LogieBaby's Profile
Stat Summary
- Average Rating:3.6
- Helpful Votes:12,354
- Reviews Submitted:375
- First Review:December 24, 2011
- Most Recent Review:July 5, 2024
- Featured reviews0
Status:
Come celebrate Christmas with these holiday themed puzzles and help the residents of Gizmoland bring on the Christmas cheer!
Overall rating
4
/
5
5 of 6 found this review helpful
There is good about Gizmo.....and there is bad too
PostedDecember 13, 2014
LogieBaby
fromsome really good grids but the game has flaws
Skill Level:Expert
Favorite Genre(s):Word, Hidden Object, Card & Board, Brain Teaser
Fun Factor
3
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
2
/
5
Level of Challenge
5
/
5
Storyline
2
/
5
The Gizmo nanogram series I'd imagine is fantastic for those players who just cannot get enough grid games. Years ago when the World Mosaics came out I thought they were very good with the exception of too many easy grids early on. The best part of the WMs was some semblance of a story. When the Fantasy Mosaics were introduced, I saw an improvement and the FMs 4 and 5 are now the standard by which all grid games must be compared.
As to the Gizmos themselves, there are many tough puzzles. I got up to #19 of the initial group during the hour demo. I never use hints when playing nanograms, it's all trial and error. I failed on 2 of the 19. Gizmos have no hand holding while a particular grid is attempted and that's a good thing. Now for the bad: I find the constant voiceovers of : magnificent, ho-ho-ho, spectacular etc. annoying to no end.
Furthermore the grids when completed do not necessarily resemble the image posted after the grid is finished. I also dislike the occasional jigsaw puzzle interspersed during the game. They can be skipped. I'd rather they not be there at all. Whenever I want a game that is not my usual HOg or HOPA, I now spend some time with Fantasy Mosaic 4 or 5 and always have time for one of my all time favorites, the outstanding game of Banana Bugs. I liked doing the hour demo of this Gizmo, however it's not on my buy list. As I stated earlier, I do recommend it for those players who really dig this style of game.
Furthermore the grids when completed do not necessarily resemble the image posted after the grid is finished. I also dislike the occasional jigsaw puzzle interspersed during the game. They can be skipped. I'd rather they not be there at all. Whenever I want a game that is not my usual HOg or HOPA, I now spend some time with Fantasy Mosaic 4 or 5 and always have time for one of my all time favorites, the outstanding game of Banana Bugs. I liked doing the hour demo of this Gizmo, however it's not on my buy list. As I stated earlier, I do recommend it for those players who really dig this style of game.
I recommend this game!
You've been called to investigate a strange purple tide. And that's when the mermaid shows up...
Overall rating
5
/
5
96 of 108 found this review helpful
Dark Parables are among the best fantasy games
PostedDecember 12, 2014
LogieBaby
fromEnter Prasino at your own risk !!
Skill Level:Expert
Favorite Genre(s):Word, Hidden Object, Card & Board, Brain Teaser
Fun Factor
5
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
5
/
5
Level of Challenge
4
/
5
Storyline
4
/
5
The Little Mermaid is another example of how well a PC game can be made. The folks at Blue Tea never fail to provide outstanding fare. With this installment in the series, another well known fairy tale is presented with twists and turns that look nothing like the original story. This is part of the appeal to the DP stories. In this case the detective must find her way to the undersea world of Prasino and perform the deeds necessary to save the day. As is always the case with DP games, the graphics are stunning, the fractured object scenes are a delight with some segments of the items to be put together cleverly hidden. There are interesting puzzles and lots of interactive items that need to be picked up and used somewhere. The jump map is very easy to navigate when necessary. I bought the CE version last month and it is the one I recommend first and foremost. For those players on a tighter budget and those who never get CEs this SE will not disappoint. When I think of what was to me a rather lame effort yesterday with the Christmas Eve offering and try to compare it with Little Mermaid, well there is no comparison. This DP is the superior effort. For those totally unfamiliar with Dark Parable games, if there are any, do not hesitate for a moment to give any of these fine Blue Tea games a whirl. You won't be sorry you did.
I recommend this game!
Christmas Eve: Midnight's Call Collector's Edition
Do you have what it takes to save Christmas?
Overall rating
3
/
5
57 of 80 found this review helpful
Happy to not be a resident of Snow Hill
PostedDecember 11, 2014
LogieBaby
fromIsn't this game a couple of weeks early?
Skill Level:Expert
Favorite Genre(s):Word, Hidden Object, Card & Board, Brain Teaser
Fun Factor
3
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
3
/
5
Level of Challenge
4
/
5
Storyline
3
/
5
Two sisters are mysteriously separated while ice skating on a frozen pond in Central Park when one of them presses a star shaped medallion. It opens a portal and one sister is sucked into an eddy. Years later the other sister receives another message, one of many over the years as she believes her sister is missing and not dead. She travels by car to the site of the disappearance when she acquires the medallion, reinserts it within its rock and is transported to Snow Hill. She meets Leonardo who explains there is an evil sorceress of sorts who wants to gain enough power with which she be able to control not only her own world but also that of the surviving sister. She then becomes acquainted with Robert, a scientist who has spent years devising an item which will open a portal to where the missing sister is. The sorceress installs obstacles in an attempt to thwart our heroine from performing her required objective. The demo ends ( it's a short demo as well which I completed in 35 minutes ) when the player learns the sorceress in none other than the missing sister. That was no surprise. The game did not enthrall me to the point that I will rush to buy it. As you can well read here, I don't even recall the names of the sisters. As in any HOPA we obtain items which will interact with others to further the game. The demo contained only one traditional HO segment. It was heavy on interactive items and a couple of puzzles that need lots of thought. That's the good part of Midnight's Call. The mediocre part is the story line. This is merely a rehash of tales we have seen countless times. I am sure the sorceress sister will not be vanquished. Instead she will see the errors of her ways and become a good girl again and all will live happily everafter. I won't be around to see it for myself as Christmas Eve just does not hold my attention to the point where I will make a purchase. There are some collectible items for those of you who cannot get enough of them. They merely decorate the New York apartment of the good sister for the holiday. Hopefully we fans of BFG will be presented with an outstanding game sometime soon as a holiday gift. This surely is not it as ERS hasn't provided anything up to its usual fine standards.
I don't recommend this game.
An unexpected invitation sends you to research mythical standing stones in Brittany.
Overall rating
3
/
5
38 of 61 found this review helpful
If I hadn't seen this game 100 times, I'd buy it
PostedDecember 9, 2014
LogieBaby
fromPurple Moon gets a very big MEH !!
Skill Level:Expert
Favorite Genre(s):Word, Hidden Object, Card & Board, Brain Teaser
Fun Factor
4
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
3
/
5
Level of Challenge
4
/
5
Storyline
2
/
5
Orchid Games is a new developer if I am not mistaken. This company has created a decent game. Unfortunately it is a game that has been done countless times already. Our heroine, Liz, is summoned to Brittany to prevent an incarnation of the devil himself from escaping bonds fashioned by Druids. The evil creature will be released when a comet appears at the right place and time. Liz has 7 hours to perform her duties. She begins in a French town and completes tasks ( in the form of HO segments and puzzles ) . Liz then encounters a fisherman who will transport her to a mysterious island but she naturally needs to do something for the fisherman first off. Why do a lot of these games do this? Why can't the fisherman just get her to the island without her finding something? He knows the awaiting perils. One would think he'd be in a hurry to be of help. Somehow Liz gets to the island in a sailboat, one whose sail is furled!! How the boat moves is beyond me. Then when she arrives, the boat sail is opened and filled with wind. Not good Orchid!! Liz is then faced with more feats to perform, again in the form of standard HOPA fare. I will admit the HO segments are well done and varied. There is one list HO, a couple of fractured HOs and another where one item is found and used to acquire another item and the cycle continues. There are some challenging puzzles, however I found the instructions for some of them to be rather poor. There are 40 collectible runes and 70 or so mistletoe. Why this plant, who knows? Perhaps it's because Christmas is but a couple weeks away. Liz eventually frees Michael who is the man who originally summoned her. He is actually one of the bad guys or a minion of the evildoers. Time will tell which he is. I finished the hour demo well into hour 3 of Liz's quest. This does not lead me to believe the game has any length. The game map is virtually useless. The characters are extremely wooden, the voiceovers have some of them with lip movement and other not so. It bugs me when this happens. Do one or the other but not both!! Graven isn't a disaster of a game but I'll pass on it since the story is old hat and the gameplay itself is not compelling enough to overcome that which veteran HOPA players have seen time and time again. Had this game been presented 5 years ago, players would probably jump at it. Newcomers to the genre may find it interesting, but not me. I recommend it for the newbies but for those who have been playing PC games a long time it's a no go. I hope Orchid Games refines itself as the developer shows some promise.
I don't recommend this game.
Another bloodcurdling tale ripped from the pages of history. This time, the horrifying legend of Elizabeth Bathory is yours to discover!
Overall rating
5
/
5
70 of 92 found this review helpful
At last: a vampire story with teeth !!
PostedDecember 6, 2014
LogieBaby
fromThe canines are sharpened in this one
Skill Level:Expert
Favorite Genre(s):Word, Hidden Object, Card & Board, Brain Teaser
Fun Factor
5
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
4
/
5
Level of Challenge
3
/
5
Storyline
5
/
5
I generally shun vampire games for the simple reason that the vamps in PC games are usually not allowed to do that which is their wont, drinking blood. Is it some sort of PC game censorship that prevents our seeing what is natural and necessary for vampires? Therefore I was initially intrigued by the opening cut scene which illustrated a victim whose neck was bitten and a bit of a blood trail shown. This in and of itself compelled me to go further. The setting is Hungary and Elizabeth Bathory is evidently a powerful vampiress who has abducted several young ladies. The detective's objective is to stop Bathory and rescue the damsels in distress. We begin outside in a courtyard in which certain items must be gathered via hidden object segments and sometimes merely by picking up items that will be of use. I liked that the HO segments were not the standard list variety. Silhouettes are used and some of these HOs involved finding thematic items involving time, music, etc. It's a nice twist out of the ordinary. We meet some folks along the way, a monk and an innkeeper during the demo, and we are tasked with procuring items beneficial to these people. As in some other games, our detective who is a gypsy by the way has her wagon in which she can create potions by finding seed packets and then watering them to use with recipes . She also is clairvoyant and can with the assist of pictures that must be realigned by the player " read " something of significance. There is much travelling from location to location, a jump map is included but I found the map to be a bit of a distraction. The puzzles are fairly easy during the demo. There are collectible tarot cards which when found are described in detail. How these cards affect the game is yet to be determined. I also liked that the detective when speaking does so with an Eastern European accent which lends some authenticity to her surroundings. If only the other characters did likewise...............
The demo ends when the detective finds Elizabeth and the kidnapped women and an old hag tells us in essence there is the devil to pay. The animation is a bit stunted and the graphics are a tad grainy yet overall the game has eye appeal. I hope the remainder of the game is as bloodcurdling as BFG's promo indicates. An occasional gory game fits the bill. The developer who to my recollection is a new one has fashioned a very good game. Try it out. As with me you may find it to be something worth sinking teeth into.
The demo ends when the detective finds Elizabeth and the kidnapped women and an old hag tells us in essence there is the devil to pay. The animation is a bit stunted and the graphics are a tad grainy yet overall the game has eye appeal. I hope the remainder of the game is as bloodcurdling as BFG's promo indicates. An occasional gory game fits the bill. The developer who to my recollection is a new one has fashioned a very good game. Try it out. As with me you may find it to be something worth sinking teeth into.
I recommend this game!
Help Meredith retrieve the ancient tomes and stop the Wizard’s wrath in this hidden object adventure!
Overall rating
4
/
5
24 of 26 found this review helpful
for a soft release it's surprisingly good
PostedDecember 5, 2014
LogieBaby
fromthe Wizard is a really bad dude
Skill Level:Expert
Favorite Genre(s):Word, Hidden Object, Card & Board, Brain Teaser
Fun Factor
4
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
3
/
5
Level of Challenge
4
/
5
Storyline
4
/
5
When yesterday's new game the Tin Soldier was introduced, I was underwhelmed. Today I noticed that Myths of Orion accompanied the aforementioned and for me this game outshines the primary release by a long shot. The story is nothing new. An evil and powerful wizard created books of power, law and magic and used them to dominate. An enchantress named Salina stole the books and hid herself quite well from the wizard by venturing to parts unknown. She had a daughter Ariel who learned all her mother's spells. Salina passed on and Ariel is an old woman. She summons her grandaughter Meredith to take over the task of guarding the 3 books. Unfortunately minions of the wizard have stolen the books and Meredith is tasked with finding them and preventing the wizard from reacquiring these tomes.Meredith has certain powers that she can use and I'm sure she will get stronger as the game progresses.
Meredith of course must find items to aid in her quest. There are things laying around and merely picked up, some are found within standard hidden object segments. The HO scenes are very well done. The screen shot looks more photographic than drawn and the items are very well hidden " in plain sight " which is always a pleasant challenge to the game player. There are puzzles and some are tough enough that I skipped a couple ( during the demo ). There are also some items which must be constructed by finding parts of the item and then assembling it at a specific location. An example is making a fishing net by obtaining 3 parts and putting it together. As the saga continues, Meredith is able to teleport into the land of the Orcs. There she must complete necessary deeds standard in all HOPAs.
There are also the lands of men and elves that will be traversed.
I used up the entire hour of the demo and this game has enough appeal that I will buy it. It's not the best of the fantasy games, not by a long shot. It is also very far from the worst. As I have stated many times, the story is for me the guiding principle in my decision to buy or not. Are there some development slips here? Sure, one being Meredith being able to douse a raging fire with a mere bucket of water. Cateia Games is the developer, one I am not familiar with. This group has created something that I am enjoying. Try it, I think you'll like it as well.
Meredith of course must find items to aid in her quest. There are things laying around and merely picked up, some are found within standard hidden object segments. The HO scenes are very well done. The screen shot looks more photographic than drawn and the items are very well hidden " in plain sight " which is always a pleasant challenge to the game player. There are puzzles and some are tough enough that I skipped a couple ( during the demo ). There are also some items which must be constructed by finding parts of the item and then assembling it at a specific location. An example is making a fishing net by obtaining 3 parts and putting it together. As the saga continues, Meredith is able to teleport into the land of the Orcs. There she must complete necessary deeds standard in all HOPAs.
There are also the lands of men and elves that will be traversed.
I used up the entire hour of the demo and this game has enough appeal that I will buy it. It's not the best of the fantasy games, not by a long shot. It is also very far from the worst. As I have stated many times, the story is for me the guiding principle in my decision to buy or not. Are there some development slips here? Sure, one being Meredith being able to douse a raging fire with a mere bucket of water. Cateia Games is the developer, one I am not familiar with. This group has created something that I am enjoying. Try it, I think you'll like it as well.
I recommend this game!
The Rat King's wand has fallen into the hands of a vengeful baron. Team up with your new friend, the Tin Soldier, to stop him!
Overall rating
3
/
5
45 of 124 found this review helpful
I thought it would be good for kids....was I ever wrong !!
PostedDecember 4, 2014
LogieBaby
fromAcquire or replay the Nutcracker and avoid this game
Skill Level:Expert
Favorite Genre(s):Word, Hidden Object, Card & Board, Brain Teaser
Fun Factor
2
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
4
/
5
Level of Challenge
4
/
5
Storyline
2
/
5
When the Nutcracker came out last year I found it quite charming and innocent. I bought it and had a wonderful time playing it with a 7 year old grandson. He thoroughly enjoyed the game. I don't feel as though this game is appropriate for anyone under teenage status. I do not want to involve a youngster with a game that has as part of its focus a war, getting a main character shot and losing a leg as a result. There is time enough when kids get older to be introduced to the trials and tribulations of the real world. So for me the Tin Soldier surely does not work on that level. As an adult, I found the story somewhat preposterous. I realize there must be a degree of poetic license in developing games that have an actual tale to work from. In this case, the Hans Christian Anderson fable is stretched almost beyond recognition. Therefore the story totally fails to garner my attention. The game does have some pluses. Visually it is stunning. The game has some very interesting puzzles and some of them need lots of thought to successfully complete. There are collectible jigsaw pieces and some other items that I fail to recall what they are since the game did not grab me enough to ever care what they were. I'm not a big fan of games that are limited to a particular holiday. A game must be highly interesting of its own accord for me to consider a purchase. Tin Soldier doesn't cut it. As the Christmas season gets nearer, I'll probably revisit the Nutcracker game which is quite good. I give this installment 3 stars because it is not a totally bad game, yet it is one that i cannot recommend primarily due to the story line. This is a season of joy and hope for better things to come. A story that includes war, severe injury and kidnapping is far from joy and hope. Too bad, this might have been fun were it more pleasant in the story.
I don't recommend this game.
Solve crosswords to find the hidden objects! Enjoy the sequel to one of the most successful mix of word and hidden objects game genre!
Overall rating
2
/
5
40 of 51 found this review helpful
boring and repetitious
PostedDecember 3, 2014
LogieBaby
fromI'd rather watch grass grow !!
Skill Level:Expert
Favorite Genre(s):Word, Hidden Object, Brain Teaser
Fun Factor
2
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
3
/
5
Level of Challenge
3
/
5
Storyline
1
/
5
I thoroughly enjoy crossword puzzles. I routinely complete the harder New York Times entries. Crosswords keep the mind sharp. Having said that, this computer game is awful. For starters it is very ponderous. The time it takes for a solved word to appear and get to the next word is way too long. The clues are exceedingly repetitious. How many times can one see as clues phrases such as " long or short", " orange or black" etc. Then there are the spelling errors...IN A CROSSWORD?? The very first segment gave us PERFUM and not PERFUME. I also hated the fact the developer includes Match 3's in every grid. For those of us who detest M3's, this is abominable. I doubt any confirmed afficionado of crosswords will relate to this PC game. I certainly do not.
I don't recommend this game.
Challenge your mind with a new collection of colorful mosaic puzzles while discovering beautiful images.
Overall rating
5
/
5
24 of 30 found this review helpful
As good as #4 and # 4 is superb
PostedDecember 1, 2014
LogieBaby
fromfill in the blanks !!
Skill Level:Expert
Favorite Genre(s):Word, Hidden Object, Card & Board, Brain Teaser
Fun Factor
5
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
4
/
5
Level of Challenge
5
/
5
Storyline
3
/
5
The Fantasy Mosaics have become the gold standard of grid games. Game 4 broke new ground in becoming the first of its type to use 3 colors in each grid. Game 5 continues the trend.
The absolute best aspect of these games is the developer does no hand holding by making the initial segments all easy 5 x 5 or 10 x 10 grids. In fact the second puzzle in the first segment is a 15 x 15. There are many easy grids, some a bit tougher and a few that challenge the mind. I hardly ever use hints in these games. The best thing to do when getting stuck or being on the verge of losing the last life is to change color. Sometimes very apparent spaces are presented where coloring in has no other option. I only did the demo and got to the third level of the fourth five grid segments. Rest assured I will acquire this Fantasy Mosaic.
The background music is rather soothing and the garden being built by our friend the penguin is sort of cute. Anyone who enjoys the challenge of this genre will not be disappointed. Thanks again to the developer for providing a terrific game.
The absolute best aspect of these games is the developer does no hand holding by making the initial segments all easy 5 x 5 or 10 x 10 grids. In fact the second puzzle in the first segment is a 15 x 15. There are many easy grids, some a bit tougher and a few that challenge the mind. I hardly ever use hints in these games. The best thing to do when getting stuck or being on the verge of losing the last life is to change color. Sometimes very apparent spaces are presented where coloring in has no other option. I only did the demo and got to the third level of the fourth five grid segments. Rest assured I will acquire this Fantasy Mosaic.
The background music is rather soothing and the garden being built by our friend the penguin is sort of cute. Anyone who enjoys the challenge of this genre will not be disappointed. Thanks again to the developer for providing a terrific game.
I recommend this game!
A fire breaks out during a concert, and now your daughters are both missing. Hurry to track them down – their music may hold the key to life and death!
Overall rating
2
/
5
13 of 17 found this review helpful
The SE is no better or worse than the CE version
PostedNovember 28, 2014
LogieBaby
fromSilent Nights needs to be silenced !!
Skill Level:Expert
Favorite Genre(s):Word, Hidden Object, Card & Board, Brain Teaser
Fun Factor
2
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
2
/
5
Level of Challenge
3
/
5
Storyline
1
/
5
When the CE of Silent Nights came out a few weeks ago I found it to be totally unoriginal and that there were some elements that just made no sense. To begin the original cut scene shows a children's orchestra playing at the school they attend. A fire breaks out. All the parents seated at the concert
run away from the auditorium without even giving their children a thought as to their safety. Then we see two girls being led away by a mysterious masked man. Our intrepid detective must locate the girls. First he/she must put out the fire but the fire hose is locked. Does that make any sense at all?? I hate when developers insult my intelligence. After the fire is extinguished note that there are only 2 chairs left on the stage when there were at least a dozen during the concert. Oh, and the stage was not afire. That's just bad planning by the developer. There are the usual HO segments and some puzzles, all rather run of the mill until we meet the headmistress of the school. She initially seems like a caring person but somehow I'd bet she is in cahoots with the bad guys. The story develops by finding certain items similar to those in the wonderful Dark Parable series. We learn the abducted sisters are part of a musically talented Deux ( French for two ) family. They become part of some experiment gone bad concerning the invention of a machine that heals the very ill with the power of music. There are other HO sections and puzzles none of which are interesting or have any degree of difficulty. Another example of silly story is inflating balloons which then are used to raise the tail section of a very heavy WWII vintage airplane. Yeah Right !! The demo fortunately ends soon after when the detective is overcome ( I assume temporarily ) by Draco, an assistant to the introduced but currently unknown mastermind behind the kidnapping.
Children's Orchestra might have been made by children given the amateurish story. The graphics are a bit grainy and the tasks to be performed by the detective are all quite trite and totally unoriginal. I suppose some newcomers to the HOG /HOPA genre might find this game OK. Fair warning: it's not OK. The game is a dud and is to be avoided. Lucky for us the latest MCF came out this week since the rest of the week's offerings have been rather lame.
I cannot recommend this in any fashion.
run away from the auditorium without even giving their children a thought as to their safety. Then we see two girls being led away by a mysterious masked man. Our intrepid detective must locate the girls. First he/she must put out the fire but the fire hose is locked. Does that make any sense at all?? I hate when developers insult my intelligence. After the fire is extinguished note that there are only 2 chairs left on the stage when there were at least a dozen during the concert. Oh, and the stage was not afire. That's just bad planning by the developer. There are the usual HO segments and some puzzles, all rather run of the mill until we meet the headmistress of the school. She initially seems like a caring person but somehow I'd bet she is in cahoots with the bad guys. The story develops by finding certain items similar to those in the wonderful Dark Parable series. We learn the abducted sisters are part of a musically talented Deux ( French for two ) family. They become part of some experiment gone bad concerning the invention of a machine that heals the very ill with the power of music. There are other HO sections and puzzles none of which are interesting or have any degree of difficulty. Another example of silly story is inflating balloons which then are used to raise the tail section of a very heavy WWII vintage airplane. Yeah Right !! The demo fortunately ends soon after when the detective is overcome ( I assume temporarily ) by Draco, an assistant to the introduced but currently unknown mastermind behind the kidnapping.
Children's Orchestra might have been made by children given the amateurish story. The graphics are a bit grainy and the tasks to be performed by the detective are all quite trite and totally unoriginal. I suppose some newcomers to the HOG /HOPA genre might find this game OK. Fair warning: it's not OK. The game is a dud and is to be avoided. Lucky for us the latest MCF came out this week since the rest of the week's offerings have been rather lame.
I cannot recommend this in any fashion.
I don't recommend this game.