Granny_Gruff's Profile
Stat Summary
- Average Rating:2.6
- Helpful Votes:22,850
- Reviews Submitted:883
- First Review:December 23, 2011
- Most Recent Review:November 23, 2022
- Featured reviews0
Status:
Can you find the Wise Dragon and save your people?
Overall rating
4
/
5
6 of 11 found this review helpful
Good Game - In Spite Of The Cute Helper
PostedAugust 20, 2017
Granny_Gruff
fromSave Daddy, save the world!
Skill Level:Intermediate
Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Hidden Object, Mahjong, Marble Popper, Match 3, Puzzle
Fun Factor
4
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
4
/
5
Level of Challenge
3
/
5
Storyline
4
/
5
Diana has studied for most of her formative years with the Great Druid. Now, as her training is ending she receives a plea for help from her Father, a Zoo magician.
(What is a zoo magician exactly?)
She arrives back in her village to find the place on fire, the locals fleeing, and her father kidnapped.
Diana saves one villager and receives a message left by her father, who apparently foresaw his danger. She must find a magic book and weave a spell to travel to the Wise Dragon's castle.
Bad news: You have a cute raccoon to help you along the way.
Good news: You don't have to name him or dress him up!
Most of the puzzles are good, if only there was not such a preponderance of picture puzzles with circles to turn and/or swap to complete the scene correctly. The HOPs are multi layered and fairly well done. The artwork is good and the characters are well voiced. There are a variety of collectibles, ghost dragons, small dragons, morphing items, and puzzle squares, along with an assortment of CE bling.
With the current sale going on, I urge you to try the demo for yourself. You may want to snap this game up for your collection.
(What is a zoo magician exactly?)
She arrives back in her village to find the place on fire, the locals fleeing, and her father kidnapped.
Diana saves one villager and receives a message left by her father, who apparently foresaw his danger. She must find a magic book and weave a spell to travel to the Wise Dragon's castle.
Bad news: You have a cute raccoon to help you along the way.
Good news: You don't have to name him or dress him up!
Most of the puzzles are good, if only there was not such a preponderance of picture puzzles with circles to turn and/or swap to complete the scene correctly. The HOPs are multi layered and fairly well done. The artwork is good and the characters are well voiced. There are a variety of collectibles, ghost dragons, small dragons, morphing items, and puzzle squares, along with an assortment of CE bling.
With the current sale going on, I urge you to try the demo for yourself. You may want to snap this game up for your collection.
I recommend this game!
You are the private detective Hercule Poirot and, once again, you find yourself up against a mysterious serial killer who goes by the name of "ABC".
Overall rating
2
/
5
38 of 49 found this review helpful
The Book Was Better!
PostedAugust 16, 2017
Granny_Gruff
fromSlowly I turn, step by step.....
Skill Level:Intermediate
Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Hidden Object, Mahjong, Marble Popper, Match 3, Puzzle
Fun Factor
2
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
2
/
5
Level of Challenge
2
/
5
Storyline
2
/
5
Hercule Poirot is investigating a murder in Andover, England, one he was told to watch for in an anonymous letter. With his sidekick, Dr Hastings, Poirot is determined to ferret out the killer.
Is it the drunken, estranged husband of the victim?
Perhaps her demure niece?
The brassy fruit seller next door?
Good stuff: Lots of puzzles but no HOPs, very simple artwork, good voice characterizations, and lots of places to investigate.
Bad stuff: Even when this game came out in June 2016, it was already old, with slow loading, clumsy controls, and stiff puzzles. It was helpful to be able to turn the puzzle objects 360 degrees. It was not so helpful when the game kept loading incredibly slowly. I love a good mystery, but I don't want to die of old age waiting for the next scene. And, while achievements are appreciated by some players, having them flash on the screen and stop what little action there was, is decidedly unhelpful.
Bottom line: Try the Demo. You will know very quickly if this is your cup of chocolate!
Is it the drunken, estranged husband of the victim?
Perhaps her demure niece?
The brassy fruit seller next door?
Good stuff: Lots of puzzles but no HOPs, very simple artwork, good voice characterizations, and lots of places to investigate.
Bad stuff: Even when this game came out in June 2016, it was already old, with slow loading, clumsy controls, and stiff puzzles. It was helpful to be able to turn the puzzle objects 360 degrees. It was not so helpful when the game kept loading incredibly slowly. I love a good mystery, but I don't want to die of old age waiting for the next scene. And, while achievements are appreciated by some players, having them flash on the screen and stop what little action there was, is decidedly unhelpful.
Bottom line: Try the Demo. You will know very quickly if this is your cup of chocolate!
I don't recommend this game.
Someone’s attacking the Witches’ University!
Overall rating
2
/
5
27 of 34 found this review helpful
An Almost Average SE From An Over-the-Hill Series!
PostedAugust 12, 2017
Granny_Gruff
fromAt Least An SE Is Less Expensive!
Skill Level:Intermediate
Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Hidden Object, Mahjong, Marble Popper, Match 3, Puzzle
Fun Factor
2
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
2
/
5
Level of Challenge
3
/
5
Storyline
2
/
5
Jack is back with Annabel and Bertha on another quest to stop evil. This time it is an evil Wizard trapped in a sphere who has only one night to get out. Jack will have to stop him to save Annabel, Bertha, and the students from the witch university. Despite his scientific bent, Jack will be forced to use various magical devices to catch the wizard and stop him. Tough luck, Jack.
Good stuff: HOPs with a matching game alternative, and various mini games.
Bad stuff: Color saturated artwork; Bertha, the ferret; and a single blood moon picture between every scene, puzzle, and HOP, not to mention the same old plot from previous games in the series.
Once again there is the logic problem - the evil wizard is trapped in a sphere and yet able to run around the Witch University and alternate reality to try to free himself. Who's idea of a prison was this?
Poor Jack has saved the world from various evil beings one too many times and needs to settle down with Bertha and raise his own family - hopefully the kids will be human and not ferrets.
Please try the Demo for yourself.
Good stuff: HOPs with a matching game alternative, and various mini games.
Bad stuff: Color saturated artwork; Bertha, the ferret; and a single blood moon picture between every scene, puzzle, and HOP, not to mention the same old plot from previous games in the series.
Once again there is the logic problem - the evil wizard is trapped in a sphere and yet able to run around the Witch University and alternate reality to try to free himself. Who's idea of a prison was this?
Poor Jack has saved the world from various evil beings one too many times and needs to settle down with Bertha and raise his own family - hopefully the kids will be human and not ferrets.
Please try the Demo for yourself.
Can you stop the infamous Crows League before they strike again?
Overall rating
3
/
5
41 of 58 found this review helpful
Why Pick on Poe?
PostedAugust 10, 2017
Granny_Gruff
fromWill E. A. P. ever forgive us? Perhaps when he stops spinning in his grave?
Skill Level:Intermediate
Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Hidden Object, Mahjong, Marble Popper, Match 3, Puzzle
Fun Factor
3
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
3
/
5
Level of Challenge
3
/
5
Storyline
1
/
5
A new case for our detectives takes them to a small town where local children have been disappearing. We will search for the children and a solution to the mystery.
For clarity, you need to know that the people disappearing are not necessarily children as we are primarily called in to help the mayor find his son, who is old enough to be engaged to Lenore.
You should also ignore anything you know about Edgar Allan Poe's four stanza poem, "Lenore." The only connection here is the title of the game.
Any similarity begins and ends there.
Once you get past that point, you can look at the game from a better, fresher perspective.
Good stuff: There are a variety of HOPs and mini-games, good artwork, and a mystery story.
Bad stuff: Dupin is back again and still expects you to do all the work while he stands by. The story is weak, but that is nothing new for this series. As for excitement, it is left to the disjointed videos at the beginning to provide what someone hoped would be suspense, along with the usual smears of red paint/blood left in odd places.
Bottom line: This new Dark Tales is better than several of the more recent games in the series, but not all it could have been with a bit more thought.
Owning hundreds of games already, this one needs to be another step up to be added to my collection.
Try the demo and see what you think.
For clarity, you need to know that the people disappearing are not necessarily children as we are primarily called in to help the mayor find his son, who is old enough to be engaged to Lenore.
You should also ignore anything you know about Edgar Allan Poe's four stanza poem, "Lenore." The only connection here is the title of the game.
Any similarity begins and ends there.
Once you get past that point, you can look at the game from a better, fresher perspective.
Good stuff: There are a variety of HOPs and mini-games, good artwork, and a mystery story.
Bad stuff: Dupin is back again and still expects you to do all the work while he stands by. The story is weak, but that is nothing new for this series. As for excitement, it is left to the disjointed videos at the beginning to provide what someone hoped would be suspense, along with the usual smears of red paint/blood left in odd places.
Bottom line: This new Dark Tales is better than several of the more recent games in the series, but not all it could have been with a bit more thought.
Owning hundreds of games already, this one needs to be another step up to be added to my collection.
Try the demo and see what you think.
Can you uncover the truth behind a string of strange thefts?
Overall rating
3
/
5
7 of 12 found this review helpful
Is OK good Enough?
PostedAugust 7, 2017
Granny_Gruff
fromFour to one are unfair odds, especially when I'm the one!
Skill Level:Intermediate
Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Hidden Object, Mahjong, Marble Popper, Match 3, Puzzle
Fun Factor
3
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
3
/
5
Level of Challenge
3
/
5
Storyline
3
/
5
The Vermillion Watch is back for their third installment. This time we will be chasing the Red Queen, again. The new additional characters are once again pulled from fiction. This time we add Dorothy, Toto, The Scarecrow, Tin Woodsman, and the Lion from "The Wizard of Oz," along with Captain Nemo and Admiral Ahab from their respective classics.
Reviewer Sunnyglow goes into as much detail as you could possibly want, so I won't rehash her report.
I just want to say that this game is much better than the second installment, but not as good as the first. I gave it three stars mostly for not being as bad as #2 and ditching the talking heads in the corner of the screen.
There is bling in the CE edition and several different puzzles.
The HOPs are multilayered and some have morphs. You'll be collecting Stars in most scenes. Most of the artwork is rather grey toned, but you do get to turn on the lights, sometimes.
Please try the Demo for yourself.
Reviewer Sunnyglow goes into as much detail as you could possibly want, so I won't rehash her report.
I just want to say that this game is much better than the second installment, but not as good as the first. I gave it three stars mostly for not being as bad as #2 and ditching the talking heads in the corner of the screen.
There is bling in the CE edition and several different puzzles.
The HOPs are multilayered and some have morphs. You'll be collecting Stars in most scenes. Most of the artwork is rather grey toned, but you do get to turn on the lights, sometimes.
Please try the Demo for yourself.
Your brother gets in trouble during the filming of his ghost hunting show!
Overall rating
2
/
5
30 of 35 found this review helpful
Save Another Sibling Who's done Something Stupid!
PostedAugust 6, 2017
Granny_Gruff
fromMy siblings used to take my toys too - but I never had to save them from evil spirits because of that.
Skill Level:Intermediate
Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Hidden Object, Mahjong, Marble Popper, Match 3, Puzzle
Fun Factor
2
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
2
/
5
Level of Challenge
2
/
5
Storyline
2
/
5
Your brother, Patrick, stole your special spirit viewing glasses and managed to get in trouble with them.
He was investigating Count Valack Arden's house for his program on ghosts when he became the latest victim of the Count. Count Arden, a serial killer, apparently went off the deep end when his daughter, Helen, died of illness. (Helen is the only faintly believable character and she is a ghost!)
Now Patrick is trapped in the house as a spirit and the serial killer is using his body. His fiance, Stephanie, is about to become the new "vessel" for the killer's daughter.
Guess who gets to fix this mess?
Good stuff: The usual game elements are present.
Bad stuff: The artwork is garishly colored, the puzzles are sad, the HOPs are sadder, and the story and characters fit right into that mix.
I hope you won't take my word for anything. Please try the demo for yourself. Finding all the bad stuff is part of the fun!
He was investigating Count Valack Arden's house for his program on ghosts when he became the latest victim of the Count. Count Arden, a serial killer, apparently went off the deep end when his daughter, Helen, died of illness. (Helen is the only faintly believable character and she is a ghost!)
Now Patrick is trapped in the house as a spirit and the serial killer is using his body. His fiance, Stephanie, is about to become the new "vessel" for the killer's daughter.
Guess who gets to fix this mess?
Good stuff: The usual game elements are present.
Bad stuff: The artwork is garishly colored, the puzzles are sad, the HOPs are sadder, and the story and characters fit right into that mix.
I hope you won't take my word for anything. Please try the demo for yourself. Finding all the bad stuff is part of the fun!
I don't recommend this game.
Can you stop a deadly curse before it’s too late?
Overall rating
2
/
5
31 of 40 found this review helpful
How is Extreme Revenge a Fun Game?
PostedJuly 31, 2017
Granny_Gruff
fromSo the guy who provided the only balance in her bipolar life is dead. Bad news for everyone!
Skill Level:Intermediate
Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Hidden Object, Mahjong, Marble Popper, Match 3, Puzzle
Fun Factor
2
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
3
/
5
Level of Challenge
3
/
5
Storyline
1
/
5
Guy and girl are just married when the former fiancé of his deceased best friend, Baron Wood, shows up at the wedding chapel. Ursula kidnaps the groom and “curses” the bride to die slowly. She takes the groom off to her home to torture him to death. Her father, a friend of the groom, helps the bride to get out of the ruins of the wedding venue and across the sea to rescue the groom. Ursula blames the groom for her intended’s death and is determined to exact as bitter a revenge as she can manage.
Mystery #1: There were other people on that fatal hunting trip and the Baron's death was deemed an accident, so why pick his best friend as the culprit?
Mystery #2: Why is there no consistency in the way Ursula's minions react to the amulet? One blows up a balcony, another is shot three times before vanishing with the amulet, and the third one is halted by a gate.
Mystery #3: Why do so many of the mini-games have multiple levels and you are forced to play all of them?
Mystery #4: Why didn't Daddy Sutton get his daughter Ursula some help? Apparently she's been unbalanced for quite some time.
Mystery #5: Have you ever been overjoyed when a demo was finished very quickly?
I urge you to try this game for yourself before purchasing it. You may not be into extreme revenge.
Mystery #1: There were other people on that fatal hunting trip and the Baron's death was deemed an accident, so why pick his best friend as the culprit?
Mystery #2: Why is there no consistency in the way Ursula's minions react to the amulet? One blows up a balcony, another is shot three times before vanishing with the amulet, and the third one is halted by a gate.
Mystery #3: Why do so many of the mini-games have multiple levels and you are forced to play all of them?
Mystery #4: Why didn't Daddy Sutton get his daughter Ursula some help? Apparently she's been unbalanced for quite some time.
Mystery #5: Have you ever been overjoyed when a demo was finished very quickly?
I urge you to try this game for yourself before purchasing it. You may not be into extreme revenge.
I don't recommend this game.
Travel to the underworld and save your love from Death's embrace!
Overall rating
2
/
5
6 of 8 found this review helpful
Save Another Loved One From Evil
PostedJuly 30, 2017
Granny_Gruff
fromWhy does Aaron keep Ophelia's body in his dungeon?
Skill Level:Intermediate
Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Hidden Object, Mahjong, Marble Popper, Match 3, Puzzle
Fun Factor
2
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
3
/
5
Level of Challenge
3
/
5
Storyline
2
/
5
Aaron, student of wizard Lucio, loves Ophelia. Ophelia contracts a Magical Disease just before their wedding. Aaron cannot save her. A distraught Aaron is determined to use dark magic to enter the Underworld and get Ophelia’s soul back from the Dark Lord.
Good stuff: Lots of the usual game elements – HOPs of various kinds, mini-games, nice blue and grey artwork, and OK characterizations. You have an amulet to help you find hidden magic and a potion kit to help you create potions - to get rid of weeds, for instance. You also have a choice of Easy or Hard on some of the mini-games.
Bad stuff: A very trite story that has been told before - as a Greek mythology tale for Dark Realms, for one example.
You have to do a puzzle each time you use your amulet and make potions with your kit. There is nothing new or interesting and the demo was quickly finished in 30 minutes. I can’t recommend what I will not purchase, so please try the Demo for yourself.
Good stuff: Lots of the usual game elements – HOPs of various kinds, mini-games, nice blue and grey artwork, and OK characterizations. You have an amulet to help you find hidden magic and a potion kit to help you create potions - to get rid of weeds, for instance. You also have a choice of Easy or Hard on some of the mini-games.
Bad stuff: A very trite story that has been told before - as a Greek mythology tale for Dark Realms, for one example.
You have to do a puzzle each time you use your amulet and make potions with your kit. There is nothing new or interesting and the demo was quickly finished in 30 minutes. I can’t recommend what I will not purchase, so please try the Demo for yourself.
I don't recommend this game.
Can you stop an ancient darkness before it’s too late?
Overall rating
2
/
5
31 of 44 found this review helpful
Stop Me If You've Heard This Before
PostedJuly 29, 2017
Granny_Gruff
fromThe only intense mystery here is the five star ratings!
Skill Level:Intermediate
Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Hidden Object, Mahjong, Marble Popper, Match 3, Puzzle
Fun Factor
2
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
3
/
5
Level of Challenge
2
/
5
Storyline
2
/
5
Great Evil wants to take over the world again, daughter gets taken, save her, save the world, again.
So much for the story.
Game play slogs along through all kinds of silliness to make a tiny step forward: Collect five pieces of a puzzle on the side of a cabinet to get the uniform, go through the pockets for a key, run back outside, open the dog's lunch box, and get a GPS charger.
Break open a glass case in the museum display area to get a chess knight. Find another knight inside a display. Take them back to the office to play a game to get another piece for something else that will need multiple pieces.
Use an artifact - that you have to put together after you find the pieces - to fight the "evil" with a trite puzzle that you have to play every time the entity pops up again.
Connect a car battery to a sign to get a food coupon to get a donut out of a machine to give to the hippie artist who will give you his painting.
And all of this started with you leaving the museum doors unlocked and the alarm off - serves you right!
What does all this have to do with saving your daughter?
Let's just say, she won't be home in time for dinner!
Was it scary? Only in the minds of the Devs!
Between the back and forth, the convoluted game play, the glacial pace of this game, and the irritating music, I was delighted when the demo ended.
Please try the game for yourself.
So much for the story.
Game play slogs along through all kinds of silliness to make a tiny step forward: Collect five pieces of a puzzle on the side of a cabinet to get the uniform, go through the pockets for a key, run back outside, open the dog's lunch box, and get a GPS charger.
Break open a glass case in the museum display area to get a chess knight. Find another knight inside a display. Take them back to the office to play a game to get another piece for something else that will need multiple pieces.
Use an artifact - that you have to put together after you find the pieces - to fight the "evil" with a trite puzzle that you have to play every time the entity pops up again.
Connect a car battery to a sign to get a food coupon to get a donut out of a machine to give to the hippie artist who will give you his painting.
And all of this started with you leaving the museum doors unlocked and the alarm off - serves you right!
What does all this have to do with saving your daughter?
Let's just say, she won't be home in time for dinner!
Was it scary? Only in the minds of the Devs!
Between the back and forth, the convoluted game play, the glacial pace of this game, and the irritating music, I was delighted when the demo ended.
Please try the game for yourself.
I don't recommend this game.
Follow Emily on her quest to trace the mysterious woman, elude death and ultimatly catch the killer in Ghost Files: The Face of Guilt.
Overall rating
2
/
5
13 of 19 found this review helpful
No, Virginia, There Are No Ghosts!
PostedJuly 27, 2017
Granny_Gruff
fromWhy not call it Police Files? Or something that fits the story?
Skill Level:Intermediate
Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Hidden Object, Mahjong, Marble Popper, Match 3, Puzzle
Fun Factor
2
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
2
/
5
Level of Challenge
2
/
5
Storyline
2
/
5
Ghost Files has no ghosts, nor much to attract avid gamers.
There is a mystery - that is until you read the review that tells you the killer's name.
You are a detective investigating a serial killer. He has killed ten people already and you have no suspects. Then a woman calls and says she knows the identity of the killer. You rush off to her apartment and arrive minutes too late.
There are the usual HOPs with a matching game alternative, mini-games that are very average, and a repetitive musical score that will force you to turn off the sound. The artwork is supposed to make the city look gritty, but mostly it just looks dark and things are tiny till you zoom in - when you can.
All of the usual logic lapses will parade through the story:
You ask if your forensic kit is ready to go. Yes and here it is - except you have to open the safe to retrieve fingerprint tape, test tubes, powder, and a brush. This police department is REALLY careful of their equipment!
You go looking for a missing wire and then cut one out of a doorbell panel and use it, claiming it must be the right one. DUH! Not if you CUT it out of the panel.
You see the witness being dragged across the floor and break down the door to get to her. Do you search for the person dragging her? Of course not. There are no other apparent exits, but you still don't look around. Good work, detective!
I finished the Demo and wondered why I bothered.
Please try this game for yourself. Believe only your own experience.
There is a mystery - that is until you read the review that tells you the killer's name.
You are a detective investigating a serial killer. He has killed ten people already and you have no suspects. Then a woman calls and says she knows the identity of the killer. You rush off to her apartment and arrive minutes too late.
There are the usual HOPs with a matching game alternative, mini-games that are very average, and a repetitive musical score that will force you to turn off the sound. The artwork is supposed to make the city look gritty, but mostly it just looks dark and things are tiny till you zoom in - when you can.
All of the usual logic lapses will parade through the story:
You ask if your forensic kit is ready to go. Yes and here it is - except you have to open the safe to retrieve fingerprint tape, test tubes, powder, and a brush. This police department is REALLY careful of their equipment!
You go looking for a missing wire and then cut one out of a doorbell panel and use it, claiming it must be the right one. DUH! Not if you CUT it out of the panel.
You see the witness being dragged across the floor and break down the door to get to her. Do you search for the person dragging her? Of course not. There are no other apparent exits, but you still don't look around. Good work, detective!
I finished the Demo and wondered why I bothered.
Please try this game for yourself. Believe only your own experience.
I don't recommend this game.