pennmom36's Profile
Stat Summary
- Average Rating:3.7
- Helpful Votes:358,445
- Reviews Submitted:4726
- First Review:December 10, 2012
- Most Recent Review:July 21, 2025
- Featured reviews0
Status:
Help Ara to forge the legendary weapon in this challenging fantasy match-3 adventure!
Overall rating
4
/
5
60 of 63 found this review helpful
MUCH BETTER THAN THE LAST ONE
PostedJanuary 29, 2019
pennmom36
fromHope you don't have arachnophobia! ⛄
Skill Level:Expert
Current Favorite:
4 Elements II
(156)Fun Factor
4
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
4
/
5
Level of Challenge
4
/
5
Storyline
4
/
5
It looks like they decided to scrap the whole "potion making" scenario that was in the last Enthralling Realms game which didn't go over so well with most reviewers. I'm glad the developer didn't give up on us and decided to go back to the drawing board to make a few adjustments. Blacksmith's Revenge is a really good Match 3 game with interesting board layouts that present a good challenge, and I did enjoy playing the demo, but there's a good reason I deducted a star from my rating. If you own any other M3 game by this developer, you may find that it has too many similarities, and I saw no option to select Difficulty Modes such as Relaxed, Normal or Hard.
Once again, a pop-up window appears before the game begins warning you that you may have to play the game in Windowed Mode if you are playing on Windows 10, however, I didn't select the windowed option and I didn't have any issues whatsoever, but then again, I didn't have any issues with the last game.
This is a Swap type of Match 3 game, where you swap tiles to make Matches of at least 3 identical elements. You must make matches over all of the Gold Cells, and make the required number of matches of each Element shown at the top of the screen. Elements inside of Bubbles, Morph (I think they appear when you make large matches, but I'm not positive) which allows you to pop the bubble when the desired element appears inside the bubble.
There are the usual Obstructions of Chained or Double Chained Tiles that require one or two matches of whichever element is chained, or pesky Spiders that will spin Webs over the tiles if they aren't removed by making matches under them. Some levels require you to collect Treasure Chests by dropping them off of the board as you make matches under them as well. A new feature has been added called Boss Stage, and it requires you to make matches of tiles directly above a Giant Spider that shuffles right and left, to fill up the meter to destroy it before time runs out.
There are Four different types of Power-ups available, and each one requires a Mana Meter refill after each use. The Mana Meter is refilled by making any Match, but larger matches will fill the meter more quickly. The Axe destroys a single element or chain of your choice. A Potion Bomb creates an explosion to covers a 4 tile range (becomes more powerful eventually) that will destroy tiles, gold cells or chains. The Lightning Crystal clears an entire Horizontal Line including gold tiles or chains. The Blade clears an entire Vertical Line including gold cells and chains.The Crucible removes all of the same kind of tile element (whichever tile you place the power-up on)
When you have acquired enough resources, you can restore the Village. (a star will appear on the right side when a restoration is available) There are 5 Chapters and 20 Upgrades available, and you are required to complete 4 restoration upgrades to unlock the next Chapter. You will earn a Gold, Silver or Bronze Trophy on each level and you can replay the levels to earn a better score.
It's a good Match 3 game, especially if you haven't played other e-FunSoft M3 games, but from what I can tell, there's only one mode of difficulty. I could be wrong on that, perhaps I just couldn't find the options tab, so if it is available, let me know :)
THE ENTHRALLING REALMS SERIES LIST
Title***Release Date***Average Rating
Title***Release Date***Average Rating
1-Curse of Darkness (August 30-2017) 4.3
2-An Alchemist's Tale (May 28-2018) 3.6
3-Blacksmith's Revenge (January 29-2019) n/a
2-An Alchemist's Tale (May 28-2018) 3.6
3-Blacksmith's Revenge (January 29-2019) n/a
by: e-FunSoft Games
I recommend this game!
Travel the world from the savannah to the arctic, collecting nature photos on this match-3 safari adventure!
Overall rating
2
/
5
60 of 68 found this review helpful
SAY CHEESE
PostedJanuary 28, 2019
pennmom36
fromNow if I could only get these animals to start cheesing! ⛄
Skill Level:Expert
Current Favorite:
4 Elements II
(156)Fun Factor
2
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
2
/
5
Level of Challenge
2
/
5
Storyline
2
/
5
Animal Drop Safari is just another cheesy, Limited Moves, cutesy Match 3 game. The levels give you so many available large matches on the board that it practically plays itself! It isn't a fast-paced game either because you can't quickly make consecutive matches, after each individual move you have to wait for all the tiles to regenerate and go through the motions of activating power-ups. I'm not a fan of Limited Moves games in the first place and I prefer a Match 3 game to be more Challenging, but if you enjoy these features, I'm sure you will love this game.
There are 200 Match 3 Levels and there are 35 Animals along the way to take Photographs of. You are trying to win a contest that will feature your photographs each month for a year on the cover of a prestigious magazine. The BF synopsis claims that you'll visit 9 Natural Environments, including the land of Unicorns lol.
You can earn up to 3 Stars on each level and there is a Star Meter on the top left of the screen and you can replay any level from the Level Map. Most level Goals require you to make matches on all Yellow Cells, as well as Collecting a specified number of specified Animal Tiles. Some levels may require you to earn a specific number of Points as well. Any remaining Moves are played through by the computer, including bonus moves, so once again, progress comes to a screeching halt while you wait for an eternity watching the board play itself, just to move on to the next level. The scoring seems rather random though, on one level you may earn nearly 100k points and earn a Highest Score Award, but only earn 2 Stars, the next level you may only earn 60k points yet earn all 3 Stars. I'm assuming the score is based upon the number of moves remaining, but to me, it seems that the score is at the computers mercy and luck of the draw?
Large Matches will earn Bonuses on the board that must be included in a match of the same type of animal. I noticed several times that you aren't always awarded a bonus when you clearly should have, and the bonuses don't clear yellow cells. A Match 4 creates a Super Animal Vertical or Horizontal Line Buster depending on which way the original match was made. A match made in a T or L shape will give you a Super Animal Bomb that will explode when matched to take out a small group of tiles. A Match 5 will give you a Rainbow Gem that can be exchanged with any Animal Tile to remove all animals of the same kind. Combining 2 Bonuses will create a bigger explosion, and when you swap a Rainbow Gem with Super Animal tile it will apply that animals power to all animals of the same kind.
During the demo, there was only 1 Obstacle presented, Caged animals that require a single or double match made of whichever animal was inside of the cage. There are 5 different Power-ups added such as a Hammer to remove a single tile of your choice, but they need to recharge after every use.
It's a cute game, but for me personally, it has too many features I dislike, moves at a snail's pace, and doesn't have anything different than all the other cutesy Match 3 games offered lately.
I don't recommend this game.
Pursue a snow-white deer through an enchanted forest and uncover a mystery in the days of King Arthur! Answer the call of a king and begin the hunt!
Overall rating
5
/
5
38 of 42 found this review helpful
NO NEED TO HUNT ANY FURTHER FOR A TOP NOTCHED TIME MANAGEMENT GAME!
PostedJanuary 27, 2019
pennmom36
fromCan't we just take a picture of this beautiful elusive magical creature and call it a day? ⛄
Skill Level:Expert
Fun Factor
5
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
5
/
5
Level of Challenge
5
/
5
Storyline
5
/
5
New Yankee is quickly winning our Time Management hearts, and I'm so glad they finally stopped offering them as a Collector's Edition version first! The graphics keep getting better and better, the tasks keep getting more interesting and I love John's sarcastic humor.
You can play in a Relaxed, Normal or Expert difficulty mode, and there are 30 Achievement Trophies to earn. There are 50 Levels and 32 Hidden Jigsaw Puzzle Pieces to search for, some of which are quite obscure. As you progress, you are given the option to choose a between 3 Bonuses that will help you with the tougher levels by allowing Mary to Walk and Cast Spells Faster, John to Walk and Fight Faster or help Max the dog to Run Faster, or at least as fast as his poor little short bulldog legs can move.
Like most TM games, you must gather resources such as food, wood, gold and mana, clear boulders, logs, and weeds from the paths, fill in potholes, chop down trees, repair bridges, and construct or repair sawmills, Mills to produce more food, workers houses (Max needs a house too) The workers do almost everything, John is the Knight in Shining Armor and does the fighting, Mary is skilled in Witchcraft and takes care of Casting all the Spells to instantly regrow trees that have been cut down, construct Altars that magically speed up the process by restocking food sources and even conjure up Druid Bridges, but she needs a constant supply of Mana from the wells or an occasional bottle abandoned along the paths, to work her magic.
I can't imagine what this series could possibly add to make it any better. Each game in the series seems to just keep getting better and it has all the features a TM game should have and none of the features it shouldn't. The games in this series can be played and enjoyed by beginners just as much as it is by TM experts!
NEW YANKEE IN KING ARTHUR'S COURT SERIES LIST
Title*** Release Date***Average Rating
NEW YANKEE IN KING ARTHUR'S COURT SERIES LIST
Title*** Release Date***Average Rating
1-New Yankee In King Arthur's Court 1 SE only (May 7-2012) 3.9
2-New Yankee In King Arthur's Court 2 SE only (January 30-2013) 4.2
3-New Yankee In King Arthur's Court 3 SE only (December 24-2013) 3.5
(Santa's Service Christmas Edition)
4-New Yankee In King Arthur's Court 4 CE (December 19-2017) 4.3
New Yankee In King Arthur's Court 4 SE (February 14-2018) 4.8
5-New Yankee In King Arthur's Court 5 CE (April 10-2018) 3.8
New Yankee In King Arthur's Court 5 SE (June 13-2018) 3.7
6-New Yankee In Pharaoh's Court 6 SE only (September 12-2018) 4.9
7-New Yankee 7: Deer Hunters SE only (January 25-2019) n/a
2-New Yankee In King Arthur's Court 2 SE only (January 30-2013) 4.2
3-New Yankee In King Arthur's Court 3 SE only (December 24-2013) 3.5
(Santa's Service Christmas Edition)
4-New Yankee In King Arthur's Court 4 CE (December 19-2017) 4.3
New Yankee In King Arthur's Court 4 SE (February 14-2018) 4.8
5-New Yankee In King Arthur's Court 5 CE (April 10-2018) 3.8
New Yankee In King Arthur's Court 5 SE (June 13-2018) 3.7
6-New Yankee In Pharaoh's Court 6 SE only (September 12-2018) 4.9
7-New Yankee 7: Deer Hunters SE only (January 25-2019) n/a
by: Yustas Games Studio
I recommend this game!
The shapeshifting detective, and hero of Netherfall, is once again called to the capital to help king Robert investigate a series of kidnappings!
Overall rating
3
/
5
108 of 145 found this review helpful
MY "KING'S" QUEST BECAME RATHER REPETITIVE
PostedJanuary 26, 2019
pennmom36
fromAlchemy is an ancient practice of trying to to turn lead into gold. Not only did spiritualism play a significant role but it was believed that metals were not only alive but that they grew inside of the Earth ⛄
Skill Level:Expert
Fun Factor
3
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
3
/
5
Level of Challenge
3
/
5
Storyline
3
/
5
As a world-renowned Alchemist, the King has requested your services (shouldn't it be King's Quest V?) investigating the Missing Children case. One suspect has already been arrested, but it's highly unlikely he's responsible because he doesn't fit the profile. In fact, no one fits this particular profile because all the evidence collected points to something not human, at least not completely human!
I quickly became bored with this game because not only did the storyline seem to drag on and on, but it was very predictable, I suspected where the plot was heading as soon as I met with the King. Not only did the storyline drag, but the mini-games were the same mini-games for each chapter, you would play the same game every time you entered a portal, the same game to leave the portal and the same types of games during each chapter. There is a Gadget which is a staple feature in this series, a Potion Cube to make Transformation Potions, it too is repetitive and used an average of 2 times per chapter. The good news is that there is a good ratio of Mini-Games: Hidden Object Scenes and the hand-drawn graphics are beautifully illustrated.
The Hidden Object Scenes are varied with Interactive List Finds, Silhouetted Shape Finds, and Multiples of the Same Object Finds. Most of the scenes are very interactive requiring moving other objects out of the way or finding and replacing missing parts. Each Hidden Object Scene has a Morphing Object that must be clicked when in the correct Form. There is an alternate Matching Pairs game available where you click on 2 Related Items such as a Broom and a Dustpan.
The Mini-Games are okay but rather easy and very repetitive because you have to complete the same puzzles for each chapter. The puzzle to access each of the portal locations is the same, the puzzle to return to the King is the same each time, and I've never been a fan of recipe puzzles because there's no skill involved and you have to repeat the Potion Cube Recipes 6 different times! Even the puzzles that aren't repeated, only slightly change from chapter to chapter but they are all puzzles that have been offered in other Brave Giant games. Below are brief descriptions of some of the games you'll encounter during the first 3 chapters, the point I gave up:
1-Follow the picture diagram to create potion recipes x6.
2-Turn over clouds to find matching symbols, not all symbols have pairs.
3-Rotate & place fragments into highlighted slots each time you enter the portal.
4-Choose the single token that doesn't have any symbols on the beasts tokens.
5-Find and replace misplaced items to progress the story.
6-Slide tokens along the tracks to their correct matching slots.
7-Swap figurines according to the clue shown.
8-Move figure the specified number of squares in the correct direction.
9-Find 3 DNA markers that are located on each slide.
10-Find 6 pairs of related objects.
11-Rotate rings on a disk to recreate the image shown, moving one ring affects others.
12-Arrange the images in chronological order.
13-Turn all flowers purple, selecting one affects others.
14-Find 3 symbols in each scene to progress the story.
15-Drag pawprints through the labyrinth.
2-Turn over clouds to find matching symbols, not all symbols have pairs.
3-Rotate & place fragments into highlighted slots each time you enter the portal.
4-Choose the single token that doesn't have any symbols on the beasts tokens.
5-Find and replace misplaced items to progress the story.
6-Slide tokens along the tracks to their correct matching slots.
7-Swap figurines according to the clue shown.
8-Move figure the specified number of squares in the correct direction.
9-Find 3 DNA markers that are located on each slide.
10-Find 6 pairs of related objects.
11-Rotate rings on a disk to recreate the image shown, moving one ring affects others.
12-Arrange the images in chronological order.
13-Turn all flowers purple, selecting one affects others.
14-Find 3 symbols in each scene to progress the story.
15-Drag pawprints through the labyrinth.
This Collector's Edition version has 6 Wallpapers, 6 Concept Art Pictures, 5 Music Soundtracks, replayable Movie Video Cutscenes, re-playable Mini-Games, and Hidden Object Scenes, 16 Hidden Magic Wands (with origins) 16 Hidden Puzzle Pieces, 8 Hidden Ghosts (crystal ball to show when a collectible is available purple if available, grey when all collectibles have been found) 21 Achievements to Earn, 4 Main Chapters +Bonus Chapter (very long chapters and extremely long BC) and a Built-in Strategy Guide.
QUEEN'S QUEST SERIES LIST
Title***Collector's Edition Release Date***Average Rating
Title***Collector's Edition Release Date***Average Rating
1-Tower Of Darkness SE only (October 7-2014) 4.1
2-Stories Of Forgotten Past (September 20-2016) 4.3
3-End Of Dawn (March 25-2017) 3.4
4-Sacred Truce (June 12-2018) 3.9
5-Symphony of Death (January 26-2019) n/a
2-Stories Of Forgotten Past (September 20-2016) 4.3
3-End Of Dawn (March 25-2017) 3.4
4-Sacred Truce (June 12-2018) 3.9
5-Symphony of Death (January 26-2019) n/a
by: Brave Giant Games
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