pennmom36's Profile
Stat Summary
- Average Rating:3.7
- Helpful Votes:358,445
- Reviews Submitted:4713
- First Review:December 10, 2012
- Most Recent Review:May 8, 2025
- Featured reviews0
Status:
Police inspector Linda Jones returns to her hometown to solve the mystery of her missing best friend in this hidden object detective game!
Overall rating
2
/
5
59 of 64 found this review helpful
SAME SCENES, SAME ITEMS IN THE SAME EXACT PLACES
PostedNovember 6, 2018
pennmom36
fromWell, it beats finding used objects to buy at a sale in your parents bathroom!
Skill Level:Expert
Current Favorite:
Vacation Adventures: Park Ranger
(84)Fun Factor
2
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
1
/
5
Level of Challenge
2
/
5
Storyline
2
/
5
I must admit that this could have been a solid Hidden Object game but it has too many flaws. I'll be honest, I didn't pay attention to the storyline because it wasn't that interesting and I got tired of having to click through several dialog boxes between scenes. This is a Timed Mode Hidden Object Game that doesn't have an option for a Relaxed, untimed mode, however, you aren't penalized if you don't finish the scene within the allotted time frame (which is ridiculously short) you just won't receive the extra points.
The first flaw or poor design was forcing me to go through the motions of a tutorial which forced me to use a Hint just for the sake of using it to learn how to click it, a feature that annoys me to no end! I played the entire demo and sped through several level scenes and was never shown what the points I earned are used for. There's nothing to buy with them so I suppose you just earn points or lose them for no apparent rhyme or reason? When I say lose points, you will be deducted -50 points for wrong selections which in itself isn't so bad but this game has a zoom and drag feature and I was deducted points several times for dragging the screen around, because I had to click first and then drag it, -50 points were often deducted. I had to make sure I clicked on an area that didn't have any items before attempting this feature...a big flaw!
The items to find are repeated over and over, the same scenes are repeated over and over (I seemed to spend a lot of my investigation time at the bar, hey, it's a tough job) The style usually changes each time with Listed Items, Pictured Items and Silhouetted Shape Item finds, but those have major flaws, at least the Silhouetted Shape flaws do. It's nearly impossible to find an item that matches a silhouetted shape when the silhouetted shape is square, rectangular or round because there are several objects that are that shape, posters, letters, cookies, donuts, coins etc. I was shown a square shape on the bedroom scene which turned out to be a rectangular Joker card! On the bar scene, it showed a pie shaped object with a curved bottom, yet it wasn't the exact same shaped slice of watermelon! Super-annoying flaw!
My final Flaw report is that the graphics are blurry, especially when you zoomed in to a scene. They decided at one point to add fog. Finding hidden objects because they are well-blended is one thing, trying to find objects that are hidden only because you can't distinguish one item from the next is not fun, it's simply a flaw!
I don't recommend this game.
Beautify your garden because there's a dream wedding coming! Hidden Object, Match-3 and Decoration!
Overall rating
2
/
5
57 of 70 found this review helpful
DOESN'T EVERYBODY WANT TO BUY USED TOILET PAPER, A FEATHER AND AN ICECREAM CONE LAYING ON THE FLOOR?
PostedNovember 5, 2018
pennmom36
fromMaybe skipping a sale out of your parents bathroom makes sense??
Skill Level:Expert
Current Favorite:
Gardenscapes 2
(135)Fun Factor
1
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
2
/
5
Level of Challenge
2
/
5
Storyline
2
/
5
This is one of those old-school junk-sale games where the customers arrive one by one to a specific room to buy random junk you are selling to earn some extra cash. They arrive with 3 hearts and either a pictured item they want or a silhouetted shape, listed item or even jumbled letters, if you don't find the item fast enough, they quickly lose their hearts and pay less money. Sometimes you have to play a Match 3 game to get items.
The good news is that you can switch to a relaxed mode that isn't timed, the bad news is that the game itself is boring and unrealistic. I don't think anyone would consider buying a single feather for 5 bucks, a 1/2 roll of toilet paper, a used tube of toothpaste, and especially not a half melted ice cream cone that's sitting on the floor. I know it's just a game, but that just grossed me out!
It's very similar to Gardenscapes and has hidden gold coins to find in each scene, and you use the money you earn to redecorate Mary's parent's garden in preparation for a wedding. You will also earn Experience stars to level up and buy tools. Each upgrade you purchase for the garden has 3 different styles to choose from, each one slightly more expensive than the last. There is a magnifying glass hint system that starts you out with 40 single item hints (random not of choice) which tells me that there will be a lot of ridiculously obscure objects or unidentifiable items to try to find.
I don't necessarily dislike old-school HOG's, some I actually love and play them over and over, but I found this game to be mundane, the garden items to buy uninteresting, and most of all, the customers were looking for ridiculous items and were paying ridiculous amounts of money for used items! If you enjoy games like Gardenscapes, you may very well love this game, so I definitely recommend trying the demo first before buying a used toothbrush out of a strangers bathroom.
I don't recommend this game.
Uncover the truth behind Heavenfall's greatest Secrets!
Overall rating
1
/
5
146 of 185 found this review helpful
ZZZzzz..I'M AWAKE!..zzz..must,,stay..aaawakke..zzz..just one more..emmbleemm..zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz
PostedNovember 3, 2018
pennmom36
fromThe Peace Sign was a self-portrait of Gerald Holtom in despair with his hands' palm outstretched outwards and downwards & was the graphic symbol for his Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament.
Skill Level:Expert
Current Favorite:
True Fear: Forsaken Souls Collector's Edition
(322)Fun Factor
1
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
2
/
5
Level of Challenge
1
/
5
Storyline
1
/
5
My apologies to Elephant, but creepy games are your wheelhouse, fantasy isn't. I'm just totally shocked that a game can be this boring, the storyline is just like Harry Potter only not that interesting. Heavenfall's brightest student Astrid has gone MIA and she's not the only student to go missing, there's a reason Heavenfall has secrets. I used a code to get this game so since I had a vested interest, I did try to complete the game but so far I've literally had to force myself to play through the second chapter, and there's one more to go (thanks for only 3 chapters this time)
I hope you love the task of finding emblems to open every single thing in the entire school from top to bottom, you even need an emblem to find other emblems, only to receive another emblem. There were so many emblems I couldn't remember where most of them went! Small emblems, large emblems, blue emblems red emblems, star emblems, circle emblems, square emblems, scroll-shaped emblems, teeny tiny emblems, huge emblems, magic emblems. There are emblems stuck in crevices, emblems inside drawers, emblems guarded by crows, emblems guarded by cats, emblems inside pillows, emblems outside windows, emblems just laying there looking all emblem-like as they do their emblem thing. There are emblem puzzles, emblem hidden objects, emblem gadgets, I'm quite sure my Detective's Badge is an emblem as well!
The Hidden Object Scenes couldn't be easier unless there was an emblem arrow pointing to the objects. There are Listed Item finds with emblems, Silhouetted Shape finds with emblems, Multiple finds with multiple emblems, HOS that require finding 4 emblems to open up the inventory list and Keyword finds related to emblems.
Some of the puzzles were rather unique but they are unusually complex and sometimes the instructions leave you scratching your head in utter confusion. Below are brief descriptions of some of the games you'll encounter during the first and second chapter:
1-Alternate moving EMBLEMS on a dual board.
2-Use directional arrows to push the EMBLEMS x3.
3-Swap tiles with colored EMBLEMS to complete the pattern.
4-Load liquid to flasks by connecting a specified number of connections.
5-Find magical squares on 3 scrolls to remove the spell.
2-Use directional arrows to push the EMBLEMS x3.
3-Swap tiles with colored EMBLEMS to complete the pattern.
4-Load liquid to flasks by connecting a specified number of connections.
5-Find magical squares on 3 scrolls to remove the spell.
This Collector's Edition version has 12 Wallpapers, 12 Concept Art pictures, 4 Screensavers (assemble 4 puzzles requiring 12 Puzzle Pieces each) 5 Music Soundtracks, 12 Collectible Spell Cards, 48 Hidden Puzzle Pieces (to assemble screensavers) 27 Morphing Musical Instruments, 3 Main Chapters +Bonus Chapter and a built-in Strategy Guide (to locate all those emblems of course)
CHIMERAS SERIES LIST
Title***Collector's Edition Release Date***Average Rating
Title***Collector's Edition Release Date***Average Rating
1-Tune of Revenge (February 7-2013) 4.7
2-The Signs of Prophecy (October -15-2015) 3.9
3-Cursed and Forgotten (May 26-2016) 3.8
4-Mortal Medicine (November 10-2016) 3.9
5-Mark of Death (May 4-2017) 3.3
6-Blinding Love (October 19-2017) 4.2
7-New Rebellion (May 3-2018) 3.6
8-Heavenfall Secrets (November 3-2018) n/a
2-The Signs of Prophecy (October -15-2015) 3.9
3-Cursed and Forgotten (May 26-2016) 3.8
4-Mortal Medicine (November 10-2016) 3.9
5-Mark of Death (May 4-2017) 3.3
6-Blinding Love (October 19-2017) 4.2
7-New Rebellion (May 3-2018) 3.6
8-Heavenfall Secrets (November 3-2018) n/a
by: Elephant Games
I don't recommend this game.
Can you stop a crazed kidnapper in time?
Overall rating
4
/
5
34 of 41 found this review helpful
MAYBE HE JUST NEEDS A FREIND, HOW BOUT JEFFREY FROM GAME NUMBER 6?
PostedNovember 2, 2018
pennmom36
fromAnd lucky number 13 is just around the corner!
Skill Level:Expert
Current Favorite:
Phantasmat Collector's Edition
(100)Fun Factor
4
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
1
/
5
Level of Challenge
3
/
5
Storyline
5
/
5
The truth is after 10 tries it's obvious this developer will never be able to duplicate the original Phantasmat's exceptional quality or storyline. The first Phantasmat was by Codeminion and the second was by Ers. I've tried to stick by this series because I'm hoping that someday they'll realize that they're doing it wrong, and not just this series either. The graphics are getting large and lack detail and each scene has less. By less, I mean fewer zoom zones or areas of interest, less detail, way less detail, in the BC of this game one zoom zone had a tray with a single paperclip and the paperclip didn't even look real! How can you mess up a paperclip?
Remember the great games of 2011-2013ish that had creepy graphics and something to do in every nook and corner of every scene? Remember the feeling you got when you saw that creaky wrought-iron gate leading to a mansion with boarded up windows because the details were insane even though your computer was probably running XP, Vista or Win7 and more than likely had a subpar graphics card? Remember how they didn't have much of a storyline but at least the storyline was interesting? Remember how original the tasks and puzzles were? Remember how it was nearly impossible to finish a game in one, sometimes two days much less one sitting? Remember the magic, the feeling of "I can't stop playing because it's so good but it's midnight" Remember how you had to navigate through several scenes on your own without a jump-map, and sometimes getting lost or having trouble recalling where it was that an inventory item you just found belonged, because back then, the inventory item you just found didn't get placed in the same scene or the one before! I'm not asking to revert back to the games of yesteryear, I'm asking them to bring back the magic, I'm asking for games to be better than they were back then. It's almost 2019, at a bare minimum, shouldn't the graphics at least be better? I think these devs became so big so quickly that they can no longer see us on the ground waving frantically and they can no longer hear us screaming for something better. (because the other option is that they no longer care?)
As for the differences between the Collector's Edition version and this Standard Edition version, the CE version has 36 Ghostly Signs located in each scene and a Morphing Object in about half of the scenes. There are icons that show the availability of a morph or collectible. It's a good thing considering that the morphs are only in some of the scenes. unfortunately, neither is difficult to spot because a white ghost and a piece of paper with a morphing pumpkin are hard to miss. The good news is that if you do happen to miss one, it does allow you to return to the scene to search for it.
The Bonus Chapter isn't bad, but it's really short as well. It is a sequel which takes place shortly after the incident, starting back at Marcia's house, so you don't even get new scenes to investigate. There are 5 Mini-Games to play in the BC and I believe 4 Hidden Object Scenes. You will search for the remaining 8 Ghostly Signs and 4 remaining Morphs, after completing the BC you can return to 20 of the scene locations to find a souvenir. This feature is rather worthless in my opinion because you only have to find one item in each scene and it literally takes two seconds to spot the object so why bother?
In the Collector's Edition version there are 13 Achievements to earn and you can still earn achievements in the BC and in the Re-playable Hidden Object Scenes and puzzles section, a feature that's not always available after completing the main Game. This is a good, not a great game, but in my opinion, it's a very short game with a very short BC 8 scenes long. Unless you prefer morphs and collectibles, this Standard Edition version is probably the better option.
The Collector's Edition version has 6 Character pictures with before/after slider bar & dialog recordings, 8 Wallpapers, 8 Concept Art pictures, 7 Music Soundtracks, 12 Movie Video Cutscenes, a never-ending -playable Match 3 Game, 14 re-playable Mini-Game Puzzles, 13 re-playable Hidden Object Scenes, 13 Achievements to earn (some available in 3 categories) 16 Scene Location Morphing Objects (11 in Main Game, 5 in BC) 36 Hidden Ghostly Signs (28 in Main Game 8 in BC) a Souvenir Room with 20 Souvenirs (one souvenir in each of the scene locations) 4 Main Chapters +Bonus Chapter and a built-in Strategy Guide.
PHANTASMAT SERIES LIST
Title***Standard Edition Release Date***Average Rating
Title***Standard Edition Release Date***Average Rating
1-Phantasmat (February 8-2011) 4.6
2-Crucible Peak (January 4-2013) 4.0
3-The Endless Night (February 8-2015) 4.4
4-The Dread of Oakville (August 7-2015) 3.9
5-Behind The Mask (January 15-2016) 4.3
6-Town of Lost Hope (May 6-2016) 3.9
7-Reign of Shadows (November 4-2016) 3.7
8-Mournful Loche (May 12-2017) 3.9
9-Insidious Dreams (October 13-2017) 3.8
10-Curse of the Mist (January 21-2018) 3.7
11-Deja Vu (August 5-2018)
12-Death In Hardcover (November 2-2018) n/a
13-(coming soon)
by: Eipix Entertainment
2-Crucible Peak (January 4-2013) 4.0
3-The Endless Night (February 8-2015) 4.4
4-The Dread of Oakville (August 7-2015) 3.9
5-Behind The Mask (January 15-2016) 4.3
6-Town of Lost Hope (May 6-2016) 3.9
7-Reign of Shadows (November 4-2016) 3.7
8-Mournful Loche (May 12-2017) 3.9
9-Insidious Dreams (October 13-2017) 3.8
10-Curse of the Mist (January 21-2018) 3.7
11-Deja Vu (August 5-2018)
12-Death In Hardcover (November 2-2018) n/a
13-(coming soon)
by: Eipix Entertainment
I recommend this game!
A sizzling take on the classic tale of greed, yearning, and redemption.
Overall rating
5
/
5
203 of 251 found this review helpful
THE ANSWERS YOU SEEK ARE RIGHT HERE IN THE MATCH GIRL'S GARDEN
PostedNovember 1, 2018
pennmom36
fromNon-linear Cursed Objects: I'm not afraid to beg, I say to thee Please, please, please Blue Tea, Blue Tea. Bring back that amazing feature to me, me, me. Blue Tea, Blue Tea Surely you don't want to disappoint me Thank You and Please times three you see?
Skill Level:Expert
Current Favorite:
Dark Parables: Curse of Briar Rose Collector's Edition
(49)Fun Factor
4
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
4
/
5
Level of Challenge
4
/
5
Storyline
5
/
5
The Match Girl lived in fear nearly her entire life. Her Grandmother taught her to forgive those who treated her poorly, even her abusive drunken father who fell to pieces after her mother disappeared! But the tides have changed now, she's no longer that frightened little girl who sold matches in her father's shop. Some say she's an evil forest witch casting spells of sorcery to grant peoples wishes and desires. Others say she has just Lost her way to her garden Paradise!
When I first discovered the Dark Parable series, there were already 4 games released, so I started with the original (scroll down for the series list in order) I was probably into the third chapter by the time I discovered the first Cursed Object. Sure, I was fairly new to the HOPA genre, but the reason I didn't "see" the Cursed Object was because of the geniuses programmers and game designers of Blue Tea! The first time you would visit a scene, the Cursed Object wasn't Cursed! No matter how long you stared at an object, it just wouldn't morph because it required an action to be taken in a different scene, a scene you hadn't yet unlocked. It may be 3-4 scenes later in fact, and you had no idea which action would trigger the Morph and in which scene! How cool does that sound? FOR THE LIFE OF ME, I CAN'T UNDERSTAND WHY BLUE TEA ABANDONED THIS FEATURE? (caps in case they are reading this review) When Blue Tea made a come-back with the Eipix Production Team financing their work, I thought the non-linear cursed objects would surely return now that they had no financial worries, but I was disappointed, and I'm even more disappointed that they have chosen to overlook several pleas from several Dark Parable fans to return to their roots to offer the feature that THEY created in the first place! To my knowledge, no other developer has offered this incredible feature in their games, if they have, please let me know in your review or at pf because I WILL purchase that game sight unseen!
The Hidden Object Scenes or all Fragmented Object Scenes or FROG's, made famous by Blue Tea Games. These are the ONLY hidden object scenes I've ever found to be challenging. Nobody is able to blend objects into the scene like these devs can! I wish there were more FROG scenes in this game, I actually anticipated unlocking new locations because I wanted another opportunity to find more fragments. If you aren't familiar with Blue Tea style FROGS, you may not like them at first because they are so much different than the normal HOG's. There are 3 sections located at the bottom with pictures of several fragmented objects to search for. As each fragment is found, that object will become opaque. Once you have found all fragments in a section those fragments will join together to show that you have completed that section. Once all 3 fragmented objects are completed, the 3 sections will join together to become an inventory item that you will need to proceed. Many devs have attempted this unique style, but Blue Tea perfected it back in 2010! (now if we could just bring back the non-linear cursed objects I'd be one Happy Camper)
The Mini-Games were good but could be better, for me they seemed rather easy to solve and are mostly the same puzzles we've done a thousand times, but they do have fairly good instructions. Below are brief descriptions of some of the games you'll encounter before and after the demo:
1-Guide gems in a dual screen maze to the top using individual directional arrows.
2-Swap triangular tiles to complete the image.
3-Rotate the circles to complete the scene.
4-Arrange the items to complete each character's activity.
5-Interact with the scenes decorations and place trumpets into their matching symbols.
6-Collect the gold from each character.
7-Select the center button to match the animal with the cylinder.
8-Select the button each time the slider crosses over the red marks.
9-Use red arrows to pan and green arrows to focus to find all symbols.
2-Swap triangular tiles to complete the image.
3-Rotate the circles to complete the scene.
4-Arrange the items to complete each character's activity.
5-Interact with the scenes decorations and place trumpets into their matching symbols.
6-Collect the gold from each character.
7-Select the center button to match the animal with the cylinder.
8-Select the button each time the slider crosses over the red marks.
9-Use red arrows to pan and green arrows to focus to find all symbols.
This Collector's Edition version has 8 Wallpapers, 6 Concept Art pictures, 6 Music Soundtracks, 9 Movie Video Cutscenes, 17 re-playable Mini-Games, 20 re-playable Hidden Object Scenes, 13 Achievements to earn, 20 Morphing Cursed Objects to earn, 28 Parable Pieces (collect 4 pieces to unlock each Parable 5 Main/2 Bonus Chapter: The Little Match Girl-The Star Coins-The Forest Witch-The Ominous Beauty-The Second Prince's Revenge-Fire of Youth-The King's New Clothes) 6 Main Chapters +Bonus Chapter. Enjoy the Dark Parables!
DARK PARABLES SERIES LIST
Title***Collector's Edition Release Date***Average Rating
Title***Collector's Edition Release Date***Average Rating
1-Curse of Briar Rose (March 11-2010) 4.3
2-The Exiled Prince (February 2542011) 4.3
3-Rise of the Snow Queen (December 1-2011) 4.6
4-The Red Riding Hood Sisters (September 20-2012) 4.6
5-The Final Cinderella (May 23-2013) 4.4
6-Jack and the Sky Kingdom (February 6-2014) 4.2
7-Ballad of Rapunzel (June 26-2014) 4.3
8-The Little Mermaid and the Purple Tide (November 13-2014) 3.7
9-Queen of Sands (May 21-2015) 3.5
10-Goldilocks and the Fallen Star (November 19-2015) 3.4
11-The Swan Princess and the Dire Tree (July 7-2016) 3.8
12-The Thief and the Tinderbox (September 22-2016) 3.4
13-Requiem for the Forgotten Shadow (February 23-2017) 3.0
14-Return of the Salt Princess (March 15-2018) 3.9
15-The Match Girl's Lost Paradise (November 1-2018) n/a
2-The Exiled Prince (February 2542011) 4.3
3-Rise of the Snow Queen (December 1-2011) 4.6
4-The Red Riding Hood Sisters (September 20-2012) 4.6
5-The Final Cinderella (May 23-2013) 4.4
6-Jack and the Sky Kingdom (February 6-2014) 4.2
7-Ballad of Rapunzel (June 26-2014) 4.3
8-The Little Mermaid and the Purple Tide (November 13-2014) 3.7
9-Queen of Sands (May 21-2015) 3.5
10-Goldilocks and the Fallen Star (November 19-2015) 3.4
11-The Swan Princess and the Dire Tree (July 7-2016) 3.8
12-The Thief and the Tinderbox (September 22-2016) 3.4
13-Requiem for the Forgotten Shadow (February 23-2017) 3.0
14-Return of the Salt Princess (March 15-2018) 3.9
15-The Match Girl's Lost Paradise (November 1-2018) n/a
by: Blue Tea Games
I recommend this game!
This town was cursed and has been a haven of evil spirits. Banish them in this spooky match 3 game.
Overall rating
5
/
5
89 of 105 found this review helpful
SPOOKTACKULAR CURSED HOUSE JUST IN TIME FOR HALLOWEEN
PostedOctober 31, 2018
Fun Factor
5
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
5
/
5
Level of Challenge
5
/
5
Storyline
5
/
5
This series never gets old! This is one of the few Match 3 Games that requires you to use strategy to beat the levels, and one of my top 5 favorite M3 game series. This game is all about the coins, nothing else matters, but getting to those coins isn't as easy as you may think
They have added a High Difficulty mode (which I haven't attempted yet!) and a Casual Difficulty mode and both modes can be played in a Timed Mode, a Limited Moves Mode (which I recommend) or a Relaxed Mode and you can switch between modes on different levels to help you beat difficult levels. Eventually, you will be given the option to skip a difficult level without penalty, after several replay attempts, and in the Bonus Levels, you will receive interactive hints after 10 replay attempts.
The Cursed House, which is actually a Cursed Town this time, is filled with evil spirits, that can only be banished by an ancient Amulet. The Amulet can only be powered by collecting hundreds of coins, so once again, this cursed house needs a cleansing of its domain of evil spirits.
Large matches will give you a Power-up, and power-ups are critical because most coins are blocked by obstacles that require a power-up to destroy them. A match 4 will give you Dynamite to explode by moving it or by double-clicking. A match 5 will give you a Morphing Power-up to choose either a Rocket which targets obstacles, Lightning which destroys all identical tiles match with, or a Dynamite Barrel. You can choose the power-up by clicking on the power-up as it morphs, and if you chose the wrong one, you can cancel it by right-clicking.
Levels with Trunks require you to collect Trunk Coins and when all trunk coins have been found, you need to make a match adjacent to the trunk or trunks that will vibrate to alert you that all trunk coins have been located. Once the trunks are opened, you receive bonuses and other parts of the board are unlocked.
Some levels have Cannons that require you to make matches next to the wick to fire the cannon to start a chain reaction, some cannons are locked and you must make matches in front of the key to allow the key to move towards the lock. Firing the cannon also opens up other parts of the board.
There are several types of coins besides the gold coins and trunk coins, Dusty coins that need two matches, coins that are split in half requiring matches in front of the pieces to join the two halves. Coins that need to be filled in by collecting falling drops of liquid or gold by dropping them off the board to fill a vial. Bug coins need to be collected to get rid of pesky bugs that annoy you, and Red bugs need to be pushed off of the board because they are invulnerable to power-ups.
Some tiles have obstacles such as chains or boarded tiles, some boarded tiles have shields that require matches made on the sides without the shield for more challenge, or a power-up. There are Stone tiles, Lava tiles, Chained tiles, ice tiles, Rock tiles and Fog tiles that require either a match adjacent to them, most but not all obstacles can be destroyed with lightning explosions or bombs. There are even Green and Red Hot Stone tiles that require matches on top to destroy them. Torches will spread the flame as adjacent matches are made, which needs to reach frozen tiles or flameless torches. The Ray of Light shoots a beam of light to destroy the Darkness, but a path must be cleared first.....the not so easy scenario!
After playing a few levels, you get to play a Mini Game such as Higher/Lower Solitaire that has an extra slot to store any face-up card to use in a match later and unblock cards on the board. There are also Hidden Object Scenes and one of my favorite games, Spot The Difference which has very subtle differences and isn't as easy as you'd expect.
This is the kind of Match 3 game that can be purchased before playing it because FRH Games doesn't bring duds to the table and I've never been disappointed with any of their games, enjoy!
CURSED HOUSE SERIES LIST
Title***Release Date***Average Rating
Title***Release Date***Average Rating
1-Cursed House: 1 (December 15-2010) 4.1
2-Cursed House: 2 (October 31-2012) 4.0
-Cursed House: Irish Language version (July 15-2014) 4.0
3-Cursed House: 3 (May 23-2016) 4.3
4-Cursed House: 4 (September 11-2017) 3.9
5-Cursed House: 5 (February 21-2018) 3.8
6-Cursed House 6 (October 31-2018) n/a
2-Cursed House: 2 (October 31-2012) 4.0
-Cursed House: Irish Language version (July 15-2014) 4.0
3-Cursed House: 3 (May 23-2016) 4.3
4-Cursed House: 4 (September 11-2017) 3.9
5-Cursed House: 5 (February 21-2018) 3.8
6-Cursed House 6 (October 31-2018) n/a
by: FRH Games
I recommend this game!
A dark spell forces Zeus to forget his own children! Help the kids of Hellas in this time management quest!
Overall rating
4
/
5
34 of 42 found this review helpful
THESE AREN'T YOUR ORDINARY CHILDREN
PostedOctober 30, 2018
pennmom36
fromUncle Hades has always been a troublemaker!
Skill Level:Expert
Fun Factor
4
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
4
/
5
Level of Challenge
3
/
5
Storyline
3
/
5
Kids of Hellas is a new Time Management series brought to us from the creators of 12 Labours of Hercules, Alicia Quatermain and most recently, Archimedes. The graphics are really good, the game mechanics are fluent and the tasks require some strategy in order to beat the levels and earn all 3 Stars or Gold Status. There are 30 Achievement Trophies to earn and the music is pleasant although it is basically the same music that is offered in all of Jet Dogs TM games. There are 3 difficulty modes to choose from, Easy, Normal or Difficult and each level in this CE version has a hidden Puzzle Rune piece to find.
I played the demo in the Normal mode and easily passed the levels with flying colors, therefore, I personally don't have a need for the Strategy Guide, and will wait patiently for the Standard Edition version. I don't want to pay twice as much money for this CE version just to get 6 Wallpapers, 50 Hidden Puzzle Pieces that unlock 5 Bonus Chapter levels and a Strategy Guide that I probably won't use. Other than the fact that I personally don't prefer these particular CE offerings, I think this is a really fun Time Management game. The game itself is worthy of 5 Stars, but this is just my personal preference and as others have already stated, the game itself is a fantastic TM game that I'm certain most will enjoy!
Kids of Hellas is a cute light-hearted Greek Mythology based story that takes place after a spiteful curse was cast upon the children of Zeus. Seems Uncle Hades was the instigator behind the spell that dumped the Kids of Hellas to fend for themselves here on Earth. As if the spell itself wasn't bad enough, the kids quickly discover that Zeus has no recollection of them, but I have a feeling that all will end well for the kids, and Uncle Hades will feel the wrath of his brothers' thunderous fury when all is said and done...let's find out, Time Management style :)
There are the usual Time Management tasks, collecting resources, repairing pit holes, cutting down trees, removing wood, repairing bridges and fixing various buildings to get a more consistent supply of food, wood, stone gold, mama wells etc. There are also unusual tasks, one in particular that I enjoyed, shaving the sheep for their Golden wool!
As you progress you will receive Bonuses that will recharge by collecting Stars left behind on some of the tasks you complete. These are the usual tasks that speed up workers or quickly refill resources or allow the kids to store more resources in their backpacks. The Bonus Icons are located on the right side and usually have more than one type of resource available. You can click on the first Bonus that refills or wait for the second one to fill, it just depends on the level goals as to which one is more important, in other words, there may not be a need for faster workers if you don't have enough resources to assign a worker to a task that requires resources that aren't ready at the time.
I realize I'm the odd man out with my opinion here, but I will definitely buy this game when it's released as a Standard Edition version :)
I recommend this game!
Go head-to-head with the Lord of the Underworld himself in this clever match-3!
Overall rating
2
/
5
60 of 77 found this review helpful
THERE'S NO SAVING THIS HALLOWEEN MATCH 3 GAME
PostedOctober 29, 2018
pennmom36
fromWhy are fan favorites being ruined?
Skill Level:Expert
Current Favorite:
Imperial Island: Birth of an Empire
(65)Fun Factor
2
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
4
/
5
Level of Challenge
3
/
5
Storyline
3
/
5
I clearly remembered playing the original Save Halloween game, but I didn't remember all of the details, I just knew it was better than this game. After completing this demo I downloaded City of Witches and sure enough, it was an awesome Match 3 game that was a Timed Mode game which moved at a very fast pace, and unlike this game, it was delightful!
They have completely overhauled the game style and mechanics with the same features as one of my favorite Match 3 game series that they recently released on October 9th. That didn't go over so well for fans of that well-known series. Because this is only the second game in this series, it very well may have a positive outcome, if you like Limited Moves, M3 games. For me personally, I don't like playing a Match 3 game that you can't win without earning a ton of bonuses and power-ups, that's not winning because of your skills, that's winning because you destroyed every tile on the board with an explosion of some sort! This game is more like a mobile game than a PC/Mac game, in my opinion, and probably would have been more appealing as such. It is a colorful, extremely animated, quest driven Match 3 game that's geared more towards teenagers than adults.
There are 140 Levels, 14 Trophy awards to earn (you must "claim" your reward by going into the Trophy section after earning an achievement.) and Collectible Cards to earn in 3 Categories, Obstacles: as you progress you will encounter Obstacles that block you from continuing to the next level such as a Zombie or evil Storm Clouds sent by Lucifer. Some of the Quests require you to replay a specific level or levels to collect items such as Skulls or Dynamite (drop them off of the bottom) There is a Quest tab on the right side that will show you which levels you need to replay, which level must be completed or what resources you need to complete the quest.You will also unlock Character Cards as you help various Characters as well as Cards for each Building constructed.
Although this is a colorful game, it's exactly like all the other Limited Moves Match 3 games that have been released lately, where you choose a bonus to start each level, with the same goals of collecting a specific number of specific tiles, as well as making matches over all of the Gold or Silver cells or destroying various obstacles such as Crates, Double-boarded Crates or making matches of tiles that are blocked behind Bones or Double Bones.
The tiles are large and cartoon animated and it's so easy to make large Matches so you're constantly acquiring bonuses on the board which makes it seem like the game is playing itself! Just like the other frequently released Match 3 games, it takes forever for all of the extra moves to be played through at the end of each level. Before the level begins, you are given the opportunity to choose a Bonus that will be added to the start of the level such as a Combo Bonus or a Bat Bonus that when included with at least 2 other tiles of the same color, will fly off the board and destroy an important tile such as an icon located on a Gold Cell. There are also bonuses to use at your discretion such as a Hammer to take out a single tile.
Large Matches will earn Bonuses on the board and must be included in a Match to detonate such as, a four tile Square gives you a Bat Bonus, a Match 4 in a row gives you a Horizontal or Vertical Line Destroyer Bonus (depending on which direction the match was made originally) a Match 5 in a T or L shape gives you a Bomb, a Match 5 in a row gives you Lightning that turns all tiles to whatever it is matched with, including other bonuses, a Match 6 gives you a Cauldron that puts several Bats of various colors on the board. All of the Bonuses must be matched with specific colored tiles to activate them, and any Bonus can be combined to create a bigger impact.
I'm just not a fan of Limited Moves Match 3 games, and I'm definitely not a fan of the "cutsie" overly-animated cartoon style Match 3 games that you can't win without constantly creating and activating Power-ups to win. In fact, I usually try to make it through an entire game without using Bonuses or Power-ups, to rely simply on speed and skills. This is just one of those games that you should definitely try before you buy!
SAVE HALLOWEEN SERIES LIST
Title***Release Date***Average Rating
1-City of Witches (October 14-2015) 4.3
2-Travel To Hel (October 29-2018) n/a
Title***Release Date***Average Rating
1-City of Witches (October 14-2015) 4.3
2-Travel To Hel (October 29-2018) n/a
by: Quick Click Games
I don't recommend this game.
When a notorious poacher steals every animal off a reserve, FEMA calls in the Rescue Team! Save the day in the time management rescue mission.
Overall rating
4
/
5
30 of 34 found this review helpful
THERE'S ENOUGH OF A CHALLENGE TO MAKE IT FUN
PostedOctober 28, 2018
pennmom36
fromI'm still A Rescue Team fan!
Skill Level:Expert
Fun Factor
4
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
4
/
5
Level of Challenge
5
/
5
Storyline
3
/
5
A lot of reviewers complained about this game not having any challenge when it was first released as a Collector's Edition, but I find that there's just the right amount of challenge to make it fun. I played in the Multi-click mode, and I had to play several levels a second time to earn all three stars, and I consider myself to be pretty good at Time Management games, so I guess the only way to find out if the game is challenging enough for you, is to give it a try before you buy.
The Blooming Forest is a beautiful sanctuary reserve, famous for its rare collection of Flora and Fauna. Tourists and Journalist have arrived from all over the world to attend the opening ceremony, but not everyone has good intentions. That low-life poacher Pietro Mangula and his band of merry thieves have joined the celebration! Their devious plan is to create chaos throughout the reserve and slip out undetected with their cargo of wildlife. There's just one problem...They weren't counting on the fact that Rescue Team was attending the ceremony! I'm on my way!
There's a difficulty mode available for everyone including a Relaxed mode with no Time constraints, as well as a Normal mode that only allows you to assign available workers, and a Multi-click mode which allows you to queue tasks for workers to complete once they become available. There are 27 Achievements to earn, 50 Main Levels and 20 Bonus Levels available in the Collector's Edition version which also has a built-in Strategy Guide. The Strategy Guide is actually quite useful because this is definitely a Strategy-based Time Management game!
If you haven't played any of the previous 7 Rescue Team games before, you're in for a treat because unlike most TM games, Rescue Team is all about rescuing people after Natural and Man-made catastrophes. The people may be trapped simply because the roads are destroyed or blocked by fallen debris, others may be trapped under collapsed buildings, and those jobs call for specialists Larry and Barry who are the Rescue Team's adorable, but hard-working Saint Bernards.
Eventually, the Team will rescue people using boats, ski lifts, ATV's etc. requiring unusual TM equipment like Generators, Pumps, Lighting sources and even Cranes. Naturally, all that equipment uses a ton of fuel, so you need a constant supply of fuel as well as Food sources and Lumber sources. Hospitals, Veterinarian offices, Pet Shops, and Housing need to be built or repaired before Medics, Doctor's or Veterinarians can treat the victims. Because this is a strategy-based game, it may take a replay or two, to determine which tasks and which buildings are more important and in which order they should be queued.
There are still the usual tasks available in most TM games, to collect resources such as food, money and wood, clear roadways of debris, fix potholes, repair bridges and damaged buildings, and strategically construct and upgrade Sawmills, Cafe's, Houses, Pet Shops to feed Barry and Larry, and Gas Stations that will produce the required resources.
If you earn 3 Stars on a level, you will receive coins that can be used in the Shop to purchase Bonuses. There are also Bonus chips on some of the levels that will make the rescue workers run faster, or produce gas, food, wood etc. faster, but for a brief period of time, so you'll want to decide when to collect a chip to give you the most benefits and at the right time.
You can purchase items in the Shop to help you achieve the level goals. These are available in 5 different Categories, Tools which speed up the rescue team workers, speeds up construction or road repair work. Medical supplies help victims remain warm or prevent diseases from spreading, and to keep fires from spreading. Emergency items speed up machines such as water pumps, and makes medics treat patients faster, and also speed up Larry & Barry when they search rubble for victims. in the Vehicle category, planes deliver freight faster and make the Crane and water pumps work faster too.
The Collector's Edition version has 27 Achievements to earn, 12 Music Soundtracks, 10 Character Pictures with Bios, 9 Concept Art pictures, 50 Main Levels +20 Bonus Levels and a Built-in Strategy Guide. What are you waiting for? Start rescuing, team 11!
RESCUE TEAM SERIES LIST
Title***Standard Edition Release Date***Average Rating
Title***Standard Edition Release Date***Average Rating
1-Rescue Team 1 SE only (May 6-2011) 4.0
2-Rescue Team 2 SE only (December 14-2018) 3./9
3-Rescue Team 3 SE only (May 6-2013) 2.9
4-Rescue Team 4 SE only (October 5-2014) 4.0
5-Rescue Team 5 SE only (November 3-2015) 3.7
6-Rescue Team 6 SE version (December 7-2016) 3.6
7-Rescue Team 7 SE version (July 12-2017) 4.4
8-Rescue Team 8 SE version (October 28-2018) n/a
2-Rescue Team 2 SE only (December 14-2018) 3./9
3-Rescue Team 3 SE only (May 6-2013) 2.9
4-Rescue Team 4 SE only (October 5-2014) 4.0
5-Rescue Team 5 SE only (November 3-2015) 3.7
6-Rescue Team 6 SE version (December 7-2016) 3.6
7-Rescue Team 7 SE version (July 12-2017) 4.4
8-Rescue Team 8 SE version (October 28-2018) n/a
by: Alawar Entertainment
I recommend this game!
Can you catch the kidnapper in time to save your brother?
Overall rating
4
/
5
101 of 116 found this review helpful
FOLLOW THE BREADCRUMBS OF VICTIMS TO CATCH YOUR BROTHERS KIDNAPPER BEFORE IT'S TOO LATE!
PostedOctober 27, 2018
pennmom36
fromCharles Lindberg became famous for making the first solo nonstop transatlantic flight & even more famous when his baby was kidnapped from a 2nd story nursery & murdered. Richard Hauptmann was found guilty with no evidence linking him to the crime.
Skill Level:Expert
Fun Factor
3
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
3
/
5
Level of Challenge
3
/
5
Storyline
5
/
5
There's a madman on the loose tonight at the University and he's taking great pleasure at watching you play his cat and mouse game. As you follow the breadcrumbs left behind as clues, they lead you to one victim after another. Each victim, you find has a recorded message of clues to taunt you onward. The stakes are high in this who-dun-it mystery, the grand prize is the final victim, your brother! Why has this madman chosen you to play his twisted game? How does he know you? Why is he so desperate to destroy you? The biggest question is, will you find out all of the answers a little too late?
Yes, there is a gadget, possibly two if you count the fact that there's a device that morphs you to the Crime Lab, as a gadget. The first device is a Magic pair of sunglasses that allows you to find evidence in a room after a crime took place. No, this gadget was NOT necessary and should NOT have been used. As I'll explain in the HOS section, the end result of finding evidence HOS style was an excellent concept, but Magic Glasses took away all credibility. They should have stuck to just being a regular detective doing a regular investigation and this would have been an exceptional game, a memorable game. There is a Morphing Handprint in each location that morphs at a nice pace and is a perfect size, not so large that it's impossible to miss, but not so small that you need a pair of magical glasses to search for it.
This is a good game, yes, the graphics are kind of "old-school" and the game seems a bit dated, but there is a reason for it. The last Punished Talents game was released two years ago, the beta for this game was released last year, so it probably sat on a shelf for a while for unknown reasons. Blam Games has recently been acquired by a new dev who undoubtedly dusted the game off and decided to let it take a spin around the gaming block to see what happens. I'm certain that the new devs are going to read every review to see what we liked and didn't. I'm not going to slam this dev because the storyline piqued my interest, I love a good who-dun-it, and this is a great who-dun-it. I want to continue playing so I can find out why me, how do I know you, why do I know you, why are you leaving a trail of clues and taunting me every step of the way? I have explained the reason's for my own personal likes and dislikes in this review, and I have given some suggestions, but I want to encourage them to continue. We have a unique opportunity to help mold this dev into creating games the way WE like them, and I really hope everyone writes their own review to tell them how you feel and ways to improve it.
The Hidden Object Scenes are all Listed Item finds with slight Interactions. One of the reason's I only gave this game 4 stars was because some of the listed items had multiple items that fit the description, such as coins. There were 2 different piles of coins but only one was acceptable. One HOS listed item was a screwdriver, but no matter how many times I clicked on the screwdriver, it wasn't accepted. Out of frustration, I clicked the hint, and the hint led me to the same screwdriver. It wasn't accepted until I clicked on a small, very specific area of the screwdriver! I wouldn't normally care but forcing me to use a hint or clicking the wrong object will knock you out of earning a couple of Achievements as well! There were items in the scenes that were small and blurry and unidentifiable. On the brighter side, I loved the HOS that involved finding evidence in a room. As you found an item from the list, the item would have a pop-up window that explained how the item was used in the crime or how the clue related to the kidnapper or victim. To me, this makes the HOS relevant, especially in a who-dun-it crime, and in my opinion, all of the HOS in this particular game should have been that same way.
The Mini-Games could have been better but they aren't horrible games either. I actually found the video surveillance clue game rather interesting, and it would be beneficial for these devs to run with that type of game. If it was tweaked a tad bit to make it a little more complicated, such as jumbling up the numbers and leaving spaces blank so you had to figure out which numbers went into which placement, it would be a really fun way to allow us to "solve" problems rather than just practically give us the answer. Below are brief descriptions of some of the games you'll encounter during the demo portion:
1-Select directional arrows to navigate the ball through the maze with a flashlight.
2-Choose details to match the victim's photo, face shape, nose, hair etc.
3-Use clues found to enter the correct word to open the door.
4-Use directional arrows to move the drone until both heartrate windows match.
5-Watch the surveillance video and find the numbers that are entered for the same 3 products.
2-Choose details to match the victim's photo, face shape, nose, hair etc.
3-Use clues found to enter the correct word to open the door.
4-Use directional arrows to move the drone until both heartrate windows match.
5-Watch the surveillance video and find the numbers that are entered for the same 3 products.
This Collector's Edition has 9 Wallpapers, 8 Concept Art pictures, 11 Music Soundtracks, 17 Movie Video Cutscenes, 14 Achievements to earn, 15 re-playable Mini-Games, 25 Morphing Handprints, 3 Main Chapters +Bonus Chapter and a built-in Strategy Guide, enjoy the mystery!
PUNISHED TALENTS SERIES LIST
Title***Collector's Edition Release Date***Average Rating
Title***Collector's Edition Release Date***Average Rating
1-Seven Muses (November 16-2013) 4.3
2-Stolen Awards (March 5-2016) 3.6
3-Dark Knowledge (October 27-2018) n/a
2-Stolen Awards (March 5-2016) 3.6
3-Dark Knowledge (October 27-2018) n/a
by: Mecada Studio (formerly Blam! Games)
I recommend this game!