cathybobcat's Profile
Stat Summary
- Average Rating:2.5
- Helpful Votes:2,025
- Reviews Submitted:147
- First Review:May 18, 2018
- Most Recent Review:April 16, 2025
- Featured reviews0
Status:
Board the SS Wonderland Princess and get ready to visit the most festive places on earth!
Overall rating
3
/
5
2 of 3 found this review helpful
IT FELT LIKE I WAS PLAYING VA CRUISE DIRECTOR
PostedDecember 29, 2019
Fun Factor
3
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
3
/
5
Level of Challenge
3
/
5
Storyline
2
/
5
I always look forward to these every year, but this is my least favorite of all 10. There was less of a Christmas spirit and atmosphere as in previous editions. We're on a cruise just like in VA Cruise Director....and this time going to the North Pole through the Panama Canal on the way to whale watching in Alaska with all the cruise activities such as miniature golf, swimming, a water park....all the summer vacation stuff. No Christmas spirit or atmosphere in that. Bah, humbug.
I didn't like having to find items in a work closet....a mop...broom....so pretty for the season. Some of the puzzles were also a drag like rotating floor plans and matching tools. Huh? It wasn't very festive. There just didn't seem to be the effort or enthusiasm exerted into this edition and it was sad to me that the Christmas spirit is appearing to be phased out.
The Christmas scenes were nice and although they looked very similar to other editions, it didn't really bother me. I thought it was humorous to see people without coats on out in the snow decorating. Looked like the Mom had a new necklace, too. Nice. And the best part is no one ever ages.
The music became very repetitious towards the end to the point where I had to mute the sound to keep from going crazy. There are a number of songs that are played throughout the game, but it was like the same 2 over and over like a broken record.
With 9 extra scenes included in the CE edition, I think it is worthy of being a CE. There are 48 puzzles of different varieties to replay and I noticed that many are from previous editions. You can replay any of the scenes as long as you click on the CONTINUE portion on the main game page which brings you to the map or any of the scenes at the top of the map page using the convenient scroll arrows.
Overall, I would rather have this than not, but as in previous games (except for 9) that I have played many times over, I do not have a desire to replay this one. I truly hope that in the next edition there will be more of a Christmas spirit and atmosphere.
Board the SS Wonderland Princess and get ready to visit the most festive places on earth!
Overall rating
3
/
5
29 of 37 found this review helpful
SEEMS LIKE CHRITMAS IS BEING PHASED OUT
PostedDecember 29, 2019
Fun Factor
3
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
3
/
5
Level of Challenge
3
/
5
Storyline
2
/
5
I always look forward to these every year, but this is my least favorite of all 10. So often, I felt like I was playing Vacation Adventures Cruise Director. We're on a cruise again with very little Christmas spirit or décor. I didn't like being in the Panama Canal, nor a water park, miniature golf course, or whale watching in Alaska for Christmas. I didn't like finding items in a work closet either or finding mops and brooms. Bah, humbug....
There is not much family interaction nor with the grandparents. Clearly, it seems to me the Christmas spirit is being phased out and I found it extremely disappointing. Not enough Christmas decorations and a definite lack of a true Christmas atmosphere was a real let down. I felt that there wasn't the usual effort exerted in this edition's creation as in the former games.
I do have the CE and think it is worthy of being as such because you have 9 extra scenes that are incorporated into the gameplay with a CE designation on them. You can replay any of the scenes at any time as long as you click on the Continue portion on the main page or the top of the map page using the scroll arrows. They are very easy to navigate. This is for the SE as well, minus the 9 extra scenes.
In the CE version, there are 48 replay of a variety of puzzles that I found to be from previous CW game editions. 8 jigsaws....8 flipsaws....8 rotate...4 spot the difference....4 pairs....8 word search....2 find and place...1 find items (could have been more of these)....1 trace the ropes ( I hate and always skip those in games)....1 fix time...2 pick and place...1 spin and place. There are also wallpapers and music. Music cannot be downloaded.
Some of the puzzles in this edition were downright depressing such as rotating a floor plan puzzle and a matching puzzle of work tools. How is that Christmas? Some of the jigsaws looked to be from previous editions. I always cheat in the jigsaws by clicking the "A" puzzle piece that shows the picture on the puzzle, otherwise I would probably still be there trying to rotate and put pieces together to make the picture.
The music also became extremely repetitious in later scenes and I had to mute the sound to keep from going crazy. It was like a broken record. There are a variety of songs they play in the game, but these were like the same 2 over and over.
I would rather have this game than not, but there just seemed to be a lack of enthusiasm and a true Christmas spirit and atmosphere as in previous editions that I enjoyed so much. I have replayed those editions, some many times over, but have to say, I don't have the desire to replay this one. It was sad.
A family hike through the woods takes a terrifying turn!
Overall rating
1
/
5
19 of 36 found this review helpful
THE MOST BORING GAME OF ALL TIME
PostedOctober 20, 2019
Fun Factor
1
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
3
/
5
Level of Challenge
3
/
5
Storyline
1
/
5
This makes the first game look like a masterpiece. For myself, FOREST FIRES is not a theme of enjoyment or entertainment of any kind whatsoever. I found it depressing. Sorry, but I could not get through this overly dreadful demo. The most outstanding thing to me was having to find bug spray to exterminate cockroaches then having to assemble a drill bit to make holes in barrels that I used a broken bottle to cut the ropes off of. It was great collecting twigs and arranging stones to make a bonfire that I was then told I had to find the matches to start the fire. I also loved earning an achievement for opening all of the boxes. It was one stupid, time consuming puzzle after another that I just began to skip. All of the useless going back and forth, collecting of monotonous inventory for ridiculous tasks....stuck in a boring forest and in a boring, slow moving game with a boring story of someone missing surrounded by a very disturbing theme. Collecting acorns was indeed the highlight. What a waste of my time.
Wonder World
A medallion banishes Jessica to a strange world where she must defeat the witch who stole her husband's soul!
Overall rating
4
/
5
1 of 1 found this review helpful
ENJOYED THIS....BUT TOO SHORT
PostedOctober 16, 2019
Fun Factor
3
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
3
/
5
Level of Challenge
3
/
5
Storyline
4
/
5
Upon first playing this, I wondered why in the world did I ever buy this. Some of the items are so obscured, I needed to use the hint, which is very good and fills quickly. I initially gave up on the game, but decided to go back and give it another try. I am glad I did. It requires some patience and getting used to the game mechanics, but once I did, I became immersed in the story and ambience of it. You don't find all of the items in the scene right away and will use the inventory you acquire in another scene at times, but those scenes are limited to a few, so you are not going back and forth too much.
This has a uniqueness all its own and has atmosphere. For the most part, it is player friendly. I did access the hint to find my way at times and also for the use of inventory. I liked freeing the souls and the characters I met along the way. The eerie sounds of the wailing and moaning souls towards the end of the game were bothering me and I ended up muting them, so I could concentrate better. Although it was effective and added to the game, listening to that over and over became very distracting.
Other than being too short, I did enjoy this, so much so, that I am playing it a second time and am sure I will again in the future. What is also really nice is that it has a happy ending even if it is abrupt. I wish the gameplay could have gone on longer......so sad~
Awaken your inner Home Designer and have a blast renovating these homes to picture perfection!
Overall rating
1
/
5
5 of 5 found this review helpful
MISERABLE
PostedOctober 14, 2019
Fun Factor
1
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
3
/
5
Level of Challenge
1
/
5
Storyline
1
/
5
The worst part of this disaster of a game is the limited moves you are given. As you progress, the levels become harder and it is utter misery having to play the same game over and over if you don't beat it. How aggravating. You also have to play more rounds because you don't earn that many coins to furnish items for the rooms because of their high cost. What a waste of time and a game credit. It was nice being able to decorate rooms, but what good is it having to go through the torture of imposed limitation of moves and spending all of the time trying to beat the system? There is no way to progress in the game to earn coins for the decorating unless you complete the moves in the amount they decide for you to have. It isn't my idea of enjoyment. It is nothing but one big headache and a pain in the you know what. Could have been a fun game, but they ruined it.
Help the Walker family dig through the clutter and find everything they need to decorate Auntie Sheep’s flower shop!
Overall rating
2
/
5
4 of 6 found this review helpful
COLORFUL, BUT SCENES EXTREMELY REPETIVE
PostedOctober 13, 2019
Fun Factor
2
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
3
/
5
Level of Challenge
3
/
5
Storyline
3
/
5
Although there are some variations of play, the matches are so repetitive a well as the scenes and items in them. It's like playing the same thing over and over again. Starts out easy and becomes more cluttered as you go along. A big plus in this is that you can skip any scene or puzzle you want by going to the pause menu. You will see an option to skip there which I used often just to see if things changed any. They didn't. You get the same objects jumbled up a different way with different matches to make or particular items to find. You can move pieces around in scenes which is nice. I did not like the blurred scenes at all, nor the matching of 4 pieces. It was so tedious.....and that was what this game amounts to.....ridiculous, out of place Christmas music and all. I won't even use a pcc on it.
When the game worlds collapse, help can only come from one place. The real world!
Overall rating
2
/
5
14 of 25 found this review helpful
ANOTHER AVALANCHE OF PUZZLES
PostedOctober 6, 2019
Fun Factor
2
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
3
/
5
Level of Challenge
3
/
5
Storyline
3
/
5
A great concept of incorporating games, but this is totally ruined by an overabundance of puzzles...and they are even in the hos, which I draw the line about. Many of the puzzles are so annoying. It was a terrible experience playing this demo because of them. I DO NOT want to be spending all of game time with puzzles and refuse to buy this because of it. The graphics could have been better, also. HOS were dark and game scenes hazy. The HOS were more puzzle like than HOS. Collectibles consisted of only morphing objects and coins to collect. Morphs are indicated in the SG, but not the coins. There were no indicators other than a pop out tab. You have a replay of 14 HOS and only 19 puzzles out of hundreds of them. What began as a great game quickly turned into the same aggravation of an overdose of puzzles more than anything else.
Can you rescue your brother from an ancient and deadly fate?
Overall rating
2
/
5
10 of 12 found this review helpful
PUZZLE... AFTER PUZZLE... AFTER PUZZLE... AFTER PUZZLE
PostedOctober 1, 2019
Fun Factor
2
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
4
/
5
Level of Challenge
3
/
5
Storyline
3
/
5
This could have been an enjoyable game, but everywhere you turn there is a puzzle to do. This is nothing but a puzzle game with a collecting of thousands of boring inventory. A turtle could move faster than the pace of it. Bye.
Can you reveal the story behind the watch, defeat the witch and save your sister in time?
Overall rating
2
/
5
8 of 12 found this review helpful
VERY SLUGGISH AND AN OVERWHELMING AMOUNT OF PUZZLES
PostedSeptember 23, 2019
Fun Factor
2
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
3
/
5
Level of Challenge
3
/
5
Storyline
3
/
5
More than anything else this is a game filled with an avalanche of puzzles and hardly any HOS. There are a variety of puzzles....some like Clutter, others requiring dexterity because of their arcade style, and other types, some of which could have used better instructions. I enjoyed doing some of them, but it is so excessive I got tired of it. There is a quick skip for them.
This is no where near the quality or fun as the others, which I have. In fact, it is nothing like the other 2. There is a ton of going back and forth. It does have a transportable map and also a fast filling hint. What is just about as bad as all of the puzzles is the sluggishness I had with this game. It also has an astounding download size of 4116MB.
I am so disappointed in this due to the imbalance of gameplay because of the ridiculous amount of puzzles at every turn....here a puzzle...there a puzzle.....everywhere a puzzle. It's too much. I like to have some gameplay and more HOS. The couple of HOS I came across were attractive, colorful, and enjoyable. Why can't there be more HOS instead of all these puzzles? I don't think it is a HOS game at all. This is just another puzzle game with a bit of story, a whole lot of going back and forth.....and a teeny, tiny amount of HOS. What a shame.
A journey into the mirror world unleashes a powerful villain!
Overall rating
2
/
5
26 of 39 found this review helpful
TOO MANY PUZZLES
PostedSeptember 21, 2019
Fun Factor
2
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
5
/
5
Level of Challenge
3
/
5
Storyline
3
/
5
The graphics are excellent. Real life characters with a bit too much talk. The Collectibles are mediocre that consist of 32 morphs...8 Bullfinch birds...7 apples...8 butterflies....9 Phoenix...12 cans. All this gives you for Extras are puzzles. The 32 morphs unlock a bonus puzzle. The other collectibles unlock 20 levels of more puzzles. It' an OVERDOSE. There are no indicators for the collectibles in the game, but they are designated in the transportable map. All I saw for replays were for puzzles. Unbelievable.
I really liked the graphics in this, but have to say that is all. The gameplay was boring and tedious, the usual going back and forth and collecting of mundane inventory....and puzzle parts.
The real displeasure is there are way too many puzzles in this and hardly any HOS. I couldn't finish the demo because of it. I only came across one HOS in the time I played and encountered an overabundance of puzzles. It is not what I consider an enjoyment to be spending all my time with puzzles. There is no balance in this. TOO MANY PUZZLES is why I will not be purchasing this game.
It's just another disappointment of what could have been an enjoyable game, but isn't.