a lot to my enjoyment. After all since the game can be shared with the family, this is a great game to let the young ones try to solve the puzzles.
As a note and it is only a personal comment, if developers can create such beautiful games at Christmas then why do they need all of the evil demons and glowing eyes in most of the games throughout the year? I think it is time that the devs stretch themselves to come up with storylines that don’t rely on past games and get rid of smoky figures with glowing red eyes.
If you love Christmas themed games, then I think you will enjoy this one. It is a game that can be shared with the family as you enjoy the season together. As always, please try the demo to see if this is a game you will enjoy as well. Happy gaming!
I recommend this game!
The Christmas spirit is vanishing all over the world, but why?
Overall rating
5
/
5
53 of 62 found this review helpful
JOIN ALICE AS SHE GOES BACK TO THE REAL WORLD TO SAVE CHRISTMAS
PostedDecember 21, 2018
biscuitsmama
fromI am so ready for Christmas games and all I can say is let the fun begin!
Skill Level:Expert
Fun Factor
5
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
5
/
5
Level of Challenge
5
/
5
Storyline
5
/
5
Christmas Stories Alice’s Adventures is a breath of fresh air after months of the darker games that came out to celebrate the fall season and Halloween. Thankfully, or perhaps I should say hopefully, we are now past that as we celebrate a more festive and happier time of year. I eagerly await Elephant Games Christmas Stories each year since I loved the Nutcracker that came out in 2012. Since then each year we get another colorful and wonderful Christmas game from this developer.
Alice’s Adventure is a family game and one that can be played with younger members of the family to celebrate the Christmas holidays. I’m not going to rehash the storyline since you will see that for yourself but I will tell you that this is a beautiful and colorful game full of the magic that I look forward to in this series. The graphics are beautiful and the characters are terrific. The gameplay is entertaining and filled with wonderful HOPS and great puzzles even though they are fairly easy. This is a light-hearted game intended to lift your spirits and to bring some festive moments to your life.
There is variety in the HOPS and some are quite well-crafted. Most of the puzzles are familiar and when you play as many HOPA games as I do, you don’t expect that there will be much that is new. I love searching scenes that are filled with Christmas themed items and playing puzzles that are related to the season as well. For me this is a relaxing game filled with wonder and fun that brings out my inner child.
Although many might not like this sort of game, I love Christmas games and look forward to them each year, so for me this is perfect. Alice’s Adventures is a fun-filled romp through snowy and festive scenes as she tries to restore the luster to the Christmas Star. Even though this is the perfect kick-off to the holiday season for me, as always, please try the demo to see if this is a game you will enjoy. Happy gaming!