pennmom36's Profile
Stat Summary
- Average Rating:3.7
- Helpful Votes:358,445
- Reviews Submitted:4712
- First Review:December 10, 2012
- Most Recent Review:April 24, 2025
- Featured reviews0
Status:
1001 Jigsaw is back, and this time, our world tour takes us to beautiful Africa!
Overall rating
1
/
5
21 of 22 found this review helpful
WHAT'S GOOD FOR ONE IS GOOD FOR ALL, RIGHT?
PostedJanuary 26, 2019
pennmom36
fromCan you guess what I'm thinking I'd like to see added ⛄
Skill Level:Expert
Fun Factor
1
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
1
/
5
Level of Challenge
1
/
5
How many puzzle games are in this series, 1001? By now surely everyone knows the routine, same music, same useless features, same tools, and the same pictures that have just been recirculated from the different puzzles they offer. I guess they think that what's good for one is good for all?
Once you finish the puzzle you get to see a brief glimpse of the picture before it disappears forever, it's so brief that if you blink you will miss it! You can't save them as screensavers, you can't even revisit them in a gallery, but that shouldn't be a big shock, because these puzzles never have any cool or interesting option features. As long as they continue to spew out these games without making an attempt to offer features that avid puzzle geeks want, I will continue to ask for more, but unfortunately, I'm not allowed to say what features I'd like to see them change, so I guess they'll never be able to know what needs to be changed or be added.
1001 Jigsaw World Tour: Africa, you can choose puzzles from 5 different boxes (Customs, Vacation, Discovery, Tourism, Nature) that have 100 puzzles available in each. You can also earn Trophies for reaching goals such as playing a certain amount of hours, joining up to a million pieces, scoring a certain amount of points, solving a puzzle without making a mistake, solving variously sized puzzles, or solving a puzzle without using hints, sorting, or pocket features. There are also Top Scores and personal Best score tallies.
Any of the puzzles can be modified with the number of pieces, the cut shape of the pieces and whether or not you want the pieces to rotate. There are 4 different backgrounds to choose from, pink, green, blue and grey, a box to store extra pieces until needed, a Sort option a Border only option, a Hint option, and an available Magnifying glass to enlarge pieces. You can also Ghost the image of the puzzle to the background or hang a picture in three different sizes.
The problem is that these are the EXACT same features that they offer in all of their puzzle games. I guess they will just have to use esp to know what puzzle fans would like to see changed in their games?
1001 JIGSAW WORLD TOUR SERIES LIST
Title***Release Date***Average Rating
1-American Puzzle (June 29-2016) 4.0
2-Asia (April 10-2017) 3.3
3-Europe (April 14-2017) 2.8
4-Great America (February 21-2018) 1.3
5-London (April 30-2018) 3.6
6-Castles And Palaces (September 16-2018) 2.5
7-Africa (January 22-2019) n/a
by 8 Floor Games
1001 JIGSAW WORLD TOUR SERIES LIST
Title***Release Date***Average Rating
1-American Puzzle (June 29-2016) 4.0
2-Asia (April 10-2017) 3.3
3-Europe (April 14-2017) 2.8
4-Great America (February 21-2018) 1.3
5-London (April 30-2018) 3.6
6-Castles And Palaces (September 16-2018) 2.5
7-Africa (January 22-2019) n/a
by 8 Floor Games
I don't recommend this game.
Joining Arthur's rebellion against the false king wrapped with heroic stories and exciting match-3 puzzles!
Overall rating
3
/
5
117 of 131 found this review helpful
IT'S A DECENT MATCH 3 GAME BUT IT'S JUST A REPEAT OF THEIR OTHER GAMES
PostedJanuary 24, 2019
pennmom36
fromSurprise, there's no surprise! ⛄
Skill Level:Expert
Current Favorite:
4 Elements II
(156)Fun Factor
3
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
4
/
5
Level of Challenge
4
/
5
Storyline
3
/
5
I was really surprised to see that this latest Chronicles game was first released as a Mac game, it's usually the other way around! If you have played any Match 3 games by e-FunSoft Games, you probably won't be surprised by the fact that it's basically the same as the last one, because they don't really change any features other than the storyline, of course, and they rename the Power-up Bonuses but they still do the same thing. I'm not saying it's a bad game, I actually like playing them, but they don't give you a reason to buy a new release if you already have one of the others, unless you buy the game for a new story.
I'm still annoyed by the voiceovers. It works for the Bible story games but not for the other stories. You'd expect a Bible story to sound like someone was just reading you a story out of the Bible, but as an epic tale about the rise of King Arthur taking possession of Excalibur, you want it to sound like a play, not like a Sunday School lesson. Once again, I found the constant pop-ups congratulating me for making matches of 4 or more, to be distracting. They interfere with the ability to make consecutive matches quickly if the pop-ups occurred in the area I was trying to make matches at.
This is a swap type, Match 3 game that requires you swap two adjacent elements to create a group of at least three tiles. You can opt to play in a Relaxed, untimed mode and there is a High Scores Leaderboard. The goal of each level is to make matches over all of the Brown filled-in Cells as well as matching a specified number of specified Tiles that are shown at the top of the screen. Some levels also require you to collect Magic Spheres by dropping them to the bottom of the board. Some tiles Morph inside of a Bubble which allows you to pop the bubble when the jewel inside morphs to the desired jewel. I'm not sure why the morphing bubble tiles appear but I would suspect it's a reward for making a large match? All of these features, however, are the same exact features found in all of their Match 3 games.
You don't earn Power-ups for making Large Matches, however, every match you make fills the Energy Orb, the larger the matches are, the faster it will charge. The good thing about this feature is that any of the power-ups can be used and refilled on any level, unlike some games where you have to wait until a level comes along that has a particular bonus tile to refill that power-up. The Hammer removes a single tile or chain, the Orb will absorb a small group of tiles or chains, the King's Shield collects all tiles of the same kind, the Lightning Staff clears an entire Horizontal Line including chained tiles, the Legendary Sword clears an entire Vertical line including chains, and Explosives clear a large group of tiles and any chains on them.
There are the normal obstructions as found in most Match 3 games of chained tiles, double chained tiles, Spiders that spin webs to lock tiles if you don't make matches under them quickly enough, but nothing unusual or different than most Match 3 games, and certainly nothing different than other Match 3 games by this developer. You can purchase upgrades to rebuild the city after gathering enough resources and you must purchase all upgrades to complete the chapter and open up the next Chapter's levels.
I really enjoy this type of Match 3 game, it's challenging and it's fun to play. Unfortunately, I have purchased a couple of M3 games by this dev only to discover that the second game was exactly the same as the first game. Because the features are all the same from one game to the next, I only recommend this game to players who don't already own other M3 games by this dev because once again, I'm not seeing any new features from game to game.
THE CHRONICLES OF: SERIES LIST
Title***Release Date***Average Rating
Title***Release Date***Average Rating
1-The Chronicles of Noah's Ark (March 22-2016) 3.9
2-The Chronicles of Jonah and the Whale (February 26-2018) 3.1
3-The Chronicles of Joseph of Egypt (August 27-2018) 3.0
4-The Chronicles of King Arthur: Excalibur 1/Mac version only (January 23-2019) n/a
2-The Chronicles of Jonah and the Whale (February 26-2018) 3.1
3-The Chronicles of Joseph of Egypt (August 27-2018) 3.0
4-The Chronicles of King Arthur: Excalibur 1/Mac version only (January 23-2019) n/a
by: e-FunSoft Games
Can you stop an ancient menace from taking over the city?
Overall rating
4
/
5
99 of 139 found this review helpful
ANOTHER POWER HUNGRY PRINCESS
PostedJanuary 24, 2019
pennmom36
fromCleopatra's Royal Palace has been discovered off the shores of Alexandria. 400 years after her death, earthquakes & tsunamis submerged the entire island of Antirhodos for 1600 years! The Egyptian government plans on creating an underwater museum! ⛄
Skill Level:Expert
Fun Factor
3
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
4
/
5
Level of Challenge
3
/
5
Storyline
4
/
5
Sakir has requested your investigative services once again in the Secret City, a city no other human knows exists. Bolrekin Nibley, the famous Dwarven explorer, has been murdered. His body has been completely petrified leading Sakir to believe that he may have stumbled upon some clues while searching for the lost Merfolk Kingdom that mysteriously vanished over 10 years ago!
Although this game is a rather easy game to play, and the storyline has been done a thousand times before, I did find it to be quite enjoyable. Domini never skimps on quantity, this is another 7 Chapter game, but in my opinion, it's too long. I'd rather have a 3-4 Chapter game jam-packed with a solid storyline and features rather than a 7 Chapter game stretched out with fillers that do nothing to progress the story, they are just useless tasks that require a lot of back and forthing for no rhyme or reason. For instance, you find a crescent wrench towards the end of the first chapter, use it one time and discard it, only to need the same exact tool a few scenes later, therefore they needed to add another nook & cranny to investigate just to find the toll you should have hung onto in the first place. For one, can't we just keep out standard tools in our purse or backpack?
I hated the new "Collectibles Tab" that is located on the right side of the screen. What was wrong with the 3 small icons on the inventory bar that twinkled when a particular collectible or morph was available in the current scene? If you didn't like the heads-up twinkling you could disable them and they'd be barely noticeable. Now you have to pull out the tab if you want to see if any of the icons are twinkling to alert you of their presence? I'd rather Domini adjust their neon color palette than do away with the collectibles circles on the inventory bar!
The Hidden Object Scenes are rather scarce and a bit repetitive in this Puzzle-Heavy HOPA game, but some of them were very creative. I'm not usually a fan of Keywords in Sentence finds and unfortunately, there are a lot of them used to progress the story's origins. One of my favorite Hidden Object Scenes was the second or third one offered in the first chapter and I wish they had used that type more often of finding a particular group of symbols on 2 pages full of symbols. I also really enjoyed the one in the second chapter where you place swatches correctly onto several different pictures. In the third chapter, there is a very creative Riddle Description HOS where you are tasked with finding the animal that matches the riddle clue. The Riddles themselves were really good, but I thought the animals themselves were very well blended into the scenery. There is an alternate Match 3 Game available if you're not a fan of HO's. I've always wondered why they don't offer Hidden Object alternates instead of playing a Mini-Game if they offer a Match 3 game instead of HO's?
The Mini-Games are available in an Easy or Hard Difficulty Mode, and in the Custom Mode setting, you can choose to have each mini-game start out in either difficulty, but you can always opt for the opposite each time. I've always wished there were video walkthroughs of the mini-games on the Strategy Guide where you could press on a play button to see a visual of how to solve the game, especially on some of the more complicated games, or games that have confusing written instructions. (tell me that's not an excellent idea!) Below are brief descriptions of some of the games you'll encounter during the game:
1-Connect dots with the specified number of connections.
2-Drag the feet to navigate the maze, collecting items to trade with the skeletons to overcome obstacles.
3-Swap and rotate tokens to restore the image.
4-Move hinged fragments into the highlighted slots to restore the image.
5-Position switches and select directional arrows to move coins into their matching slots at the bottom.
6-Use a magnifying glass to search for symbols in the order shown.
7-Move the arrow to each lock using rotation and arrow buttons.
8-Rotate 3 circles to place colored beads correctly on each circle.
9-Rotate stones so they are facing the right direction as shown on the clue.
10-Click on shields with matching identical symbols.
11-Navigate a train by selecting moves without landing on a hole.
12-Chose colors that won't allow 2 identical colors to touch each other.
2-Drag the feet to navigate the maze, collecting items to trade with the skeletons to overcome obstacles.
3-Swap and rotate tokens to restore the image.
4-Move hinged fragments into the highlighted slots to restore the image.
5-Position switches and select directional arrows to move coins into their matching slots at the bottom.
6-Use a magnifying glass to search for symbols in the order shown.
7-Move the arrow to each lock using rotation and arrow buttons.
8-Rotate 3 circles to place colored beads correctly on each circle.
9-Rotate stones so they are facing the right direction as shown on the clue.
10-Click on shields with matching identical symbols.
11-Navigate a train by selecting moves without landing on a hole.
12-Chose colors that won't allow 2 identical colors to touch each other.
This Collector's Edition version has 11 Wallpapers, 10 Concept Art pictures, 5 Music Soundtracks, 21 Movie Video Video Cutscenes, 18 Achievements to earn, 18 re-playable Hidden Object Scenes, 19 re-playable Mini-Games, 13 Morphing Statues, 36 Collectible Starfish that allow you to buy 15 Aquarium Fish, 15 Journal Page Entries, 7 Main Chapters +Bonus Chapter and a built-in Strategy Guide Walkthrough, enjoy :)
SECRET CITY SERIES LIST
Title***Collector's Edition Release Date***Average Rating
Title***Collector's Edition Release Date***Average Rating
1-London Calling (April 28-2018) 4.0
2-The Sunken City (January 24-2019) n/a
2-The Sunken City (January 24-2019) n/a
by: Domini Games
I recommend this game!
Experience the infamous fairytale world of Hansel and Gretel from the Brothers Grimm and complete solitaire layouts across 20 magical locations!
Overall rating
1
/
5
90 of 100 found this review helpful
IT'S A MYSTERY TO ME
PostedJanuary 23, 2019
pennmom36
fromWhy do multiple cards flip every time I click on the deck card pile? ⛄
Skill Level:Expert
Current Favorite:
Magic Cards Solitaire
(28)Fun Factor
1
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
1
/
5
Level of Challenge
1
/
5
Storyline
1
/
5
Who doesn't love a great Grimm mystery? This Grimm tales solitaire mystery is so mysterious it's practically non-existent, no wait, I take that back, it IS non-existent! The only mystery here is why this developer continues to offer the same style of Solitaire when there are so many styles to choose from, and why they continue to offer the least popular type?
Like its predecessors, The Black Raven and Arkham's Spirits, Grimm tales is just another cookie cutter version of all the other solitaire games by this dev. Once again, this is a Solitaire version where the game ends once all of the Gold Cards have been removed, I'm way too OCD for this feature, I want to be able to remove ALL of the cards on the board to receive a perfect score, not just some of them! I will play a level over and over until I achieve my goal of what I consider to be a perfect score, removing every single card. For the life of me, I can't understand why they can't make an adjustment to allow the option of continuing to play for points once all of the gold cards have been removed, how difficult can that be?
The features never change on games by this dev, the features included in the first solitaire game they released will be the same features offered in their latest solitaire game 8 years later! You can choose from 9 Grimm tales Mystery themed card backs and 3 different face card fonts. You are forced to begin the game in Newbie mode, which allows you to replay any hand, then, if you prefer, you can switch to the Professional mode which only allows you to replay the entire pack of 10 levels. You need to earn the specified amount of points to unlock the next pack, and the scoring is similar to bowling, in the event of a perfect score, the points of that level are added to the next.
Another feature I don't like in this devs games is that the tutorial makes you click another card off of the deck even though there are several more cards available on the board. (but then again, you don't really need a tutorial if you have played any other solitaire game by this dev) I'm reluctant to skip the tutorial just in case they have added a new feature, which never happens, but one never knows, and I remain hopeful. I also hate that when you remove a Bonus card with a Gem it takes forever to explain what the card gives you, as it freezes continued gameplay to tell you what you won. Most of the time it gives you +499 extra points, but occasionally, a Joker, Mulligan or a Shuffle, because it takes so long, finding two of these cards back to back is super agonizing!
If you own or have played any games by this dev, you've more than likely already played this one because they are all identical, you just can't tell the difference between them!
MYSTERY SOLITAIRE SERIES LIST
Title***Release Date***Average Rating
Title***Release Date***Average Rating
1-The Black Raven (October 31-2017) 4.4
2-Arkham's Spirits (September 9-2018) 2.4
3-Grimm's tales (January 23-2019) n/a
2-Arkham's Spirits (September 9-2018) 2.4
3-Grimm's tales (January 23-2019) n/a
by: 8 Floor Games
I don't recommend this game.
Make your blood run cold... with this spooky match-3 adventure! Unveil haunted castles as explore new match-3 mechanics!
Overall rating
5
/
5
103 of 115 found this review helpful
A SPOOKY TWILIGHT JEWEL MATCH JUST IN TIME FOR HALLOWEEN!!???
PostedJanuary 21, 2019
Fun Factor
5
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
5
/
5
Level of Challenge
5
/
5
What could be better than a Holiday on Monday? A Holiday on Monday when Felix offers a brand new Jewel Match 3 game! It may have come a little too late for Halloween, but I'm going to just pretend it arrived super early for Halloween 2019!
Your Jewel Match Holiday Monday is about to get even better once you start to play because there's nothing better than building beautiful Jewel Match Castles!
Nobody beats Suricate when it comes to customizable Options. For starters, you can choose to disable or enable the Hint Arrows, FX's, or the Interactive Help tutorial, adjust the Resolution and choose Widescreen or Fullscreen, choose to disable features such as Static Pieces and Mini-Game options, choose a Custom Cursor and adjust Volume levels for each individual feature. Then you can choose to play in a Limited Time Mode, a Limited Moves Mode or a Relaxed Mode that gives you all the time in the world to finish levels at your own pace in as many moves as it takes without penalties. After choosing the Type of Match 3 gameplay you then get to choose a Normal OR Advanced Difficulty mode! The icing on the cake is that you can switch back and forth between modes or difficulty WITHOUT canceling your progress, and the Level Map keeps track of the mode each level was completed in.
Your Jewel Match Holiday Monday is about to get even better once you start to play because there's nothing better than building beautiful Jewel Match Castles!
Nobody beats Suricate when it comes to customizable Options. For starters, you can choose to disable or enable the Hint Arrows, FX's, or the Interactive Help tutorial, adjust the Resolution and choose Widescreen or Fullscreen, choose to disable features such as Static Pieces and Mini-Game options, choose a Custom Cursor and adjust Volume levels for each individual feature. Then you can choose to play in a Limited Time Mode, a Limited Moves Mode or a Relaxed Mode that gives you all the time in the world to finish levels at your own pace in as many moves as it takes without penalties. After choosing the Type of Match 3 gameplay you then get to choose a Normal OR Advanced Difficulty mode! The icing on the cake is that you can switch back and forth between modes or difficulty WITHOUT canceling your progress, and the Level Map keeps track of the mode each level was completed in.
Each level has several "rooms" to complete. As each room is cleared, you simply click on the Arrow Icon to visit the next room. You can earn Gold, Silver and Bronze Trophies and any level can be replayed immediately or later on by going to the level map, which is a must-have feature for me personally.
There are 90 Match 3 Levels, 27 Bonus Crystal Levels, 25 Bonus Puzzle Mode Levels and 10 Race Mode Levels available in Twilight 2. The Level Map has a legend to help you keep track of which Levels were completed, which mode the level was completed with (limited time, moves, relaxed, veteran's mode) which levels were completed with a Perfect Score (Perfect score requires all Stars to be collected as well as collecting all bags of coins) available Bonus Race Mode and Puzzle Modes Levels (you need to reach the displayed score to play Bonus Games) available Crystal Levels (allows you to gather crystals to purchase Bonus Games, the green numbers indicate the most gems gathered in that specific level)
Large Matches will earn power-ups on the board and there are Obstacles such as Yellow Tiles, Single and Double Chains, Ladybugs who move to an empty cell when matched next to them, Turtles that move and create a wooden box to hide in, and Golden Snails that will move and turn the cell into an extra layered yellow cell, Stone Tiles, Steel Tiles, Iron Maces, Atomic Tiles, Dark Fog, Fog Vials, Lava Drops, Wooden Boxes, Safe Tiles requiring a specific number or Matches to destroy, Amber tiles requiring a booster or power-up to destroy it, and Locks that require dropping color specific keys to the bottom of the board.
Coins that appear can be collected with a single click (they will disappear after a brief amount of time) and Bags of Coins must be dropped off of the board by making matches below them. The Coins earned can be used to purchase and upgrade Power-ups in the Shop. Each upgrade (1-3) makes the power-up more powerful or covers a larger area.
*Hammer: destroys a chosen tile or obstacle.
*Bombs: destroys a 2x2 area.
Fireballs: destroys 1 cell above and 1 cell below.
*Lightning: zaps 5 random tiles to change them to the icon matched with.
*Chain Destroyer: destroys a 3x3 area of chains.
*Chroma Frenzy: converts 5 tiles to Chroma tiles to match with anything.
*Magic Arrows: changes 2 regular tiles to arrows that will destroy a line or column.
*Hammer Refill: refills the Hammer Boster instantly.
*Mana: instantly charges the Boosters
*Treasure Chests: upgrades the holding Capacity.
*Hearts: gives you extra lives. (note: you can trade lives for more moves in the limited moves mode)
*Bombs: destroys a 2x2 area.
Fireballs: destroys 1 cell above and 1 cell below.
*Lightning: zaps 5 random tiles to change them to the icon matched with.
*Chain Destroyer: destroys a 3x3 area of chains.
*Chroma Frenzy: converts 5 tiles to Chroma tiles to match with anything.
*Magic Arrows: changes 2 regular tiles to arrows that will destroy a line or column.
*Hammer Refill: refills the Hammer Boster instantly.
*Mana: instantly charges the Boosters
*Treasure Chests: upgrades the holding Capacity.
*Hearts: gives you extra lives. (note: you can trade lives for more moves in the limited moves mode)
Some levels have a Magic Room, that will unlock once the other rooms have been emptied. Inside the Magic Room, you can collect more Coin Bags, Gold Stars and occasionally a Golden Bat. Gold Stars must be dropped to the bottom but Gold Bats can exit any side. Once you Collect the Bat, the Crystal Room unlocks. Tiles inside the Crystal Rooms don't regenerate after making matches so you have to plan a Strategy because the remaining gems are deducted from the ones you gathered in that level. The Garden Levels are used to unlock the bonus Mini-Games.
JEWEL MATCH 3 SERIES LIST
Title***Release Date***Average Rating
*Jewel Match: Winter Wonderland (December 3-2007) 3.6
*Jewel Match 1 (March 14-2007) 4.1
*Jewel Match 2 (March 11-2009) 4.3
*Jewel Match 3 (April 13-2011) 4.3
*Jewel Match: Snowscapes (January 13-2015) 4.3
*Jewel Match 2 Reloaded (July 20-2015) 4.4
*Jewel Match: Twilight (October 28-2015) 4.9
*Jewel Match 4 (June 16-2016) 3.9
*Jewel Match Royale 1 CE (November 24-2016) 4.5
*Jewel Match Royale 1 SE (December 28-2016) 3.7
*Jewel Match Royale 2: Rise of the King CE (January 25-2018) 4.5
*Jewel Match Royale 2: Rise of the King SE (April 4-2018) 3.5
*Jewel Match: Naturescapes (December 3-2018) 4.4
*Jewel Match: Twilight 2 (January 21-2019) n/a
Title***Release Date***Average Rating
*Jewel Match: Winter Wonderland (December 3-2007) 3.6
*Jewel Match 1 (March 14-2007) 4.1
*Jewel Match 2 (March 11-2009) 4.3
*Jewel Match 3 (April 13-2011) 4.3
*Jewel Match: Snowscapes (January 13-2015) 4.3
*Jewel Match 2 Reloaded (July 20-2015) 4.4
*Jewel Match: Twilight (October 28-2015) 4.9
*Jewel Match 4 (June 16-2016) 3.9
*Jewel Match Royale 1 CE (November 24-2016) 4.5
*Jewel Match Royale 1 SE (December 28-2016) 3.7
*Jewel Match Royale 2: Rise of the King CE (January 25-2018) 4.5
*Jewel Match Royale 2: Rise of the King SE (April 4-2018) 3.5
*Jewel Match: Naturescapes (December 3-2018) 4.4
*Jewel Match: Twilight 2 (January 21-2019) n/a
by: Suricate Software
I recommend this game!
Survive a fictional horror turned real-life nightmare in a creepy hotel!
Overall rating
3
/
5
66 of 75 found this review helpful
"ARE YOU READY TO WITNESS TRUE HORROR?" why yes, as a matter of fact, I am ready, did it happen when I blinked?
PostedJanuary 20, 2019
pennmom36
fromDid you know that Brad Ziffer does the voiceovers for James & the Monster? ⛄
Skill Level:Expert
Current Favorite:
The Fog
(70)Fun Factor
3
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
3
/
5
Level of Challenge
3
/
5
Storyline
3
/
5
This was my least favorite Haunted Hotel game out of this 17 strong series. This series has always been about Hotels that are Haunted which is why I fell in love with the series, but Beyond the Page had nothing to do with Hauntings! I may have actually enjoyed this game as a whole new Sci-fi series but not as a Haunted Hotel game with James pretending to know how to defeat Creatures from another dimension.
As far as the biggest differences between the two versions, The Collector's Edition Version has a Morphing Object in each scene, including the Bonus Chapter, some of the scenes have a Morphing Figurine, the final 4 are located within the Bonus Chapter, and you will find Picture Fragments to complete 3 Screensavers in the Main Game and 1 Screensaver within the Bonus Chapter. The Bonus Chapter takes place shortly after the Case is solved when Mr. Carpenter calls to tell you that the Monsters have returned. There are 5 Mini-Games and 5 Hidden Object Scenes in the BC, and the Bonus Chapter is fairly long, but basically is just more of the same thing offered in the Main Game. Here's a recap of my review to help you decide which version, if either, is right for you:
Haunted Hotel USED to be one of my top 5 favorite game series. The only thing they got right on this Haunted Hotel was the excellent sound effects! I love creepy games and this series used to push the envelope with images of ghosts briefly popping up in a mirror, a ball coming out of nowhere as it slowly bounces down a flight of creaky stairs, images of dead people flash from the corner of your eyes where they met their demise, ghostly images appeared in windows, paintings that morphed slowly. A lot was left to the imagination, and it was always about ghosts in a Haunted Hotel, but this game is going down the tubes at a break-neck speed.
Monsters? Really? Cheesy red-eyed monsters, really??? This isn't a Haunted Hotel, it's a Monster Motel. Why can't anybody develop a truly creepy game? These games are getting more G-rated by the minute. If you want a light-hearted G-rated game, make a Fairytale game series, make a Fantasy-themed game, but don't continue to make games for a HAUNTED Hotel if you are afraid to scare someone and have to compromise the plot! I guarantee you Elephant Games if you make a Haunted Hotel game that is really creepy (not gory, just creepy) people will love it. I realize a lot of you don't like the horror genre, but it's the number 1 genre everywhere else, and the number 1 reason gamers have packed their bags and checked out of this Haunted Hotel!
There are no Gadgets or Helpers in this game, however, it does have every cliche HOPA feature included. Elephant Games seem to love repeating the same scenarios in every game they offer, and to me, this is proof that they don't have much of an imagination. They don't push the envelope anymore, they don't push themselves to make each game slightly better than the one before.
You can count on using Oil to remove decades of rust instantly, you can count on every zoom zone to have a box missing emblems, a door missing emblems, a statue missing emblems, eyes, and limbs. You can count on something being blocked by a swarm of bees, you can count on thorny vines requiring something to protect your hands, you can count on discarding the hand protectors only to need more hand protectors a few scenes later. You can count on giant spiders and webs to cover those important missing emblems you need to progress. You can count on having to find several torn fragments with the combination to open everything from locked luggage to locked doors in every scene and zoom zone.
The problem with these cliche tasks is that the game is too predictable. You'll know exactly what item is needed and where an item will be used. You know you'll need to use a coin as a screwdriver, you'll know the World Globe tucked in the corner of the room is going to be a zoom zone and you'll know for certain that it will require an emblem or two. You'll know the fireplace is an area of interest, the cabinet is missing a drawer pull or requires a key. This is a game you don't need Black Bar Tips or a cursor to change to a magnifying glass because it is so predictable.
The Hidden Object Scenes are boring and so easy that you won't have to worry about earning all of the HOP related achievements (except for the one that requires you to finish one in over 10 minutes) They are mostly Interactive Listed Items with some Multiples of the same object (3 bones, 3 dogs) The ones that aren't Listed Items are Silhouetted Shape finds. There are 10 HOP's throughout the Main Game and a handful of smaller Zoom Zone HOP's that require you to find items shown as Silhouetted Shapes, one item at a time. There are no alternate puzzles available.
Mini-Games were either so simple a small child could solve them, or so complicated you become maddeningly frustrated. Some of the instructions I would read, then re-read, and finally just start fiddling around with the puzzle because the directions didn't do a very good job of explaining what needed to be done and how to go about solving it. There are 16 puzzles throughout the main game, so the balance ratio of HOP: Mini-Games are pretty even. Below are brief descriptions of some of the games you'll encounter during the demo:
1-Slide square symbol tiles using empty space to the sequence shown.
2-Press directional & angular arrows to move token thru the maze.
3-Press arrow-shaped buttons to move blocks to the order shown in clues.
4-Rotate groups of triangles to join all small squares with matching symbols.
5-Move the skeletons parts to match the sketch shown as a clue.
6-Navigate the air shaft using a map, obstacles automatically update.
7-Follow the recipe steps, if you make a mistake you'll have to start over.
8-Rearrange books so the image on their spine creates an image.
9-Follow another stupid recipe in the correct order.
10-Use side buttons to shift skulls & crystals and drag to rotate disks to recreate the image.
11-Rotate tiles using directional arrows to recreate the symbols shown in the middle.
2-Press directional & angular arrows to move token thru the maze.
3-Press arrow-shaped buttons to move blocks to the order shown in clues.
4-Rotate groups of triangles to join all small squares with matching symbols.
5-Move the skeletons parts to match the sketch shown as a clue.
6-Navigate the air shaft using a map, obstacles automatically update.
7-Follow the recipe steps, if you make a mistake you'll have to start over.
8-Rearrange books so the image on their spine creates an image.
9-Follow another stupid recipe in the correct order.
10-Use side buttons to shift skulls & crystals and drag to rotate disks to recreate the image.
11-Rotate tiles using directional arrows to recreate the symbols shown in the middle.
The Collector's Edition version has 10 Wallpapers, 10 Concept Art Pictures, 5 Music Soundtracks, 18 Achievements to Earn, 15 re-playable Hidden Object Scenes, 12 re-playable Mini-Games, 14 Morphing Character Figurines, 20 Picture Fragments to assemble 4 Scene Screensavers, 30 Morphing Objects, a Secret Room (to locate progressive Morphing Objects in the Hotel) 3 Main Chapters +Bonus Chapter and a built-in Strategy Guide, enjoy your stay at The Prime Hotel!
HAUNTED HOTEL SERIES LIST
Title***Standard Edition Release Date***Average Rating
Title***Standard Edition Release Date***Average Rating
1-Haunted Hotel SE only (March 5-2008) 2.9
2-Believe The Lies SE only (January 7-2009) 2.7
3-Lonely Dreams SE only (August 28-2010) 3.3
4-Charles Dexter Ward (July 14-2012) 3.9
5-Eclipse (November 8-2013) 4.3
6-Ancient Bane (June 27-2014) 3.9
7-Death Sentence (January 16-2015) 3.9
8-Eternity (May 29-2015) 3.8
9-Phoenix (September 13-2015) 3.9
10-The X (December 11-2015) 4.3
11-The Axiom Butcher (May 29-2016) 4.3
12-Silent Waters (October 16-2016) 3.3
13-The Thirteenth (January 22-2017) 3.4
14-Personal Nightmare (June 23-2017) 4.3
15-The Evil Inside (October 29-2017) 4.0
16-Lost Dreams (April 6-2018) 3.5
17-Beyond The Page (January 20-2019) n/a
2-Believe The Lies SE only (January 7-2009) 2.7
3-Lonely Dreams SE only (August 28-2010) 3.3
4-Charles Dexter Ward (July 14-2012) 3.9
5-Eclipse (November 8-2013) 4.3
6-Ancient Bane (June 27-2014) 3.9
7-Death Sentence (January 16-2015) 3.9
8-Eternity (May 29-2015) 3.8
9-Phoenix (September 13-2015) 3.9
10-The X (December 11-2015) 4.3
11-The Axiom Butcher (May 29-2016) 4.3
12-Silent Waters (October 16-2016) 3.3
13-The Thirteenth (January 22-2017) 3.4
14-Personal Nightmare (June 23-2017) 4.3
15-The Evil Inside (October 29-2017) 4.0
16-Lost Dreams (April 6-2018) 3.5
17-Beyond The Page (January 20-2019) n/a
by: Elephant Games
Meet the funny carpet people and join two eager miniature heroes on a break-neck Click-Management mission!
Overall rating
4
/
5
72 of 80 found this review helpful
I'M AFRAID TO WALK ON MY CARPET NOW
PostedJanuary 19, 2019
pennmom36
fromLego was founded in Denmark 1932 & the original bricks would still interlock with bricks made today. You can combine six of the eight-studded LEGO bricks in 915,103,765 ways! ⛄
Skill Level:Expert
Fun Factor
4
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
4
/
5
Level of Challenge
4
/
5
Storyline
4
/
5
Turns out there's an entire city living between the fibers of my carpet (I will deny the existence of those giant fleas, however!) When one of their own gets swept away (literally) Woolly and Curlytop hitch a ride on Rocco the mouse and head top-side for a dangerous rescue mission. You know things are gonna be tough when a simple Lego brick become a giant hurdle to cross, but that's just how it is when you're the size of a pencil tip!
You can play in a Relaxed, Normal or Hard difficulty mode, and there are 45 Main Levels and 10 CE Bonus Levels that promise to be quite lengthy. This Collector's Edition version also has 6 Wallpapers, 5 Music Soundtracks, 5 Character Bios, 12 Trophy Achievements to earn and a built-in Strategy Guide. Normally, I'm all about waiting for the Standard Edition version but not this time! This isn't an easy-breezy Time Management game, you may be teeny-tiny, but there are huge hurdles to overcome in Rug Tales and if you get it wrong, this game isn't very forgiving. (with the exception of the Relaxed, untimed mode) I didn't get very far in the demo because I had to replay nearly every level, so you're probably going to need that built-in Strategy Guide at some point, and probably sooner than you think.
I absolutely loved the imagination and thought gamingo put into the storyline and tasks at hand. Collecting pencil nubs for wood, carpet fibers for wool, cacti berries for food, having to overcome huge gaps because there's a tear in the rug or wires laying across the pathway. Even Rocco the mouse is useful because he's the only one strong enough to be able to push a huge toy out of the way, which in this case is actually just a small 1" plastic toy lol.
Even though there are still TM familiar tasks and features of building bridges, collecting resources, repairing, constructing or upgrading buildings etc. those familiar tasks are still unusual because they are from the perspective of being microscopic. So small in fact, that you have to chase away pesky Fleas that are huge!
After a few levels. a new feature is added, at least it's a feature I haven't seen used before. You may have to send one of the boys several times to click on a Noise-canceling device or put out small Fires before the Meter fill. If the Meter fills completely you will fail the level! (I'm assuming this only applies to the Normal and Hard difficulty modes)
After each level, you can purchase Upgrades with the Stars you earn. There are only a few Upgrade Categories, but each upgrade gives you a Larger Percentage (5%, 10%) to Speed up Woollys working pace, Speed up Woolly's Fighting abilities, Speed up Curlytop's Movements or Work Speed, or Speed up the process of Building Construction or Upgrades.
Two really good Time Management Games in a row AND a BOGO sale...it's like Christmas once again!
I recommend this game!
Stop the Ice Queen from turning the world into a giant snowball!
Overall rating
5
/
5
101 of 108 found this review helpful
WINTER IS COMING...grab your garlic!
PostedJanuary 18, 2019
pennmom36
fromIncredible Dracula is a FANGtastic & SPOOKtacular Time Management Game ☠ ⛄
Skill Level:Expert
Fun Factor
5
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
5
/
5
Level of Challenge
5
/
5
Storyline
5
/
5
This series is downright Incredible but it was also one of the few Time Management games that I preferred as a Collector's Edition! I also noticed that the graphics, although still amazing, aren't as spooktacular as the last game, Vargosi Returns?
I'm glad they decided to include my favorite feature of constructing or repairing BloodDonald's for food which was briefly substituted with donuts in Game of Gods, it just didn't work in a game with characters like Dracula, Frankenstein, Witches, and Zombies. Speaking of characters, all our favorite characters have returned to assist Dracula, Rufus the undead worker, Elizabeth aka Princess and her furry sidekick Vlad. Every level has a different character which of course, will help us once we help them solve their particular dilemma.
There are 50 Levels and 33 Achievement Trophies to earn, and you can play in a Normal Blood-sucker Mode, a Casual Mode for chilled vamps and a Free Mode with no Time restraints to cut your fangs on. This game seems much more challenging and requires more strategy than the previous ones, but earning all 3 Stars is still doable within a couple of tries, by just tweaking the order of Tasks queued.
There are 50 Levels and 33 Achievement Trophies to earn, and you can play in a Normal Blood-sucker Mode, a Casual Mode for chilled vamps and a Free Mode with no Time restraints to cut your fangs on. This game seems much more challenging and requires more strategy than the previous ones, but earning all 3 Stars is still doable within a couple of tries, by just tweaking the order of Tasks queued.
There are the usual yet unusual TM tasks of collecting Resources, Clearing Paths, Repairing and Upgrading BloodDonalds Restaurants, Sawmills, Quarries, Laboratories, Fire Towers to produce Fireballs to melt Ice Blocks, Pharmacies to continually replenish Magic Elixir, Banks to keep you rolling in the dough, Botanist Homes to allow the botanist to gather Medicinal Herbs (whoo-hoo) from the Garden etc. Some Items need to be Crafted after collecting the specified ingredients, the Craft Tab is located on the Right Side and the Icon Tab will highlight in Green once you have collected all the ingredients or supplies.
This game has great humor, interesting characters, cool features, and above all, it's a really fun Time Management Game to play. It's also a Fangtastic series, once you play one, you're going to want to play them all!
INCREDIBLE DRACULA SERIES LIST
Title***Collector's Edition Release Date***Average Rating
Title***Collector's Edition Release Date***Average Rating
1-Chasing Love (November 3-2015) 4.3
2-The Last Call (April 30-2016) 4.2
3-Family Secrets (January 17-2017) 4.6
4-Game of Gods (January 16-2018) 3.3
5-Vargosi Returns SE only (September 19-2018) 3.7
6-The Ice Kingdom SE only (January 18-2019) n/a
by: New Bridge Games
2-The Last Call (April 30-2016) 4.2
3-Family Secrets (January 17-2017) 4.6
4-Game of Gods (January 16-2018) 3.3
5-Vargosi Returns SE only (September 19-2018) 3.7
6-The Ice Kingdom SE only (January 18-2019) n/a
by: New Bridge Games
I recommend this game!
Can you stop an ancient evil from breaking free?
Overall rating
2
/
5
117 of 146 found this review helpful
THE CHOSEN SHALL PERISH...please be redemption cemetery, please be redemption cemetery, please
PostedJanuary 17, 2019
pennmom36
fromSymbols on gravestones have meaning: A winged hourglass tells us that time flies, an hourglass on its side indicates time stopping for the dead, A broken flower or tree means life was cut short, & a hand pointing down can indicate sudden death. ⛄
Skill Level:Expert
Fun Factor
2
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
2
/
5
Level of Challenge
2
/
5
Storyline
2
/
5
This is the section that I usually include a plot synopsis. If I do, it will be the same synopsis as the last 12 Redemption Cemetery games. These developers have had a long successful Redemption Cemetery series run, but it's clearly time to lay this baby to rest in a shallow grave until the end of time. In the beginning, I was a fan like everyone else, but there's no point in continuing to "Redeem" 3 souls in every game if you can't imagine a new redemption scenario or plot Amax, there just isn't. The wheel's still spinning here folks, but the hamster's been dead since 2013's Bitter Frost! Let the hamster RIP, let Redemption Cemetery RIP.
This is the section where I add my personal opinion about the game, what I liked and didn't. I liked the detailed creepy graphics. I didn't like everything else with the exception of the detailed creepy graphics. That about sums it all up!
The Hidden Object Scenes are literally everywhere, just about every single zoom zone requires you to find either pictured items or list items. There are very few full scene HOP's but they include Interactive List Finds, Silhouetted Shape Finds, Swatches Finds, and Multiples of the Same Object Finds, many of them include several different variations. I found the scenes to be somewhat dark and items were hidden behind objects that the cursor doesn't indicate you can interact with.
The Mini-Games, for the most part, are the same exact games offered in every Amax game, the only thing that changed is the graphics. They are simplistic, easily solved, and quite frankly more frustrating than fun. Along with the above mentioned frequent zoom zone HOP's, this game has back to back puzzles, many of which have my nemesis feature of "clicking on one may affect others" Below are brief descriptions of some of the games you'll encounter in the game:
1-Rotate panels to create a path for both skulls to reach the exit.
2-Remove fingers from the ball, 1 may affect others.
3-Uncover matching pairs, making too many mistakes requires you to restart.
4-Move tokens along tracks to matching colored slots.
5-Move hands to the positions shown, clicking 1 may affect others.
6-Drag tile strips to recreate the picture.
7-Swap tiles to related image sections.
8-Rotate 4 sections until they align correctly in the center.
9-Find symbols in the sequence shown before the bar fills up.
10-Select highlighted numbers that will equal 20 when landing on the exit.
11-Slide runes along tracks to matching colored slots.
12-Connect points as shown to scale Olaf's health to zero.
2-Remove fingers from the ball, 1 may affect others.
3-Uncover matching pairs, making too many mistakes requires you to restart.
4-Move tokens along tracks to matching colored slots.
5-Move hands to the positions shown, clicking 1 may affect others.
6-Drag tile strips to recreate the picture.
7-Swap tiles to related image sections.
8-Rotate 4 sections until they align correctly in the center.
9-Find symbols in the sequence shown before the bar fills up.
10-Select highlighted numbers that will equal 20 when landing on the exit.
11-Slide runes along tracks to matching colored slots.
12-Connect points as shown to scale Olaf's health to zero.
This Collector's Edition version has 12 Wallpapers, 12 Concept Art pictures, 8 Screensavers, 4 Music Soundtracks, 19 Movie Video Cutscenes, 20 Achievements to earn, 12 re-playable Mini-Games, 11 re-playable Mini-Games, 14 Collectible Cards (require finding Morphing Skull Coins to open up character descriptions) 26 Morphing Skull Coins (various amounts required to open up character descriptions) 3 Main Chapters +Bonus Chapter and a built-in Strategy Guide
REDEMPTION CEMETERY SERIES LIST
Title***Collector's Edition Release Date***Average Rating
Title***Collector's Edition Release Date***Average Rating
1-Curse of the Raven (July 30-2010) 4.5
2-Children's Plight (August 11-2011) 4.5
3-Grave Testimony (August 12-2012) 4.3
4-Salvation of the Lost (April 18-2013) 3.8
5-Bitter Frost (December 26-2013) 3.4
6-The Island of the Lost (March 15-2015) 3.6
7-Clock of Fate (September 24-2015) 3.6
8-At Death's Door (May 5-2016) 3.8
9-Night Terrors (February 9-2017) 3.4
10-Embodiment of Evil (May 11-2017) 4.0
11-One Foot in the Grave (November 16-2017) 3.4
12-Day of the Almost Dead (August 4-2018) 3.1
13-The Cursed Mark (January 17-2019) n/a
2-Children's Plight (August 11-2011) 4.5
3-Grave Testimony (August 12-2012) 4.3
4-Salvation of the Lost (April 18-2013) 3.8
5-Bitter Frost (December 26-2013) 3.4
6-The Island of the Lost (March 15-2015) 3.6
7-Clock of Fate (September 24-2015) 3.6
8-At Death's Door (May 5-2016) 3.8
9-Night Terrors (February 9-2017) 3.4
10-Embodiment of Evil (May 11-2017) 4.0
11-One Foot in the Grave (November 16-2017) 3.4
12-Day of the Almost Dead (August 4-2018) 3.1
13-The Cursed Mark (January 17-2019) n/a
by: Amax Interactive
I don't recommend this game.
Rise up against robot troops that are crushing the kingdom you love!
Overall rating
4
/
5
58 of 63 found this review helpful
STEAMPUNK SEEMS TO BE THIS MONTH'S THEME?
PostedJanuary 16, 2019
pennmom36
fromIt would be nice to have completely different features when it's a completely different series!? ⛄
Skill Level:Expert
Current Favorite:
Cradle of Egypt
(92)Fun Factor
4
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
4
/
5
Level of Challenge
4
/
5
Storyline
4
/
5
I really didn't like the first few levels of this game and I nearly gave up on it by the time level 4 rolled around. After the tutorial was over some of the levels became quite challenging to complete with all 3 Stars because of the grid configurations which were well thought out strategically. I was rather annoyed by the voiceovers and the constant pop-ups congratulating me for making matches of 4 or more, which actually kept me from making consecutive matches quickly if the pop-up occurred in the area I was trying to make matches at. Otherwise, I would have loved this game, but if you own any of the Match 3 games by e-FunSoft, there's no real change other than the graphics and the storyline.
This is a swap type, Match 3 game that requires you swap two adjacent elements to create a group of at least three tiles. You can opt to play in a Relaxed, untimed mode and there is a High Scores Leaderboard. The goal of each level is to make matches over all of the Brown filled-in Cells as well as matching a specified number of specific Tiles, some levels also require you to collect Energy Orbs by dropping them to the bottom of the board.
You don't earn Power-ups for making Large Matches, however, every match you make fills the Energy Orb which charges and allows you to use Bonuses such as a Hammer which removes a single tile or chain, an Energy Capsule to absorb a small group of tiles or chains, a Magnet that collects all tiles of the same kind, a Lightning Gun that clears an entire Horizontal Line including chained tiles, a Handheld Generator that clears an entire Vertical line including chains, or a Bomb which clears a large group of tiles and any chains on them.
There are the normal obstructions as found in most Match 3 games of chained tiles, double chained tiles, Spiders that spin webs to lock tiles if you don't make matches under them quickly enough, but nothing unusual or different than most Match 3 games. You can purchase upgrades to rebuild the city after gathering enough resources (a star will alert you that you have met the requirements) and you must purchase all four upgrades to complete the chapter and open up the next Chapter's levels.
I liked the challenge this game has and it was fun to play, however, I'm not seeing anything different than all other e-FunSoft Match 3 games, even the level grids seem familiar. Give the demo a try to see if you like it, but don't give up too soon, after the first few levels it does become more challenging.
I recommend this game!