charlene_lane's Profile
Stat Summary
- Average Rating:3.9
- Helpful Votes:7,522
- Reviews Submitted:475
- First Review:March 13, 2013
- Most Recent Review:January 29, 2022
- Featured reviews0
Status:
A great evil unlocks deep within Ravenhearst!
Overall rating
5
/
5
42 of 53 found this review helpful
WONDERFUL SURPRISE
PostedDecember 5, 2015
charlene_lane
fromWellington, New Zealand
Skill Level:Expert
Favorite Genre(s):Hidden Object, Adventure, Match 3, Large File
Fun Factor
5
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
5
/
5
Level of Challenge
5
/
5
Storyline
5
/
5
Well I wasn't expecting this and my jaw hit the keyboard when I saw this game come out. This game follows on from 'MCF Keys to Ravenhearst' and I bought it instantly. Its best that you play these two games together as they tie in with each other.
In the main game you play Master Detective (yourself) and in the Bonus game you play Alister Dalimar.
There is:
* Voiceovers (with dialogue);
* Regular, Hard, Insane and Custom modes of play);
* Interactive map;
* 11 Achievements;
* Collect 40 lighthouses (in game and bonus);
* Lots of extras.
* Regular, Hard, Insane and Custom modes of play);
* Interactive map;
* 11 Achievements;
* Collect 40 lighthouses (in game and bonus);
* Lots of extras.
In Custom mode you can turn everything off like Hint and Skip to made it as hard as you like. I love that feature.
The graphics are just superb - very clear, yet dark and gritty. I loved the ambiance and would stop at every scene to have a good look around.
Sound is very good. The music is gorgeous - orchestral and very haunting which fitted with the game nicely.
The hidden object games are highly interactive straightforward and silhouette. These had a very good challenge to them. The HOS are very clear to see, however you will be busy with them because there is a lot to do.
There were a huge amount of mini-games to play, all of which had a very good challenge, however they are not too hard or frustrating.
There are also six super puzzles to do. The second super puzzle is quite diabolical and I spent over an hour on that one. Even then, I had to look in the Strategy Guide to finish it. However, the rest of them are not as hard and I finished them without help. There is no timer on them and you don't have to do anything in one particular order. These are my ultimate favourite to do.
There are 40 lighthouses to find in the game and bonus. Most of these were easy to find, but a few took me a while to get them. However, if you don't feel like finding them in the game or miss a few, don't worry because you can do these in the Extras.
In the Extras you have a Souvenir Room where you need to collect all the 30 items, replay all the HOPS and mini-games - get a perfect score and you get an achievement - and find any lighthouses you missed or wanted to play later.
All up the game and bonus took me over 12 hours to play, so well worth your hard earned money. I'm definitely playing this game again.
This game is so worth playing and I'm sure you will enjoy it. Definitely recommended. Happy playing fishies.
I recommend this game!
You're the last hope to stop the ancient curse!
Overall rating
5
/
5
18 of 19 found this review helpful
EVERYTHING YOU COULD WISH FOR
PostedNovember 24, 2015
charlene_lane
fromWellington, New Zealand
Skill Level:Expert
Favorite Genre(s):Hidden Object, Adventure, Match 3, Large File
Fun Factor
5
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
5
/
5
Level of Challenge
5
/
5
Storyline
5
/
5
REVIEW OF COMPLETED GAME, BONUS and EXTRAS
Wow, this is the biggest game I've ever played which took me nearly 18 hours to complete. In the main game you play Susan and in the Bonus game you play Sandra.
There is:
* Voiceovers;
* Easy, Normal and Hard modes (you can turn off Skip and Hint);
* Interactive map;
* 22 Achievements;
* Diary;
* Find 35 morphing objects;
* Find 28 manuscripts.
* Easy, Normal and Hard modes (you can turn off Skip and Hint);
* Interactive map;
* 22 Achievements;
* Diary;
* Find 35 morphing objects;
* Find 28 manuscripts.
The graphics are superb - well defined, easy on the eye and very crisp. Colours are not too bright or garish.
Sound is very good. The music is orchestral and very beautiful.
The hidden object games are interactive silhouette. Find one item to use to find another item etc. These had a good challenge to them and I enjoyed doing them.
There are a huge amount of mini-games to play. There is making potions, lots of sliding tiles, restoring a damaged pattern, turning circles to move the figurines to their correct order, and so much more. Most of them are logical and not too hard or frustrating, but there were a few that took me a while to get. There were some that I had never played before which I enjoyed.
I don't normally use the interactive map in most games, but because this game is so big and having lots of locations, I played about 80% of the main game and then decided to use it. If you play on Easy and Normal modes, the map shows little icons if there is a morphing object and manuscript in that scene. When you have found them, then they disappear and you know you have got them. However, this is not the case in Hard mode, which I played. A hand comes over the morphing objects and manuscripts, but just move your mouse slowly around the scene because these can be very elusive and easily missed.
I got 17 of the Achievements, so I am going to keep playing the Extras to see if I can get any more.
In the Extras you can do a quiz and answer 20 questions, do 7 puzzles where you have to restore the image from mosiac pieces, redo the mini-games, etc. I enjoyed doing these.
So overall, this is a very challenging game with lots of locations - I WAS IN HEAVEN and sorry to see it end. I loved the story, the characters, the graphics - well everything really.
Well done Five BN Games who put such a lot of effort and creativity to make this fantastic game. You can't get any better than this.
I recommend this game!
Answer a distress call at an arctic research lab where scientists have made a chilling discovery!
Overall rating
3
/
5
8 of 8 found this review helpful
FIND THOSE COLD STALKERS
PostedNovember 13, 2015
charlene_lane
fromWellington, New Zealand
Skill Level:Expert
Favorite Genre(s):Hidden Object, Adventure, Match 3, Large File
Fun Factor
3
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
4
/
5
Level of Challenge
1
/
5
Storyline
3
/
5
REVIEW OF COMPLETED GAME BONUS and EXTRAS.
This is a very easy game to play which would be perfect for beginners.
There is:
* Voiceovers (with dialogue);
* Elf, Scientist, Cold Stalker and Detective modes of play;
* Interactive map;
* 20 Achievements;
* Elf to help you;
* Find 25 morphing objects;
* Find all the collectibles.
* Elf, Scientist, Cold Stalker and Detective modes of play;
* Interactive map;
* 20 Achievements;
* Elf to help you;
* Find 25 morphing objects;
* Find all the collectibles.
The graphics are good - very colourful but crisp and easy on the eye.
Sound is good. I didn't really notice the music but the sound effects are good.
The hidden object games are interactive straightforward, silhouette, putting items back and finding items by torchlight. These were very easy to do and only take a couple of minutes. Items are clear to see.
The mini-games are incredibly easy. There were a few super puzzles to do, but these were very easy as well.
There are about 25 morphing objects to find. These are not hidden so you can just collect them along the way. They morph quite fast, so are easy to spot.
You also find collectibles as well which are also not hidden, so you can just pick them along the way as well.
You have a gadget which helps you find life forces, electrical currents, etc, which will glow when you need to use it. You also have a cellphone so you can talk to various people.
The Secret Room didn't excite me. I was just using the gadget again to locate items. Boring.
All up the game, bonus and extras took me about 5 hours, so not a long game.
I felt that there was too much hand holding and telling me what to do all the way. If my hand was held any tighter, it would have cut off the circulation!
Definitely trial before you buy. I am recommending this game on behalf of beginners.
I recommend this game!
Can you find the key to Ravenhearst's resurrection?
Overall rating
5
/
5
46 of 58 found this review helpful
WELL DONE EIPIX - SUPERB GAME
PostedNovember 6, 2015
charlene_lane
fromWellington, New Zealand
Skill Level:Expert
Favorite Genre(s):Hidden Object, Adventure, Match 3, Large File
Fun Factor
5
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
5
/
5
Level of Challenge
5
/
5
Storyline
5
/
5
REVIEW FROM COMPLETED GAME, BONUS and EXTRAS
There is:
* Voiceovers (with dialogue);
* Regular, Hard, Insane and Custom modes of play;
* 14 Achievements;
* Find 34 ravens (in game only);
* Six super puzzles;
* Lengthy Bonus game;
* Lots of extras.
* Regular, Hard, Insane and Custom modes of play;
* 14 Achievements;
* Find 34 ravens (in game only);
* Six super puzzles;
* Lengthy Bonus game;
* Lots of extras.
The graphics are absolutely spot on - kind of dark, moody and with just the right amount of ambiance. There is plenty of colour where needed which was not too bright or garish.
Sound is excellent. The music is orchestral and also has pieces of music from previous Ravenhearst games.
The hidden object games were interactive straightforward and silhouette. There were even little mini-games in them as well. There is one morphing object per HOS, so keep a beedy eye out for it. However, if you do miss one, don't worry cause you can replay all the HOS in the Extras.
There were a huge variety of mini-games to play which had a good challenge. I played on Custom mode and turned off Skip and Hint, so I played them all without help. Some of these did take a while to do. Wine helped.
There were also six super puzzles to do. These are my ultimate favourite to do. Now, they weren't too hard this time round. There is no timer and you don't have to do tasks in any particular order. Each one took me about 10-15 minutes to do.
There are 34 ravens to find throughout the game (not the Bonus). Most of these were easy to spot, but a few were a few elusive. However, if you don't feel like finding them in the game, then you can do this in the Extras.
It is possible to get most, if not all, of the Achievements. I failed miserably on completing a mini-game in under a minute (I just ain't that fast).
There is plenty to do in the Extras. You have 32 objects to find in the Souvenir Room, you can find all the ravens (if you missed any or wanted to do them later), replay the HOS and mini-games to get extra achievements, etc.
All up the game, bonus and extras took me about 10 hours to do and I enjoyed every minute. Honestly, I could have gone 10 hours more.
Definitely comes recommended. Happy playing fishies.
I recommend this game!
Stop a magician’s ghost and free the trapped souls haunting the Black Woods in Mystic Diary: Haunted Island!
Overall rating
3
/
5
5 of 5 found this review helpful
FREE THE SOULS IN THE MYSTIC DIARY
PostedOctober 22, 2015
charlene_lane
fromWellington, New Zealand
Skill Level:Expert
Favorite Genre(s):Hidden Object, Adventure, Match 3, Large File
Fun Factor
3
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
3
/
5
Level of Challenge
3
/
5
Storyline
4
/
5
Review of completed game.
This is the sequel to 'Mystic Diary - Lost Brother', where Victor searches for his insane brother Gustav, who has got himself trapped in a magical book known as the Mystic Diary. There are also other trapped other souls in the Mystic Diary, along with Victor who you also have to rescue.
There are voiceovers in the beginning, but goes to dialogue for the rest of the game. There are no modes of play or interactive map, but you do have a diary which you will be reading throughout the game. The diary has the answers to help you with the mini-games.
The music is nice - orchestral and plays quietly in the background.
The graphics are okay and I could see items I needed fairly clearly. Its wasn't too dark or gloomy.
However, the hidden object games were awful. They were very cluttered and so hard to see items. Once again, as with the first game 'Mystic Diary - Lost Brother', it was extremely picky where you clicked on objects. I must have clicked 8 or 9 times to get a necklace and it wouldn't let me have it. I thought I was looking at a wrong item, but when I got a hint, it showed me exactly the item I was trying to get. Very annoying and I came to dread them. There are a lot of HOS in this game, so you can imagine how frustrating this was.
The mini-games were good and I enjoyed doing them. They were not hard to do, so I didn't skip any of them.
It was quite a long game and I think I played for about 6 hours or so, maybe a bit longer, which I did during the week.
So overall, the game was okay. However, I probably won't play it again, due to the picky HOS.
I recommend that you trial this game before you buy to make sure it is right for you. I bought this game on disk years ago and thought I would give it another go. Boy, have games come a long way since then.
Find your lost brother by solving puzzles, finding hidden clues, and using the powerful Mystic Diary to travel the world.
Overall rating
3
/
5
6 of 6 found this review helpful
FIND YOUR BROTHER GUSTAV
PostedOctober 18, 2015
charlene_lane
fromWellington, New Zealand
Skill Level:Expert
Favorite Genre(s):Hidden Object, Adventure, Match 3, Large File
Fun Factor
3
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
3
/
5
Level of Challenge
3
/
5
Storyline
3
/
5
Review of completed game.
This is a nice easy game to play which would fill in a rainy afternoon.
There are no voiceovers, modes of play or interactive map. However, there is a journal which you will read throughout the game.
Well, this game sure has a lot of HOS to play. At one point I counted three in just one scene. These are straightforward and silhouette which don't take long to do - about a minute each HOS. I found I had to be careful where I clicked on an item because it can be very picky. I tried to click on a cane, which I knew was the right item, but it took me several tries. I depends on where you click on it. I found that a bit annoying.
The mini-games are very basic which we have all seen before. They don't take long to do.
All up the game took me about 4 hours to play and I wasn't playing fast or skipping any mini-games.
I know this is an old game without any bells or whistles, but it is a nice game to play without giving too much thought. I played it in between all the other big games out there that we all play and it was just nice to chill out and not think too much.
I'm about to start 'Mystic Diary - Haunted Island' which carries on from this game.
So, if you feel in the mood to chill out and like lots of HOS, then this game is for you.
I recommend this game!
During the finale of The Maze, the transmission is mysteriously stopped. Now it's up to you to find the missing contestants!
Overall rating
3
/
5
5 of 5 found this review helpful
INTERESTING GAME BUT VISUALLY POOR
PostedOctober 17, 2015
charlene_lane
fromWellington, New Zealand
Skill Level:Expert
Favorite Genre(s):Hidden Object, Adventure, Match 3, Large File
Fun Factor
3
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
2
/
5
Level of Challenge
3
/
5
Storyline
3
/
5
Review of completed game.
In this game there are no voiceovers or modes of play, but you do have a journal and an interactive map.
The graphics are truly awful and it was hard to make out what items were. There was plenty of colour but the graphics were grainy and kind of blotchy. I didn't like it at all.
The music was okay. There wasn't much is sound other than background noise.
The hidden object games were very cluttered and grainy. I had to use the hint a few times because I just couldn't see the items properly to grab them.
I quite enjoyed the mini-games. We have seen them all before but some of them had a bit of a challenge to them.
The game took me about 5 hours to play which is a good length.
I do realise that this is a very early game from Elephant and we all know that they have come a long way since then.
Definitely trial before you buy to make sure that this game is for you.
Save your sister from Bluebeard’s Castle in this incredible Hidden Object Puzzle Adventure game!
Overall rating
3
/
5
4 of 5 found this review helpful
SAVE YOUR SISTER CLARICE - FIND THE 7 KEYS
PostedOctober 13, 2015
charlene_lane
fromWellington, New Zealand
Skill Level:Expert
Favorite Genre(s):Hidden Object, Adventure, Match 3, Large File
Fun Factor
3
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
3
/
5
Level of Challenge
3
/
5
Storyline
4
/
5
This is quite a good game which took me just over 5 hours to play.
There are no voiceovers, modes of play, interactive map or any other bells and whistles. However, I still liked it, even though it was quite an old game (2011 I think).
The graphics are okay, however they were a little on the dark side but I could still see most scenes clearly.
The hidden object games are straightforward and very cluttered. Some of these are find so many items, find pairs, etc. You do most of these twice. If you get stuck or don't know what an item looks like, just hover over the word and a silhouette of the item will show up on the left hand side inside the flower thingie. That came in handy.
I enjoyed playing the mini-games. There were a good variety which were not hard to do. I've seen these all before in other games but they were nice to do again and they didn't take long to do.
There are sparkles in the game for the HOS and items to locate which made the game a little bit easy.
You will be travelling around to a lot of locations but I found I didn't get lost or know where to go next.
The only gripe I had was the long pauses going from scene to scene. I didn't like that.
So overall not a bad game which was quite lengthy.
Definitely worth checking this game out.
I recommend this game!
Paranormal State: Poison Spring
Thrills abound as the ghost-hunters from the hit A&E TV show "Paranormal State" race to solve terrifying Civil War hauntings.
Overall rating
5
/
5
13 of 13 found this review helpful
SERIOUSLY GOOD GAME
PostedOctober 9, 2015
charlene_lane
fromWellington, New Zealand
Skill Level:Expert
Favorite Genre(s):Hidden Object, Adventure, Match 3, Large File
Fun Factor
5
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
5
/
5
Level of Challenge
5
/
5
Storyline
5
/
5
REVIEW OF COMPLETED GAME.
I thoroughly enjoyed this game which was quite long for a single edition.
There is:
* Voiceovers (with dialogue);
* Casual, Easy and Extreme modes of play;
* Journal
* Use of the EMF meter, EPV Recorder and the EVP.
* Casual, Easy and Extreme modes of play;
* Journal
* Use of the EMF meter, EPV Recorder and the EVP.
The graphics are very good and crisp to the eye. Its a bit like looking at a comic book because the characters don't really move or use their lips, but everywhere is crystal clear to see and its easy to roam around without scenes being dark or dreary.
Sound is very good. There are a few pieces of music which were truly creepy and one piece of music that was quite fast and had my foot tapping as I was playing.
The hidden object games are interactive silhouette and straightforward. Some of these are put items back to their original place, others where you need to find various items to make an object, and one with spot the difference. These had a good challenge to them and I spent a good 5 or so minutes on each one. There are plenty of them and I enjoyed all of them.
Well, the mini-games ranged from being quite easy to unbelievably hard. One particular mini-game I must have spent at least 30 minutes on. It was jumping over all the panel buttons until only one was left. Sounds easy aye - WRONG. I was head butting the computer screen at the end. However, challenging as some of them were, I still loved them all.
You do find pieces of a map which are put on a board and you go there to get to other places. Kind of like an interactive map, but you need to get to the board to do it.
You have the use of the EMF meter, the EPV Recorder and the EVP. You will use each of these a few times throughout the game. One is like a puzzle (swap puzzle pieces to get the full picture), one is with a metal detector to find items under the ground and the other is finding symbols. These were fun to do.
In total the game took me about 7 hours to play, during the course of the week. I was disappointed when it finished. I really hope there is another one to come.
Happy playing fishies.
I recommend this game!
A mountain observatory is hiding a big secret!
Overall rating
3
/
5
9 of 9 found this review helpful
DON'T YAH JUST HATE A COMPUTER VIRUS!
PostedOctober 2, 2015
charlene_lane
fromWellington, New Zealand
Skill Level:Expert
Favorite Genre(s):Hidden Object, Adventure, Match 3, Large File
Fun Factor
3
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
4
/
5
Level of Challenge
4
/
5
Storyline
3
/
5
REVIEW OF COMPLETED GAME and BONUS
This is an average game with a few glimpses of genius. There is:
* Voiceovers (with dialogue);
* Easy, Medium, Hard and Custom modes of play;
* Interactive map;
* 13 Achievements (some with 3 in each achievement);
* Find 20 Fact cards;
* Find 44 Globe Trotters (in game and bonus).
* Easy, Medium, Hard and Custom modes of play;
* Interactive map;
* 13 Achievements (some with 3 in each achievement);
* Find 20 Fact cards;
* Find 44 Globe Trotters (in game and bonus).
The graphics are very good - everything is clear to see and easy on the eye. Colour is quite muted and not garish like in some games.
Sound is good. The music is the typical Hidden Expedition music - kind of fast and adventurous. I didn't turn it down at all throughout the game.
There were a variety of hidden object games. Some were silhouette, straightforward and others were you had to firstly find certain kinds of items (like buttons). When you found those, you were given an object to use to find other items. I enjoyed playing these.
The mini-games ranged from being very easy (which you could do in seconds) to being quite hard. Some of them took me ages because, after reading the instructions on what to do, I was still confused. So it was just hit and miss until I figured out what to do.
I didn't need to use the interactive map because you only have to go a few steps forward or backward to do tasks. However, you do get an achievement if you use it at least once, which I did at the end of the bonus.
The 44 Globe Trotters are found in the game and bonus. These are very easy to find. You get an achievement if you find them all. The 20 Fact cards are also easy to find.
It is possible to get most, if not all, of the achievements. I managed to get most and I wasn't really trying that hard.
All up the game and bonus took me about 7 hours. I quite liked the game but feel that I have played much better games in the past from this developer and this one fell short.
I will admit that this game is not for everyone. There are a lot of gadgets and gismos that I had no idea what or where to use them, so its hit or miss in some cases.
Definitely trial the game before you buy.
I recommend this game!