dancemom1's Profile
Stat Summary
- Average Rating:3.6
- Helpful Votes:13,287
- Reviews Submitted:872
- First Review:April 15, 2012
- Most Recent Review:April 10, 2025
- Featured reviews0
Status:
Can you uncover the paranormal activity haunting the mall?
Overall rating
4
/
5
10 of 20 found this review helpful
Don't go to the mall alone...
PostedApril 28, 2019
dancemom1
fromYakima, WA
Skill Level:Expert
Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Card & Board, Family, Hidden Object, Puzzle, Strategy, Word
Fun Factor
4
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
5
/
5
Level of Challenge
4
/
5
Storyline
4
/
5
Hello friends! As usual, I review mostly on the game play and leave the story to others who a much better job than I. Looks like #3 in this series. Graphics are very nice, with minimal blurring. Game play was excellent, with no problems during the demo. Colors are bright and clear, but not over powering at all. Animation is fairly smooth with eye, face and body movements. Voices were age and character appropriate, with some emotion and not just someone reading a script. Our creepy, spooky bad guy had a really creepy voice, very appropriate for this character. Music was soothing, and moved with whatever was happening at the time. Sound FX are well done, with a lot of background sounds...some were unrecognizable, but it wasn't just music.
HOGs are somewhat varied, but not much during the demo. Hopefully they pick up as the game progresses. Items are not difficult to find and the scenes are fairly clear. There was a little cluttering, but still fairly nice. I did not see that you could switch to something else, if you got bored with the HOGs. Puzzles were very simple in this addition, which was a little disappointing, compared to the last game. Hint system is helpful and we do have the transport feature for longer locations. We do backtrack quite a lot in this one, again for one item to pick up or use. We do have a jump map, with areas of interest clearly identified by name and picture. It also shows you where a collectible has been missed.
Collectible are very well done. This is where the challenge comes in for this game. The colors and clarity vary for all of them. We have 12 character figurines that are a fairly bland color, so they blend well into the background. We also have eyes that blend very well into the background colors, and are very easy to miss. They are large enough to see, just remember to look for them. And then we have various morphing items. These morph fairly quickly, so they are also easy to overlook. I actually had to look at the strategy guide to find one of they eyes!
This story is something a little different, a little spooky but not scary, and wasn't in an old creepy house for a change. It seemed to move a little slowly, mostly because of all the back tracking we have to do. You are constantly looking or using something, so there is no real lag time during this game. Even though there wasn't much challenge to this one, I found myself wanting to know what and why things were happening in this mall. Makes me wonder what happens at our mall when the lights go out. I think all levels of players will find this one interesting. Yes, I am adding this one to my collection of CE games. I gave this one a 4.5 on my scale.
As always, try it for yourself and see what you think. We all have different tastes in games and you may not care for this one at all. Thanks for the reviews. Play on!
I recommend this game!
Can you stop a mad mayor and his destructive robots?
Overall rating
4
/
5
10 of 32 found this review helpful
Another masked man...
PostedApril 19, 2019
dancemom1
fromYakima, WA
Skill Level:Expert
Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Card & Board, Family, Hidden Object, Puzzle, Word
Fun Factor
4
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
4
/
5
Level of Challenge
4
/
5
Storyline
5
/
5
Hello friends! As always, I review mostly on the game play and leave the story line to others. However, I usually always say something about the story as well. This series just keeps on going...I've lost track of how many this one makes. As usual with this developer and series, we have excellent graphics, very clear, with no blurring when going in and out of close ups. Game play was very nice, with no problems during the demo. Colors are very nice, even though a bit muted and faded looking. Animation is very well done, with very smooth movements and appropriate facial movements, depending on what is happening at the time. The voice overs are well done, being age and character appropriate, and show emotion, not just someone reading a script. Not a lot of character interaction during the demo, but enough to keep you from getting bored. Music is mostly very quiet unless something is about to happen. Sound FX are very well done, especially the storm sounds. Our ever faithful Elf is back with us, helping as much as he can. Mostly he sit quietly until we need him.
HOPs are quite varied, with straight lists, silhouettes, and match picture pieces. Scenes are fairly clean and items are not difficult to find. I did not see where you could switch to something else if you did not care for the HOPs. Puzzles were really simple in this addition, and took no time or thought to complete. Maybe they get more challenging as we progress. Hint system is very helpful and it does transport to longer locations. Yes, we do a lot of back tracking in this game, so the transport is a real time saver. You have a jump map, but it is very plain and boring.
Collectibles were nice. We have a combination of morphing items, which morph fairly quickly, and sometimes very small and hard to see. We also have postcard puzzle pieces, which are fairly large, but easy to miss. We also have to find 12 various collectibles. These are very easy to miss. Well done.
The story wasn't anything new or exciting really. Yes, we have a bad guy who has taken over the town, and suddenly, people begin having special powers. Why, what's causing this to happen? The story flowed fairly well and was easy to follow. there was enough going on to keep you interested and busy, even with the amount of backtracking we have. I didn't find this one particularly challenging, but I like this series and and the story, so I need to play it out and see what's happening and why. Is the masked bad guy really a bad guy? I think all levels of players will find this one interesting. Gave this one a 4.5, mostly due to the lack of any real challenge. This could also change as the game progresses. Liked it, gotta have it, so yes, I am adding this one to my ever growing collection of CE games.
As always, try it for yourself and see what you think. We all have different tastes in games and you may not care for this one at all. Thanks for the reviews. Play on!
I recommend this game!
Can you stop an ancient legend from coming to life?
Overall rating
4
/
5
11 of 15 found this review helpful
A helpful dog...or is it?
PostedApril 11, 2019
dancemom1
fromYakima, WA
Skill Level:Expert
Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Arcade & Action, Family, Hidden Object, Puzzle, Strategy
Fun Factor
3
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
4
/
5
Level of Challenge
3
/
5
Storyline
4
/
5
Hello friends! As usual, I review mostly on the game play and leave the story line to others who do a much better job than I. We now have #5 in this series. Graphics are quite nice and fairly clear. Colors were very nice and true. Game play was very good, no problems or glitches during the demo. Animation is well done and with very smooth movements. Voices weren't bad, but the best was in the beginning when Mom was so excited and scared. The others, so far, were just okay. Hopefully they pick up with a bit more emotion during game play. We have weird glasses that let us see clues to the story, as well as other things I won't mention. We do have a dog helper, but there is a story behind that as well. The glasses were only used once during the demo, which was very short, so not sure how helpful they will be as the game progresses. Sound fx weren't many, but again, the demo was very short. Music just didn't fit the story or what was happening in each scene, and got very monotonous very quickly.
HOPs are very simple and straight forward. Nothing but interactive lists. Scenes were fairly clean and clear and items were not difficult to find. I did not see that you could switch to something else. Puzzles were very simple and took no time to complete. Nothing new, just okay. We did have a jump map, but I did not run across a transport during the demo.The map does indicate whether you have picked up all the collectibles or not, and areas are clearly marked and identified. Hint system is helpful. We don't do a lot of backtracking, but some. There is a lot to do in each scene.
The collectibles were okay, but nothing too difficult. We had to find birds, two in each scene. There is a little challenge here, as they are not easy to spot...they are opaque and quite easy to miss. We also have to find two morphing items in each scene. Again, not always easy to spot.
This was not a bad game at all. Simple and predictable, but you were constantly on the move, with lots to do in each scene. There is enough character interaction to keep you interested. The story did have a bit of a twist, but still simple, and moved a little slower than expected. I think a beginner would find this one fun, but I don't feel there is enough action for a seasoned gamer. I will recommend for beginners, or for those who just want a simple, no brainer game. I have many of those in my collection. I'd like to play it out to see if I'm right, but I think I'll wait for a BOGO sale. Gave this one a 4.0 on my scale.
As always, try it for yourself and see what you think. We all have different tastes in games and you may find this one to be exactly what you are looking for. Thanks for the reviews. Play on!
I recommend this game!
Your friend was taken. Are you brave enough to find him?
Overall rating
2
/
5
12 of 22 found this review helpful
Slow and boring!
PostedApril 9, 2019
dancemom1
fromYakima, WA
Skill Level:Expert
Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Card & Board, Family, Hidden Object, Puzzle, Strategy, Word
Fun Factor
1
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
3
/
5
Level of Challenge
1
/
5
Storyline
1
/
5
Hello friends! Sorry, but this one is a short review as well. Slow, boring story line. Got a bit muddled and not sure what's happening or why. Nice animation. Very nice voices, even with the weird tongue movement. Hmm, must be the same people who worked on the last Myth Seekers. Bright colors. Graphics blur now and then, but otherwise okay.
Boring HOPs, find this many of this and this many of that and fragments. Painfully simple puzzles.
Collectibles are large jigsaw pieces and easy to see dolls.
Again, absolutely no challenge. Just sort of walking through a game. Second one in a row that was so boring I couldn't finish the demo, and I just can't bring myself to recommend it to player, of any level. No buy for me.
As always, try it for yourself and see what you think. We all have different tastes in games and you might like this one. Play on!
I don't recommend this game.
Face the legacy of mythical sunken city of Ys!
Overall rating
2
/
5
3 of 10 found this review helpful
zzzzz...
PostedApril 9, 2019
dancemom1
fromYakima, WA
Skill Level:Expert
Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Card & Board, Family, Hidden Object, Puzzle, Strategy, Word
Fun Factor
2
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
3
/
5
Level of Challenge
1
/
5
Storyline
2
/
5
Hello Friends! As usual, I review mostly on the game play and not so much on the story line. Again, this review is going to be short. There was a lot of blurring when going in and out of close ups, but otherwise, the graphics were fairly nice. Voices weren't bad, but the women were a bit too high pitched. Animation was not too bad. Some body movements were a bit stiff. The one thing I found off putting was character's tongue moving when they spoke. It was so weird, it just drew your attention. Sound FX were few and far between.
HOPs were the same old interactive lists. There was nothing extra to switch to when you got bored. The scenes were fairly clear and items were not difficult to find. Puzzles were extremely simple and took no time at all to complete. The hint system was helpful, but there was no transport feature and you did a lot of back tracking to 3 rooms during the time I played.
Collectibles were awful. We had to find extremely large masks. That's it, nothing else.
This game just seemed like something that was dug out of a dusty basement. The story was slow and boring. To be honest, I couldn't even finish the demo. Absolutely no challenge. I rarely cannot find something good to say about a game, in order to recommend it to someone. However, I'm at a loss for this one. I'm not even sure a beginner would find this one fun. Too bad, it could have been a nice game. Gave this one a 2.0. No recommendation, no buy.
As always, try it for your self and see what you think. We all have different tastes in games and you may find that this is exactly what you are looking for. Thanks for the review. Play on!
I don't recommend this game.
Can you stop a dangerous game from taking more lives?
Overall rating
3
/
5
7 of 12 found this review helpful
This Joker isn't funny...
PostedApril 6, 2019
dancemom1
fromYakima, WA
Skill Level:Expert
Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Card & Board, Family, Hidden Object, Puzzle, Strategy, Word
Fun Factor
3
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
4
/
5
Level of Challenge
3
/
5
Storyline
3
/
5
Hello friends! Unless my count is off, this is #10 in this series. As usual, I review mostly on the game play and leave the story to those who do a much better job than I. The graphics in this game are fairly nice, except for the usual blur you have when going in and out of a close up scene. Colors were really sharp and clear, but not over powering at all. Didn't see the usual purples in this addition. The voices were very well done, with some emotion, but our Joker needed a little more sinister added to his voice. You can click through the dialog if you read faster than they speak, without missing any hidden clues. Game play was excellent, with no problems during the demo. Sound FX are very good when we had them, but they seemed few and far between. Animation was fairly nice and most movements were smooth. I didn't really hear that much music, but what we had moved with whatever was happening at the time. This one just seemed to be a little quieter than others in this series. We don't have a helper, but we do have a smartphone that allows us to speak to ghosts for help throughout the game.
HOPs are not bad. You have a combination of silhouettes, line up the pictures and highlighted words. The scenes are fairly clear and items are not difficult to find. There is a match 3 game, if you get bored with the HOPs. Puzzles are not difficult, and nothing new. The map is the usual with this developer, which I like. Areas are clearly identified and it is easy to follow. It also shows you where you have missed a collectible. The hint system is very helpful and opens the map to show you where you need to go next. There is a lot of back tracking in this game, to pick up or use one item.
Collectibles aren't bad. We need to find 60 poker chips, which can be hidden anywhere, but are not difficult to find. We also have 14 morphing cards, which are very small, morph quickly and not as easy to spot as you think. Then we get to find 15 cocktails. These aren't difficult to find, you just have to remember to look for them.
The story wasn't anything really new, a little different, but predictable. Unfortunately, it moved rather slowly. This addition needed more character interaction to keep you interested, even with a slow story line. There really wasn't any challenge to the game either. As much as I like this series, this one was lacking fun and excitement. I'm sure there will be those who find this one challenging. This would be a nice lazy day, nothing better to do game, so I would probably get it with a really good sale. For now, I'll just recommend it for beginners and put it in my puddle for maybe later. I gave this one a 3.5.
As always, try it for yourself and see what you think. We all have different tastes in games and you may find this one to be exactly what you are looking for. Thanks for the reviews. Play on!
I recommend this game!
A series of museum robberies leads to a shocking discovery!
Overall rating
4
/
5
15 of 35 found this review helpful
How did I get herer?
PostedMarch 28, 2019
dancemom1
fromYakima, WA
Skill Level:Expert
Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Card & Board, Family, Hidden Object, Puzzle, Strategy, Word
Fun Factor
4
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
4
/
5
Level of Challenge
3
/
5
Storyline
4
/
5
Hello friends! As usual, I review mostly on the game play and leave the story to other who do a much better job than I. Looks like we have #16 in this series. Of course, this is a developer I really like and a series that I have enjoyed for quite some time now. The graphics in this game are very clear, with bright true colors, not over powering at all. Game play was excellent, with no problems during the demo and it fit my large screen quite nicely. Animation was well done, but why did our character sway so much? Had she been drinking? Voice overs were well done, but few and far between. I do like "Dad's" voice. He sounds a bit sinister in this one, but still with a little mischief in him. You can click through the dialog if you read read faster than they speak, and not miss any help or hints. Dad doesn't seem to show up as much in this addition, but he does provide us with clues and items we'll need to use. Music was quietly in the background and moved with whatever was happening at the time. Sound FX were done nicely, when we had them.
HOPs are varied and done quite well. You have silhouettes, straight lists, interactive lists and highlighted words. The scenes are very clean and clear and items are not difficult to find. I did not see that you could switch to a different game. Puzzles were a nice combination of very simple to some that were not difficult, but took time and planning to complete. Hint system is very helpful and it does transport you to longer locations. As in the others in this series, you do a lot of backtracking. There is automatic travel to other locations, but no bright lights to blind you. You find something, open it and pop off to a different place.
I really like the varied collectibles in this series. We have 12 character statuettes that are small enough to miss, but still large enough to see. You just have to be watching for them. We also have the jigsaw puzzles pieces to complete 3 puzzles, and morphing items. These are fairly large, but morph slowly, so you tend to spend a bit more time staring at the screen looking for them. Of course, if you can't find them, look at the Strategy Guide. The map does not indicate if you have missed a collectible. It is bland and boring, but useful for a quick jump to the next location.
I got tired of seeing "new task" and "task completed." Don't waste my time with that, it slows things down. We spend a lot of time running between two scenes during the demo, which got boring quickly. By the time we moved on, I had forgotten what I was doing there in the first place. Not a new story. We are helping our sister look for stolen artifacts, but the story was a little confusing. It didn't seem to flow as well as the others in this series, but still, it wasn't a bad game at all. I have so many games from this developer, that I am sure this one will pick up as we progress. This addition is not challenging, but had enough going on to keep me interested. Now I need to find out what is really happening, why and who is the Nomad? I think most levels of players will find something interesting about this game. Gave this one a 4.25 on my scale. Yes, I am adding this to my collection of CE games.
As always, try it for yourself and see what you think. We all have different tastes in games and you may not care for this one at all. Thanks for the review. Play on!
I recommend this game!
Can you find the truth hidden behind the castle walls?
Overall rating
4
/
5
9 of 11 found this review helpful
Power and money!
PostedMarch 26, 2019
dancemom1
fromYakima, WA
Skill Level:Expert
Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Card & Board, Family, Hidden Object, Puzzle, Strategy, Word
Fun Factor
4
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
4
/
5
Level of Challenge
4
/
5
Storyline
5
/
5
Hello friends! As usual, I review mostly on the game play and leave the story line to those who do a much better job than I. This makes #9 in this series. This game has nice colors, even with a bit of pink. Not over powering, but very apparent. Graphics are very nice and clear, with no blurring when going in and out of close up. Animation is very well done, with eye movements and smooth body movements. Voices are really well done, but I'm a sucker for a good accent, and are age and character appropriate. They seem to have emotion and not just someone reading from a script. Music is very quiet, when we have it. Sound FX were pretty much constant, so not dead air. This addition has a lot of character interaction, and you are constantly on the move.
HOPs are varied, with interactive lists, highlighted words, and place items correctly. Items are not difficult to find and the scenes are not cluttered. I didn't notice if you could switch to something else. Puzzles were mostly simple, but I did run into a couple of tough ones that took more time and brain power than expected. Nicely done. Not real hot on the "line draw" puzzle, but I only ran across one during the demo. We gather clues and use an evidence box to gain more insight into the story line. This is simple, but fun. Hint system is very helpful and we do have the transport feature in this addition. This is very helpful, as we back track quite a lot in this one. Of course, we always have the jump map for help as well. It does not show where we may have missed a collectible.
Collectibles seemed much better in this game, than in previous games in the series. We have 20 morphing items that are not as easy to spot as you think, and they are not in every scene. We do have 20 puzzle pieces, which are quite large, but easy to overlook. The most challenging collectible are the sin cards. They are opaque and blend well into the background. Even at that, they are a fair size.
This story is nothing new, but it is well done, even though it seemed to move a little slowly here and there. You certainly do not sit still in this game! You are constantly on the move, getting or doing something...did not have time to get bored. This addition is much better than the last few in this series. I think most all levels of players will find this one fun and interesting for one reason or another. Gave this one a 4.25 on my scale. Yes, I will add this one to my collection.
As always, try it for yourself and see what you think. We all have different tastes in games and you may not care for this one at all. Thanks for the reviews. Play on!
I recommend this game!
Can you find out who’s kidnapping jurors before it’s too late?
Overall rating
3
/
5
9 of 19 found this review helpful
Dupin needs to recharge...maybe a long vacation
PostedMarch 26, 2019
dancemom1
fromYakima, WA
Skill Level:Expert
Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Card & Board, Family, Hidden Object, Puzzle, Strategy, Word
Fun Factor
3
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
3
/
5
Level of Challenge
2
/
5
Storyline
3
/
5
Hello friends! As always, I review mostly on the game play and leave the story to those who do a much better job than I. Dupin is back, and looks and sounds more like his old self, this is a good thing. Still, he doesn't show any emotion when speaking. Looks like this might be #14 in this series. The graphics are nice and colors aren't too bad, although a bit muted, which makes the graphics seem a little fuzzy. Game play was very good, no problems during the demo and it fit my large screen. Not a lot of animation, but what we had was nice. Not sure why they thought they needed to bring a character closer to you when he/she was speaking, then back them up again...odd, but okay. Voices were the same as in the other games, but again, we do not speak. In other games in this series, we had to read dialog, but I didn't run across any of this during the demo. Music was quiet and moved with whatever was happening at the time. Sound FX weren't too bad, even with the annoying chime when an item was found, but we did have very nice storm FX when outside.
Seem to have a few more HOPs in this one. Items were not difficult to find and most of the scenes were fairly clear. They are somewhat varied, with some very interactive lists and silhouettes. I did not see that we could switch to anything else. Puzzles were nothing new and I only ran across one that was any challenge at all. I actually ended up skipping it! Hint system was quite helpful, but I did not see a transport feature during the demo. We really don't back track too far, but there is still enough.
Collectibles were disappointing. We have to find 26 very large feathers to complete a bird. Not sure why, but these are very easy to spot. We also had 26 morphing items. These are varied and often quite difficult to see, as they are silhouettes and morph quickly. They are mostly in darker areas or on darker colors, making it the only challenge we have in this game.
I don't remember this Poe story, so I don't know if it is true to his writing or not. Most of the others in this series were not. This was a predictable, simple story that moved slowly and had very little action or adventure. Dupin is losing his touch, he was caught much too early in the game. This could have been a very nice game without much work, but it definitely needs to either be updated or retired. I am sure some will like, but I do not feel this is CE worthy at all. Quite often, I find that the SE version makes a much better game, but I feel this is geared more to a true beginner. Gave this one a 3.5 on my scale. No buy for me.
As always, give this one a try and see what you think. We all have different tastes in games and you may find this one to be exactly what you are looking for. Thanks for the reviews. Play on!
I don't recommend this game.
Can you uncover the hidden city and save your mom in time?
Overall rating
4
/
5
7 of 18 found this review helpful
Is this a comedy, or adventure?
PostedMarch 20, 2019
dancemom1
fromYakima, WA
Skill Level:Expert
Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Card & Board, Family, Hidden Object, Puzzle, Strategy, Word
Fun Factor
4
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
4
/
5
Level of Challenge
3
/
5
Storyline
4
/
5
Hello friends! As usual, I review mostly on the game play and leave the story line to others to review. Looks like we have #2 in this series. Graphics in this one are fairly nice and clear for a change. Game play was good, with no problems during the demo. Colors were bright for the most part, but not over powering. Animation wasn't bad, but body movements were choppy. Voices weren't bad, except for our heroine. Her voice is very monotonous and doesn't really show any emotion. Sound FX was mostly just music. At least we did have a lot of character interaction in this addition.
HOPs were varied, with interactive HOPs, highlighted words, find this many of that. We did have to find a morphing item in each HOP. The scenes are fairly clear and items aren't difficult to find. Puzzles are quite simple and take no brain power to complete. I was surprised at how simple they really were. Hint system is quite helpful, but it does not transport to longer locations. We do have the jump map, but it is very bland and boring to look at. We seem to spend a great deal of time in each location.
Collectibles weren't bad in this one. I found is a symbol that looks like a dress. This item is large enough to easily see. We also have a morphing item in each scene. This is where the challenge lies.
As with the first in this series, the story moved quite slowly and had little action. Same story, save Mom...from what? The only part that was really enjoyable was the annoying comic relief of Collins. Is he a good guy or a bad guy? There was no real challenge to this game. I'm on the fence about this one. As usual, the game started to pick up when the demo ended, so it's difficult to get a real feel for it. I found myself wanting the demo to end, but out of curiosity, I may have to get this one just to see what's going on, but only if there is a really good sale. I think it's geared more toward a beginner than a seasoned gamer. Yes, I will recommend it for beginners, or for the gamer who just wants a no brainer game for a change, of which I have many. I gave this one a 4.0 on my scale.
As always, try it for yourself and see what you think. We all have different tastes in games and you may find that this one is exactly what you are looking for. Thanks for the reviews. Play on!
I recommend this game!