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:
JiPS: Jigsaw Ship Puzzles
Restore precious treasures in this exciting jigsaw game! Can you solve the puzzles and reveal priceless knowledge of impressive sailing warships?
Overall rating
2
/
5
2 of 2 found this review helpful
I'M A PUZZLE GEEK BUT THIS ONE HAS TOO MANY ISSUES
PostedJanuary 20, 2018
pennmom36
fromPuzzle makers: could we please have some options such as square pieces or setting as wallpapers?
Skill Level:Expert
Current Favorite:
Phantasmat Collector's Edition
(101)Fun Factor
2
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
2
/
5
Level of Challenge
2
/
5
Storyline
2
/
5
I'm constantly on the lookout for puzzles with different features or different option settings such as puzzle shapes. I stumbled across an older jigsaw game called Jigsaw Mania last year and I absolutely love all the features it offers. It seems that all the jigsaw puzzles offered lately are all the same, nothing but cookie cutter versions, the only thing that changes from puzzle to puzzle games offered is the title and the "staged" pictures.
I was initially intrigued by JIPS because it offered puzzles of Ships in three different categories, Caribbean Ships, Asian Ships and Mediterranean Ships. The problem is, first of all, the graphics are too dark, and it takes away from the fun. The second problem is that the pieces are located along the side, and you have to scroll up and down to find the pieces you need. I have a Magic Mouse 2 for Mac, and it just wasn't compatible so every time I tried to scroll, I couldn't control the speed of the scroll so I was unable to stop where I wanted because it would go immediately to the bottom, not one by one.
If I could control the mouse features a little better, it would be slightly better, but overall the puzzles are still too dark for my preference.
I don't recommend this game.
Can you find your sister and save the kingdom?
Overall rating
3
/
5
76 of 97 found this review helpful
MAN, THESE PARENTS GIVE UP ON THEIR KIDS PRETTY EASILY!
PostedJanuary 20, 2018
pennmom36
fromAt least I didn't have to practice my baking skills
Skill Level:Expert
Current Favorite:
Phantasmat Collector's Edition
(101)Fun Factor
3
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
3
/
5
Level of Challenge
3
/
5
Storyline
3
/
5
I know it's just a game, but I have a problem with the story line on so many different levels. First of all, the King and Queen give birth to twin girls, and ONE of the precious little infants supposedly has the mark of a curse near her tiny little heart. Does the King and Queen defy all odds and agree to love and raise their children the same, even though the one has a birthmark? Do they put aside their superstitions and agree that only a parents love can overcome any evil their child MAY have? Nope! They give away BOTH children, one condemned to a life of imprisonment under a frozen lake, the other to be raised hush hush by a nanny? (who obviously doesn't do a good job) Fast forward 25 years and surprise! Both children are suffering, and must find a way to reunite. Could be a happy ending, who knows, but how is it that a newborn baby was comatose for the first 25 years of her life, yet the moment she snaps to, she can walk, talk and reason?
Even though I'm not all that crazy about the "message" Amax is sending on this game, I will still give them kudos for the amazing progress they are making. The graphics have improved significantly since the big eared bunny retired, and they are obviously making an effort to find new and improved CE bling. Even if you don't like the collectibles and features, you must admit that Amax puts on their thinking caps with each new game offered, which is 100% more than I see effort wise coming from other developers lately, am I wrong? Although the collectible Spells don't do a lot for me, it's simply because I'm not impressed with the battle type Match 3 games they are designed for, and because I want to play Mini Games and Puzzles in a HOPA game, if I want to play a Match 3 game, I'll buy a Match 3 game.
The Hidden Object Scenes were just okay for me, although I did like the challenge of the HOP with all the skeletons. There are Interactive List item finds, Fragment Finds and scenes requiring you to replace items into their logical location.
The Mini Games are a bit too simplistic, some of which are more frustrating than skill based. Below are brief descriptions of some of the games you'll encounter during the demo:
1) Find and select identical runes by selecting two skulls at a time.
2) Use the top and bottom runes to recreate the symbols in the center. (click until they turn green, that easy)
3) Use directional arrows to figure out the path to take. Three wrong selections before filling the meter requires an extra step (see # 4)
4) Click on the bar when it passes through each lighted cell.
5) Repeat the sequence.
6) Select the deadbolts to release them, clicking on one may affect others.
7) Select and place banner fragments that are next to each other, scrolling up and down the length of the banner.
8) Match 3 or more tokens in a row in a Match 3 battle type game. This is where you will use your collected "Skills" which can block enemies once, remove a vertical line, or remove a 4 square area on the board for example. You can choose 3 skills to use per game.
9) Catch your sisters hand by clicking fast, really? What happens if you don't?
SPIRITS OF MYSTERY GAMES AVAILABLE IN ORDER
Title***Collector's Edition Release Date***Average Rating
SPIRITS OF MYSTERY GAMES AVAILABLE IN ORDER
Title***Collector's Edition Release Date***Average Rating
1-Amber Maiden (January 5-12) 4.2
2-Song of the Phoenix (April 12-12) 4.7
3-The Dark Minotaur (December 27-12) 4.4
4-The Silver Arrow (December 12-13) 4.2
5-Chains of Promise (August 13-15) 3.5
6-Family Lies (March 24-16) 3.6
7-The Fifth Kingdom (January 12-17) 4.2
8-Illusions (June 15-17) 3.0
9-The Moon Crystal (August 19-17) 3.3
10-The Last Fire Queen (January 20-2018) n/a
2-Song of the Phoenix (April 12-12) 4.7
3-The Dark Minotaur (December 27-12) 4.4
4-The Silver Arrow (December 12-13) 4.2
5-Chains of Promise (August 13-15) 3.5
6-Family Lies (March 24-16) 3.6
7-The Fifth Kingdom (January 12-17) 4.2
8-Illusions (June 15-17) 3.0
9-The Moon Crystal (August 19-17) 3.3
10-The Last Fire Queen (January 20-2018) n/a
This Collector's Edition version has 8 Wallpapers, 8 Concept Art pictures, 4 Music Soundtracks, 7 Screensavers, 7 Movie Videos, 15 re-playable Hidden Object Scenes, 19 re-playable Mini Games, 5 Achievements to earn, 12 Skills to collect and use in the Match 3 battles, a built in Strategy Guide and a Bonus Chapter.
I recommend this game!
The Kingdoms of Lanceya and Winterhelm are in peril!
Overall rating
4
/
5
81 of 100 found this review helpful
DARE I SAY DARK ROMANCE IS BACK ON TRACK?
PostedJanuary 18, 2018
pennmom36
from"I could practice my baking skills here" hmm, yea right!
Skill Level:Expert
Current Favorite:
Phantasmat Collector's Edition
(101)Fun Factor
4
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
4
/
5
Level of Challenge
4
/
5
Storyline
4
/
5
Queen Nivella has been cursed to age at a wicked rate (me too, curse that princess!) The all revealing mirror has confirmed her diagnosis, wrinkleitis and acute grayhair-syndrome with a touch of baggyskinepidermis. Like most evil witches, the Queen has many powers, she can turn an ordinary dwarf into a stone zombie servant, but she's powerless against mother nature, <sigh>, aren't we all. But wait! If the Queen acts now, she can get two problems solved for the price of one, at the low low cost of only one very young, beautiful princess. Not just any princess, but a princess with a pure heart, a princess the Queen thought she had disposed of long ago, Princess Lily of Winterhelm. There's just one teeny tiny problem....Princess Lily has caught the eye of a very charming man, who just so happens to be King William of Lanceya!
Ladies and Gentlemen, I do believe Dark Romance is back on track with this beautiful adaptation of Snow White! This is the only series I know of that successfully incorporates the feature of playing as both characters, switching back and forth between Princess Lily and King William. In this Collector's Edition version, the bling is plentiful, with hidden Dwarven Artifacts, hidden Chess Pieces and collectible Lily's that allow you to upgrade the Royal Chambers, and there are missing Journal Notes to collect as well.
The Hidden Object Scenes are varied, and some of them are actually challenging! There are Keywords in Sentence finds, Interactive List finds, Silhouetted Shape finds and a newer style that requires you to adjust slider bars to align sections of sketches together. There is an alternate Mach 3 game available as well.
The Mini Games are entertaining for the most part, and most of them are available in an Easy or Hard difficulty mode. Below are brief descriptions of some of the games you'll encounter during the demo:
1) Assemble the image by swapping sections of the disc shaped puzzle.
2) Move animal sections to a highlighted square to match the animal tile to the squares with matching outlines.
3) Land the dial on the correct symbol shown in the clue by choosing the number of moves and the direction of the dial.
4) Shoot down the chains by using 3 directional levers to align 3 sections of the cross-hairs over each chain. Then press the button when the horizontal and vertical bars are in the green zone.
5) Swap adjacent tiles to complete the image.
6) Recreate the symbols shown in the clue by clicking to fill in sections of the board.
7) Find 3 hidden shapes and then place the correct fragments into the snowflake, for each path taken in the forest.
8) Prepare a potion by following the recipe in the correct order.
9) Select arrow buttons on each column and row to place chips correctly according to the clue shown.
10) Move tokens along the tracks to their correct place.
11) Move the symbols to match the image on the clue, select discs to rotate select frames to swap tokens.
DARK ROMANCE GAMES AVAILABLE
Title***Collector's Edition Release Date***Average Rating
Title***Collector's Edition Release Date***Average Rating
1-Vampire In Love (February 8-14) 3.9
2-Heart of the Beast (April 23-15) 4.0
3-The Swan Sonata (October 17-15) 3.4
4-Kingdom of Death (April 21-16) 3.4
5-Curse of Bluebeard ( October 13-16) 4.7
6-Romeo and Juliet (February 25-17) 2.7
7-The Monster Within (September 7-17) 4.0
8-Winter Lily (January 18-2018) n/a
2-Heart of the Beast (April 23-15) 4.0
3-The Swan Sonata (October 17-15) 3.4
4-Kingdom of Death (April 21-16) 3.4
5-Curse of Bluebeard ( October 13-16) 4.7
6-Romeo and Juliet (February 25-17) 2.7
7-The Monster Within (September 7-17) 4.0
8-Winter Lily (January 18-2018) n/a
by Domini Games
This Collector's Edition version has 15 Wallpapers, 20 Concept Art pictures (Domini Games never skimps on the CE bling!) 18 re-playable Mini Games, 18 re-playable Hidden Object Scenes, 28 re-playable Movie Videos, 5 Music Soundtracks, 30 Achievements to earn, 12 Hidden Chess Pieces, 15 Hidden Dwarven Artifacts, collectible Missing Journal Notes, 48 Lily's to upgrade items in the Royal Chamber's Boudoir, a built in Strategy Guide and a Bonus Chapter, enjoy!
I recommend this game!
Outsmart a god in a thrilling showdown of wits! Featuring drop-dead gorgeous visuals and a story that will keep you in stitches!
Overall rating
5
/
5
70 of 83 found this review helpful
DONUTS?
PostedJanuary 17, 2018
pennmom36
fromI'm usually not a fan of TM games offered in a CE, but it's hard to wait for the SE on this game!
Skill Level:Expert
Current Favorite:
Phantasmat Collector's Edition
(101)Fun Factor
5
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
5
/
5
Level of Challenge
5
/
5
Storyline
5
/
5
Incredible Dracula has returned with another Incredible Time Management game! In the first episode, Chasing Love, Count Dracula was looking for love in all the wrong places, internet dating services. He was expecting a beautiful woman, instead he got a very large aggressive woman and had to do everything in his power to flee from her, but she didn't give up on her man. In the second episode,The Last Call, The Incredible Dracula is no longer a bachelor, he's a family man thanks to his online dating stalker, also known as Princess. The Count soon finds trouble in paradise, when people start to become hypnotized after using their cell phones. The Count and the Princess hit the road, together to search for answers and destroy the billboards and other technology responsible for zombifying everyone. In episode three, Family Secrets, poor Count Dracula never seems to catch a break, and has to catch a monster if he wants enjoy some peace and quiet. Dracula's entire family have packed their bags, and moved into his castle, all because Dracula purchased HIM when he was just a boy, and HE had escaped! The Count is forced to pack his bags, and hit the road again, to find the beast, or deal with the invasion of his very needy family, in his own castle! This fourth episode, Game of Gods, The Fanged One, has let his compulsiveness get the better of him, when the god Loki challenges him to a game. Now the Count has found himself a part of the game, of which he doesn't even know the rules!
In this Collector's Edition version, there are several extra's which may make a big difference when deciding on which version to purchase. Each scene has a Collectible Figurine, and some of the scenes also have a wrapped Present which contain a collectible sticker. I always look for the collectibles before I click on anything, which will automatically start the timer. There are 26 Trophies, which are achievements you earn for doing random things. I usually read over the Trophy requirements before playing a new game to see what needs to be done differently in order to earn a Trophy.
INCREDIBLE DRACULA GAMES AVAILABLE
Title***Collector's Edition Release Date***Average Rating
Title***Collector's Edition Release Date***Average Rating
1-Chasing Love (November 3-2015) 4.3
2-The Last Call (April 30-2016) 4.2
3-Family Secrets (January 17-2017) 4.6
4-Game of Gods (January 16-2018) n/a
2-The Last Call (April 30-2016) 4.2
3-Family Secrets (January 17-2017) 4.6
4-Game of Gods (January 16-2018) n/a
by: Alawar Entertainment Inc.
By: New Bridge Games
By: New Bridge Games
This Collector's Edition version has 26 Trophy Achievements to earn, 8 Wallpapers, 5 Concept Art pictures, 5 Music Soundtracks, 30 collectible Presents with Stickers, 60 collectible Figurines (one in each scene) a Strategy Guide and a Bonus Chapter. I must say, this is one of my absolute favorite Time Management games I love the graphics, I love the music,I love the story lines, and most of all, I love the humor, enjoy!
I recommend this game!
Math Burger is an exciting math game suitable for kids and grown-ups. It boasts unique gameplay with challenging goals.
Overall rating
1
/
5
33 of 34 found this review helpful
I MADE IT THREE LEVELS BEFORE BAILING
PostedJanuary 17, 2018
pennmom36
fromA pickle burger?
Skill Level:Expert
Current Favorite:
Phantasmat Collector's Edition
(101)Fun Factor
1
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
1
/
5
Level of Challenge
1
/
5
Storyline
1
/
5
WOW! This is one of the lamest TM games I've played. It's monotonous, repetitive and just no fun. Customers come to the counter with a thought bubble of what kind of burger they want, and once you serve them their food, they immediately start to devour the food, shoveling the burger into their mouths whole, as a cloud of dust emanates from their teenage mouth's because they are gorging themselves. Not sure this is the right message to send?
I've never been a fan of TM games that require clicking and dragging items here and there, but every step you make requires dragging. Drag the hamburger to the plate, drag each ingredient to the bun (in the exact order as shown) drag the burger to the correct customer, collect the gold coins, because all teenagers have gold coins and nothing but! They even threw in a "Carl the mouse" wannabe to steal the plate, that doesn't work for me either!
This game claims to be a puzzle game? The title suggests there is math involved? BF boasts that this is a fun and addicting game? Three levels are more than enough to tell me this game isn't any of these things!
I don't recommend this game.
Ready your weapons and answer the call of the gods to save the universe from evil!
Overall rating
5
/
5
66 of 72 found this review helpful
YEA FOR THE GAME YEA FOR THE STANDARD EDITION
PostedJanuary 17, 2018
pennmom36
fromAre these games getting more difficult or am I just getting slower?
Skill Level:Expert
Current Favorite:
Phantasmat Collector's Edition
(101)Fun Factor
5
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
5
/
5
Level of Challenge
5
/
5
Storyline
5
/
5
Viking Brothers are all very entertaining Time Management games, and I will admit, this third edition presents quite a challenge. This is a Strategy based TM game, and if you don't apply the right tasks at the right times, you'll probably earn less than 3 stars. During the demo, I found myself having to replay several levels, and applying different strategies, otherwise I was lucky to earn 1 star. You can play in a relaxed un-timed mode, if you don't like fast paced games, but if you're looking for a fast paced, challenging game, look no further.
The graphics are fantastic, and the music doesn't seem obtrusive or repetitive. I do have a couple of complaints however, it's nearly impossible to read the story's dialog, because the paragraph's are somewhat lengthy and don't linger long enough to be able to read them before the next dialog page loads. Why can't they add a feature that allows you to "rewind, pause, or fast-forward" the dialog at your own pace. Many games that require you to read dialog text, offer a feature for skipping the text, but almost none of them allow you to rewind or pause it, isn't the story line important to it's creator's? Another feature never offered in a Time Management game is a Hint feature. I would much rather have a Hint feature than a Strategy Guide, I can't tell you how many times I've gotten stumped in a TM game, trying to figure out what I have to do to go through a portal, or secret passage way, and clicking on a Hint icon would be so useful. I don't want to know exactly what I have to do, each and every move or task, but sometimes a little nudge in the right direction would be epic! My final complaint is that all TM games should have a Casual, Normal and Expert difficulty mode available, which this one does not! Having an in between mode would be perfect, that way I could get the feel of the game in a mode slightly less challenging the first time around, then as I get into the swing of it, I could switch to Expert mode to push myself a little harder.
Each level gives you the goals before you begin, and are also shown during the level for reference at the top right of the screen. There is a Star status Progress Bar located on the Left side of the screen, to show you when you are about to lose a star. If you don't achieve at least one star, you will have to replay the level to progress. On the top left of the screen, there is an inventory bar that shows your resources and the amount you currently have. If you scan over a task with your cursor, it will tell you the amount of each resource required to complete the task. If you click on a task that cannot be completed due to a lack of resources, it will tell you which resources and the amount you are lacking. On the bottom of the screen, there is a Bonus Progress Bar, that refills slowly. Some levels only offer one bonus, some levels offer two, so you can either choose the first Bonus, or wait until the meter reaches the second bonus to apply it. There are bonuses that make the workers move super fast, Extra workers, extra resources or bonuses that freeze time briefly.
VIKING BROTHERS GAMES AVAILABLE
Title***Release Date***Average Rating
Title***Release Date***Average Rating
1-Viking Brothers (April 12-2013) 3.9
2-Viking Brothers 2 (March 22-2017) 3.6
3-Viking Brothers 3 (December 26-2017) 3.8
2-Viking Brothers 2 (March 22-2017) 3.6
3-Viking Brothers 3 (December 26-2017) 3.8
by: Alawar Entertainment
by: Alawar Stargaze
by: Alawar Stargaze
The Collector's Edition has 5 Wallpapers, 12 Concept Art pictures, 6 Music Soundtracks, 44 Achievements to earn, 40 regular Levels, 5 Chipmaster regular Levels, 10 Collector's Edition Bonus Levels, 3 Collector's Edition Chipmaster Levels, and a Strategy Guide.
I'm still not a fan of Time Management games being offered in a Collector's Edition. I could care less about Wallpapers and Concept Art pictures, I don't want a Strategy Guide because I want to figure it out for myself. In my opinion, the Bonus levels available in the CE versions, would have been available in a normal version, but they lump the last 10 levels together and say they are "Bonus CE Levels" If Wallpapers and a Strategy Guide are features you're willing to pay twice as much for, I suppose it would be worthy, but I'm personally satisfied with this Standard Edition version, enjoy!
I recommend this game!
Pirate Jigsaw 2 offers 500 unique photos to transport you to a world of incredible adventure! Complete fun jigsaw puzzles and conquer the ocean!
Overall rating
1
/
5
31 of 36 found this review helpful
WHO KNOWS, MAYBE PIRATE JIGSAW 3 WILL HAVE PIRATE THEMED PUZZLES
PostedJanuary 15, 2018
pennmom36
fromThese arrr not pirate puzzles!
Skill Level:Expert
Current Favorite:
Phantasmat Collector's Edition
(101)Fun Factor
1
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
1
/
5
Level of Challenge
1
/
5
Storyline
1
/
5
Pirate Jigsaw 1 offered 500 puzzles that had very little to do with pirates, and now, a month later they are offering Pirate Jigsaw 2, which also has very little to do with pirates. Who knows, maybe Pirate Jigsaw 3 will actually have pirate themed puzzles! Just because they throw in a handful of pictures with people wearing a pirate hat, it doesn't make this a pirate themed game. The same scenario happened with Jigsaw Puzzles Beach Season, which had a whole bunch of pictures that had little to do with beaches. The puzzles offered here are just okay pictures, and almost all of them are staged items like fruit, flowers, animals and food.
Some of the puzzle pictures are nice, but most of the pictures aren't appealing and if the pictures aren't interesting the puzzles are worthless. To make matters worse, nothing ever changes with puzzles by this dev, and I doubt they ever will. There are 5 different boxes of puzzles and each box has 100 different puzzles for a total of 500 puzzles. You can Ghost the image on the background or hang a picture with 3 different sizes, and you can change the resolution and the background colors of green, pink, blue or gray.
There is a Box to store extra pieces in, and you can Sort the pieces into the general location, and choose just Border pieces. There is a Magnifying Glass and a Hint feature as well as a Top Score tracker. My favorite feature allows you to Modify any puzzle with the number of pieces you want, the shape of the puzzle pieces and whether or not you want the pieces to rotate. I use the Modify feature with every puzzle so I can choose how many pieces I want to assemble.
I don't understand why these devs present these cookie cutter versions, over and over, without EVER changing a single feature. Once again, here are 3 features I would love to see offered or changed, all of which seem like easy fixes in my opinion:
1-WALLPAPERS....why on earth isn't there a feature that allows the player to set any of the finished puzzles as wallpapers. Instead, they are one and done, don't look back puzzles, there's not even an option to look at the puzzle once they have been completed.
2- SORT....when you select the sort option, the puzzle pieces shuffle around into little random piles that seem to have no rhyme or reason, and definitely not what I'd consider sorted. The only thing I can figure, is that they are sorted to the area they belong (top right, bottom right) Wouldn't it be cool if there were options within the sort icon, to be able to choose if you want the pieces sorted by area, color or shape, and above all, sorted so the pieces were sorted on the outside edges, not smack dab in the middle of the border and around the edges!
3-PUZZLE STYLE.....this is a biggie folks, how about an option for puzzle style such as squares. Last year I bought an older puzzle game called Jigsaw Mania, and I play this game everyday. That game allows you to customize every aspect of the puzzle, including the ability to listen to your own music. You can download pictures from the internet, and your own photos as well. You can save them and use as wallpapers, you can even email them to a friend so they can do the puzzle as well. The feature I love most of all, is the availability to choose each puzzle style, wavy, shaped, regular jigsaw pieces in small, medium and large, flower shaped pieces that are the same on every piece etc. I never expected that I would become addicted to doing puzzles where every piece is a small square, approximately 1/4" squared. It makes the puzzle challenging and way more interesting!
I don't recommend this cookie cutter jigsaw puzzle, or any of the other puzzles by this dev. The only way they're going to change the features offered, is if we refuse to except the same features by not lining their pockets!
I don't recommend this game.
Find evidence to solve mysterious crimes and expose insidious criminals across 100 hidden object scenes with multilevel gameplay!
Overall rating
2
/
5
76 of 90 found this review helpful
IT'S A FUN OLD FASHIONED HIDDEN OBJECT GAME....FOR ABOUT 10 MINUTES
PostedJanuary 15, 2018
pennmom36
fromThose sunglasses got me, I still didn't "see" them when I used a hint!
Skill Level:Expert
Current Favorite:
Phantasmat Collector's Edition
(101)Fun Factor
2
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
2
/
5
Level of Challenge
2
/
5
Storyline
2
/
5
I really don't mind an occasional throw back HOG, in fact I really enjoy games like Vacation Adventures. Although this game seems a wee bit better than the first Secret Investigations, because the scenes seem more interesting, it just gets kind of boring after 10 or 15 minutes of playing.
The options are pretty basic, and there are no difficulty mode options available, and no way to play the game without a Timer. You can't even adjust the music and sound volumes, it's just an on/off button. There are 10 different Chapters or Investigations, and each Investigation has several levels, in fact the first chapter alone, has 31 levels, so it should be a fairly lengthy HOG. You can earn 12 Achievement Trophies, and most of the achievements have more than one category. The story or "case" is told before the start of each level, as a dialog box with no voice overs, a paragraph at a time.
There are Hint Boosters available, you start out with 2 of each booster, and I'm assuming you will get the option to buy more if you run out. You can re-play any level, to earn a better star rating score, but the items are usually different than the first go-round. There is a Booster that will highlight one item from the list, another removes 3 items from the list, one that stops the timer on the level and one that illuminates the scenes that are darkened with just a small beam of light available to see the seen as you scan the area.
Each of the items to find are shown as pictures, and one item will go into the inventory section, which must be dragged to the scene where it will logically be used, such as a fishing lure onto a fishing pole. Many of the hidden objects are way out of proportion, or are a totally different color than what is shown, especially in the scenes where everything is the same color hue.
At best, this game is worth a free coupon, but I'm sure there are some die hard HOG fans that will find this game to be amazing. For me personally, it was fun to play for a few minutes, but then I lost all interest.
I don't recommend this game.
Save a missing family from an infamous haunted house!
Overall rating
3
/
5
47 of 63 found this review helpful
SOME SECRETS SHOULD REMAIN HIDDEN
PostedJanuary 14, 2018
pennmom36
fromLet me just stuff this full sized floor stand mirror right next to my amulet in the inventory bar, and lug it around the mansion for a while.
Skill Level:Expert
Current Favorite:
Phantasmat Collector's Edition
(101)Fun Factor
3
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
3
/
5
Level of Challenge
3
/
5
Storyline
3
/
5
I must say, this is one of the best Dark Tales game in a very long time. I'm not saying impressive, just better. Although there are only four chapters, they are fairly long, and for the first time, I found the Bonus Chapter to be more interesting than the main game. In the Bonus Chapter, the clock rewinds two years before Lilly freed Morella's soul. In the BC you will pick up the remaining Fortune Cookie Puzzle Pieces (I believe 15?) as well as tasting the various sweets and finding the Brave Ladies.
There isn't really anything exciting that happens after the demo, but they do try to add a sense of urgency to the game by giving you an hourglass, that shows your remaining time of finding a cure. I found several mini games after the demo to be senseless and annoying, such as having to drag an item by pulling the icon that barely budges for a sense of resistance, and the repetitive amulet puzzle of matching runes, just seemed pointless and far too simple. If you're a fan of Dark Tales, this will probably be an excellent game, but for me, it moves way to slow, and borderlines boring. Here's a recap of my review to help you decide which version, if either, is right for you
Apparently I have been too critical of these games lately because everyone else seems to love them, but this game is no different than the last 11 games in the series. Nothing changes, same graphics, same sights and sounds, same tasks, same puzzle and HOP styles, and basically the same story line.
For the life of me, I can't differentiate one charter from another, other than Detective Dupin! Louisa looks no different than Marie Roget, or any main character, Mark looks no different than any other male character either. The only reason Lilly looks different is because she has black eyes, and Dark Tales rarely features kids in their games, but I'm confident the next child will have red hair and braids!
I knew the second I freed Mark, that I was going to need to whip up an ointment for bandages, and didn't I have to free the last female character from a giant water tank, the same character that had an incurable "condition" just like Louisa? Do all women in EAP's novels have an untreatable illness? Do all of the manors have evil spirits? Are all Amulets/Medallions evil spiritually connected? Do all evil spirits have the same M.O of binding doors with thick vines? Do all statues, doors, mirrors, drawers, mailboxes, and picture frames require an emblem to access them, emblems that are ALWAYS missing. Have all evil spirits been banished, they apparently don't exist in the 1900's, because all Dark Tales seem to take place in 1840. These poor people, not only are they burdened with having to solve a puzzle just to enter the next room, but they always get trapped by their own devices!
I knew the second I freed Mark, that I was going to need to whip up an ointment for bandages, and didn't I have to free the last female character from a giant water tank, the same character that had an incurable "condition" just like Louisa? Do all women in EAP's novels have an untreatable illness? Do all of the manors have evil spirits? Are all Amulets/Medallions evil spiritually connected? Do all evil spirits have the same M.O of binding doors with thick vines? Do all statues, doors, mirrors, drawers, mailboxes, and picture frames require an emblem to access them, emblems that are ALWAYS missing. Have all evil spirits been banished, they apparently don't exist in the 1900's, because all Dark Tales seem to take place in 1840. These poor people, not only are they burdened with having to solve a puzzle just to enter the next room, but they always get trapped by their own devices!
I will admit that the Collector's Edition Fortune Cookies that encase a Jigsaw Puzzle Piece is much more creative than trying to hide a puzzle piece, that always sticks out like a sore thumb, however, the jigsaw puzzle itself is far too easy. Why do they have to show the outlines, can't they at least give you an Easy/Hard difficulty mode? As far as a Collector's Edition version goes, however, just offering puzzle pieces is pretty lame, and certainly not worthy of the CE price tag. At least offer Morphs or some other feature, is almost as if this game were from the 1800's.
The Hidden Object Scenes are pretty basic too. Most of the HOP's require you to find Multiples of objects such as 12 Keys, 15 Pages, and one HOP was a simple Listed Item find without interactions! Well I guess I should be grateful that they no longer seem to be doubling up on the same scene, like they did in the 1700's!
The Mini Games are okay, but very similar to all the other games available in Dark Tales, and I am grateful that I haven't had to use a Memory Device to catch flying orbs of lights! Some of the games are available in Casual or Hard difficulty modes. Below are brief descriptions of some of the games you'll encounter during the demo:
1) Use wooden angled pieces to guide each ball into it's matching colored bowls at the bottom.
2) Position the symbols according to the clue, by moving them along the tracks to an empty space. Use directional arrows to rotate the rim.
3) Select the red buttons to rotate groups of valves until all valves turn green.
4) Use rotation and flip buttons on each wooden tree puzzle piece, and place correctly.
5) Select the correct symbols, one on the page, one on the field to match the symbols shown.
6) Click on pairs of matching symbols to reveal the secret area where the lines intersect.
7) Recreate the symbol shown by drawing lines on a honeycomb grid.
DARK TALES: EDGAR ALLAN POE'S GAMES AVAILABLE:
Title Collector's Edition Release Date Average Rating
Title Collector's Edition Release Date Average Rating
1-Murder's In The Rue Morgue (December 17-2009) 3.7
2-The Black Cat (September 16-2010) 4.6
3-The Premature Burial (October 7-2011) 4.5
4-The Gold Bug (January 10-2013) 3.8
5-The Masque Of The Red Death (April 25-2013) 4.4
6-The Fall Of The House Of Usher (March 20-2014) 4.0
7-The Mystery of Marie Roget (February 19-2015) 4.1
8-The Tell-Tale Heart (November 14-2015) 2.7
9-Metzengerstein (July 21-2016) 3.4
10-The Raven (December 29-2016) 3.2
11-Lenore (August 10-2017) 2.8
12-Morella (December 16-2017) 3.7
2-The Black Cat (September 16-2010) 4.6
3-The Premature Burial (October 7-2011) 4.5
4-The Gold Bug (January 10-2013) 3.8
5-The Masque Of The Red Death (April 25-2013) 4.4
6-The Fall Of The House Of Usher (March 20-2014) 4.0
7-The Mystery of Marie Roget (February 19-2015) 4.1
8-The Tell-Tale Heart (November 14-2015) 2.7
9-Metzengerstein (July 21-2016) 3.4
10-The Raven (December 29-2016) 3.2
11-Lenore (August 10-2017) 2.8
12-Morella (December 16-2017) 3.7
The Collector's Edition has 10 Wallpapers, 13 Concept Art pictures, 6 Screensavers, 5 Music Soundtracks, 10 re-playable Movie Videos, 6 Sweets to taste (whoopee) 7 Brave Ladies bios (bet they all have heart conditions) 60 hidden Fortune Cookies with Jigsaw Puzzle Pieces that allow you to assemble a Jigsaw Puzzle, 15 Achievements to earn, 17 re-playable Mini Games, 15 re-playable Hidden Object Scenes (that's a whole lotta keys) a built in Strategy Guide and a Bonus Chapter.
I don't recommend this game.
When detective Gingertail is called home by ex-girfriend Barbara, he could never imagine it would be the investigation of his life... and her death.
Overall rating
4
/
5
99 of 118 found this review helpful
WHO'S DETECTIVE GINGERTAIL?
PostedJanuary 13, 2018
pennmom36
fromNice! I just made a screwdriver out of an umbrella, and used a dead mouse door knocker as a handle!
Skill Level:Expert
Current Favorite:
Phantasmat Collector's Edition
(101)Fun Factor
4
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
4
/
5
Level of Challenge
4
/
5
Storyline
4
/
5
Detective Fox, aka Detective Gingertail, receives a frantic call in the middle of the night, from his ex-girlfriend Barbara. The detective arrives a little too late to save her, but a little too early for the perp. to escape, at least unharmed. Barbara is just a gossip columnist journalist, who would want to harm her, or more importantly, why?
BraveGiant Studios might be on to something with this new addition,whodunit series. I'm a little curious as to why they apparently changed the characters from originally being animals in the beta, to humans, I kinda like that scenario. After all Tiny Tales by BG was very successful. I love the collectibles available in this Collector's Edition version, footprints, handprints, shoeprints and a single fingerprint! They really fit in with the story line genre, and they blend in well enough to make it more challenging. There is an eyeball icon located on the top left of the inventory bar, that remains open until you locate the print in each scene.
One of the reasons I only gave this game 4 stars, was because of the absence of a Strategy Guide! Sure, the game is easy enough to play without referring to a SG, however, if I'm not mistaken, a Collector's Edition costs twice as much money BECAUSE of the Strategy Guide. That's why the Standard Edition is half the price, and once the SE is released, you still have the option of buying the SG separately for $6.99!!!?? I also experienced a couple of glitches, one minor, one major, which I explain in the Tech issues forum, so you may want to check out my posts there if you find yourself stuck, because I did find a way to solve the issues. The graphics are very well done, the voice overs are decent, but the character movements are jilted and awkward. There are some logic fails from time to time, but overall, I like where this game is heading, but then again, I've always been a fan of a good detective mystery. Overall I have to give Brave Giant kudos, they are pumping out some really good series entry games (Tiny Tales, Ghost Files, Demon Hunter, Queen's Quest)
The HOP's are actually pretty good, and I don't often say this because lately they are nothing more than objects scattered around a junkpile, a true hoarders delight, but nothings really hidden. There are Interactive List finds, Silhouetted Shape finds, and Multiples of similar Item finds. Some of the HOP's have small Mini Games or Puzzles to solve, and there is usually at least one object that Morph's between the actual object on the list and something entirely different. There is an optional Monaco Card Game to play instead of the HOP, a matching card game that requires you to make matches of identical cards that are next to each other in a row, column or diagonally. When you make matches of cards with a special frame, the meter bar fills, once full, you can use the bonuses or shuffle features available.
The Mini Games range from super easy to medium difficulty, but nothing seems too difficult or too frustrating to temp you to use the skip feature. Here's a list of brief descriptions on the mini games you'll encounter during the demo:
1) Use directional arrows to lead the tokens through the maze, all 3 tokens will move at the same time.
2) Select the watch pins in the correct order by trial and error.
3) Rotate each dial to the correct numbers according to the clue shown.
4) Find 3 hidden symbols on each photo to hear a story.
5) Repeat the sequence of punches by clicking on the left and right hand icons, repeat the sequence 3 times correctly to win.
6) Choose the correct answers on a lie detector, as conversation choices.
7) Rotate and place torn paper fragments into the highlighted slots.
8) Select and place the correct numbered buttons into the slots on the right to complete the equations that will equal the numbers on the clue. (fun game, but could have been more fun if a tad bit harder)
This Collector's Edition has 8 Wallpapers, 8 Concept Art pictures, 5 Music Soundtracks, re-playable Movie Cut-scenes, Mini Games and Hidden Object Scenes, (some HOP's have a Morphing Object) 20 Achievements to earn, 33 Collectible Prints (11 footprints, 13 handprints, 8 shoeprints, 1 fingerprints) and a Bonus Chapter. This game does NOT include a Strategy Guide, enjoy!
I recommend this game!