I REALLY liked playing this game BUT I did NOT like the following:
*CONSTANTLY having to click on an item time and time and time again before it could be picked up
Several times I used the hint button only to discover that, in fact, what I was trying to pick up was the correct item. I found that aspect of the game VERY annoying and frustrating.
I recommend this game!
+11points
12of13voted this as helpful.
Solitaire Mystery: Stolen Power
The oldest deck of cards in the world has been stolen from the Museum of Ancient History. Find the magical cards and save the world!
I've played MANY solitaire games and EACH game has its own traps:
*Fairway -- water and sand traps *Dog Show -- squirrels and fences *Pirate -- octopus and I believe frozen cards
ETC ETC ETC
I think people became so caught up in that the game play is so short that they started nickpicking at the nuances of this game. My favorite complaint that I read was that this game is more solitaire than hidden object; uhh, no offense but the first word in the name of this game is SOLITAIRE!?!
This is a VERY easy game to play in that you're provided with a feather duster, a spray can, and a key and once used you're able to QUICKLY and EASILY move on and NOT WORRY about being able to "untrap" a row of cards before accomplishing the task of that level. FAR EASIER to play than the above-mentioned games which is probably why this game is so short of playtime.
I recommend this game!
+1point
2of3voted this as helpful.
Laby
Visit a magic laboratory, awake the spirits of the elements and solve the Greatest Mystery of Alchemy in Laby, a fun Match 3 game!
I've never given a review based on a trial demo but this game makes me feel it necessary to do so.
I've played MANY Match3 games -- some I've completed and others I've not -- and the ones that I've not was due to becoming too frustrated at having to repeat levels over and over and over again at HIGHER levels.
I've repeated Level 3 -- I repeat Level 3 --10x and I've been UNABLE to accomplish the task. If this game is THAT difficult at Level 3, I can only imagine how impossible it would be for me to even consider ever completing this game.
Favorite Genre(s):Word, Arcade & Action, Hidden Object, Match 3, Card & Board, Brain Teaser, Time Management, Marble Popper, Puzzle, Mahjong
Current Favorite:
Bejeweled 3
(100)
Fun Factor
5/ 5
Visual/Sound Quality
4/ 5
Level of Challenge
4/ 5
Storyline
5/ 5
While I agree with others that the playing boards were 99% flat and colorless and objects at times difficult to differentiate from each other (i.e. shovels and pickaxes), I took on the mindset that such issues were good for the following reasons:
*I can better appreciate the higher quality of Match3 games that I play in the future and
*it's good eye exercise
With this type of mindset, I was able to enjoy playing and completing this game.
The 1 issue that I have to admit that I found confusing was the purpose of board objects being blacked out when certain set-ups came into play. The reason for the confusion is to its purpose; even with the board objects were blacked out, a gamer can STILL PLAY said objects as if they'd not been blacked out. Maybe it was done to provide a form of misperception as to the availability of said blacked-out objects?
I don't know but this game is VERY EASY to play as even "x" out objects became free within a moment or 2 without any matching efforts from the gamer and hence no need for any type of power-ups.
I found this game to be unnecessarily tedius for the following reasons:
*cursor does NOT change to inform you to an item to be picked up when you land on it
*have to see a green dot on cursor before you can utilize a tool
*have to find OTHER objects NOT pertaining to your task at hand BEFORE you can do the task at hand
*ignorant uses of some of the tools -- fire extinguisher on an armadillo? P-LEEEEASE
*As hint button color is ALMOST as dark as the scene, it’s pretty useless for items that are close to any of the 4 corners of the screen: 5 is 5 scratches in upper left-hand corner, 9 is on post above hint button and clover is almost completely covered by the hint button
*if you temporarily get out of the game to look at the walkthrough, upon returning the screen is black for 30 seconds
*Puzzles provide no indication of correct placement of tiles
*no color change of objects in list that are “hidden” -- truck
*odd naming of needed objects -- accumulator is an engine battery, stirring stick is a honey dipper, and darts is a dartboard and last but not least
*the walkthrough is NOT complete; 2nd necklace?? Check the squirrels’ room
All in all, couldn't wait to get it off my computer after completing the game.
Favorite Genre(s):Word, Arcade & Action, Hidden Object, Match 3, Card & Board, Brain Teaser, Time Management, Marble Popper, Puzzle, Mahjong
Current Favorite:
The Enchanted Kingdom: Elisa's Adventure
(11)
Fun Factor
4/ 5
Visual/Sound Quality
5/ 5
Level of Challenge
4/ 5
Storyline
5/ 5
While I only had to repeat a few levels, this game is not as easy as it looks; sometimes I wondered if I ever was going to finish a level because all I was doing was collecting oxygen so that I could "stay alive". You spend as much time as you need to complete a level AS LONG AS your oxygen does NOT run out; in essence, your oxygen tank IS your timer.
One reviewer stated that the competition was not even worth playing because you (the gamer) always won; REALLY? Interesting comment because I NEVER got to be #1 and in fact, one competition I LOST the 1st round. The GOOD NEWS, though, is that win or lose you continue on to the next level.
Four things that I did NOT like about this game: *if you leave the competition (even to go to the Options Menue) after completing 1 round of it (there's 3 rounds), you have to REPEAT the 1 round that you'd already won
*the power-ups can only be used horizontally; none of them vertically
*there are 4 power-ups that'll take out 1, 3, 8, and 9 objects BUT whichever you use, ALL of THEM become negated by the use of any one of them and
*even if you put this game on pause and it does NOT appear to be playing, somehow it just does. I paused it for about 5 minutes and went back to the level and played and beat said level. However, I noticed (after playing another level) that the dot did NOT change color showing that it had been played and even though I DID click on that dot and play it, it STILL remained gray AND I had to REPLAY the level that I'd already played; hmm...
Read the notes that come up because they're important (not talking about the dialogue) but the notes that appear when you start a new level with a new achievement; i.e. how to gain a pearl (black and white) as they'll NOT show up on the board until you make certain moves and YES, you HAVE to find both types of pearls to complete the level(s).
Not the worst of Match3 games, not the best but okay.
I recommend this game!
+7points
8of9voted this as helpful.
The Enchanted Kingdom: Elisa's Adventure
To prove she's the rightful heir to the throne, Elisa must conquer a fearsome dragon and bring down a wicked witch!
I was confused as to why I couldn't build the Mage house as I knew that I'd been collecting logs during the Match3 matches. As I pondered this problem, I clicked on the castle at the bottom of the screen and then on the sawmill which had already been built and THAT'S where I could decide on how many logs that I wanted to use to build something.
Once I'd decided to use all of the logs, THEN the building of the Mage house became available. As a "bonus" because of the amount of logs that I'd decided to use, I was also able to build the shop.
The music is comforting, the Match3 levels are not too taxing, it's NOT timed though there is a clock but only to let you know the length of time it took you to complete each level, and there is dialogue between the peasant girl and the people she meets.
The only thing that I find a tad irritating is that once the dialogue appears, it sits there for a longer period than necessary; I do find that if you click on the words themselves that the dialogue boxes seem to disappear faster.
First of all the objects that you're looking for makes no sense whatsoever and in addition to that, the background is SOOO grainy that you very easily get blurry-eyed and headachy. Of course, the other objects that you DON'T need are sharp as a bell AND large while the objects you are looking for are very well hidden and in some cases, miniscule.
Some of the things that you have to find (in accordance to the heading such as "clothing accessories") HONESTLY makes you wonder what the game developers were thinking; since when is an attache case part of a clothing accessory?
While the music in part of this game was appropriate, this same music was just too down-hearted and depressing to continue to listen for the rest of the game.
I got as far as Chapter 7 and just called it quits and removed this game off my computer
I don't recommend this game.
+6points
8of10voted this as helpful.
Elementals: The Magic Key
Plunge into the captivating world of magic inhabited by elementals. Help Albert, a young magician, restore the Key of Eiron.
This is probably one of the few games that I remember playing (and sometimes struggling with) from 2 years ago that I not only thoroughly enjoyed but also always remember the ending with a big smile on my face.
This is a game that appears to have 50 stages and unless you play this game in TIMED mode, there's no purpose to it as there are NO LETTERS to drop down to "translate" the scroll in the Relaxed mode -- which is the purpose of the game.
However, this game takes HOURS and HOURS of playing time which would be alright EXCEPT that if you exit from the game BEFORE finishing ALL 50 stages -- your progress is COMPLETELY WIPED OUT.
Over a 2 day period (I decided to replay it again from Stage 1) I've spent over 14 hours on this game and all I got was very tired and blurry eyed.
If a gamer was able to exit this game and return to the same stage as to where said gamer left with progress having been saved then this would be a great game. I wish that I'd read the forum comments first and I would've never bothered to have purchased it.