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:
PuppetShow: Lightning Strikes
The women of Paris are being turned into puppets! Can you find out who's pulling the strings?
Overall rating
3
/
5
13 of 16 found this review helpful
Sigh!
PostedSeptember 19, 2014
Granny_Gruff
fromLouisville, KY
Skill Level:Intermediate
Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Hidden Object, Match 3, Marble Popper
Fun Factor
3
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
3
/
5
Level of Challenge
3
/
5
Storyline
2
/
5
I need to tell you up front that I am vastly prejudiced in favor of the Puppet Show Games. That said, I will buy this game on a Monday, when my free credit gets me a punch on my card.
Everything that was wrong with the CE is still here, slowing the steps of our detective through the SE game.
The story still HAD potential; the characters ARE still ridiculous, the accents ARE still indeterminate, and only the artwork redeems the game a little.
I tolerated the seemingly endless dialog even though I knew it would not draw me into the story.
I still knew the HOS would be ordinary at best.
I hung on through the end of the trial hoping I had missed something in the CE Demo. Sigh! I did not find what this game needed to get a higher rating.
But it's the Puppet Show and I will play this SE version to the end because of the greatness that has been there before this.
I can't recommend anything here except that you try this for yourself and make your own decision after checking your game credits.
Everything that was wrong with the CE is still here, slowing the steps of our detective through the SE game.
The story still HAD potential; the characters ARE still ridiculous, the accents ARE still indeterminate, and only the artwork redeems the game a little.
I tolerated the seemingly endless dialog even though I knew it would not draw me into the story.
I still knew the HOS would be ordinary at best.
I hung on through the end of the trial hoping I had missed something in the CE Demo. Sigh! I did not find what this game needed to get a higher rating.
But it's the Puppet Show and I will play this SE version to the end because of the greatness that has been there before this.
I can't recommend anything here except that you try this for yourself and make your own decision after checking your game credits.
Leonardo da Vinci needs your help! A tyrant has conquered Florence and he is destroying all works of art and science!
Overall rating
3
/
5
10 of 13 found this review helpful
Not Quite!
PostedSeptember 19, 2014
Granny_Gruff
fromLouisville, KY
Skill Level:Intermediate
Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Hidden Object, Match 3, Marble Popper
Fun Factor
3
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
3
/
5
Level of Challenge
3
/
5
Storyline
3
/
5
The game page gives you the story. The CE gives you the usual "stuff."
And I fell asleep during the demo. I still managed to complete it with with twenty minutes to spare.
This does not make me a gifted gamer; it just proves the game is that average.
There was a lot of conversation, which really did not add to what was going on in the game. For all his genius, Leonardo was less than smart in this game. (He was being threatened and was so afraid of this "Mage" that he sent a ring to identify the detective when you should arrive. But the guardian of his house is a harmless mechanical lion. When the bad guys do show up, he rushes right out into their trap.)
I appreciate the four levels of play and the great interactive map. I liked the art work. The SFX came and went, as did the music.
There needs to be some restructuring to make this the game it could have been.
As always, see if you like it. I pass.
And I fell asleep during the demo. I still managed to complete it with with twenty minutes to spare.
This does not make me a gifted gamer; it just proves the game is that average.
There was a lot of conversation, which really did not add to what was going on in the game. For all his genius, Leonardo was less than smart in this game. (He was being threatened and was so afraid of this "Mage" that he sent a ring to identify the detective when you should arrive. But the guardian of his house is a harmless mechanical lion. When the bad guys do show up, he rushes right out into their trap.)
I appreciate the four levels of play and the great interactive map. I liked the art work. The SFX came and went, as did the music.
There needs to be some restructuring to make this the game it could have been.
As always, see if you like it. I pass.
I don't recommend this game.
Shrouded Tales: The Spellbound Land Collector's Edition
Your magical powers have finally awakened. Now you have the strength to free your mother from the Shadow Realm!
Overall rating
2
/
5
5 of 9 found this review helpful
Back and forth
PostedSeptember 16, 2014
Granny_Gruff
fromLouisville, KY
Skill Level:Intermediate
Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Hidden Object, Match 3, Marble Popper, Puzzle
Fun Factor
1
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
3
/
5
Level of Challenge
3
/
5
Storyline
1
/
5
I won't bore you with the minimalist storyline, as you will again be saving someone. Only you do it by using the same game features over and over and over...
Yes there are spells, two in the trial. You use them for fun stuff like fixing a broken plate.
There are altars to take you to the Shadow Realm. So you go, and return over and over and over...
The artwork is cartoonishly ok, VOs and music not annoying, and there are some CE features. But there is nothing to make you rush out and buy this one.
The best news I can give you is: NO cute animal helper.
I pass.
Yes there are spells, two in the trial. You use them for fun stuff like fixing a broken plate.
There are altars to take you to the Shadow Realm. So you go, and return over and over and over...
The artwork is cartoonishly ok, VOs and music not annoying, and there are some CE features. But there is nothing to make you rush out and buy this one.
The best news I can give you is: NO cute animal helper.
I pass.
I don't recommend this game.
Enjoy this beautiful adventure set in a unique interactive 3D Thailand! Complete mysterious puzzles and find hidden objects. Prepare for an unforgettable experience!
Overall rating
2
/
5
7 of 11 found this review helpful
3D Gimick
PostedSeptember 16, 2014
Granny_Gruff
fromLouisville, KY
Skill Level:Intermediate
Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Hidden Object, Match 3, Marble Popper, Puzzle
Fun Factor
2
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
3
/
5
Level of Challenge
3
/
5
Storyline
1
/
5
You really have to try this for yourself to see what everyone is talking/complaining about.
You are sent to a far eastern country to teach a young (roughly nine to twelve years old) monk about archeology - Oh, yah, that happens. He disappears before you meet him. You go on the hunt. Problem one: this is not a story, just a hint of one.
The other problem is a lack of any kind of instructions. There is no tutorial, which I could normally take or leave. But this is click and drag, with lots of roaming around each scene trying to figure out how the cursor is supposed to get you where you need to go. Part of the problem is that you don't get a lot of cooperation from that cursor, which is a glaring white hand. Movement is not smooth and free-flowing. You may be able to look in a corner one time and not get back into it again. Things appear behind you that should have been visible when you were somewhere the first time. You find two dark places you wish to investigate in the first few minutes. But the lantern you repair stays in the second one of them and you can't use it in the first place you found even when you try there first. Frustration!
(Luckily you have a secret admirer who romantically sends you a flashlight.)
The first HOS was a fragmented one, with the pieces not only very small but sometimes of different colors, and the last object that was interactive, was only that if you figured it out or took a hint.
I'll be the first to say I was totally frustrated VERY quickly.
But this may be the wave of the future, assuming the Dev's figure out a way to add a tutorial, a real storyline, and smooth things out. I can see where some one might like it. Give it a try for yourself and make your choice.
I chose to delete.
You are sent to a far eastern country to teach a young (roughly nine to twelve years old) monk about archeology - Oh, yah, that happens. He disappears before you meet him. You go on the hunt. Problem one: this is not a story, just a hint of one.
The other problem is a lack of any kind of instructions. There is no tutorial, which I could normally take or leave. But this is click and drag, with lots of roaming around each scene trying to figure out how the cursor is supposed to get you where you need to go. Part of the problem is that you don't get a lot of cooperation from that cursor, which is a glaring white hand. Movement is not smooth and free-flowing. You may be able to look in a corner one time and not get back into it again. Things appear behind you that should have been visible when you were somewhere the first time. You find two dark places you wish to investigate in the first few minutes. But the lantern you repair stays in the second one of them and you can't use it in the first place you found even when you try there first. Frustration!
(Luckily you have a secret admirer who romantically sends you a flashlight.)
The first HOS was a fragmented one, with the pieces not only very small but sometimes of different colors, and the last object that was interactive, was only that if you figured it out or took a hint.
I'll be the first to say I was totally frustrated VERY quickly.
But this may be the wave of the future, assuming the Dev's figure out a way to add a tutorial, a real storyline, and smooth things out. I can see where some one might like it. Give it a try for yourself and make your choice.
I chose to delete.
I don't recommend this game.
Diva's dark talent claims another victim – can you stop her before the curtain falls?
Overall rating
3
/
5
4 of 6 found this review helpful
It's a Game!
PostedSeptember 11, 2014
Granny_Gruff
fromLouisville, KY
Skill Level:Intermediate
Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Hidden Object, Match 3, Marble Popper
Fun Factor
3
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
4
/
5
Level of Challenge
3
/
5
Storyline
3
/
5
Number four in the Maestro series has arrived and it is a bouncing baby game.
Just like the other Maestro games, it has all the same features. There is lovely artwork, mini-games, interactive HOPs, an interactive map, and all the usual CE extras.
The music is not outstanding. The story is okay, but not as involving as I would like.
As the detective, you come to join your friend, Kate, to hear the performance of Diva. As another reviewer noticed, you save Kate several times from the forces of evil. (Way to show your smarts, Kate.)
You run back and forth to accomplish various chores, most notably the constant recharging of the amulet that you use to fight the bad spirits. You are told by it's creator that the gems are hidden around the city marked by a special sign. That detail goes south as you use other items to recharge the amulet, including jewels from an antique clock.
The story could have been improved by more background. Diva had been exiled to her country home because of her spellbinding singing.
So why is she evil? Just born that way? And who brought her back? Someone bent on revenge, but why? All those things might have made me want to play the game, but, as it is, I don't know enough to care.
I'll check out the SE when it comes along.
If you liked the other Maestro games, you'll love this clone.
Just like the other Maestro games, it has all the same features. There is lovely artwork, mini-games, interactive HOPs, an interactive map, and all the usual CE extras.
The music is not outstanding. The story is okay, but not as involving as I would like.
As the detective, you come to join your friend, Kate, to hear the performance of Diva. As another reviewer noticed, you save Kate several times from the forces of evil. (Way to show your smarts, Kate.)
You run back and forth to accomplish various chores, most notably the constant recharging of the amulet that you use to fight the bad spirits. You are told by it's creator that the gems are hidden around the city marked by a special sign. That detail goes south as you use other items to recharge the amulet, including jewels from an antique clock.
The story could have been improved by more background. Diva had been exiled to her country home because of her spellbinding singing.
So why is she evil? Just born that way? And who brought her back? Someone bent on revenge, but why? All those things might have made me want to play the game, but, as it is, I don't know enough to care.
I'll check out the SE when it comes along.
If you liked the other Maestro games, you'll love this clone.
I don't recommend this game.
When entering another's dreams, you'll have to play by a different set of rules.
Overall rating
2
/
5
2 of 4 found this review helpful
A Hairbrush is not a Comb!
PostedSeptember 10, 2014
Granny_Gruff
fromLouisville, KY
Skill Level:Intermediate
Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Hidden Object, Match 3, Marble Popper
Fun Factor
2
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
3
/
5
Level of Challenge
2
/
5
Storyline
1
/
5
The basic story for "Dream Catchers: The Beginning" involves you rescuing your sister from a dream-like state she has fallen into at the school where she teaches.
The game has three levels of play, various types of HOPs, sleep-inducing music, no VOs, average mini-games, and a glacial pace.
The artwork is beautifully colored and very pretty.
Problems reared their ugly heads from the get go. The first HO scene directed you to pick up the comb - only it was a hairbrush - at least they both pertain to hair. A "master key" was a lock pick. A long handled spoon was a scoop, which you are to use to "scoop" water out of a jar onto a parquet floor to get a rock.
More bad moves: You leave the shed with the burning oil lamp to go out and get a splinter of wood. You light the splinter on a candle in the house and go back to the shed, where you use the splinter to light the burner a few feet away from the burning oil lamp. You walk through the woods picking up random large pieces of statuary, jump in a small boat with only one oar, and go across a lake to find broken statues.
Somewhere along the way surely someone pointed out the problems in this game.
The storyline needed a LOT of work. If it wasn't for the synopsis from BFG, I would have been totally lost.
Game play has to contain at least a few shreds of logic. Even in a dream world I expect to use two oars to row across the lake. And if there is a fire to be put out in the woods, a burning campfire, and a burning oil lamp, there is no reason I should be looking for tree bark splinters to set ablaze too.
I just couldn't take any more.
I really appreciate the free game trials more and more.
Try this one for yourself. Perhaps you'll see something I didn't.
The game has three levels of play, various types of HOPs, sleep-inducing music, no VOs, average mini-games, and a glacial pace.
The artwork is beautifully colored and very pretty.
Problems reared their ugly heads from the get go. The first HO scene directed you to pick up the comb - only it was a hairbrush - at least they both pertain to hair. A "master key" was a lock pick. A long handled spoon was a scoop, which you are to use to "scoop" water out of a jar onto a parquet floor to get a rock.
More bad moves: You leave the shed with the burning oil lamp to go out and get a splinter of wood. You light the splinter on a candle in the house and go back to the shed, where you use the splinter to light the burner a few feet away from the burning oil lamp. You walk through the woods picking up random large pieces of statuary, jump in a small boat with only one oar, and go across a lake to find broken statues.
Somewhere along the way surely someone pointed out the problems in this game.
The storyline needed a LOT of work. If it wasn't for the synopsis from BFG, I would have been totally lost.
Game play has to contain at least a few shreds of logic. Even in a dream world I expect to use two oars to row across the lake. And if there is a fire to be put out in the woods, a burning campfire, and a burning oil lamp, there is no reason I should be looking for tree bark splinters to set ablaze too.
I just couldn't take any more.
I really appreciate the free game trials more and more.
Try this one for yourself. Perhaps you'll see something I didn't.
I don't recommend this game.
Margaret's soul has been broken into fragments and strewn across multiple worlds. Can you find them all and save her?
Overall rating
4
/
5
7 of 9 found this review helpful
Good, Better...
PostedSeptember 6, 2014
Granny_Gruff
fromLouisville, KY
Skill Level:Intermediate
Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Hidden Object, Match 3, Marble Popper
Fun Factor
4
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
3
/
5
Level of Challenge
4
/
5
Storyline
4
/
5
This reminds me of school: Good, better, best, never let it rest!
Your sister is working with another scientist on a new invention. Please come and see it. You arrive to find Sis vanished and the other scientist being surly and secretive. You set out to investigate.
I've played the Developers' other two games and they are the good. This one is the better.
This game has a lot going for it. There are four levels of game play including the custom level, interactive HOS, some new/challenging mini-games, good graphics, and an interesting, if not innovative, storyline.
But the graphics were muddied and shaky in places, the sound was unbalanced, and several parts of the CE game are unavailable in the trial.
I can get past the muddy graphics, but the sound was aggravating. I had the music turned WAY down, the voices way up, and the music still covered the voices. If it had not been for the text on screen, I would not know what was going on - Well, actually that's not strictly true. The story is predictable enough that I could guess what was going on.
And having some of the CE options in the game unavailable in the trial left me wondering why they would make the price worth the CE?
I liked what I saw just fine. In fact I'm giving this one four stars for being so much better than a lot of the recent games. But I'll wait for the SE.
Please give this a try. You may want to spring for the CE anyway. The Game is fun to play - I'm just cheap!
Your sister is working with another scientist on a new invention. Please come and see it. You arrive to find Sis vanished and the other scientist being surly and secretive. You set out to investigate.
I've played the Developers' other two games and they are the good. This one is the better.
This game has a lot going for it. There are four levels of game play including the custom level, interactive HOS, some new/challenging mini-games, good graphics, and an interesting, if not innovative, storyline.
But the graphics were muddied and shaky in places, the sound was unbalanced, and several parts of the CE game are unavailable in the trial.
I can get past the muddy graphics, but the sound was aggravating. I had the music turned WAY down, the voices way up, and the music still covered the voices. If it had not been for the text on screen, I would not know what was going on - Well, actually that's not strictly true. The story is predictable enough that I could guess what was going on.
And having some of the CE options in the game unavailable in the trial left me wondering why they would make the price worth the CE?
I liked what I saw just fine. In fact I'm giving this one four stars for being so much better than a lot of the recent games. But I'll wait for the SE.
Please give this a try. You may want to spring for the CE anyway. The Game is fun to play - I'm just cheap!
I recommend this game!
Save your cats and investigate a series of leopard attacks.
Overall rating
2
/
5
20 of 28 found this review helpful
Game left me Cold
PostedSeptember 5, 2014
Granny_Gruff
fromLouisville, KY
Skill Level:Intermediate
Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Hidden Object, Match 3, Marble Popper
Fun Factor
2
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
3
/
5
Level of Challenge
2
/
5
Storyline
2
/
5
I've noticed a lot of comment on game length lately.
The Trial on this one was finished in 32 minutes. I can tell you little about it after that amount of time, except that you, as the heroine, are stupid.
The story seems to be about a threat from wild white leopards to your town. You head out to investigate armed with a walkie-talkie and your skis. As you had been outside treating a wounded animal just before you took off into the wilderness, I'm not sure you had a coat, certainly no weapons or supplies.
I'm all for adventure but a lone female in jeans going out into the deep forest after white leopards who is unarmed and unprepared for anything? I guess this must be another fairy tale.
Game play is as pedestrian as you can find in a hundred other games, only easier and faster. Collectibles are easily spotted, few and far between, and no challenge. Ditto for games and HOS.
I put more effort in this review than I had to put into the game. This is for beginners and the less squeamish(because the trial ends just after you are announced as dinner for the leopards!)
Devs, better luck next time.
The Trial on this one was finished in 32 minutes. I can tell you little about it after that amount of time, except that you, as the heroine, are stupid.
The story seems to be about a threat from wild white leopards to your town. You head out to investigate armed with a walkie-talkie and your skis. As you had been outside treating a wounded animal just before you took off into the wilderness, I'm not sure you had a coat, certainly no weapons or supplies.
I'm all for adventure but a lone female in jeans going out into the deep forest after white leopards who is unarmed and unprepared for anything? I guess this must be another fairy tale.
Game play is as pedestrian as you can find in a hundred other games, only easier and faster. Collectibles are easily spotted, few and far between, and no challenge. Ditto for games and HOS.
I put more effort in this review than I had to put into the game. This is for beginners and the less squeamish(because the trial ends just after you are announced as dinner for the leopards!)
Devs, better luck next time.
I don't recommend this game.
Witch Hunters: Full Moon Ceremony
Defeat the evil witches and save the world from eternal darkness!
Overall rating
1
/
5
27 of 32 found this review helpful
DUH!
PostedAugust 31, 2014
Granny_Gruff
fromLouisville, KY
Skill Level:Intermediate
Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Hidden Object, Match 3, Marble Popper
Fun Factor
1
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
3
/
5
Level of Challenge
2
/
5
Storyline
1
/
5
This game is so dumb that my IQ is lower as a result of playing.
There is no logic or even storyline you can grasp to get through this game.
I know that playing games that feature fairies and witches is not logical either, but there is usually some type of reason to progress through the game. You know to go to point A, then point B, and so on.
But this game starts with a furniture delivery at night. You apparently sleep through the crash as a gremlin breaks the mirror of the newly delivered dressing table. He shows up at the end of your bed to wake you up. He conjures up vines to twine around your room and disappears through your door. This is when you find you are locked in and the key is on the outside of the lock.
Did the gremlin waste his efforts on those vines and decide to go with a prosaic lock? Or did your family feel safer locking you in?
There is an appearance by you aunt's ghost but her message leaves much to be desired in furthering the story.
Then you get out to the hall and there is a rope, thick enough to tie up the Titanic. It's coiled around posts, vases, and across the top of the stairs. The gremlin pops in to turn it into a snake of nightmare proportions. (Frankly, if you left the rope there, I'm thinking the family theory might be correct.)
I won't bore you further.
Play the trial for laughs and see for yourself.
There is no logic or even storyline you can grasp to get through this game.
I know that playing games that feature fairies and witches is not logical either, but there is usually some type of reason to progress through the game. You know to go to point A, then point B, and so on.
But this game starts with a furniture delivery at night. You apparently sleep through the crash as a gremlin breaks the mirror of the newly delivered dressing table. He shows up at the end of your bed to wake you up. He conjures up vines to twine around your room and disappears through your door. This is when you find you are locked in and the key is on the outside of the lock.
Did the gremlin waste his efforts on those vines and decide to go with a prosaic lock? Or did your family feel safer locking you in?
There is an appearance by you aunt's ghost but her message leaves much to be desired in furthering the story.
Then you get out to the hall and there is a rope, thick enough to tie up the Titanic. It's coiled around posts, vases, and across the top of the stairs. The gremlin pops in to turn it into a snake of nightmare proportions. (Frankly, if you left the rope there, I'm thinking the family theory might be correct.)
I won't bore you further.
Play the trial for laughs and see for yourself.
I don't recommend this game.
Can you escape from the grasp of a lovestruck ghost?
Overall rating
4
/
5
4 of 8 found this review helpful
Mystery and Romance Unite
PostedAugust 31, 2014
Granny_Gruff
fromLouisville, KY
Skill Level:Intermediate
Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Hidden Object, Match 3, Marble Popper
Fun Factor
4
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
4
/
5
Level of Challenge
4
/
5
Storyline
5
/
5
Dana arrives at a Romanian castle by way of an avalanche and quickly finds herself mistaken for a murder victim from long ago by the victim's ghostly and vengeful fiance.
The storyline is well developed and intriguing. The mini-games span different skill levels. HOPs are varied between list, silhouettes, pieced, and progressive (using one found object to get the next). The scenes are well drawn and not too dark except where needed as part of the story - you don't expect bright sunlight in a crypt or dungeon.
I loved the storyline. There's enough unfolding as you go along to pull you in and make you want more. I wish there was more extra game content to make me want the CE instead of waiting for the SE.
As it is, I have a hard decision to make. Luckily its a holiday weekend and a sale on.
I know what I must do!
The storyline is well developed and intriguing. The mini-games span different skill levels. HOPs are varied between list, silhouettes, pieced, and progressive (using one found object to get the next). The scenes are well drawn and not too dark except where needed as part of the story - you don't expect bright sunlight in a crypt or dungeon.
I loved the storyline. There's enough unfolding as you go along to pull you in and make you want more. I wish there was more extra game content to make me want the CE instead of waiting for the SE.
As it is, I have a hard decision to make. Luckily its a holiday weekend and a sale on.
I know what I must do!
I recommend this game!