rosekaufmann's Profile
Stat Summary
- Average Rating:4.2
- Helpful Votes:18,036
- Reviews Submitted:831
- First Review:April 2, 2012
- Most Recent Review:July 27, 2014
- Featured reviews0
Status:
Long-forgotten memories bubble to the surface when the past invades the present in the Collector's Edition of Lake House: Children of Silence!
Overall rating
5
/
5
3 of 3 found this review helpful
ALL GROWN UP AND DRAWN BACK TO CHILDHOOD
PostedNovember 13, 2013
rosekaufmann
fromLos Angeles
Skill Level:Expert
Favorite Genre(s):Hidden Object
Fun Factor
5
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
5
/
5
Level of Challenge
4
/
5
Storyline
4
/
5
SUMMARY: Took 3 ¾ hours to play this somewhat spooky adventure-HOG. Hand-drawn artwork lends itself perfectly with the moody and mysterious atmosphere. Plenty of HOS with cleverly-drawn objects and a wide variety of puzzles. If you have the CE, the bonus chapters are about ¼ of the length of the main game. Very well-thought out and put together game. Surprise ending.
DETAILS:
• Gripping story holds your interest to the end.
• Watch portions of the characters’ childhood through film reels found throughout the game.
• Incredible animation at times, when completely unexpected.
• Good ratio of HOS to puzzles. Fun puzzles sometimes have a little adventure attached to them for added interest. HOS are crowded but you can find everything – note that occasionally an object will be at the very edge of the screen. They seemed to get more crowded the deeper into the game you went. Some imaginative puzzles are more challenging, but they are small enough to be solvable (ex: you need to place objects in the pathway of only 3 steeplechasers so that all finish at the same time).
• Very helpful and very fast-recharging hint system in casual mode.
• Map – didn’t seem to be interactive, so I only used it once near the end when I forgot where some place was. It’s not really needed as there are a limited number of environments to explore at any one time.
• Gripping story holds your interest to the end.
• Watch portions of the characters’ childhood through film reels found throughout the game.
• Incredible animation at times, when completely unexpected.
• Good ratio of HOS to puzzles. Fun puzzles sometimes have a little adventure attached to them for added interest. HOS are crowded but you can find everything – note that occasionally an object will be at the very edge of the screen. They seemed to get more crowded the deeper into the game you went. Some imaginative puzzles are more challenging, but they are small enough to be solvable (ex: you need to place objects in the pathway of only 3 steeplechasers so that all finish at the same time).
• Very helpful and very fast-recharging hint system in casual mode.
• Map – didn’t seem to be interactive, so I only used it once near the end when I forgot where some place was. It’s not really needed as there are a limited number of environments to explore at any one time.
I recommend this game!
Take on Time Mysteries: The Ancient Spectres, a challenging Hidden Object Puzzle Adventure game! Stop the evil witch Viviana!
Overall rating
5
/
5
4 of 4 found this review helpful
TIME TRAVEL HOG WITH A LITTLE ADVENTURE
PostedNovember 12, 2013
rosekaufmann
fromLos Angeles
Skill Level:Expert
Favorite Genre(s):Hidden Object
Fun Factor
5
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
4
/
5
Level of Challenge
5
/
5
Storyline
5
/
5
SUMMARY: Game time was between 4 ½ to 5 hours. Heavy on challenging HOS due to the color palettes used. You’ll need the map to travel between time periods and I suggest you use it to travel to different locations within the same year (there are 5 years). A fun, engrossing game, with nice graphics. However, the graphics did seem to be somewhat hazy toward the end – don’t know if they really were or if my eyes were just tired.
As a descendant of Merlin and Viviana (our villainess), you were raised in an orphanage and try to learn more about your lost family tree. Interesting that Viviana hates everyone in your family.
To note:
• Time travel to 5 different years to piece together your family history, each year with a limited number of locations.
• Get a time travel machine and map, which will be extremely helpful as you travel back and forth, frequently for only one or two errands. You can also use it to travel within the mansion in the same year to save time. Since locations where tasks await are marked, I found it helpful even when staying in the same time period.
• HOS are very crowded and, since they are generally of complementary hues (ex: greens, golds, beiges), it can be difficult finding what you are seeking. Although objects are not small, I used the hint toward the end of the HOS for the last one or two items just to move on. It seemed that there were HOS every 5 minutes, so I was getting a little tired of them. But some will just love all the HOS. You will revisit HOS two or three and even four times, but most of the time, some objects that you previously found are not contained in them. And the hint recharges fairly fast.
• You can opt for a Match 3 game instead of the HOS.
• Sometimes, you will have to make the last piece of an inventory item (ex: if you need 4 screws, you find 2 laying around or in the HOS, have to clean a rusty one to get the 3rd screw and have to actually make the 4th one).
• Puzzles are few and far between. Instructions are patchy, but you should be able to figure out how to solve them. Brand-new HOG players might have to skip a couple, but since there are few puzzles, it would not be a sizable dent in your playing time.
• Time travel to 5 different years to piece together your family history, each year with a limited number of locations.
• Get a time travel machine and map, which will be extremely helpful as you travel back and forth, frequently for only one or two errands. You can also use it to travel within the mansion in the same year to save time. Since locations where tasks await are marked, I found it helpful even when staying in the same time period.
• HOS are very crowded and, since they are generally of complementary hues (ex: greens, golds, beiges), it can be difficult finding what you are seeking. Although objects are not small, I used the hint toward the end of the HOS for the last one or two items just to move on. It seemed that there were HOS every 5 minutes, so I was getting a little tired of them. But some will just love all the HOS. You will revisit HOS two or three and even four times, but most of the time, some objects that you previously found are not contained in them. And the hint recharges fairly fast.
• You can opt for a Match 3 game instead of the HOS.
• Sometimes, you will have to make the last piece of an inventory item (ex: if you need 4 screws, you find 2 laying around or in the HOS, have to clean a rusty one to get the 3rd screw and have to actually make the 4th one).
• Puzzles are few and far between. Instructions are patchy, but you should be able to figure out how to solve them. Brand-new HOG players might have to skip a couple, but since there are few puzzles, it would not be a sizable dent in your playing time.
I recommend this game!
Take on Time Mysteries: The Ancient Spectres, a challenging Hidden Object Puzzle Adventure game! Stop the evil witch Viviana!
Overall rating
5
/
5
7 of 10 found this review helpful
TIME TRAVEL HOG WITH A LITTLE ADVENTURE
PostedNovember 12, 2013
rosekaufmann
fromLos Angeles
Skill Level:Expert
Favorite Genre(s):Hidden Object
Fun Factor
5
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
4
/
5
Level of Challenge
5
/
5
Storyline
5
/
5
SUMMARY: Game time was between 4 ½ to 5 hours. Heavy on challenging HOS due to the color palettes used. You’ll need the map to travel between time periods and I suggest you use it to travel to different locations within the same year (there are 5 years). A fun, engrossing game, with nice graphics. However, the graphics did seem to be somewhat hazy toward the end – don’t know if they really were or if my eyes were just tired.
As a descendant of Merlin and Viviana (our villainess), you were raised in an orphanage and try to learn more about your lost family tree. Interesting that Viviana hates everyone in your family.
To note:
• Time travel to 5 different years to piece together your family history, each year with a limited number of locations.
• Get a time travel machine and map, which will extremely helpful as you travel back and forth, frequently for only one or two errands. You can also use it to travel within the mansion in the same year to save time. Since locations where tasks await are marked, I found it helpful even when staying in the same time period.
• HOS are very crowded and, since they are generally of complementary hues (ex: greens, golds, beiges), it can be difficult finding what you are seeking. Although objects are not small, I used the hint toward the end of the HOS for the last one or two items just to move on. It seemed that there were HOS every 5 minutes, so I was getting a little tired of them. But some will just love all the HOS. You will revisit HOS two or three and even four times, but most of the time, some objects that you previously found are not contained in them. And the hint recharges fairly fast.
• You can opt for a Match 3 game instead of the HOS.
• Sometimes, you will have to make the last piece of an inventory item (ex: if you need 4 screws, you find 2 laying around or in the HOS, have to clean a rusty one to get the 3rd screw and have to actually make the 4th one).
• Puzzles are few and far between. Instructions are patchy, but you should be able to figure out how to solve them. Brand-new HOG players might have to skip a couple, but since there are few puzzles, it would not be a sizable dent in your playing time.
• Time travel to 5 different years to piece together your family history, each year with a limited number of locations.
• Get a time travel machine and map, which will extremely helpful as you travel back and forth, frequently for only one or two errands. You can also use it to travel within the mansion in the same year to save time. Since locations where tasks await are marked, I found it helpful even when staying in the same time period.
• HOS are very crowded and, since they are generally of complementary hues (ex: greens, golds, beiges), it can be difficult finding what you are seeking. Although objects are not small, I used the hint toward the end of the HOS for the last one or two items just to move on. It seemed that there were HOS every 5 minutes, so I was getting a little tired of them. But some will just love all the HOS. You will revisit HOS two or three and even four times, but most of the time, some objects that you previously found are not contained in them. And the hint recharges fairly fast.
• You can opt for a Match 3 game instead of the HOS.
• Sometimes, you will have to make the last piece of an inventory item (ex: if you need 4 screws, you find 2 laying around or in the HOS, have to clean a rusty one to get the 3rd screw and have to actually make the 4th one).
• Puzzles are few and far between. Instructions are patchy, but you should be able to figure out how to solve them. Brand-new HOG players might have to skip a couple, but since there are few puzzles, it would not be a sizable dent in your playing time.
I recommend this game!
The entire town has been put into a deep, dark sleep by a mysterious evil force. Now young Lillian must find allies and uncover the dark secrets of voodoo in order to save her master and free her friends before it is too late.
Overall rating
4
/
5
LOTS AND HOGS AND CURSES
PostedNovember 11, 2013
rosekaufmann
fromLos Angeles
Skill Level:Expert
Favorite Genre(s):Hidden Object
Fun Factor
4
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
4
/
5
Level of Challenge
4
/
5
Storyline
5
/
5
SUMMARY: Took 3 ½ hours to complete at a very casual pace and listening/reading all dialogue for cutscenes. A continuation was promised at the end. Basically, a HOG with a little adventure and a smattering of puzzles here and there. Fairly easy. Seems that much of the length is backtracking to get one item. Not as ambitious as the original Voodoo Whisperer, but still a nice quality game.
• Lots and lots of HOS – fairly easy to find listed objects even though each of the scenes’ pallets consist of complementary colors.
• Magnifying glass provided
• Puzzles are the standard fare – matching pairs, rotation etc.
• Collect and mix ingredients for the various voodoo dolls you must make to free various people
• Lots of backtracking – frequently for one activity before you go back to where you began
• Sudden unsatisfying ending – never find out what caused the curse over the town, but that’s probably in the sequel
• 4 chapters. If you have the CE, the bonus chapter is in the middle of the game – so it isn’t very long. Each of the chapters has you doing the same type of thing (creating a potion or voodoo doll, but at different locations and with different ingredients).
• Collect spells to create fire, move large/heavy objects, break things.
• Hint tells you where to go or what to interact with. “Area Cleared/Completed” appears as appropriate.
• Magnifying glass provided
• Puzzles are the standard fare – matching pairs, rotation etc.
• Collect and mix ingredients for the various voodoo dolls you must make to free various people
• Lots of backtracking – frequently for one activity before you go back to where you began
• Sudden unsatisfying ending – never find out what caused the curse over the town, but that’s probably in the sequel
• 4 chapters. If you have the CE, the bonus chapter is in the middle of the game – so it isn’t very long. Each of the chapters has you doing the same type of thing (creating a potion or voodoo doll, but at different locations and with different ingredients).
• Collect spells to create fire, move large/heavy objects, break things.
• Hint tells you where to go or what to interact with. “Area Cleared/Completed” appears as appropriate.
I recommend this game!
The entire town has been put into a deep sleep by an evil force. Now Lillian must find allies and uncover the secrets of voodoo!
Overall rating
4
/
5
2 of 2 found this review helpful
CURSES AND A HIGH LEVEL OF HOS
PostedNovember 11, 2013
rosekaufmann
fromLos Angeles
Skill Level:Expert
Favorite Genre(s):Hidden Object
Fun Factor
4
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
4
/
5
Level of Challenge
4
/
5
Storyline
5
/
5
SUMMARY: Took 3 ½ hours to complete at a very casual pace and listening/reading all dialogue for cutscenes. A continuation was promised at the end. Basically, a HOG with a little adventure and a smattering of puzzles here and there. Fairly easy. Seems that much of the length is backtracking to get one item. Not as ambitious as the original Voodoo Whisperer, but still a nice quality game.
• Lots and lots of HOS – fairly easy to find listed objects even though each of the scenes’ pallets consist of complementary colors.
• Magnifying glass provided
• Puzzles are the standard fare – matching pairs, rotation etc.
• Collect and mix ingredients for the various voodoo dolls you must make to free various people
• Lots of backtracking – frequently for one activity before you go back to where you began
• Sudden unsatisfying ending – never find out what caused the curse over the town, but that’s probably in the sequel
• 4 chapters. If you have the CE, the bonus chapter is in the middle of the game – so it isn’t very long. Each of the chapters has you doing the same type of thing (creating a potion or voodoo doll, but at different locations and with different ingredients).
• Collect spells to create fire, move large/heavy objects, break things.
• Hint tells you where to go or what to interact with. “Area Cleared/Completed” appears as appropriate.
• Magnifying glass provided
• Puzzles are the standard fare – matching pairs, rotation etc.
• Collect and mix ingredients for the various voodoo dolls you must make to free various people
• Lots of backtracking – frequently for one activity before you go back to where you began
• Sudden unsatisfying ending – never find out what caused the curse over the town, but that’s probably in the sequel
• 4 chapters. If you have the CE, the bonus chapter is in the middle of the game – so it isn’t very long. Each of the chapters has you doing the same type of thing (creating a potion or voodoo doll, but at different locations and with different ingredients).
• Collect spells to create fire, move large/heavy objects, break things.
• Hint tells you where to go or what to interact with. “Area Cleared/Completed” appears as appropriate.
I recommend this game!
Rob from the rich and give to the poor! When an evil ruler taxes his people to near starvation, it's up to Robin to save the day!
Overall rating
5
/
5
3 of 3 found this review helpful
NOT WHAT WAS INITIALLY EXPECTED
PostedNovember 11, 2013
rosekaufmann
fromLos Angeles
Skill Level:Expert
Favorite Genre(s):Hidden Object
Fun Factor
5
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
5
/
5
Level of Challenge
4
/
5
Storyline
5
/
5
A new twist on an old tale: Robin is a woman and not only has to fight to right the oppression of the Brits but help her husband escape from prison. Very well done - it is as believable as the original tale. While on her quest, various villagers will ask her help in getting their money back. Your hints are in the form of fireflies and you can capture additional ones to replenish them when they dwindle.
As with the tale, Robin forms a band of Merry Men, each with their own skill. Robin also has to rip down her wanted posters (62) and help her Merry Men find the pieces of their Pardons from the king. You’ll also have to search for hidden gold caches. You may need to return to an area, but once it is completed, you get an “Area Complete” notation so that you don’t waste time unnecessarily exploring unfruitful locations. Most of the puzzles have a purpose, such as helping to build a wall or baking a pie to distract the guards (you just happened to overhear them talking about how they snitched pies from the baker while you are in his shop).
SUMMARY: An average length game with 16 chapters of an old tale. Various inspired quests and puzzles which are integral to the game of helping your fellow Brits and your husband. Done with a good sense of humor and attention to detail. Good production values.
I recommend this game!
Battle evil forces from the future and help Vera save her fiancé Tom in this time-warping Hidden Object game!
Overall rating
4
/
5
9 of 10 found this review helpful
KNOW YOU MUST EXIT AT THE PROPER TIME ONLY
PostedNovember 11, 2013
rosekaufmann
fromLos Angeles
Skill Level:Expert
Favorite Genre(s):Hidden Object
Fun Factor
5
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
4
/
5
Level of Challenge
3
/
5
Storyline
4
/
5
Amusing adventure took over 7 1/2 hours to complete. Playing a second or third time doesn’t materially affect the time factor. It is well worth the price. It’s a very light-hearted time adventure that’s told with an entertaining sense of humor. Don’t take the gameplay too seriously and you’ll be happy with it. There are 23 chapters and the epilogue. At the end of each chapter, you are told the % of the game you have completed.
The voices are pleasant to listen to, but don’t expect professional quality. Vera, the main character, always sounds a bit patronizing. No fear when that emotion is expected; no anguish when she finds out her fiancé has died. But she reads her lines nicely. The characters (and sometimes animals like a dinosaur) bounce into and out of the scene when she speaks to them – a bit funny but it feels right with this game. Graphics and animation are above average.
Wide variety of puzzles. Sometimes it appears the solution is obvious and nothing happens. Consulting the walkthrough doesn’t always help – you may have to consult in the forum. Example: Letters would not stick to Socrates name although you know they go there. So I checked the W/T – yes, they should just fit there. No dice. Finally, the forum: you have to click Socrates name and get a pop-up notation, then they’ll fit. Although frustrating, the end result made me laugh at its simplicity.
Vera travels to different eras in the past and future and meets characters in each as she ends up looking for dinosaur eggs. The humor in the characters is priceless – from the futuristic robot tending a cemetery to the dinosaur who lost some of her eggs to the caveman who thinks your finance, Tom, (who always has been there before you) is a great spirit. Oh yes, you have an elixir to help them understand and talk to you. You return to several scenes to find objects more than once, but since there is always a purpose, it doesn’t seem repetitive.
SUMMARY: A long, somewhat hilarious game – a bit on the archaic side but worth the fun of playing. Pleasant voices and variety of puzzles. IMPORTANT: You can only exit and save your game at the end of each chapter after it tells the % of completion. Exiting at any other time will require you to start the chapter at the beginning.
I recommend this game!
The Torment of Mont Triste
No one dares fall asleep in the village of Mont Triste... for when sleep arrives, so does the mysterious Lord of Nightmares.
Overall rating
4
/
5
23 of 26 found this review helpful
DREADFUL BUT COLORFUL NIGHTMARES
PostedNovember 10, 2013
rosekaufmann
fromLos Angeles
Skill Level:Expert
Favorite Genre(s):Hidden Object
Fun Factor
5
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
5
/
5
Level of Challenge
3
/
5
Storyline
5
/
5
A different kind of story - people who fall asleep succumb to nightmares. The special effects and graphics do make for colorful if dreadful nightmares. You must help the coachman, paperboy, Lillian, Henri and Gabriella escape their nightmares by entering into their dreams. It didn't take long to help the coachman. The others appear to take longer. There doesn't appear to be an unsurmountable amount of travel (and you do have an interactive map to alleviate any travel).
You get 4 volume controls, widescreen, interactive map and 3 difficulty modes. The puzzles are really easy, which is why I gave the game only 3 stars for level of challenge. But the artistry and care with detailing the locations and the special effects more than make up for that. The interactive HOS are very detailed and, although a bit crowded in sections of the scene, you should have no trouble finding most of the objects. The hint recharges fairly fast if you need it to find the last couple items.
SUMMARY: Although the CE has 21 collectible goblins, replayable puzzles-HOS-movies, and 11 music tracks (plus bonus game), I'm not sure it has enough to suggest it over the SE. Unless those are really important to you, I suggest the SE.
I recommend this game!
These nursery rhymes are cursed, and your sister’s been taken by the Crooked Man!
Overall rating
5
/
5
8 of 14 found this review helpful
INCREDIBLY ADVENTUROUS AND CHALLENGING
PostedNovember 9, 2013
rosekaufmann
fromLos Angeles
Skill Level:Expert
Favorite Genre(s):Hidden Object
Fun Factor
5
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
5
/
5
Level of Challenge
5
/
5
Storyline
5
/
5
Incredibly beautiful landscapes and creative, unique and very challenging puzzles and mini-games. Instructions are generally in the form of riddles and required thought on how to interpret the instructions. The many, many puzzles are a lot of fun even though, as a very experienced gamer, I had to play around with them quite a bit. Not that easy to solve.
Very light on the HOS, which are very detailed and lovely FRAG. Music is lively and apropros to the scenes, but I think they could have played "The Crooked Little Man and his Crooked Little Cat" song somewhere. Voice overs are extremely pleasant to listen to.
Scenes are very busy with a lot of activity to do. Map helps and the hint button works well, though I didn't use them much. Instead, I clicked on everything and read the descriptions and comments at the top of the screen because your clues will be from those descriptions (unless you want to use the SG). There are morphing objects, which seem harder to find than usual, because your eyes are filled with the busy and spectacular environments.
Game is very well-thought out and gameplay can become quite complicated. Should be several hour of play for most people. I can't even imagine the fast clickers playing it in a very short time. An enchanting game and a must-buy within 5 minutes.
I recommend this game!
Should anyone ever check in to a place called the Final Journey Hotel?
Overall rating
5
/
5
91 of 102 found this review helpful
ANIMATION STUPENDOUS
PostedNovember 8, 2013
rosekaufmann
fromLos Angeles
Skill Level:Expert
Favorite Genre(s):Hidden Object
Fun Factor
5
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
5
/
5
Level of Challenge
5
/
5
Storyline
5
/
5
Spooky through and through. Investigate monsters (ex: werewolf, vampires and all those lovely creatures we used to be afraid were under our beds or behind the sofa when children) at a hotel. And the monsters are at war with each other. Plus you have a male partner (who likes to give orders, so he must be the boss). Doesn't get better than this!
The animation and special effects for the creatures and their war capades is superb. Scenery is pleasant to look at and, once inside the hotel, the color palette for the atmosphere is perfect. Artistry is gorgeously done. The monsters are given a slightly puppetry look.
Lots and lots to do. Puzzles are tied into the scene and missing pieces are readily assessible within a short walk. It's fun to find the solution. HOS are list-based and, although the objects are very well detailed, are very busy. Still, there was no difficulty in finding objects. Narrator and voices were professional and you could interact directly with characters (including your partner).
You get: 4 volume and a gamma control, automatic widescreen, 3 modes of difficulty and a map showing where current tasks are. The hint system is extremely helpful - it tells you what to use and where. Recharge is fairly fast in casual mode.
A really great Elephant game (as usual).
I recommend this game!