arnold1049's Profile
Stat Summary
- Average Rating:3.8
- Helpful Votes:4,545
- Reviews Submitted:556
- First Review:February 24, 2012
- Most Recent Review:March 9, 2025
- Featured reviews0
Status:
Travel around the world and solve beautiful mosaic puzzles across 8 countries!
Overall rating
4
/
5
5 of 9 found this review helpful
EXCELLENT FOR BEGINNERS
PostedAugust 14, 2019
arnold1049
fromApache Junction, AZ
Skill Level:Expert
Favorite Genre(s):Card & Board, Hidden Object, Mahjong, Match 3
Fun Factor
4
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
5
/
5
Level of Challenge
3
/
5
I played the demo under the Casual difficulty setting with no sounds or music.There are only two difficulty settings and they control how the numbers above the grid are marked off; immediately when a set is completed, or only when a whole row/column has been finished. This game is definitely geared for beginners and children. The grids, tiles and numbers are large and the pics are simplistic. The number of colors used for each puzzle are numerous enough to allow for switching among the colors for easy solution of the puzzle. The colors themselves are varied, ranging from vibrant to muted. There were instances when the difference between two colors was not great, but because of the size of the puzzles, this did not create a problem. As the description indicates, various countries around the world are used to organize the puzzles. I only played the France location during the hour demo, and all the puzzles were associated with France; a mime, the Eiffel Tower, etc., and each puzzle had a "Did you know?" tab that provided information about the puzzle and its relationship to France. This provides some educational benefits along with the game play. However, after being told that lighters were invented before matches in one game, I am now leary of the accuracy of these "facts". Three stars can be earned for each puzzle, with one mistake taking away one star. However, there is an "undo" option within the game that allows you to undo your last move, making it very easy to complete the puzzle with no mistakes and thus earn 3 stars. Each puzzle has 5 of these undo moves available. I find this option a wonderful addition, particularly when my hand moves faster than my brain and my obsessive character makes it mandatory that I earn all three stars. The graphics and backgrounds are clear and crisp with very little clutter. Again, a great appeal for children. With some games, the complexity and challenge of the puzzles increase the longer you play. However, based on my hour of play and the information shown about the game in its description, I do not see that happening with this one. Therefore, I highly recommend this game only for family play and beginners.
I recommend this game!
Dr. Lynch: Grave Secrets
Has a spectral horror has arisen from an archeological dig site? Uncover the truth in this haunting Hidden Object game!
Overall rating
2
/
5
NOT ENOUGH TIME
PostedAugust 10, 2019
arnold1049
fromApache Junction, AZ
Skill Level:Expert
Favorite Genre(s):Card & Board, Hidden Object, Mahjong, Match 3
Fun Factor
1
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
3
/
5
Level of Challenge
3
/
5
Storyline
3
/
5
This is one of those timed games that has no option for relaxed/untimed play. As the HOS get more numerous and complex, the time allowed for completion remains the same. It is a no-win situation. The HO's are small to very small and well-hidden, requiring a lot of time to find, eating up what little time is allowed. When the time runs out, the play goes back to the very beginning of that particular chapter/investigation. I have better uses of my time than to replay the same scenes over and over again to try to beat the clock. There are other games that are a lot more fun that I can spend my time on. I liked the premise and storyline of the game and enjoyed the challenge of the HOS, but the timer turned it into an exercise in futility. Revise the game, provide an untimed option, and release it again. I think HOG lovers would like it a lot. But in its present format, there is no "fun" factor, at least for me.
I don't recommend this game.
If all the world is a stage, what role do YOU play? Solve the Ivory Cane mystery to find out!
Overall rating
3
/
5
10 of 16 found this review helpful
Mediocre Game
PostedJuly 24, 2019
arnold1049
fromApache Junction, AZ
Skill Level:Expert
Favorite Genre(s):Card & Board, Hidden Object, Mahjong, Match 3
Fun Factor
3
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
3
/
5
Level of Challenge
3
/
5
Storyline
3
/
5
I found this game a little frustrating to play and I'll definitely not purchase it.
First, I could not get the settings fixed to the point where I only heard the voices. I tried several options, like having the master volume on, the music and sfx sounds off and the voiceovers on, but I still heard the background noises. This wasted too much of my one hour demo.
Second, I skipped several of the mini games if I couldn't solve them right away in order to try to get as much of the game played in the hour demo so I could give it a fair rating. But there were also a couple of games that depended on timing and speed with the cursor, not one of my strong points. These I would have ended up skipping anyway, losing one of my achievements. Also, not all the games contained instructions. Some were pretty self-explanatory, but others could have used clarification.
Third, for a HOG, it was very short on HOS, one of my pet peeves for games labeled as HOGs. There were only a couple and they were the finding parts in a circle around an item type, not one of favorite types of HOS. These ordinarily can be solved by finding items within the scene, but these required me to find inventory items from other scenes to solve them.
I'm sure I missed finding the collectibles in the various scenes although I'm not sure. Perhaps the CE will provide a way to know if a scene still includes a collectible.
I liked the storyline: a mystery starting with a locked room murder and a patsy set up to take the fall. Enter the mystery man with the white cane. He seems to be helping the fugitive, but is he really? Who knows for sure until the end of the game.
The graphics were good and the atmosphere for the 1920's (?) in France was good. The map is always an appreciated item.
This game just did not have anything that makes it stand out from the rest of the competition. But, as always, play the demo and decide for yourself.
I don't recommend this game.
Age Of Oracles: Tara`s Journey
Meet the difficult challenges set before Tara by a magical peacock, and explore a mysterious realm to fulfill her destiny!
Overall rating
5
/
5
6 of 6 found this review helpful
DEFINITELY FOR HOG LOVERS
PostedJuly 24, 2019
arnold1049
fromApache Junction, AZ
Skill Level:Expert
Favorite Genre(s):Card & Board, Hidden Object, Mahjong, Match 3
Fun Factor
5
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
5
/
5
Level of Challenge
5
/
5
Storyline
5
/
5
This game is for die-hard HOG lovers, not for the kind of players who like a few HOS thrown in with an "adventure" game. Don't get me wrong; it has a good storyline and mini games included, but it has lots of great HOS, which is what I want to see from a game labeled "Hidden Object".
The graphics are crisp and bright. The HOS styles are varied. The voice overs are excellent, with the movements of the characters a great match to the dialogue
I should always do a review as soon as I finish a game, because, if I don't, I forget some details which would make my review more helpful. However, that kind of detail is included in the description of the game and, if you want even more detail, it can always be found in pennmom36's reviews, although I don't agree with her rating of this game. In this case, I just know that I was left with a lot of satisfaction with this game after playing the demo and I will be purchasing it, using a coupon, a game credit (full price), or when there is a 65% off retail sale. This doesn't reflect on the quality of the game, it just means I'm a smart shopper and rarely pay full price for any game.
Please try this game; I highly recommend it.
I recommend this game!
The hunt for Corwin’s treasure in on and your wife is caught in the middle! Can you save her?
Overall rating
3
/
5
5 of 5 found this review helpful
VERY SHORT
PostedJune 29, 2019
arnold1049
fromApache Junction, AZ
Skill Level:Expert
Favorite Genre(s):Card & Board, Hidden Object, Mahjong, Match 3
Fun Factor
3
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
3
/
5
Level of Challenge
3
/
5
Storyline
3
/
5
This game has some good things going for it. There is a variety of HOS and a fair amount of them within the game. This is a big plus for me, as I like straight forward HOGs.The voice overs were appropriate, except for the Indian. I particularly liked the villain's accent. The mini games weren't too hard and were also varied. However, the storyline's ending was unsatisfactory. There wasn't a really good explanation of what exactly the treasure was and how it's effect on the villain, John Atkins, seemed to be different from the original owner, Corwin. And the game was just too short.
Use your puzzle skills to solve mosaics and save the Kingdom from the evil magician!
Overall rating
3
/
5
1 of 1 found this review helpful
INCONSISTENT
PostedJune 26, 2019
arnold1049
fromApache Junction, AZ
Skill Level:Expert
Favorite Genre(s):Card & Board, Hidden Object, Mahjong, Match 3
Fun Factor
3
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
3
/
5
Level of Challenge
3
/
5
I did not like the inconsistency of the grid layouts. Some used very large numbers, with few squares, others smaller numbers with lots of squares, even though a third or more were already marked off. My eyes felt like I was first seeing a baseball, then a ping pong ball, then a basketball. The actual pictures formed by filling in the mosaics were too simplistic and did not fairly represent a realistic rendition of the item. More than once, after I closed the game and went back to it later, it did not take me back to the level I had been playing when I exited. Not realizing this, I played a few grids over again, until I recognized one that I had played before. When I went looking for why this happened, thinking it was a duplicate, I found I was not playing the level at which I had exited. I don't like repeating grids; it is a waste of my time. Definitely not an enjoyable game for me. Perhaps beginning players would be impressed with this game.
I don't recommend this game.
Continue your Mosaic World Adventure in this latest chapter of the World’s Greatest Cities Mosaics series!
Overall rating
4
/
5
5 of 7 found this review helpful
NO TROUBLE STAYING FOCUSED
PostedJune 15, 2019
arnold1049
fromApache Junction, AZ
Skill Level:Expert
Favorite Genre(s):Hidden Object, Mahjong, Match 3
Fun Factor
4
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
4
/
5
Level of Challenge
5
/
5
I had no trouble staying focused while playing this game. The variety of puzzles and levels of difficulty provide lots of different options for game play. All the games in this series start out easy, but get more difficult the longer you play. I am not going into any detail about the game as another reviewer has provided that level of information. I will say that I am definitely adding this game to my collection of this series. I highly recommend this game.
I recommend this game!
The penguin family is back and they've discovered a new way to play mosaic puzzles!
Overall rating
5
/
5
FIVE STARS FOR SURE
PostedApril 16, 2019
arnold1049
fromApache Junction, AZ
Skill Level:Expert
Favorite Genre(s):Card & Board, Hidden Object, Mahjong, Match 3
Fun Factor
5
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
5
/
5
Level of Challenge
4
/
5
Storyline
3
/
5
I purchase all the games in this series as soon as they are issued. I never play the demo as I know I will be happy with my purchase. This last game is no disappointment.
My review is based on around 2 hours of playing the game.
I'm not sure that I would classify a new level of difficulty, the "Zen" option, as anything really "new", but that certainly doesn't distract from its other charms.
As with the last game, the graphics are brighter and more definitive. The game itself fits in with the challenges provided by previous games; the longer you play, the harder the grids become. The multiple colors allow a lot of diversity and with the option that doesn't unlock more colors until you have solved a good portion of the previous color makes for challenging play.
This is just a fun, happy game to enjoy at leisure. I highly recommend it.
I recommend this game!
Summer Adventure 2
Get ready to join Mary's family on their amazing summer vacation.
Overall rating
4
/
5
31 of 34 found this review helpful
LOTS OF VARIETY
PostedApril 8, 2019
arnold1049
fromApache Junction, AZ
Skill Level:Expert
Favorite Genre(s):Hidden Object, Mahjong, Match 3, Word
Fun Factor
4
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
5
/
5
Level of Challenge
5
/
5
This is a great HOG with lots of other puzzles included that provide a lot of variety to break up the HOS. I played the demo to the end and reached level 13. Forgot to check how many levels there were. The additional puzzles that I encountered included Match 3, jigsaw puzzles, search puzzles, and placing items in the right order. Another great addition was a HOS within the main HOS. You have to find the sparkles within the main HOS that allows you to go into the embedded HOS. Having the option to play timed or untimed modes is always a hit for me, as I always play the relaxed mode. There are hints available but not sure how fast they recharged. I rarely needed more than one hint for any scene. A magnifying glass was also available which really helped in finding the items. The graphics are bright and the items are well hidden, making the game challenging. The only con I have for the game is there is no explanation on what needs to be done to earn 3 stars. I never got more than one star for all the levels I played. Since I played the relaxed mode, I think that would not affect earning stars. If using a hint is one of the criteria, there were many levels that I did not use a hint, yet still only got one star. This was frustrating and reduced some of my enjoyment of the game. If you don't know what you are trying to achieve, it reduces the game to a pointless enterprise. If not for this, I would have given it 5 stars. But I still recommend this game and have purchased it immediately.
I recommend this game!
Forest Riddles returns with new locations and puzzles in the fairies' forest.
Overall rating
5
/
5
17 of 18 found this review helpful
GREAT SERIES CONTINUES
PostedApril 2, 2019
arnold1049
fromApache Junction, AZ
Skill Level:Expert
Favorite Genre(s):Card & Board, Hidden Object, Mahjong, Match 3, Word
Fun Factor
5
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
5
/
5
Level of Challenge
5
/
5
I completed the hour demo and found this game as good or better than the previous 3 games in this series. I played only the colored scenes, so I cannot offer an opinion on the monochrome scenes.
The scenes start out fairly simple but quickly increase in complexity, making the game more challenging. There are several options available that can be combined in many variations, making the game good for beginners all the way to expert players. The colors are more vibrant with greater contrast that solves the issue with previous games where it was hard to fill the squares without making mistakes because the colors were so similar.
This is a definite buy for me.
The scenes start out fairly simple but quickly increase in complexity, making the game more challenging. There are several options available that can be combined in many variations, making the game good for beginners all the way to expert players. The colors are more vibrant with greater contrast that solves the issue with previous games where it was hard to fill the squares without making mistakes because the colors were so similar.
This is a definite buy for me.
I recommend this game!