s_sgs's Profile
Stat Summary
- Average Rating:3.9
- Helpful Votes:3,617
- Reviews Submitted:99
- First Review:January 8, 2012
- Most Recent Review:October 24, 2013
- Featured reviews1
Status:
In order to save your life, your twin sister traded her soul to a witch. Now you must race through the looking glass to rescue her!
Overall rating
4
/
5
19 of 22 found this review helpful
FAST PACED FUN & HARPIES GALORE
PostedJune 10, 2013
s_sgs
fromUSA
Skill Level:Expert
Favorite Genre(s):Word, Adventure, Hidden Object, Large File, Puzzle
Fun Factor
4
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
4
/
5
Level of Challenge
3
/
5
Storyline
2
/
5
BASED ON COMPLETED GAME + BONUS CHAPTER, in Advanced, 2nd of 3 modes.
At start we are told the Bunny (ERS) is celebrating their 50th game with "Reveries". This game is beautifully designed and implemented with a fantasy-fairy-tale kingdom motif. The lush and ornate artwork combined with top-notch, beautifully rendered graphics make for some truly great sight-seeing.
In the MAIN GAME, the player plunges through the portal-looking glass into a fairy-tale kingdom to rescue her sister from a youth sucking witch. The BONUS CHAPTER was lengthy, a very fitting continuation of the main storyline, and retained the quality, attention to detail, and fun-factor on high until the very end. This is the best BONUS PLAY I have come across.
The creatures were terrific, with IMHO the BEST HARPIES to be found anywhere. Yikes! Imagine one of those feathery and furious beasties in your face before that first cup of coffee in the morning!
For me the game started slowly and when early on I came across a dazzling scene bordering on the gaudy (heavily bejeweled pathway, choked with flowers and greenery) that I feared the worst. Was this going to be one of those fantasy games that oozes into being about sticky-syrupy cuteness? --NOPE. False Alarm on all fronts.
After the initial scenes, the sparkling primary colors splashed everywhere gets toned down to the beautiful while at the same time the pace of the game starts hopping. Each scene is packed with a lot to see, do, and find which made me glad for the jump map as I needed to back track from time to time retrieving overlooked items.
There was a lot of VARIETY and FRESHNESS in the beautifully designed HOS and MINI-GAMES. The HOS included interactive list and progressive-silhouette. The MINI-GAMES were well integrated with the theme. Some I had seen before, some were new, but all cleverly designed, fun to play, and for the most part pretty easy.
COLLECTIBLES were in the form of Golden Fortune-Telling Walnuts that can reviewed at any point. However, the standout for me was in presentation of the achievements.
The ACHIEVEMENTS were accessible at any time showing a sapphire colored globe as a dance floor with each award a highly stylized Art Deco period woman in dramatic pose or a dancing couple. This was really lovely and unique.
Dislikes were few – Applying objects from inventory was at times all about location, location, location. It could prove aggravating getting the cursor in jjjjuuussssttttt the right place so the item is accepted. Sigh.
Nice to haves would include ability to customize game mode in order to turn off black bar hints, and confine sprinkles Another nicety would be no distracting drop downs congratulating me for completing a portion of the game successfully. These would have made for a 5 star game.
I recommend this game!
The lighthouse fails and darkness invades Willow Ridge. Your husband runs into the forest for answers, unaware of the shadow hunting him.
Overall rating
5
/
5
39 of 41 found this review helpful
HAD A BLAST - PROGRESSIVE FEATURES!
PostedJune 3, 2013
s_sgs
fromUSA
Skill Level:Expert
Favorite Genre(s):Word, Adventure, Hidden Object, Large File, Puzzle
Fun Factor
5
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
4
/
5
Level of Challenge
3
/
5
Storyline
3
/
5
BASED ON COMPLETED GAME + BONUS CHAPTER IN "CUSTOM", 4TH OF 4 MODES (Sparkles on HOS only, Black Bar Hints).
SUMMARY: Thoroughly Enjoyed beginning to end! Mad Head Games has turned out another winner. - The implementation of features such as "scene complete" and custom game mode is intuitive and polished. The same can be said of the thought and creativity that went into design and implementation of the collectibles, achievements, and the variety of iHOS (details below).
DETAILS
-------------------------------------------
STORY/THEME: A curse has lured the children into the dark forest never to return, so off we go with amulet & perky side-kick to dispel evil and return the children no harm done. The bonus chapter is "what might have been" had the curse been prevented. It is interesting but quickly completed and doesn't add much.
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STORY/THEME: A curse has lured the children into the dark forest never to return, so off we go with amulet & perky side-kick to dispel evil and return the children no harm done. The bonus chapter is "what might have been" had the curse been prevented. It is interesting but quickly completed and doesn't add much.
The best part of the story for me - creepy little Ethan & his even creepier song early on. Those cut-scenes aside, ambiance stays light, tongue in cheek, and fun, with a touch of the mysterious and sinister.
ARTWORK/GRAPHICS: This drawn world is beautiful, rich in detail, and well executed. There is a lot to see which is good because there is also a lot to find.
GAME MODES: Terrific variety of options - what does/doesn't sparkle, black bar hints on/off, recharge time, etc..
AREA COMPLETE: Love this feature & the ways it works in this game. Mouse-over to the right edge of the inventory bar and "scene complete" or "scene not complete" will show.
TOOLS:
--Journal. Back story and most of what is needed for mini-puzzles. It constantly beckoned to be re-opened with yellow sparkles on the right bottom screen. Sigh.
--Journal. Back story and most of what is needed for mini-puzzles. It constantly beckoned to be re-opened with yellow sparkles on the right bottom screen. Sigh.
--Jump Map. Concise, well done. Depending on mode selected, active areas are shown, along with areas complete, areas available.
--Sassy Side-Kick. Pops up in first chapter. Player even gets to name the little guy. He comes in handy a few times.
--Amulet. Best defense against "the darkness". Used frequently. The player is responsible for finding, charging, and fixing. Meh.
MUSIC/SOUND EFFECTS: Not intrusive, distracting, or annoying, but pleasingly blended with context of scene. I thoroughly enjoyed and did not turn down.
COLLECTIBLES: Several types - most not mentioned in SG or Tutorial so I won't mention either. Lots of fun with these but as always a few escaped my notice so no cigar-I mean award! Drat.
ACHIEVEMENTS: Three levels with achievements "padlocked" so players only find out what was achieved after the fact. --No distracting pop ups trumpeting every move through the game either. NICE!
IHOS: These were a blast. Several types throughout game. Items were ornate, detailed, and had variety.
MINI-GAMES: A couple pretty cool. The rest cleverly packaged and fun. Some we've seen/some a new spin. A number of them relied on matching pairs, fun with Runes, doing things in the correct order which got a little old.
ADVENTURE: As mentioned there are a lot of collectibles to "discover" and lots to find. Inventory items may need to be combined or additional actions required. -It's easy to miss items. Some, like the Oar, are very cleverly constructed making me laugh.
----------------------------------------
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ONLY A COUPLE OF NIT-PIKS
ENDING: To wind up the game we are left with a series of Rune-Themed mini-games to battle the evil. For example, slow response in matching Runes results in ever increasing screen-flashing tantrums from the opponent. On this one I might be alone but I felt badgered reducing the fun-factor.
VARIETY in MINI-GAME: Too many relied on matching pairs, turning things on in the correct order, and Runes, Runes, Runes. A couple of the puzzles were truly original and fun so it was a bummer to run into the same type over and over. For me this is the weakest part of the game.
BONUS CHAPTER: Didn't really add much meaning that if I were to purchase solely on merits of the bonus chapter, I would wait for the SE. Fortunately the myriad collectible and other bells and whistles make it well worth the CE price.
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I recommend this game!
After your student goes missing alongside several other children, it is up to you to solve the mystery of Everlake.
Overall rating
3
/
5
28 of 28 found this review helpful
TOP NOTCH FUN!!!, But Seriously-No Map? Why not 5 stars?
PostedJune 1, 2013
s_sgs
fromUSA
Skill Level:Expert
Favorite Genre(s):Word, Adventure, Hidden Object, Large File, Puzzle
Fun Factor
4
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
4
/
5
Level of Challenge
3
/
5
Storyline
4
/
5
BASED ON COMPLETED GAME + BONUS PLAY IN Expert (2nd of 2 Modes), no sparkles, few black bar hints.
SUMMARY: I agree with those who have said this game is among the best we have seen in a while. Unfortunately there are a couple of reasons to not give it top ratings. See "BEEFS" below.
This game balances mildly interactive, beautiful HOS, cleverly packaged and fun mini-games, and adventure very well in the main game.
GAME CONSTRUCT:
STORYLINE: TRUE, the "must.... save... .the..... chil... dren....gasp..." is worn almost threadbare, but somehow the main game is fresh and engaging with the bonus chapter falling short (see below).
ARTWORK/GRAPHICS: This is a beautiful game start to finish without a single throw-away scene. The whimsical fairy tale backdrop is gorgeous, rich in detail with a dash of mystery. The graphics were clear, crisp, and harmonious (?I guess that's the right word). --Lots of eye candy.
JOURNAL: YES. Referenced in mini-games & tracks back story. Like some others the journal and hint icons vie for attention with the nearly constant distraction of glittering, winking, and blinking.
MAP: NO. Seriously? This is a CE right? See "BEEFS" below.
OBJECTIVES: YES. Accessed from icon on left by inventory bar.
STRATEGY GUIDE: YES. Integrated & easy access top of screen. Used it to help with game instructions as the chalk-outline, visuals approach didn't work me me.
SASSY SIDE-KICK: NO.
AWARDS: NO.
MORPHING OBJECTS: NO.
COLLECTIBLES: YES. Masks in both main & bonus play.
AWARDS: NO.
MORPHING OBJECTS: NO.
COLLECTIBLES: YES. Masks in both main & bonus play.
iHOS: Mildly interactive (move a curtain, paint an object, find wings for the angel) and beautiful scenes were put together with care and attention to detail in main game. I love when the "oil lamp" found in one scene is very different than the "oil lamp" found in a later HOS.
MINI-GAMES: These were a hoot! I thoroughly enjoyed their cleverness, originality, beauty, and the way they blended seamlessly into to theme. Level of difficulty did vary but I found most to be easy.
ADVENTURE: Lots to find, combine, and figure out how to use throughout the game.
-------------------------------------
"BEEFS" - This is a beautiful, fun, creative game that should rate with the best. SO WHY NOT 5 STARS?
-------------------------------------
"BEEFS" - This is a beautiful, fun, creative game that should rate with the best. SO WHY NOT 5 STARS?
**NO MAP - Not just no jump map, but no map at all. Assembling items to accomplish something required several trips to other locations. Even the beautiful surroundings could not overcome the tedious back and forth wearing out my patience and e-shoe leather.
MINI-GAME INSTRUCTIONS: This one may be on me --- Instead of the traditional brief explanation - "match pairs of books" , the player gets a chalk-board with stick-figure-style outlines. For matching books we are shown outlines of a book shelf, books, and arrows.
UNSATISFYING BONUS CHAPTER - This starts with promise as a continuation of the main game. Unfortunately it quickly devolves into HOS after HOS with a few plain seen-it-before mini-games and lots of hand holding which was not present in the main game. At one point it takes around 6 steps and trips to various locations in order to start a fire. sigh.
MINI-GAME AT END WORST OF ALL: The ending of the bonus chapter very closely emulated "Otherworld: Spring of Shadows". -- The style and appearance where out of place and they were just un-fun. At the end of the bonus chapter, the player comes face to face with the evil one and his minions. The player must race against time locating the correct runes to throw at the enemy. Slow players like myself get our runes shuffled every few seconds. Once enough runes are tossed the enemies are vanquished with a boom - GAME OVER. -- Reminiscent of an 80s Arcade game.
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I do highly recommend this game as for the most part it is beautiful, detailed, and high on "Fun-Factor! Just know you won't get a map or a cool ending.
The SE might be a better value given the CE doesn't offer the bells & whistles many expect.
I recommend this game!
Investigate strange goings-on in the eerie town of Fort Nightingale!
Overall rating
4
/
5
24 of 26 found this review helpful
All The Right Stuff! No wacky gimmicks just old school fun
PostedMay 9, 2013
s_sgs
fromUSA
Skill Level:Expert
Favorite Genre(s):Word, Adventure, Hidden Object, Large File, Puzzle
Fun Factor
4
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
4
/
5
Level of Challenge
2
/
5
Storyline
3
/
5
BASED ON COMPLETED GAME IN EXPERT (2nd of 2 modes), no sparkles, few black bar hints.
This game far and away exceeded expectations, maintaining a good balance of highly interactive HOS, mini-game, and adventure, and beautiful artwork throughout.
Others have noted the resemblance to the cult classic movie "Village of the Damned".-Other than 10 children with white hair and silver eyes, I did not see the similarities. As far as the storyline goes it was very cohesive and offered a nice twist at the end, which I didn't see coming. - I love when that happens!
The jump map and journal are excellent and frequently referenced. Given that the game covers a variety of locations the well constructed jump map saved a lot of e-shoe leather which kept up the pace of the game, maintaining the all-important "FUN-FACTOR".
GAME CONSTRUCT:
ARTWORK/GRAPHICS: Scenes were well designed, in keeping with the theme/storyline, and most were beautiful,-Even an abandoned orphanage managed to avoid looking run-down and depressing. Some scenes were a little dark around the edges which for me was not a problem as it added to the ambiance.
MORPHING OBJECTS/ACHIEVEMENTS: There are 40, one in each scene. The map tracks overlooked morphing items. No achievements or trophies - fine by me. My interest in Collector's editions is the integrated Strategy Guide. The incessant pop-ups announcing achievements I find distracting.
HINTS/STRATEGY GUIDE: I used hints on a couple of the HOS and they were very good. I referenced the SG a few times and had a little trouble navigating through as it is organized by area, not sequence of events. I stopped using it because a couple of times I accidentally picked up info I didn't want. This game could have used an SG that tracked with game play which would avoid those accidental spoilers caused by paging back and forth to find the right location.
iHOS: I usually see these as the necessary evil to get to the fun stuff - Adventure & mini-games. In this case the HOS were thoroughly enjoyable. They alternated between list with high interaction and pics of items to be added back into a scene. There was no over-crowding or junk piles. Scenes were crisp and nice eye-candy.
MINI-GAMES: Nothing new -- Push objects around to reveal something underneath, pattern matching, pressing the right sequence of runes/buttons, identifying what is common between two images, repairing a stained glass window, etc. Instructions were simple and straight forward.
ADVENTURE: Lots to find and pick up. Most were not difficult to figure out how to use, but I did resort to the SG a couple of times.
VOICE OVERS/MUSIC/AMBIANCE: These were all fine though I kept the volume down. I am fine with reading the lines and don't like the distraction of incessant stormy weather sounds.
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SUMMARY - HIGHLY RECOMMEND
I thoroughly enjoyed the "sci-fi" storyline as well as the variety in types of HOS. Though the mini-games were not challenging or new they were dressed up nicely to fit the theme. This is just a fun game, with a cool premise, great graphics, and interesting things to find and do.
I recommend this game!
Join Esther as she attempts to influence the past in order to change the future and learn the secrets of the Ambrose family!
Overall rating
2
/
5
31 of 31 found this review helpful
I don't get the attraction - TEDIOUS!
PostedMay 2, 2013
s_sgs
fromUSA
Skill Level:Expert
Favorite Genre(s):Word, Adventure, Hidden Object, Large File, Puzzle
Fun Factor
1
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
3
/
5
Level of Challenge
1
/
5
Storyline
2
/
5
BASED ON GAME PLAY IN EXPERT MODE - Still sparkles on HOS.
Based on the wildly rave reviews I was expecting something polished, imaginative, fun, and interesting. This game is none of these things. It is extremely tedious and time consuming without much beauty or action to keep things lively.
There is one gimmick and it is put to constant use- A special time portal device requiring at least 3 clicks to get the gamer deposited into to different points in time and space.
Based on the game construct the player hops back and forth and back and forth and back and forth to these various eras and places acquiring odds and ends to make potions, repair tools, find odd-ball shapes that will open something that also contains an odd-ball shape for later use.
HOS are mildly interactive, not creative or intricate. Match-3 is an alternate to each HOS, but somehow even that is made trying. A nice feature is that clicking on a list item will reveal the shape.
Mini-Games are few and easy to pass by without realizing much has happened. Many were push these stones or these metal hands or these levers in the correct order.
I don't recommend this game for those who love HOS because there isn't much to see or do. The items are very mundane and without detail.
I don't recommend this game for those who love mini-games or puzzles because there isn't much there either.
Maybe this is one for those who like adventure, although I didn't find much of that either.
As always I applaud the hard work that went into constructing any game and am glad that so many enjoy it. It's just that for me it's a zero and I can't recommend.
I don't recommend this game.
Track down a missing detective and fight an evil curse!
Overall rating
5
/
5
42 of 45 found this review helpful
This One is A Winner! I'd play it again
PostedMay 1, 2013
s_sgs
fromUSA
Skill Level:Expert
Favorite Genre(s):Word, Adventure, Hidden Object, Large File, Puzzle
Fun Factor
5
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
4
/
5
Level of Challenge
4
/
5
Storyline
4
/
5
BASED ON COMPLETED GAME + BONUS CHAPTER in ADVANCED, the 2nd of 3 modes, HOS sparkle, few black bar hints.
I thoroughly enjoyed the originality of the very interactive and original HOS, the clever and somewhat challenging mini-games, and the adventure. -There are a lot of things to find. There were only a couple of let downs - Not enough to reduce it from 5 stars though.
This is a good choice for those who pay attention to the artwork and enjoy a balance between HOS, mini-games, and adventure. The story does deal a bit with the occult and the collectables are scorpions so that will be an automatic turn-off for some.
GAME CONSTRUCT
-------------------------
STORYLINE: A friend gets wrapped up with a Shaman and an enchanted map and must be saved. The bonus chapter was an epilogue and disappointment - HOS after HOS after HOS with originality left behind.
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STORYLINE: A friend gets wrapped up with a Shaman and an enchanted map and must be saved. The bonus chapter was an epilogue and disappointment - HOS after HOS after HOS with originality left behind.
JOURNAL: Very good. Frequently referenced for mini-games. No need to write anything down.
WACKY-SIDE-KICK: There is none. THANKS TEAM!
MAP: Ok. No jumping to location but a snapshot for each area visited. A fair amount of schlepping back and forth but not enough to be tedious.
ARTWORK/GRAPHICS: Truly excellent. HOS items well crafted and in keeping with Shaman/Western Indian theme. Terrific variety of scenes between the first part of the game that takes place in and around a mansion and the latter half that takes place at an archeological dig in the desert.
iHOS: The game is a bit front-loaded with the really interesting scenes in the first hour (during trial play). As others have mentioned, they are highly interactive and some resemble the Ravenhearst series in that a series of steps are required to complete the scene. I absolutely LOVED these! Unfortunately, none to be found later in game play.
MINI-GAMES: These also were in keeping with the theme, original, and fun. They ran the gamut from moving circles to form Sun and Moon to open a door, open a suitcase by matching colors and letters, to cracking codes and pattern matching. All fun, fun, fun with variety and originality to end of game.
COLLECTIBLES: There are 50 scorpions to find and though kind of creepy (I mean they're scorpions) came in all shapes and size and artfully hidden in plain sight.
ACHIEVEMENTS: Yes, all the typical fare- Completing iHOS and Mini-Puzzles without hints, finding the collectables, completing game at selected difficulty.
MUSIC/CONTROLS: Music was down most the time and didn't add much for me. Level of difficulty could be changed at any point in the game.
NOW FOR THE LET DOWNS:
THE BEST COMES FIRST: As mentioned the game is front loaded with the best of the highly interactive HOS at the beginning. Originality and level of interaction decline as game progresses though the quality of artwork and graphics remain crisp, clear, and beautiful.
BONUS CHAPTER DISAPPOINTS: It starts in the right place-back at the mansion with the dead body of a Shaman upstairs that needs some explanation. It was not clever and inventory came from HOS after HOS after HOS. Yawn.
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I do highly recommend this game for those who want quality of HOS and mini-game over quantity and who would not get creeped out by scorpions ias collectibles.
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I do highly recommend this game for those who want quality of HOS and mini-game over quantity and who would not get creeped out by scorpions ias collectibles.
Job well done and I Hope to continue to see more like this.
I recommend this game!
Wordary
Push your lexical skills to the limit! Wordary is an original and addictive word game that the whole family can enjoy.
Overall rating
2
/
5
12 of 15 found this review helpful
Ye Gods - Oh so tedious & Not my cup o' tea.
PostedApril 19, 2013
s_sgs
fromUSA
Skill Level:Expert
Favorite Genre(s):Word, Adventure, Hidden Object, Large File, Puzzle
Current Favorite:
Bookworm Adventures
(27)Fun Factor
1
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
3
/
5
Level of Challenge
2
/
5
So I love Picross and have found so far "Arizona Rose and the Pirates Riddles" to be head and shoulders above the rest. I also love word games with "Bookworm Adventures" my current favorite.
In trying to branch out to something new I thought the construct of working with 3 wheels with letters might be fun. It's not. It's painfully tedious requiring a methodical step by step process suspiciously like my day job.
On the upside there are many play options that include no racing against time which I really appreciate, so there is time to build words.
So ends the upside -
The music is maniacal-carnival style so that got turned off.
The music is maniacal-carnival style so that got turned off.
Game play felt like a day in the office with endlessly repetitive paperwork. It's possible I completely missed the boat, but this is what I experienced
-Identify all possible variations of each word that can be conceived. As example, if starting with 'lit", move on to alit, lite, liter, liters, building until no more words found after rotating through all combos of the wheels. This includes working backward for -- Til, Tile, Tiles, riles, ..., well you get the drift. There are a *LOT* of mundane variables.
After an hour of play stats showed that thousands of words combinations remained. Honestly this felt more like busy work than a vocabulary builder or brain teaser.
I'm glad for all those who find the game fun and relaxing. --It is just not my cup of tea and I can't recommend.
I don't recommend this game.
Discover the secrets of your family’s past on a mystical island!
Overall rating
5
/
5
44 of 48 found this review helpful
Elegant in Detail, Unique in Game Play - Well Worth Price!
PostedApril 17, 2013
s_sgs
fromUSA
Skill Level:Expert
Favorite Genre(s):Word, Adventure, Hidden Object, Large File, Puzzle
Fun Factor
5
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
5
/
5
Level of Challenge
3
/
5
Storyline
3
/
5
Kudos PuzzleLab for Superb artwork/graphics and unique features building fun factor to the very last keystroke!
BASED ON COMPLETED GAME in EXPERT (2nd of 2 MODES), no sparkles, glints, but yes, black bar hints.
SUMMARY: The most I've enjoyed any game in some time. Unique features introduced making iHOS flat-out fun and interesting. I confess to be one of "those" people viewing iHOS as the necessary evil to get to mini-games. :) Not so here. iHOS were FUN. Mini-Games while easy, were refreshingly unique and FUN. ALL was very detailed and gorgeous. The artwork and graphics truly stunning. Storyline held together almost to the end. Bonus chapter is an epilogue. Some nit-piks dislikes detailed below.
GAME CONSTRUCT
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STORYLINE: A 25 year old man is told to find his parents on a remote island where he will also discover his special powers. Things unraveled a bit at the end and the bonus chapter didn't help. If you've seen "The Paradise Syndrome", original Star Trek, you know the this story.
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STORYLINE: A 25 year old man is told to find his parents on a remote island where he will also discover his special powers. Things unraveled a bit at the end and the bonus chapter didn't help. If you've seen "The Paradise Syndrome", original Star Trek, you know the this story.
ARTISTRY/GRAPHICS: Gorgeous, gorgeous game to the last detail. Instead of a plain chisel with wooden handle, we pick up a stylish tool with a fiery dragon tail handle. Until the last portion of the game, any items picked up in HOS or in a scene were ornate and lovely in and of themselves.
JOURNAL: One of the best I've seen. Island History section has the nice touch of crediting the artists for artwork that was reproduced. The journal kept track of events and codes for mini-games. There was a schematic for mapping abilities based on jewels in the Amulet (explained later).
MAP: Yes a jump map and very nice too. I opted not to use it much as it shows areas with tasks to do. It did come in handy when I got out of sync with the journal and the game requiring that I backtrack to complete the missed task.
STRATEGY GUIDE: No comment. Did not use.
HINT: No comment. Did not use.
HINT: No comment. Did not use.
TASKS: Our hero's job was largely to prove himself by gaining access to various parts of the island. There was very little schlepping around to find random items in order to get something from someone else. THIS I very much liked. See nit-pik dislike below.
ACCESS TO DOORS/GATES/CHESTS: Our hero gained special powers to open doors and gates through an amulet gradually populated with colorful stones and partnered with a "controller". This is one place the story fell down-his new found powers seemed limited to gates and doors. Chests typically opened with keys rather than mini-games.
iHOS: There are a decent number, but not one in every scene. The attraction for me, a "non-HOSer", was a) the gimmick of a time portal reverting each area to a different time and a separate list, b) the gorgeous and unique artwork, and c) the ability to find an item by bringing up a scrabble style game when stumped.
MINi-GAMES: There was a good number of these. A lot of originality here.We duplicate a pattern line by line on a printer for later use. A gate of flowers and leaves must be reconstructed. A wonderful puzzle in a puzzle in a puzzle, at the entrance to the underground tunnel was my favorite. All beautiful. All detailed and original. All shamelessly easy.
ADVENTURE: There were a number of items to find, some well hidden. Some not available the first or second pass through an area. Unfortunately black bar hints led our hero by the nose as to how to use them. Thankfully there were no potions to concoct. I very much liked that there were few pass through only scenes. Most involved a good amount of activity.
VOICE OVERS: These were ok with Gloria, the little girl as the exception. She was over the top try too hard. The clock maker wasn't much better and in the other direction-slow in thought and speech.
MUSIC: Fine. Tranquil. Unobtrusive.
ACHIEVEMENTS/AWARDS: None. This I like. Those constant pop-ups showing achievements throughout a game are distracting.
MORPHING/SPECIAL OBJECTS: None. This I also like. Sometimes the need to search each scene for these is also distracting.
SO WHAT'S NOT TO LIKE ABOUT THIS GAME? (Nit-Pik Dislikes)
------------------------------------------------
CONFUSED STORYLINE AT END: Things fray and fizzle until the end is just about what we find in every game. The bonus chapter serves as an epilogue. While it is beautiful, it doesn't clear things up.
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CONFUSED STORYLINE AT END: Things fray and fizzle until the end is just about what we find in every game. The bonus chapter serves as an epilogue. While it is beautiful, it doesn't clear things up.
BLACK BAR HINTS and MAP HINTS: The player should have the opportunity to turn these off. I love jump maps but don't want to get clues in the form of where I should be. The black bars are blatant also denying the gamer from using their own brain.
TASK BAR bottom left of screen: Not useful as rarely showed complete list. Several times displayed an empty balloon despite fact that many tasks were in play.
All else I loved. Great game. Folks who like HOS will like it but might feel deprived that there aren't more. Mini-game fans will have fun with variety and beauty, but might chaff at having no challenge. Adventure folks will probably like this game as there is much to do, but it is light weight when compared with real adventure games like Siberia.
I highly recommend this game and hope it raises the bar on artwork so we stop seeing the same ol' same ol' stuff.
I recommend this game!
Bookworm Adventures
Battle through books in a spelling sensation of epical proportions! Bookworm Adventures is the ultimate test of vocabularic valor!
Overall rating
5
/
5
15 of 21 found this review helpful
Extremely Addictive Wordplay, Fun, Fun, Fun...
PostedApril 2, 2013
s_sgs
fromUSA
Skill Level:Expert
Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Hidden Object, Large File, Puzzle
Fun Factor
5
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
5
/
5
Level of Challenge
5
/
5
Storyline
5
/
5
For anyone into word games this is a keeper that never disappoints!
It's a lot of game for the money. There are so many levels new facets and twist and turns that it takes a long while before reaching the end.
Lex, our bookworm has adventures and missions that take place in various parts of the world and the underworld. Along the way he faces all manner of evil and scary, yet funny opponents.
The object is for Lex to destroy the beasties by creating words from a given block of tiles with letters. Once mission accomplished, Lex receives a reward such as increased strength or health.
The graphics are crisp, bright, and colorful, in cartoon style without being gaudy. There is humor woven throughout with even the Medusa cracking wise. Smack talk and missions are given via text without voice overs. This is a-ok by me.
I haven't come across another game in this genre that compares. This is the only one I play as the others seem drab and dull. Somehow a simple wordplay game converts to action scenarios - all fun and funny with challenge.
If Lex runs out of steam and meets his demise, he is directed to play some fun and clever mini-games that replenish his resources so he is locked and loaded to re-start where he left off.
This game is for kids of all ages and once started is tough to stop. It's an hour past bedtime so just one more level...3 hours later --- maybe just one more.....yeah, I'll stop then...
Kudos to the company and team that put this game together and continues to enhance it. It has evolved quite a bit since I first discovered it a couple of years ago.
Fun, fun, fun wordplay.
I recommend this game!
Solve riddles and find Hidden Objects in Hidden Object Crossword, a unique blend of two incredible styles of gameplay!
Overall rating
1
/
5
45 of 50 found this review helpful
Good Idea + Tragic Implementation = Big Disappointment.
PostedMarch 30, 2013
s_sgs
fromUSA
Skill Level:Expert
Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Hidden Object, Large File, Puzzle
Fun Factor
2
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
2
/
5
Level of Challenge
3
/
5
The premise of this game sounds great as did most of the reviews. - Supposedly beautiful hidden object scenes with riddles that identify the objects.
This is such a cool idea I was completely surprised to find our how painfully and pitifully the game was implemented. What a waste!
The graphics are low grade, grainy, and dark. They seem to be a combination of poor photography and hand drawing, with scenes dowdy, not original, interesting, or attractive.
Adding to the run-down, trashy look each scene is piled high junk pile style. Scenes are so densely packed that even some larger items like a fence and a door in one scene are just not visible. Random clicking didn't help with the hint button being the only answer.
It's not all bad - Riddles are shown at the top of the screen with arrows on each side to allow scrolling to different words. Below the riddle is the word that reflects any letters that have been uncovered. This part is fine.
The riddles themselves are not bad at all - some are pretty good. In fact, this is just about the only thing likeable about this game.
The rest of the interface is cumbersome and just not fun.
When an item is found the player cannot move on until letters spelling out the object finish their leisurely flow into the empty spaces at the top of the screen and a chalkboard with the crossword and current status completes it crawl up the screen. - This happens E-V-E-R-Y T-I-M-E an item is found.
All of this is timed, so added to the drab, tacky scenery is frustration at being stalled amidst floating letters and a crawling chalkboard that also gradually spelling out the word which can bring on a little motion sickness.
Yikes this is one miserable implementation. So disappointing.
I don't recommend this game.