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:
Off the Record: The Final Interview
A man is dying, and you’re the prime suspect!
Overall rating
2
/
5
30 of 36 found this review helpful
Logic and Reason are on Holiday
PostedNovember 8, 2015
Granny_Gruff
fromL & R, please come home - I need you.
Skill Level:Intermediate
Favorite Genre(s):Puzzle, Hidden Object, Adventure, Match 3, Marble Popper
Fun Factor
2
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
3
/
5
Level of Challenge
2
/
5
Storyline
1
/
5
You start this game with the usual car crash. You wake up next to a still smoking car teetering on the edge of a cliff. When you finally climb up to the road you are greeted by a police constable. You have been missing for days. (Here is where logic left. Think for a moment - the car was smoking and then crashed down a cliff. There was a break in the guard rail - But none of these things helped the police find you FOR DAYS?!)
You are taken to the local station where the inspector asks questions about your recent interview of a local horse breader who was subsequently taken to the hospital. The inspector interrogates you in a way that let's you know you are a suspect in Mr Reedley''s sudden illness. (Here is when reason packed it's bags - Ignore the fact that Mr Reedley was in poor health, frail, and elderly - you are solely responsible for his trip to the hospital!)
Look, I'll be honest. I bailed. I am pretty much a fan of logic and reason. I have a hard time wondering through anything without them. Yes, the game is pretty, and there is a bit of a story here, and it proceeds like hundreds of other games, but I need more to spend my money and precious time on a game.
I'd already suffered through the CE and this just sent me over the edge.
Do what you will, but, for heaven's sake, try the demo first.
You are taken to the local station where the inspector asks questions about your recent interview of a local horse breader who was subsequently taken to the hospital. The inspector interrogates you in a way that let's you know you are a suspect in Mr Reedley''s sudden illness. (Here is when reason packed it's bags - Ignore the fact that Mr Reedley was in poor health, frail, and elderly - you are solely responsible for his trip to the hospital!)
Look, I'll be honest. I bailed. I am pretty much a fan of logic and reason. I have a hard time wondering through anything without them. Yes, the game is pretty, and there is a bit of a story here, and it proceeds like hundreds of other games, but I need more to spend my money and precious time on a game.
I'd already suffered through the CE and this just sent me over the edge.
Do what you will, but, for heaven's sake, try the demo first.
I don't recommend this game.
You're the last hope to stop the ancient curse!
Overall rating
4
/
5
29 of 34 found this review helpful
Strong Entry in the Lost Lands Series
PostedNovember 7, 2015
Granny_Gruff
fromSusans of the World, UNITE!
Skill Level:Intermediate
Favorite Genre(s):Puzzle, Hidden Object, Adventure, Match 3, Marble Popper
Fun Factor
4
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
5
/
5
Level of Challenge
5
/
5
Storyline
4
/
5
You are playing as Susan, heroine from previous Lost Lands Games. As you walk down a corridor, you hear a sound and turn in time to see a swirl in the center of a full length mirror. You reach out to touch the mirror - and wake up in the Lost Lands. Someone has summoned you to help the people of this magical place once more.
Good Stuff: Morphing objects and collectibles in almost every scene, interactive HOPs, strong mini-games, beautiful animation and artwork, a good story, and the usual CE bling. There are three levels of game-play, each customizable to some extent.
Bad Stuff: Only thing I can think of - and I'm reaching here - is the music which became overwrought a couple of times, going from a simple melody to full on orchestrated drama - and it was still good music, just suddenly louder to get my attention.
Bottom line: This is the best of the Lost Lands games that I've seen.
It's the weekend and your chance to enjoy the third installment in the Lost Lands Series.
Don't miss it!
Good Stuff: Morphing objects and collectibles in almost every scene, interactive HOPs, strong mini-games, beautiful animation and artwork, a good story, and the usual CE bling. There are three levels of game-play, each customizable to some extent.
Bad Stuff: Only thing I can think of - and I'm reaching here - is the music which became overwrought a couple of times, going from a simple melody to full on orchestrated drama - and it was still good music, just suddenly louder to get my attention.
Bottom line: This is the best of the Lost Lands games that I've seen.
It's the weekend and your chance to enjoy the third installment in the Lost Lands Series.
Don't miss it!
I recommend this game!
Grim Tales: Threads of Destiny
Can you free Jackie's parents from their deadly fates?
Overall rating
2
/
5
22 of 27 found this review helpful
Fate Wins in My Book
PostedNovember 6, 2015
Granny_Gruff
fromI'm on Fate's side, where ever that is.
Skill Level:Intermediate
Favorite Genre(s):Puzzle, Hidden Object, Adventure, Match 3, Marble Popper
Fun Factor
2
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
4
/
5
Level of Challenge
2
/
5
Storyline
2
/
5
Your niece Jackie’s parents, Alexander and Natalia Gray, avoiding a fatal plane crash, are subsequently murdered by a serial killer and their remains turn up 20 years later. Your niece asks you to use your special talent and go back in time and save them. Back in the past, as you struggle to save Jackie's parents, you encounter “Fate” who tells you to back off this time. Why?
Game logic is in the toilet – victim’s purse in killer’s truck before the murders, truck switch in townie child’s costume bag, police cruiser emblem in victims bag in killers truck, etc.
(At one point Aunt Gray wonders why Fate has not stepped in before as she traveled into the past to change the family's varied stories. So do I.)
Good stuff: Artwork and voice work is well done.
Bad stuff: The story is all over the place - literally. Auntie runs from Point A to B, back to A, to C, then D, then back to B, A, D, C, etc. The puzzle pieces are in totally off-the-wall places and belong in even stranger places. I found little to challenge me other than the lack of logic and cohesion. The HOPs were childish, puzzles simple.
At the end of the trial I wanted to yield everything to Fate.
This time I want to weep that one of my favorite game series has been treated so roughly.
Please try before you buy. You'll know what you are getting into then.
Game logic is in the toilet – victim’s purse in killer’s truck before the murders, truck switch in townie child’s costume bag, police cruiser emblem in victims bag in killers truck, etc.
(At one point Aunt Gray wonders why Fate has not stepped in before as she traveled into the past to change the family's varied stories. So do I.)
Good stuff: Artwork and voice work is well done.
Bad stuff: The story is all over the place - literally. Auntie runs from Point A to B, back to A, to C, then D, then back to B, A, D, C, etc. The puzzle pieces are in totally off-the-wall places and belong in even stranger places. I found little to challenge me other than the lack of logic and cohesion. The HOPs were childish, puzzles simple.
At the end of the trial I wanted to yield everything to Fate.
This time I want to weep that one of my favorite game series has been treated so roughly.
Please try before you buy. You'll know what you are getting into then.
I don't recommend this game.
Haunted Legends: The Secret of Life Collector's Edition
You've traveled the world in search of a cure for your deadly illness, and you've finally found it! But it won't be easy to get – are you up to the task?
Overall rating
4
/
5
28 of 39 found this review helpful
I Thought I Knew Where I Was, But I Was Wrong
PostedNovember 5, 2015
Granny_Gruff
fromWhere's the little man I've grown to hate?
Skill Level:Intermediate
Favorite Genre(s):Puzzle, Hidden Object, Adventure, Match 3, Marble Popper
Fun Factor
4
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
4
/
5
Level of Challenge
4
/
5
Storyline
3
/
5
All this time, as I played the Haunted Legends games, I thought that the nasty little elf/midget was the bad guy. Now he is the hero? Wow, am I confused.
So here goes: You, as St. Germaine, are sick and close to death, but grasp at the only means of living available - to preform a healing ritual in a tiny town, thereby saving the town, the local leader's deceased and cursed daughter, and yourself.
You start by being left standing next to your locked carriage and being shut out of town. You make your way into town, speak with the leader, and then get to break into the hotel you are supposed to stay at, where , of course, the door lock is broken. Once inside there seems to be a lot of red blood/ paint/ tomato sauce spread around in various rooms. And lots of locks and puzzles and strange objects.
Eventually you are on your way to the house where the ritual is to be performed. (If you are expecting the ancient and aged Victorian mansion seen in previous Haunted Legends, forget it. This one is a single room edifice that looks like a windmill without the vanes.)
Good stuff: Some HOPs with morphs, interactions, and items to collect to find the final item; lots of mini-games and puzzles, a couple not too easy; the same style of artwork as the previous games; more morphs to collect in the scenes; OK music and background sounds; and the usual CE bling.
Bad stuff: Most of the game elements are the usual. The story is involving but the HOPs, mini-games, and puzzles are totally ordinary retreads from previous games.
I like some of the Haunted Legends games and will get this one too - but as an SE. Check it out - See for yourself.
So here goes: You, as St. Germaine, are sick and close to death, but grasp at the only means of living available - to preform a healing ritual in a tiny town, thereby saving the town, the local leader's deceased and cursed daughter, and yourself.
You start by being left standing next to your locked carriage and being shut out of town. You make your way into town, speak with the leader, and then get to break into the hotel you are supposed to stay at, where , of course, the door lock is broken. Once inside there seems to be a lot of red blood/ paint/ tomato sauce spread around in various rooms. And lots of locks and puzzles and strange objects.
Eventually you are on your way to the house where the ritual is to be performed. (If you are expecting the ancient and aged Victorian mansion seen in previous Haunted Legends, forget it. This one is a single room edifice that looks like a windmill without the vanes.)
Good stuff: Some HOPs with morphs, interactions, and items to collect to find the final item; lots of mini-games and puzzles, a couple not too easy; the same style of artwork as the previous games; more morphs to collect in the scenes; OK music and background sounds; and the usual CE bling.
Bad stuff: Most of the game elements are the usual. The story is involving but the HOPs, mini-games, and puzzles are totally ordinary retreads from previous games.
I like some of the Haunted Legends games and will get this one too - but as an SE. Check it out - See for yourself.
The arts-loving town of Everton has been overrun by sentient shadows. Race to escape before you're trapped in the darkness forever!
Overall rating
2
/
5
16 of 22 found this review helpful
Ashley Who?
PostedNovember 1, 2015
Granny_Gruff
fromWait till morning and the shadows will be gone!
Skill Level:Intermediate
Favorite Genre(s):Puzzle, Hidden Object, Adventure, Match 3, Marble Popper
Fun Factor
2
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
3
/
5
Level of Challenge
2
/
5
Storyline
1
/
5
Ashley, presumably an old friend, has asked you to come help her. While working at the local radio station, she began to feel she was being stalked. Dark menacing shadows are appearing all over town. The local ballet has cancelled all shows due to an accident to their prima ballerina.
We start the adventure with a bus crash, soon to be followed with an ambulance crash. Why any crash at all?
Good Stuff: The VO's are well done. The music is not relative to the story, but is inoffensive. There are HOPs, mini-games, and puzzles.
Bad Stuff: The HOPs are mostly the interactive kind with less than usual rhyme or reason to the actions, the minigames do not necessarily do what the Devs expected, and the story is so lacking in any kind of substance that you wonder why the investigator came.
Why are there shadows? Why after Ashley? What's the ballerina got to do with the shadows or with Ashley? Most importantly and to the point of purchasing, why should we care?
After completing the Demo in record time, I can't even tell you if the game blurbs are correct from the tiny bit of info in the demo.
As before, I cannot recommend what I will not purchase. Try this for yourself before doing anything I wouldn’t even with a coupon code on a sale weekend.
We start the adventure with a bus crash, soon to be followed with an ambulance crash. Why any crash at all?
Good Stuff: The VO's are well done. The music is not relative to the story, but is inoffensive. There are HOPs, mini-games, and puzzles.
Bad Stuff: The HOPs are mostly the interactive kind with less than usual rhyme or reason to the actions, the minigames do not necessarily do what the Devs expected, and the story is so lacking in any kind of substance that you wonder why the investigator came.
Why are there shadows? Why after Ashley? What's the ballerina got to do with the shadows or with Ashley? Most importantly and to the point of purchasing, why should we care?
After completing the Demo in record time, I can't even tell you if the game blurbs are correct from the tiny bit of info in the demo.
As before, I cannot recommend what I will not purchase. Try this for yourself before doing anything I wouldn’t even with a coupon code on a sale weekend.
I recommend this game!
Can you find the key to Ravenhearst's resurrection?
Overall rating
4
/
5
41 of 68 found this review helpful
No Diary, No Five Star Rating
PostedOctober 27, 2015
Granny_Gruff
fromWatch out for the Ravens - they are out to get you!
Skill Level:Intermediate
Favorite Genre(s):Puzzle, Hidden Object, Adventure, Match 3, Marble Popper
Fun Factor
4
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
4
/
5
Level of Challenge
4
/
5
Storyline
4
/
5
We are back at Ravenhearst, which someone is turning into a museum. As the detective in the previous investigations, you are rightfully horrified, especially when the usual BAD things start to happen.
Good stuff: Lots of minigames, various types of HOPs with morphing objects, lovely art work, excellent VOs and characterizations, collectible ravens, and the usual CE bling.
Bad Stuff: Several times I would have killed for a diary to read notes and other writings that disappeared before I was done with them, one before I no more than glimpsed the page. Some of the multi-layered puzzles were beyond esoteric and frustrating, especially with their minimal directions.
I played the first Ravenhearst game when it came out. I have each of the others. This is the next step into the future for the series and it is well done. It is as creepy as you could expect.
Try the demo and be afraid, be very afraid.
Good stuff: Lots of minigames, various types of HOPs with morphing objects, lovely art work, excellent VOs and characterizations, collectible ravens, and the usual CE bling.
Bad Stuff: Several times I would have killed for a diary to read notes and other writings that disappeared before I was done with them, one before I no more than glimpsed the page. Some of the multi-layered puzzles were beyond esoteric and frustrating, especially with their minimal directions.
I played the first Ravenhearst game when it came out. I have each of the others. This is the next step into the future for the series and it is well done. It is as creepy as you could expect.
Try the demo and be afraid, be very afraid.
I recommend this game!
You’re called in to photograph a wedding, but what you really expose is murder.
Overall rating
2
/
5
19 of 24 found this review helpful
It All Depends On What You Expect
PostedOctober 25, 2015
Granny_Gruff
fromThere are lots of door problems here!
Skill Level:Intermediate
Favorite Genre(s):Puzzle, Hidden Object, Adventure, Match 3, Marble Popper
Fun Factor
2
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
4
/
5
Level of Challenge
3
/
5
Storyline
2
/
5
As the photographer at a society wedding, you find yourself on the spot when a murder is committed after a family wedding at Hollow Oaks Estate.
You are driving back to the estate where you spent the afternoon taking photos at a wedding. It is now evening and raining. You arrive to find the butler wrestling with the family dog near the front porch. You provide help. He gives you the key for the front door and sends you into the house. Eventually one of the sisters hands you the door knob to the kitchen pantry, so you can find something for her headache. Minutes later the other sister hands you the knob to the washer in the basement so you can retrieve the key to the library doors.
If all of this seems normal to you, you will love this game. If, however, you are detail oriented, expect logic and reason, and pay close attention to the story elements, do not look at this demo.
This is a perfectly ordinary game that is sabotaged by the details that also kill the story-line, such as it is.
I just find myself obsessing over the details and losing the fun in the process.
Please try before you think of buying.
You are driving back to the estate where you spent the afternoon taking photos at a wedding. It is now evening and raining. You arrive to find the butler wrestling with the family dog near the front porch. You provide help. He gives you the key for the front door and sends you into the house. Eventually one of the sisters hands you the door knob to the kitchen pantry, so you can find something for her headache. Minutes later the other sister hands you the knob to the washer in the basement so you can retrieve the key to the library doors.
If all of this seems normal to you, you will love this game. If, however, you are detail oriented, expect logic and reason, and pay close attention to the story elements, do not look at this demo.
This is a perfectly ordinary game that is sabotaged by the details that also kill the story-line, such as it is.
I just find myself obsessing over the details and losing the fun in the process.
Please try before you think of buying.
I don't recommend this game.
Toxic flowers have been claiming victims and withering plant life in the Netherlands. Can you cultivate the answers to this mystery?
Overall rating
3
/
5
27 of 32 found this review helpful
OK Game With Awesome Artwork
PostedOctober 25, 2015
Granny_Gruff
fromOfficially Afraid to Garden Again!
Skill Level:Intermediate
Favorite Genre(s):Puzzle, Hidden Object, Adventure, Match 3, Marble Popper
Fun Factor
3
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
4
/
5
Level of Challenge
3
/
5
Storyline
3
/
5
You are the detective, as usual. You arrive at the town and are greeted by a hostile officer of the law, as usual. You start your investigation without crashing your carriage, not as usual.
Strange plants are attacking prominent, less than honest local citizens. A local gives you a device that will allow you to neutralize the lethal pollen of the plants. You only have to do this twice in the Demo. (Thank heavens!) You will come across many HOPs of various types, as usual. You will play mini-games, occasionally good, as usual. You will find collectible flower cards and shoes as well as CE bling. The bling is as usual, but why collectible shoes?
The animation and characterizations were very good, game-play average, fun and challenge average, and the story-line also of average interest.
Try the demo and you will see what I mean. I am on the fence about buying the CE or waiting for the SE, but I will eventually get one of them, so I can recommend this game with a clear conscience. Happy weekend!
Strange plants are attacking prominent, less than honest local citizens. A local gives you a device that will allow you to neutralize the lethal pollen of the plants. You only have to do this twice in the Demo. (Thank heavens!) You will come across many HOPs of various types, as usual. You will play mini-games, occasionally good, as usual. You will find collectible flower cards and shoes as well as CE bling. The bling is as usual, but why collectible shoes?
The animation and characterizations were very good, game-play average, fun and challenge average, and the story-line also of average interest.
Try the demo and you will see what I mean. I am on the fence about buying the CE or waiting for the SE, but I will eventually get one of them, so I can recommend this game with a clear conscience. Happy weekend!
I recommend this game!
The eyes are watching... and they're everywhere.
Overall rating
4
/
5
36 of 42 found this review helpful
I'm Afraid I Liked This Game, the First in a While
PostedOctober 22, 2015
Granny_Gruff
fromLiving in Fear This is the Only Good Game This Week
Skill Level:Intermediate
Favorite Genre(s):Puzzle, Hidden Object, Adventure, Match 3, Marble Popper
Fun Factor
4
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
4
/
5
Level of Challenge
4
/
5
Storyline
3
/
5
As Emma, the reporter from Fear For Sale magazine, you are sent to investigate reports of statues coming to life and terrorizing the citizens in this little town. Clues seem to link the current problems to the death of a local artist in a fire. The death was decreed murder and a small ten year old girl was accused of setting the fire. Can you determine the truth?
Good stuff: The characters and story are better than we've seen lately. The HOPs are varied and there is a puzzle alternative. The mini-games are OK. Gameplay is straight forward and moves along at a good pace. The are a variety of collectibles and morphing objects to be found along with CE bling.
Bad Stuff: The story is not totally original and the artwork tends towards grey and blue.
Folks, after the lack of a halfway decent game lately, I was in despair. This new chapter in the Fear For Sale series is so much better in comparison, that I am presently floating over your head. As I already own all the other FFS games, I am predisposed to be happy with this one. It is not perfect, but you will be entertained. Try it for yourself.
Good stuff: The characters and story are better than we've seen lately. The HOPs are varied and there is a puzzle alternative. The mini-games are OK. Gameplay is straight forward and moves along at a good pace. The are a variety of collectibles and morphing objects to be found along with CE bling.
Bad Stuff: The story is not totally original and the artwork tends towards grey and blue.
Folks, after the lack of a halfway decent game lately, I was in despair. This new chapter in the Fear For Sale series is so much better in comparison, that I am presently floating over your head. As I already own all the other FFS games, I am predisposed to be happy with this one. It is not perfect, but you will be entertained. Try it for yourself.
I recommend this game!
Alison Ester, insurance investigator, is responsible for leading the investigation in a dilapidated asylum with a grave and mysterious past.
Overall rating
1
/
5
11 of 14 found this review helpful
Everything About This Game - MIA
PostedOctober 22, 2015
Granny_Gruff
fromTurn Around, Run, and Don't Look Back!
Skill Level:Intermediate
Favorite Genre(s):Puzzle, Hidden Object, Adventure, Match 3, Marble Popper
Fun Factor
1
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
1
/
5
Level of Challenge
1
/
5
Storyline
1
/
5
Seriously, I'm not kidding. The opening"movie" a series of old blurry pictures shown to the sound of a tinny music box playing "Green Sleeves" tells us NOTHING about the story, characters, or the asylum. You, as Alison Carter, see the owner and operations foreman, both of whom tell you to be careful and then leave you alone. True gentlemen.
Then the game starts. There are no adjustments to sound or music levels, just on or off. (I'm not sure it matters if you turn off the sound as the music stopped after the opening and there was only moaning wind and creaking after that.)
Each dark and dreary scene needs to be loaded, dialogue read, and large bubbles direct you to locations, HOPs, and areas to investigate. Those HOPs are list type with a zoom feature controlled by your mouse wheel.
Game-play is archaic, and, with the nonexistent story, I bailed after nosing around the asylum a bit. There was no fun, nothing to interest me, and no point to continuing.
I usually suggest trying the Demo for yourself, but this time I suggest a good book!
Then the game starts. There are no adjustments to sound or music levels, just on or off. (I'm not sure it matters if you turn off the sound as the music stopped after the opening and there was only moaning wind and creaking after that.)
Each dark and dreary scene needs to be loaded, dialogue read, and large bubbles direct you to locations, HOPs, and areas to investigate. Those HOPs are list type with a zoom feature controlled by your mouse wheel.
Game-play is archaic, and, with the nonexistent story, I bailed after nosing around the asylum a bit. There was no fun, nothing to interest me, and no point to continuing.
I usually suggest trying the Demo for yourself, but this time I suggest a good book!
I don't recommend this game.