laurakay76's Profile
Stat Summary
- Average Rating:3.6
- Helpful Votes:723
- Reviews Submitted:158
- First Review:November 16, 2011
- Most Recent Review:August 21, 2025
- Featured reviews0
Status:
Can you stop a dangerous order from abusing time for their nefarious plans?
Overall rating
3
/
5
22 of 46 found this review helpful
I am so confused by the ending.
PostedMarch 25, 2021
laurakay76
fromLehigh Valley, PA
Skill Level:Expert
Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Brain Teaser, Hidden Object, Puzzle, Strategy, Time Management, Word
Fun Factor
3
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
5
/
5
Level of Challenge
3
/
5
Storyline
3
/
5
I really did enjoy the demo of this game, enough to buy it in order to find out how it ends. I admit to being a little sorry not to have Alice on hand, and as always I appreciate the brief nod to Detectives United. I still prefer that series over this one.
I would say that it held my interest for the first two-thirds of the story, but the final third just left me confused. Richard turned out to be much more of a horrible person than we ever even knew (which is saying something), and it was good to see him thwarted in some of his past evil deeds, but I'm at a loss to understand what exactly happened to him. We also still don't know how he got out of the skull, so I'm hoping for some clarification on that eventually.
Not many HOP scenes in this; it's more mini-games than anything, most of which were pretty decent. A couple of them severely annoyed me, particularly the puzzle in Peter and Martha's house which involved the stacked pieces creating a picture. In general I noticed a weird dichotomy in the puzzles - for me, they were either really easy or excessively challenging, no in between.
Not the best Grim Tales game I've ever played, but by no means the worst either, so fans of the series will probably want to check it out.
The Unexpected Quest is an adventure game with unique strategy and time management elements.
Overall rating
3
/
5
1 of 2 found this review helpful
Just couldn't get into it
PostedMarch 24, 2021
laurakay76
fromLehigh Valley, PA
Skill Level:Expert
Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Brain Teaser, Hidden Object, Puzzle, Strategy, Time Management, Word
Fun Factor
2
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
3
/
5
Level of Challenge
3
/
5
Storyline
2
/
5
I tried the demo and it just wasn't for me. The graphics were cartoony and kind of oversaturated, which I could have overlooked if it were my only complaint. Like many of my fellow fishies, I didn't like the way the characters mumbled. The plot was poorly presented; I had no sense of who any of these characters were or how they ended up in their predicament. I have no idea how the game can claim it offers 5-10 hours of play time, since I finished the first two chapters in less than ten minutes. The third chapter opened with an explanation of how to move around the screen, but it took me a good two or three minutes to make that text box go away so I could actually see what was happening in the scene!
Honestly, I'm not sure what I expected going into this, but whatever it was I didn't get it. I just didn't enjoy myself and I gave up in chapter three.
I don't recommend this game.
Can you catch a magical culprit behind a string of strange robberies?
Overall rating
3
/
5
Not the most engaging game, but not bad.
PostedMarch 24, 2021
laurakay76
fromLehigh Valley, PA
Skill Level:Expert
Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Brain Teaser, Hidden Object, Puzzle, Strategy, Time Management, Word
Fun Factor
3
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
5
/
5
Level of Challenge
4
/
5
Storyline
3
/
5
I've never played any of the Dark City games, but I've actually been to Dublin so I thought this might be fun because it could let me revisit a city I loved. It was... a little hard to swallow, to be honest. I get that it's a mystery, so you expect to be solving puzzles, and some of them were really neat - I liked the cipher for the list of items in the detective's luggage, for instance. But at the same time, some of them were absurd. They weren't difficult, just tedious.
On the positive side, the music is enjoyable, the voice acting is excellent, and the animation is superb. I can't fault the look or sound of the game in any way, it's all extremely well done.
Overall, this isn't a bad game. Not one that I'm likely to play again, but not a bad game at all.
(P.S. The drawing in the shoemaker's shop which claims to be of a pub is actually of the chapel royal at Dublin Castle.)
A quest to recover a mysterious relic has surprising implications!
Overall rating
5
/
5
11 of 13 found this review helpful
I am not a Match 3 fan, but I love this game.
PostedFebruary 10, 2021
laurakay76
fromLehigh Valley, PA
Skill Level:Expert
Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Brain Teaser, Hidden Object, Puzzle, Strategy, Time Management, Word
Fun Factor
5
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
5
/
5
Level of Challenge
5
/
5
Storyline
5
/
5
One of the members of a Big Fish group on Facebook raved about this game so much that I decided to try it. I normally avoid Match 3 games because I like my games to have a story, and most of them don't. This one DOES. It's basically a mashup of Match 3 and the old point-and-click adventure games from Sierra, and it really works for me. It's a super long game, so don't expect to play this in one sitting (which I usually do with my BF games). There are secrets to uncover, items to collect and use, characters to rescue, battles to win, and hidden paths to navigate through the foggy forest. I was about twenty minutes in when I knew this was going to be a must-buy for me. If you love adventuring games but don't normally go for Match 3, I urge you to try this because it completely blew my expectations out of the water.
I recommend this game!
Accept an epic quest to track down the Ember Knight and unearth incredible treasures in this captivating solitaire adventure!
Overall rating
5
/
5
5 of 5 found this review helpful
One of the best solitaire games on the site
PostedFebruary 1, 2021
laurakay76
fromLehigh Valley, PA
Skill Level:Expert
Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Brain Teaser, Hidden Object, Puzzle, Strategy, Time Management, Word
Fun Factor
5
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
5
/
5
Level of Challenge
5
/
5
Storyline
5
/
5
I think I got as far as the third round before I knew I'd be buying this one! It's got so much going for it. The story is compelling, the graphics are beautiful, and there's just all kinds of stuff going on. You choose between five heroes, each of whom has their own distinct advantage in battle. As you play through the solitaire levels you earn money to spend in the in-game store on treats to make the games easier - nothing unusual about that. What IS unusual is that sometimes, you'll come across strange cards in the pile which trigger additional mini-games, like match 3 or blackjack, and these can be completed for additional coins. There's also a head-to-head battle with assorted enemy characters at least once in each level. It's just an incredibly well-done game in so many ways and I'm really happy with it.
I recommend this game!
Tame the wild west in a rip-roaring adventure for all ages!
Overall rating
4
/
5
9 of 9 found this review helpful
Into the west
PostedFebruary 1, 2021
laurakay76
fromLehigh Valley, PA
Skill Level:Expert
Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Brain Teaser, Hidden Object, Strategy, Time Management, Word
Fun Factor
4
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
5
/
5
Level of Challenge
4
/
5
Storyline
4
/
5
I enjoyed the original Golden Trails, so I bought this one without doing the demo. Yup, it's just as much fun as the original - Jack and Jill are likable characters who share a sweet bond, the plot is entertaining (if just a little predictable), and the TM challenge is satisfying. Not a whole lot to say about it, really. It's a pleasant, straightforward TM game and I hope the series continues because I want to see more of these two.
I recommend this game!
An adventure in Austrian artwork and antiquities with Mia Faircroft!
Overall rating
2
/
5
0 of 1 found this review helpful
Well, that was five minutes of my life I'll never get back.
PostedJanuary 16, 2021
laurakay76
fromLehigh Valley, PA
Skill Level:Expert
Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Brain Teaser, Hidden Object, Puzzle, Strategy, Time Management, Word
Fun Factor
2
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
4
/
5
Level of Challenge
1
/
5
Storyline
2
/
5
I got this game on a BOGO sale, mostly because I couldn't find a second game that I really wanted so this seemed like a good option. I love Boomzap's Awakening series and was hoping for something of comparable quality.
Instead, we got... this. It's just dull. I wouldn't mind the lack of voice acting, but Mia doesn't seem like a particularly likable character. The plot is minimal at best. I waded through the first hidden object scene and was honestly too bored to continue. I wish I'd listened to the reviews. If you're new to hidden object games, or you prefer hunting for weird things hidden in the scenes over an engaging story, this might be a good one to try; it just wasn't for me.
I don't recommend this game.
Margaret needs your help once again! You must repair the railway across 50 time management levels and manage an enormous budget!
Overall rating
3
/
5
Okay, Margaret needs a new hobby.
PostedJanuary 11, 2021
laurakay76
fromLehigh Valley, PA
Skill Level:Expert
Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Brain Teaser, Hidden Object, Puzzle, Strategy, Time Management, Word
Fun Factor
3
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
5
/
5
Level of Challenge
4
/
5
Storyline
2
/
5
I enjoyed the original "Next Stop" - I liked that Margaret was the one to save her uncle's company, the game was fun and challenging and the banker was hilariously smarmy. The second one was also pleasant, with the addition of building a charming little town.
I'm less enchanted with this third installment. The storyline is incredibly weak; there's no clear reason why the banker is suddenly teaming up with Margaret and Uncle Steve, nor why they're allowing it. The challenge is not nearly as challenging. Building the new center of business is okay - not as pretty as the town, but functional - but Margaret claimed that the faster you meet your objectives, the more updates you can make. Yet no matter how quickly I meet my objectives, I can only ever make two updates at a time.
The clicker game is a terrible addition. I like the concept, but the actual practice of nonstop clicking to put the money into my 'bank'? It's tedious as heck! How is it fun to sit here clicking clicking clicking with nothing else to do? If that portion of the game added the money automatically and you just popped in every so often to add more factories and whatnot, it would be fun, but the endless clicking is tiresome and hard on the fingers.
All in all, it's okay, but the first two were much better. I think I can see why the series died with this game.
Haunted Hotel: Eclipse Collector's Edition
Should anyone ever check in to a place called the Final Journey Hotel?
Overall rating
5
/
5
So this is where James got started!
PostedJanuary 7, 2021
laurakay76
fromLehigh Valley, PA
Skill Level:Expert
Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Brain Teaser, Hidden Object, Puzzle, Strategy, Time Management, Word
Fun Factor
5
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
5
/
5
Level of Challenge
5
/
5
Storyline
4
/
5
I became acquainted with the character of James Blackthorne through the Detectives United series, and since then I've been picking at the Haunted Hotel franchise to get to know him better. Having finally learned that this was the game which first introduced him, I tried the demo, and I was barely ten minutes in before I knew this was a must-buy.
This is one of THE longest games I have ever played. I must have taken a good six hours at least to finish it. The mystery is compelling, the voice acting is good as usual for Elephant, and the graphics are terrific. It was a little weird to see the characters as static figures speaking through closed mouths, but considering the age of the game, that isn't too surprising. (James basically cosplaying as Sherlock Holmes made me smile. He's so cute.) The puzzles are remarkably good, and even though I consider myself an expert player at this point, I was really put through my paces and had to rely on the hint button more often than I ever would have expected.
Probably my only complaint about the game is the lack of an interactive map. I'm spoiled by Elephant's later games with their easy-to-navigate maps that cut out the tedious backtracking seen in this game. But as quibbles go, that's quite minor and easy to overlook.
I'm really glad I took this trip back through Elephant's history, because it was absolutely worth it! A+!
I recommend this game!
A mysterious invitation promises rare treasures but exposes dark secrets!
Overall rating
3
/
5
1 of 1 found this review helpful
It started off well but then...
PostedJanuary 6, 2021
laurakay76
fromLehigh Valley, PA
Skill Level:Expert
Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Brain Teaser, Hidden Object, Puzzle, Strategy, Time Management, Word
Fun Factor
3
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
5
/
5
Level of Challenge
4
/
5
Storyline
4
/
5
I really enjoyed the demo of this game, so I bought the full thing. The story was interesting, if a little weak in places; the graphics are superb and the voice acting is excellent. Unfortunately, about halfway through it started going downhill for me.
Several of the puzzles are either mind-numbing or maddening. Some of them are actually both - boring, yet difficult. I hate skipping puzzles, but I ended up needing to do just that because I honestly didn't understand what some of them wanted me to do. (The biggest offender was the one where you had to turn the threads from purple to white by clicking on the correct numbers; the directions made no sense to me at all.) I gave up early in the first bonus chapter, where I was being directed to glue a doll together; nothing I did seemed to work, and I was too irritated to try anything else.
The game has a lot going for it and the developers clearly worked hard on it. I just wanted to like it a lot more than I ultimately did.