Woodjay's Profile
Stat Summary
- Average Rating:4.4
- Helpful Votes:384
- Reviews Submitted:51
- First Review:November 12, 2011
- Most Recent Review:December 9, 2013
- Featured reviews0
Status:
Your favorite professor summons you to the island of Castle Rock. He wants you to find the philosopher's stone and save the world!
Overall rating
5
/
5
17 of 19 found this review helpful
One to play
PostedJuly 10, 2012
Woodjay
fromWales, UK
Skill Level:Expert
Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Hidden Object, Puzzle
Fun Factor
5
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
5
/
5
Level of Challenge
4
/
5
Storyline
4
/
5
I loved this game for all sorts of reasons. The cut scenes with real real actors conjure up a great atmosphere, especially as you see flashes of other things going on too. Other animated scenes really fitted into the whole ethos of the game and I loved the ones with the little figures. The scrolls you find also have excellent animation, again adding to the atmosphere of the game.
The storyline in the game unfolds gradually and well. I did guess the twist though I expect that's because I've played games like this before. It's similar to many other games but I did feel there was a freshness about the various places, the HO scenes and many of the mini-games.
Slight negatives were the journal: I didn't find it very useful and in fact sometimes it seemed to have things in an odd order (bits I'd found earlier coming after other things). That's a minor niggle as I didn't use it too much. There's a lot of to-ing and fro-ing so a map would have been useful I suppose. However, in general it was pretty clear what you were supposed to do, the only problem was remembering the places where you might use the object you'd just found.
As with all games like this you get the odd bit such as 'oh leaves, can I kick them aside?', but no, you need to find a rake. Still, that's the point of playing such games!
On final observation: this game is supposedly set on a island somewhere off Scotland, in which case your friend the blackbird has strayed very far from home as he is a red-winged North American blackbird, not the all black, yellow-billed European one! Still, he's very useful so I supposed I shouldn't complain.
A really fun game to play and highly recommended.
I recommend this game!
Discover the Amazon`s untamed jungle and ancient civilizations while searching for hidden objects in this Adventure sequel.
Overall rating
5
/
5
48 of 59 found this review helpful
Still one of my favourites
PostedJune 28, 2012
Woodjay
fromWales, UK
Skill Level:Expert
Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Hidden Object, Puzzle
Fun Factor
4
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
4
/
5
Level of Challenge
4
/
5
Storyline
4
/
5
Like one of the other reviewers, I bought this game pretty much when it came out. You have to track down the professor who disappeared while trying to locate the fabled Beetle Temple somewhere in the jungles of South America. There's a flavour of Indiana Jones about the game, especially in the first two scenes and the cut scene when you move continents. However, the Hidden Expedition series has moved on since 2008, so why should you play this game?
Let's give some cons first:
* it's basically a series of HOS which you have to do in a pretty linear fashion. {Every now and then you meet someone and have to find 20 objects -- coins, flowers or something -- before they'll talk to you}
* it can be quite hard to find some of the objects
* I see another reviewer thinks the music is 'soothing' or something like that -- hmm, I suppose it's a matter of taste but you might instead find it gets a bit tedious and the sounds too
* it's basically a series of HOS which you have to do in a pretty linear fashion. {Every now and then you meet someone and have to find 20 objects -- coins, flowers or something -- before they'll talk to you}
* it can be quite hard to find some of the objects
* I see another reviewer thinks the music is 'soothing' or something like that -- hmm, I suppose it's a matter of taste but you might instead find it gets a bit tedious and the sounds too
But I still love this game. Why?
* its sense of humour. Especially when you get to picking up the professor's diary pages
* the way the objects are hidden. I have played this game more than a few times (yes I admit it) and I STILL have trouble finding some of them. I think they are excellently concealed in the backgrounds
* it's not entirely linear as you pick up objects which have to be used in other scenes, sometimes in quite ingenious ways
* there are some good extra puzzles along the way and these aren't the standard ones you get in many games. The three with the stones near the end take a lot of thought to work out. However I think I have always had to skip the one with the monkeys.
* the graphics are really good, not just the backgrounds but the extra bits -- alien spaceship at the airport for example.
* oh and it's quite a challenge to find the 5 beetles in each scene which give you extra hints, trouble is, each time I see a similar beetle in another game, I can't help wanting to click on it to get an extra hint...
* its sense of humour. Especially when you get to picking up the professor's diary pages
* the way the objects are hidden. I have played this game more than a few times (yes I admit it) and I STILL have trouble finding some of them. I think they are excellently concealed in the backgrounds
* it's not entirely linear as you pick up objects which have to be used in other scenes, sometimes in quite ingenious ways
* there are some good extra puzzles along the way and these aren't the standard ones you get in many games. The three with the stones near the end take a lot of thought to work out. However I think I have always had to skip the one with the monkeys.
* the graphics are really good, not just the backgrounds but the extra bits -- alien spaceship at the airport for example.
* oh and it's quite a challenge to find the 5 beetles in each scene which give you extra hints, trouble is, each time I see a similar beetle in another game, I can't help wanting to click on it to get an extra hint...
I give it 4.5 but since I can't do a half I'm rounding it up to five. A really good way to get into HO games.
I recommend this game!
In a fading world devoid of color, the ghost of Nikola Tesla reaches through the Ether and invites you on an incredible adventure through time and space.
Overall rating
3
/
5
1 of 2 found this review helpful
too much talking
PostedJune 25, 2012
Woodjay
fromWales, UK
Skill Level:Expert
Fun Factor
3
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
4
/
5
Level of Challenge
3
/
5
Storyline
3
/
5
I don't often review a game just from the demo but I won't be buying this one and here's why:
I liked the idea very much indeed and the storyline seems to be going along ok. The puzzles I did were quite good and slightly different, but I couldn't stand the irritating Tesla who kept popping up and giving me yards of advice. Pity really, as the other dialogue (with a caretaker) was quite good.
If there hadn't been so much dialogue (ok I know you can skip it but I got annoyed at his voice as well), I might have gone on with it. Too much advice and not enough exploring here. A shame really.
Still, if you don't mind that I'd advise you to try it because I think it's a good game and would be worth playing.
I recommend this game!
Nightmares from the Deep: The Cursed Heart Collector's Edition
Dive into an epic journey as a museum owner in pursuit of an undead pirate who has kidnapped your daughter in Nightmares from the Deep: The Cursed Heart!
Overall rating
5
/
5
With a yo ho ho
PostedJune 23, 2012
Woodjay
fromWales, UK
Skill Level:Expert
Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Hidden Object, Puzzle
Fun Factor
4
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
4
/
5
Level of Challenge
4
/
5
Storyline
4
/
5
With the help of your daughter you're about to open an exhibition on a notorious and long-dead pirate when the pirate wakes up and kidnaps your daughter. So, it's a game about getting back your loved one as so many, but this has a fresh feel to it. The cut scenes where you learn more of the story are very well done (I particularly liked the kidnapping scene) and the graphics in general are excellent.
HOSs are clear with some interaction, but if you don't feel like doing them you can play marjong instead -- you end up with the same object. I liked the way that when you go back to a HOS (you don't do any of them more than twice), the objects you found the first time are now missing, as they should be.
Working out to put what where and the various puzzles was just hard enough without being too taxing, and the sound effects were fine.
The storyline is good and you gradually find out why the pirate has kidnapped your daughter. A few minus points:
* you get a couple of maps but I didn't see the point as it's always pretty clear where you are and you can't jump to a location from the map.
* right at the end you get a recap of the story once you've found enough of a certain object to open something (trying not to give anything away here!). I found this slow and it got a bit tedious especially as I didn't think it added much to the story you'd already found out.
* the girl (your daughter) is too helpless. It would have been fine if she'd been younger but surely she was too old to keep yelling 'Mum save me'?
* you get a couple of maps but I didn't see the point as it's always pretty clear where you are and you can't jump to a location from the map.
* right at the end you get a recap of the story once you've found enough of a certain object to open something (trying not to give anything away here!). I found this slow and it got a bit tedious especially as I didn't think it added much to the story you'd already found out.
* the girl (your daughter) is too helpless. It would have been fine if she'd been younger but surely she was too old to keep yelling 'Mum save me'?
But really, those are minor points. I enjoyed playing the game a lot!
I recommend this game!
Explore the Nightingale Theater, which was ravaged by a devastating fire 40 years ago, and uncover a dark mystery!
Overall rating
5
/
5
1 of 1 found this review helpful
A mystery, but not macabre
PostedJune 10, 2012
Woodjay
fromWales, UK
Skill Level:Expert
Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Hidden Object, Puzzle
Fun Factor
5
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
5
/
5
Level of Challenge
4
/
5
Storyline
4
/
5
If you have played any of the Dark Parables games and liked them, you will love this, by the same developer in a similar style. Expect beautiful graphics, a good story line, long playing time (just when you think you've finished, you get another part to do) and interesting mini-games.
I don't quite know why the series has 'Macabre' in the title, though there's a curse and a murder to solve, it certainly isn't gruesome or dark in any way.
You have to discover the true secret of the burning down of the Nightingale Theatre (sorry, Theater), where your grandfather was director. The storyline has various twists which help to keep your interest, and there are a number of 'visions', i.e. video scenes which are all very well done. The conclusion is very satisfactory as you feel you have completed your task. There are no voiceovers but it doesn't seem to matter. You also get glimpses of what the theatre was like in its heyday.
Curse of the Nightingale's HO scenes are of two sorts. One familiar to player of the Dark Parable games where you search locations for parts of an object -- always a most beautiful and intricate one when it's finally assembled -- and one where you have to find the objects displayed (in full) at the bottom. The second sort might sound easy, but believe me, it's not as the objects are all hidden very skillfully and blend into the scene in such a way they are often quite hard to find. These scenes are 'visions' of the past and reveal an object at the end.
Even in the advanced mode, the hint fills up fairly fast and there doesn't seem to be a misclicking penalty (just as well for the parts-of-the-object kind of HO).
Even in the advanced mode, the hint fills up fairly fast and there doesn't seem to be a misclicking penalty (just as well for the parts-of-the-object kind of HO).
Though there are many locations, knowing what you have to do next is usually fairly obvious. I got stuck in a few places wondering what to do but always because I hadn't looked back at a location to find another HO scene. You also need to make sure you pick up all the necessary objects along the way.
The bonus game play is fun to play, but not necessary to the plot of the main game as it turns out to be a lead-in to the next game in the series (I'm looking forward to it).
One last thing -- I often turn off the music in games but this one didn't irritate me and did help to give the game more atmosphere.
Highly recommended.
I recommend this game!
Guide Kate Reed as she searches for the artifacts that can break the power of a cursed gem in House of 1,000 Doors: The Palm of Zoroaster!
Overall rating
5
/
5
1 of 1 found this review helpful
A great sequel
PostedJune 1, 2012
Woodjay
fromWales, UK
Skill Level:Expert
Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Hidden Object, Puzzle
Fun Factor
5
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
5
/
5
Level of Challenge
4
/
5
Storyline
5
/
5
I really like the first game in this series so I was delighted when another one came along. And I was hooked from the moment the game started with that magnificent organ and its music.
You get to play the game in casual or expert mode, so if you don't want sparkles, go for expert. You just need to be extra careful to look everywhere in the various places you go to as you don't even get any hint of where HO scenes are.
The house itself appears dramatically as you start the game; that and all the other video sections of the game are very well done, including the voices. When you get to the house, after a dramatic crash (I don't know why you always have to crash your car to get started, it's one of those nearly obligatory things) it's up to you to solve the mystery which involves fire....
You are looking for something to break an ancient curse, but what that might be is not immediately apparent. It's connected to the organ, and part of your quest is to find the skulls which will unlock that organ. You get to go to four very different places through some of the house's many doors, but there are also scenes within the house which you have to find the secrets of.
The graphics are gorgeous and the HO scenes, though they have quite a lot in them, are clear enough. I liked the fact that there are things to open/uncover or look in which makes it more of a challenge to find everything.
Highly recommended and the bonus chapter is well worth the CE version, I enjoyed it as much as the main game.
I recommend this game!
Travel back in time to help stop a terrible fire that started Felicia down her evil path in PuppetShow: Return to Joyville!
Overall rating
4
/
5
1 of 2 found this review helpful
A worthy addition to the Puppetshow games
PostedJune 1, 2012
Woodjay
fromWales, UK
Skill Level:Expert
Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Hidden Object, Puzzle
Fun Factor
4
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
3
/
5
Level of Challenge
4
/
5
Storyline
4
/
5
I bought the CE because I've played all the other Puppetshow games and enjoyed them. This one didn't disappoint, with one big exception, which I'll say right away was the music, especially for the HO scenes. Oh that dreadful tinkly tune and the repeated notes. Which is such a shame as the special effects were fine, but it really doesn't help contribute to the game atmosphere to have such music.
Now that I've got that off my chest, what;'s good?
The storyline, the length of the game (and the bonus gameplay is worth paying for), the puzzles -- not TOO difficult but just difficult enough. However sometimes it was trying to remember all the places you'd been to know where to use the objects you found.
The storyline, the length of the game (and the bonus gameplay is worth paying for), the puzzles -- not TOO difficult but just difficult enough. However sometimes it was trying to remember all the places you'd been to know where to use the objects you found.
I really liked the different HO scenes where you had objects in silhouettes which interacted to create new items or find things. That said, the regular ones were done well too.
ERS games always have great graphics. And in this game I felt that the various voices were different enough and the characters too.
You get three levels of difficulty (always a good sign for a game). I played the advanced. Definitely one I'd recommend.
I recommend this game!
Novelist Edward Grand has found evidence of a terrible tragedy in the city of Rosemount and sets off to investigate!
Overall rating
4
/
5
6 of 6 found this review helpful
Pity about the music
PostedApril 27, 2012
Woodjay
fromWales, UK
Skill Level:Expert
Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Hidden Object, Puzzle
Fun Factor
3
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
2
/
5
Level of Challenge
4
/
5
Storyline
3
/
5
The visuals of this game are lovely, the puzzles quite challenging but not excessively, the story line works quite well (but see below) BUT it's let down by the sound.
1. There are no voice-overs. I was quite surprised by getting just text when voice overs would have added to the atmosphere
2. The music is REALLY irritating, especially in the HO scenes but in other places too. It seems to be the same dreary repetitive stuff over and over. I tried turning it down, but should have turned it off. A real pity because sound and sound effects really make a game and that's why I'm giving it only 2 stars for visual/sound quality even though visually, I liked it a lot.
1. There are no voice-overs. I was quite surprised by getting just text when voice overs would have added to the atmosphere
2. The music is REALLY irritating, especially in the HO scenes but in other places too. It seems to be the same dreary repetitive stuff over and over. I tried turning it down, but should have turned it off. A real pity because sound and sound effects really make a game and that's why I'm giving it only 2 stars for visual/sound quality even though visually, I liked it a lot.
Things that make it a good game: the various objects you collect and working out where they should go. If you are playing the advanced game where there are no sparkles, you have to be very careful to search everywhere for some of the objects. I confess to looking up the walkthrough on the Big Fish blog to see where on earth I was supposed to look for one or two objects I knew I needed to find.
The HO scenes: when you went back to them the things you'd taken remained taken, which I always think is a plus point. Ok some of them had object in you wonder why there were there, but they did blend in quite well.
the story: hmm. The trouble about playing an SE edition you don't know what comes out in the bonus play of the CE.Not to give any plot spoilers, there are things in the diaries that never get explained and a place you don't get to. Either the ending is leaving the way open for a sequel, or the bonus play solves the questions raised in the final scene.
I am giving it 4 stars because it's a very enjoyable game to play if you turn off the music and I could see myself playing it again. Recommended.
Reunite the Dragon and Phoenix Kingdoms to stop the evil witch!
Overall rating
5
/
5
2 of 3 found this review helpful
A great game!
PostedApril 22, 2012
Woodjay
fromWales, UK
Skill Level:Expert
Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Hidden Object, Puzzle
Fun Factor
5
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
3
/
5
Level of Challenge
4
/
5
Storyline
4
/
5
This is another great game from ERS. The only complaint I have is the really tedious music in the HO scenes. But that aside, I really recommend it. I tried the demo and had to get the collector's edition, and this is worth it for the bonus game which is just as good as the main one.
Everything comes together in this game. The storyline is good and makes sense, something that isn't true of all games. Although it's simple (save your prince), the way it's worked out involves you in lots of challenges -- and, a plus, challenges that are part of what you actually need to do rather than being some slightly random thing that's been put there to make the game longer. So, you need to get out of your castle but there's a panther in the way, you need to get over the ravine but the bad guy has broken the bridge... etc. so you have to solve those problems.
I also thought some of the images in different scenes were excellent. I'm not going to say which because of giving anything away but there are some in the forest and then towards the end of the game...
There are some 'regular' HO scenes which also involve some interaction. But the really good ones are where you get silhouettes of objects to find, and then have to use that object to get the next one. The one with the puppet was especially good and I wish there were more games with puzzles like that.
The graphics are excellent, the voices good and the various things you have to find and the puzzles you have to solve are nicely challenging.
I give it 5 stars as I did love the game.
I also thought some of the images in different scenes were excellent. I'm not going to say which because of giving anything away but there are some in the forest and then towards the end of the game...
There are some 'regular' HO scenes which also involve some interaction. But the really good ones are where you get silhouettes of objects to find, and then have to use that object to get the next one. The one with the puppet was especially good and I wish there were more games with puzzles like that.
The graphics are excellent, the voices good and the various things you have to find and the puzzles you have to solve are nicely challenging.
I give it 5 stars as I did love the game.
I recommend this game!
Escape an underground vault of clockwork wonders with the help of its mysterious and eccentric inventor in Fantastic Creations: House of Brass!
Overall rating
5
/
5
More like this please!
PostedApril 22, 2012
Woodjay
fromWales, UK
Skill Level:Expert
Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Hidden Object, Puzzle
Fun Factor
5
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
5
/
5
Level of Challenge
4
/
5
Storyline
4
/
5
As other reviews have said, in House of Brass you have to find your way out of a mysterious underground house filled with strange mechanical inventions. The storyline is fairly straightforward, but there are things to discover and a twist at the end.
House of Brass is a HO game with a difference. You do have to find objects in a scene, but instead of being random objects, you have to find all cylindrical, or all square, or all jewelled ones. And the HO scenes themselves are very appropriate to where they are supposed to be rather then the odd junk piles of some games.
Another plus point is the nature of the other puzzles you have to solve, which aren't always very obvious and take a bit of thought. I particularly like the sequences in the puppet theatres.
As you move through the house the various floors are well signposted and what you have to do is usually obviously even if you don't know how to do it!
The various sound effects and voices made for a good atmosphere. I played it on the advanced level (at least, the non-casual one, I can't actually remember what this game called it) and did have to resort to the hints once or twice when I knew what I was looking for but couldn't find it -- tip, make sure you run the mouse over EVERYWHERE in a scene!
An excellent game and I hope there are more like this.
I recommend this game!