pennmom36's Profile
Stat Summary
- Average Rating:3.7
- Helpful Votes:358,445
- Reviews Submitted:4728
- First Review:December 10, 2012
- Most Recent Review:July 31, 2025
- Featured reviews0
Status:
A Halloween party becomes a spine-tingling fight for survival!
Overall rating
5
/
5
296 of 355 found this review helpful
WE'VE BEEN EXPECTING YOU ....BWAHAHAHHAHA
PostedOctober 12, 2017
pennmom36
fromIf Jane is a Seer, why didn't she see this one coming?
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
Haunted Hotel move over! This is the big leagues baby, and this will be an evening Jane and Joe will never forget, unless they die of course. Halloween costume, check. Huge pumpkin head mask, check. An extra pair of clean underwear, prolly not, but this looks like the most awesome Halloween costume party ever! That's because it's real, these guys are the real McCoy's, and these two orphans are in for an unforgettable evening, as they try desperately to find each other first, and then a way out, before the Beyonders do terrible beyonder things to them!
This is my favorite kind of game, filled with creepy Ninja dolls that climb the walls, evil sadistic looking clowns (I couldn't stop making the clown do his creepy eye laughing thing, I spent more time interacting with the weirdness than playing the game) Just when I thought this game was going to be the first game to push the limits of the horror genre games here at big fish, they backed off and added some pretty comical features. I'm pretty sure they weren't doing this intentionally, but for once I want to play a game that doesn't hold back, and I'm bettin' a game like that would skyrocket sales. I know a lot of people don't like dark games with things that go bump in the night, and I'm okay with glittery games filled with unicorns occasionally, but there's way more horror genre fans than not, otherwise there wouldn't be so many games like this offered. I say, make me show proof of age (cause I can double it!) and make me tremble with fear!
In this Collector's Edition version, there are Morphing Beyonders Objects to find in each scene, Album Picture Fragments to collect and assemble 4 eight piece puzzles, and 12 Rare Halloween themed Dolls to find. I'm glad I don't have to hang on to them for real, everyone knows creepy dolls are always possessed just like Annabel!
Right at the get go, Joe suspiciously disappears, and come to find out, he's been taken hostage. Surely it will be difficult to find Joe in this huge mansion filled with things that go bump in the night, right? Oh look, here's your sign..Hostage This Way, written in blood...red paint. That was easier than I thought it was going to be! So once I find a map leading to THE very room I need to find, I decide to investigate my surroundings, while trying my best to be stealth like so as not to alert the Beyonders.
First things first, fix the broken wire to the lights so I can see, I'm sure a light won't alert the bad guys to use as a beacon to find me. (why are wires always on the outside of the wall, and always frayed in half just shy of the switch?) By this point, I've already removed the famous broken skeleton key from the door lock, found away to open the ole "trap door hidden under a rug with a missing handle, used a coin as a screwdriver, solved a mini game to open a ridiculously complicated purse lock, used a rag as a tourniquet to compress solid iron pipes, found and used a razor blade to find a hidden treasure inside a sewn up patch, and of course found and replaced every emblem ever made since the beginning of time, to open up every trinket box and hidden caches I've come across, and this is just the third room!
Moving on to the hostage situation, I enter an underground maze of complicated tunnels, most of which lead to a dead end. At one point did this lead somewhere? Did they scrap this passage mid-way during construction? It's a good thing I have a map to follow, don't all mansions come stock with a map? Did I mention there's a horseshoe shaped magnet just out of reach that I simply must have, because I need it to remove an important object inside a Spider cage? Did I mention the bars on the cage are so wide I could stick my hand through them, if it weren't being guarded by an attack steroid ridden spider? He's still just a spider, I'm pretty sure he can slip through the bars with no problem!
By now I've had several close encounters with a ghost who seems to just float back and forth, with seemingly no rhyme or reason, surely it's a trick? Finally I reach the bedroom where Joe is being held hostage, bummer, the door is locked with a keypad. It's a good thing the code is written on the glass next to the lock. (the keyword is glass, Joe could have easily busted the glass and escaped) In all fairness Joe's hand are bound with magic rope? It's okay though, he knows they hid the special Magic Knife in the same room he's in, he just doesn't know where??
In order to find this knife, I need to look for some anti-rust remover, this stuff impresses me more than a Magic rope does hands down. But wait, first I need to find a drawer pull because its missing one, and simply placing a new drawer pull on the opening always seems to do the trick! While I'm searching for a way to free Joe, I may as well place these fragments on the picture and do a little Hidden Object searching. Man, this picture suddenly does seem larger up close, it's so big I have to look at it in 5 different sections as I practically do a 360 degree panoramic viewing!
I'm totally exhausted at this point, this is a big house after all. On a serious note, although it sounds as if I was unimpressed with this game from my review, I'm not. Quite the opposite, I just like to look at unrealistic things with a sense of humor. I loved the creep factor, and even though all of the tasks are predictable and obvious, I still had a blast playing it, in fact I've already bought it!
This Collector's Edition mostly has a bunch of creepy dolls and clowns speaking Latin, Spiders and cobwebs, shadows and objects that come to life and some even jump out at you. It also has 8 Concept Art pictures, 8 Wallpapers, 4 Music Soundtracks,7 Achievements to earn, a Secret Room, Collectible Fragments to assemble 4 Album pictures with 8 pieces each, 12 Collectible Halloween themed Doll Figurines, and Morphing Objects, enjoy the escape!
I recommend this game!
Explore the dungeons of Cliffmont Castle in this unique new match-3 adventure!
Overall rating
5
/
5
72 of 76 found this review helpful
WOW A 10 STAR MATCH 3 GAME!
PostedOctober 11, 2017
pennmom36
fromSo medieval, and so much fun!
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
I just got around to playing this fantastical Match 3 game, and I regret that I didn't play it sooner! You can choose from 3 different Cursors, and you may want to try all 3 because one of the 41 available Trophies to earn, requires that you do. You can play in a Relaxed Mode or Normal Limited Moves Mode which quite honestly gives you more than enough moves to finish. There are 32 castle upgrades to purchase with the coins you earn playing. The goal for each level is to clear all Gold Tile Cells, but there's so much more going on with this game!
This is a multi-board game which requires you to find objects and tools hidden within the boards, to unlock the next section of the board, be it a crowbar, a file or a simple key. These hidden objects are usually hidden under the Obstacles, Crates, Dirt Patches, Chains, Fog, Grids, Gem Shaped Boxes, Rocks, you name it, this game has it! You can even choose to keep playing to earn Badges, but you must earn 3 Stars and Collect every item.
You will earn Amphora when you match 4 tiles, and a match 5 will give you a bomb, using two or more will create an even larger explosion. As you progress, Power-ups become available such as Bombs that can be placed anywhere, Magic Wind Potion to destroy Cobwebs,and Magic Fire Potions to remove Ice Tiles. Portals can be used to warp to another area of the board once you collect amulets by dropping them off the board, and there are optional side quests of making matches in a sequence or dueling opponents.
This is one of the most entertaining Match 3 games I've played in a very long time, one that you shouldn't put off playing like I did, enjoy making matches!
I recommend this game!
Snow, Ice and the deadly wind blowing from the Frozen Mountains! The Lost Lands have been overtaken by ice in the middle of summer!
Overall rating
4
/
5
60 of 76 found this review helpful
I'VE LOVED THIS SERIES EVER SINCE LITTLE JIMMY GOT EATEN BY THE TREE!
PostedOctober 11, 2017
pennmom36
fromWhy can't these stories center around an unusual blistering hot phenomena? This game makes me shiver!
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
Lost Lands is one of those series that tends to slip under the radar, so to speak. They don't release the games in this series at a breakneck speed, spewing out a game every month like a lot of other game series do. When you think of a really good game series with interesting storylines, you probably don't think to include Lost Lands, but you should!
Five-BN doesn't get enough credit for this one, actually they have a lot of great game series, Darkness and Flame, New York Mysteries, House of 1000 Doors, Sacra Terra, Forbidden Secrets: Alien Town, and let's not forget about the newest one The Legacy: Forgotten Gates. You should check those games out as well, they are amongst my favorites. If I voice one complaint with Lost Lands, it would be with the graphics department, because it seems to me that the graphics are becoming slightly cartoonish, mostly with the inventory items. One of the reasons I love this game is because their Collector's Edition's always have an abundance of really good Collectibles and Morph's. It is for that reason alone that I am only giving this Standard Edition four stars instead of five because I prefered the CE version. Here's a recap of my review to help you make a decision about which version, if either is right for you:
Susan has once again been summoned to the Lost Lands by Maaron the Alchemist Mage, and she's still wearing her pajamas and slippers! Winter has arrived way too soon (winter is coming if you're a GOT fan, UPDATE: Winter is Here! lol) and Maaron needs the warmaidens help to find the source of the sudden freeze, emanating from the Frozen Mountain. Foinor the dwarf has returned to escort Susan through the tunnels leading to the mountain, to join forces with Maaron to stop the freeze, before it's too late.
Lost Lands is a fantastic adventure game, however, I've never understood why the graphics of the scenes aren't as stunning as the videos. The videos are CG but the scenes themselves are hand drawn, and at times are cartoonish in nature, with very little color. If I'm being picky, I would also add that the lip sync isn't all that great either, the lips are moving, but they certainly don't match up to the words being spoken. There's also a discrepancy in the storyline, the introduction video shows a museum SECURITY GUARD twirling a nightstick while on duty, which becomes airborne, and causes an undesirable chain of events to occur. The video then switches over to show Susan watching the news on television, and the news anchor says he was a JANITOR, when clearly he was a security guard. Why would a janitor have a nightstick?
Other than those minor complaints, my favorite feature in Lost Lands, are the abundance of extra's offered in the Collector's Edition versions. You can even choose whether or not you want the cursor to change when it scans across a collectible or morph. They are actually on the small side, but in my opinion, that's what makes them more challenging to find. In Ice Spell, the CE version has 30 Morphing Objects and 13 Lost Lands Manuscript Pages to find. There are also several Collectibles in different categories, Mittens, Icicles, Owls, Stained Glass, and Golden Horse Statues, all of the above, will unlock Bonus Puzzles when the collections are completed, as well as Achievements. Eventually you will use a Magic Wand to cast spells that can repair or damage items, make items smaller or larger, or make invisible items visible. Each time you use the wand, you'll have to play a game of "connect the dots"
The Hidden Object Scenes are all Progressive Interactive Silhouetted Shape finds, where you find an item that matches the silhouetted shape shown, and then use that item interactively in the scene to expose the next silhouetted shape item, until complete. Most of the HOP's include a small Mini Game to solve.
The Mini Games are somewhat on the easy side, I'd prefer something a bit more challenging, but at least they are entertaining. Below are brief descriptions of some of the games you'll encounter during the demo:
1) Shovel the snow into the pit, by selecting directional arrows to push snow piles. Adjacent snow piles move one cell away, and if you push a pile against the border it can't be moved and you will have to start over.
2) Make your move to the next location when the wolves aren't looking.
3) Rotate the pointers to the required symbols.
4) Use the hint to select the correct symbols
5) Arrange the statues arms to resemble the picture.
6) Connect the dots to recreate the image using the wand.
7) Rotate the dials to the correct number using a picture as a reference clue.
LOST LANDS GAMES AVAILABLE
Title***Collector's Edition Release Date***Average Rating
Title***Collector's Edition Release Date***Average Rating
1-The Dark Overlord (February 22-14) 4.4
2-The Four Horsemen (January 15-15) 4.6
3-The Golden Curse (November 7-15) 4.5
4-The Wanderer (October 25-16) 4.3
5-Ice Spell (September 12-17) 4.7
2-The Four Horsemen (January 15-15) 4.6
3-The Golden Curse (November 7-15) 4.5
4-The Wanderer (October 25-16) 4.3
5-Ice Spell (September 12-17) 4.7
The Collector's Edition version has 14 Wallpapers, 15 Concept Art pictures, 17 replayable Movie Videos, 8 Music Soundtracks, 21 Achievements to earn,19 replayable Mini Games, 5 Bonus Puzzles, 30 Morphing Objects, 13 Lost Lands Manuscripts to discover, 7 collectible Mittens, 8 Icicles, 8 Owls, 7 Stained Glass pieces and 12 Golden Horse Statues to collect, a built in Strategy Guide and a Bonus Chapter, don't forget to wear your coat, enjoy!
I recommend this game!
330 variants of solitaire each with a detailed tutorial and quality HD graphics.
Overall rating
2
/
5
89 of 100 found this review helpful
GREAT GAME IF YOU DON'T MIND THE FACT THAT YOU NEVER WIN
PostedOctober 11, 2017
pennmom36
fromI'm pretty sure I was about to win the last game, but the demo ended when I had a single card left to remove!
Skill Level:Expert
Current Favorite:
Magic Cards Solitaire
(28)Fun Factor
2
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
2
/
5
Level of Challenge
2
/
5
Storyline
2
/
5
What would be better than 330 games of Solitaire? The answer is 1 Game of Solitaire that you actually have a chance of winning. I'd like to win at least one game an hour! Honestly, most of the Solitaire games available here are worthless variations that I have no desire to play. During the demo, I played most of the games in the Golf category, that were similar to Tri-Peaks Solitaire. I played a few different types and didn't win any of them so I finally settled for playing Golf of Egypt, for the remainder of the demo, and didn't win a single game, nada, zilch, 0 with a capital Z!
This game is by Magnussoft, the creators of Magic Cards Solitaire, Magic Cards Solitaire 2: The Fountain of Life, and Solitaire 220 Plus. If you have played the original Magic Cards Solitaire game, you will recognize the same exact music plus one. Because there are only 2 tracks of music that I noticed, (perhaps different in other categories?) it does become quite monotonous. You can choose from 8 card themes as a matching set, if you choose a particular face card, the back of the card comes with that selection. There are a whopping 49 Background colors to choose from, and I will admit that most of them have vibrant colors and beautiful graphic designs. My only question is, why stop at 49, bump it to 50, you're driving me crazy here!
There are several categories of Solitaire, Arizona, Bakers Dozen, Canfield, Carlton, Fan, Forty Thieves, Four Seasons, Freecell, Gypsy, Golf, Klondike, Pairs, Sir Tommy, Spider, Yukon, and Others. Within each of those categories, are approximately 20 subcategories or variations of that particular type of Solitaire. Obviously some have more than others.
There is one feature that drove me bonkers, if your mouse hovers over any card on the board, a transparent bar appears at the top of the screen, telling you how many card remain. Likewise, if your mouse hovers over the foundation deck, the same transparent bar appears to tell you how many deck cards remain. (not enough I assure you) At first I thought it was a cool feature, but then it just became annoying.
You can save any game at any point so you won't lose your progress if you want to try another type of game, and there is a Statistics Page that keeps track of your progress. (my stats didn't look so hot)
For me personally, this is a whole lot of nothing, many of the games offered come stock with most computers anyway. Perhaps if I had won more games, I'd feel differently, but I'm just not digging this particular game, however, I do love playing the first Magic Cards Solitaire game.
I don't recommend this game.
Take on the role of a young Roman patrician and fight back the rebellious tribes in this tower defense game.
Overall rating
3
/
5
31 of 36 found this review helpful
I WAS LOOKING FORWARD TO A GOOD TOWER DEFENSE GAME BUT THIS DIDN'T HIT THE MARK
PostedOctober 10, 2017
pennmom36
fromI'm just going to board that Roman ship and set sail on a journey to find another TD game!
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'm a Tower Defense Fan because I love the strategy of figuring out which weapons to buy and where to place them. I love the thrill and the slight sense of panic you feel when the enemy starts to approach the castle, fort or whatever you are tasked with defending. Defense of Roman Britain however, just didn't do it for me, the graphics are really good, but the music is a bit intense, and and overbearing. The language translation is poor, the features are slow to respond and clunky, and I didn't see a need to zoom in and out of the scene. I had to play in windowed mode because the icons were partially cut off on the right side. Once I selected the windowed mode, I had to exit the game and restart it before the windowed mode would execute.
The biggest reason I wasn't impressed is because there is too much going on to make it appealing. I've never liked the feature of dragging gears to upgrade weapons. Sometimes simplicity is warranted, like simply reading a list of available upgrades for each weapon with percentage based coverage.
Another turn off is that the weapons offered tell you nothing about them until after you purchase them, I'd prefer to know what a weapon is called, and what it does, so I can make an informed decision about which weapon should be placed in which tower..
DEFENSE GAME SERIES
Title***Release Date***Average Rating
Title***Release Date***Average Rating
1-Defense of Greece (September 21-2015) 4.5
2-Defense of Egypt (January 10-17) 4.5
3-Defense of Roman Britain (October 10-2017) n/a
2-Defense of Egypt (January 10-17) 4.5
3-Defense of Roman Britain (October 10-2017) n/a
Tower Defense games are far and few between, and I really wanted to be wowed by this game. Defense of Roman Britain is a good game, but for me, it wasn't an epic, gotta have it kind of game, enjoy!
Discover a world of fantastical creations in this hidden object adventure!
Overall rating
2
/
5
66 of 87 found this review helpful
IT'S EVERYTHING I EXPECTED
PostedOctober 10, 2017
pennmom36
fromWhere are the fantastical creatures? I was distracted with the clock tower door, did I miss them?
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
This is an old school, scroll to zoom into the HO scenes, because everything looks the same, game. It's very similar to the HdO games but you can't drag the scenes around with your mouse, at least not mine. The graphics are average, with an abundance of gold hues, and the music is neither here nor there. At the beginning of the game, a woman narrates the story of the Katz Factory, but it was if she were reading a bedtime story to a 4 year old, trying to make the story more interesting for her own benefit. After that, you meet up with Otto the plant manager, and he slightly moves his lips, but he has no voice, so you just read the text dialogs.
You can choose between an Easy or Normal difficulty mode, and there are 9 Concept Art pictures included. There is a section called Concept Code, which I found to be hilarious, and the best part of the game. At first it looks like simple computer data coding used to create the game, but if you read the words you'll realize that someone has a sarcastic sense of humor! During the game, there are 17 hidden Flying Pigs to collect, and when I say hidden, I mean hidden because some of them are difficult to spot, mostly because of the dark graphics.
This is mainly a HOG, with Multiples of the same item finds such as 21 keys or torn paper pieces, Listed item finds and even Fragments. As you progress, bits and pieces of the story unfolds via the Log book, but it's not essential to read it to progress. During the HO's if you can't find an item, you can click and drag the Hint Music Box around the scene, the faster the music's tempo, the closer you are to an object. If you use the music box hint AND click on the object, you'll have to wait for it to recharge, however, I found that if you find the object with the box, but click somewhere that doesn't have an object, the music box will return to it's slot, you can then click on the object, and because it technically wasn't used, there's no recharge period. Eventually you will find Oskar the cat, who also seems to have a sense of humor and when you hover the mouse over him, he becomes quite opinionated. Some objects that you find go into your inventory, which appears only when an item is needed, such as keys to unlock doors.
There are Mini Games as well, however I cannot comment on these because I wasn't able to progress far enough to encounter one. This is because I ran into a glitch of some sort, when I couldn't access the clock tower door. I tried deleting the game, restarting my computer, and even a wild random clicking frenzy to no avail. I finally deleted my profile, and I created a new profile choosing the easy mode this time, and of course I had to start all over, but this worked because the door began to sparkle and I was able to enter the clock tower door!
If you enjoy a simple Hidden Object game with a few mini games thrown in, and you don't mind trying to find items that can be difficult to see at times because they are either small or blend into the same colored graphics, this game fits the bill. I will admit that I preferred the challenge of some of these HO's over the junkpile unhidden items usually offered in the big named games. But in the long run, this game wasn't interesting enough for my personal tastes to buy it, but it may be your cup of tea.
I don't recommend this game.
Dive into this spooky match 3 adventure and help Victoria decorate the School of Magic for Halloween.
Overall rating
5
/
5
147 of 160 found this review helpful
s-BOO-ktacular Match 3 Game
PostedOctober 9, 2017
pennmom36
fromI love Halloween and the themed games that are offered!
Skill Level:Expert
Current Favorite:
Cradle of Egypt
(92)Fun Factor
5
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
5
/
5
Level of Challenge
5
/
5
Storyline
5
/
5
Secrets of Magic has returned just in time for Halloween, and this time you get to choose how you want to play the Match 3. Not only can you choose to play in a Relaxed, unlimited moves or time mode, you can choose between a Limited Moves or Limited Time mode. Then you get to choose the difficulty within the Limited Moves or Limited Time mode, with either Casual or Expert difficulty, which give you either more or less power-ups, and more or less obstacles! I love having options, and I found that you can even switch between the modes mid-game without losing your progress! There is a meter on the left side that will even tell you the stats of progress when you hover the cursor over it.
You need to make the required amounts of matches of each token type, as shown at the top, for each level. Most levels have a Key you must drop off of the board, that will unlock the hidden part of the Match 3 board. I found it easier to meet the goal requirements by going after the key as soon as possible. Large matches will give you a power-up on the board, Potions will destroy tokens in an X formation, Dark Pumpkins destroy all tokens surrounding it, and directional firecrackers destroy tokens in either a row or column. You can include them in a match, swipe them to an adjacent tile, or double click to detonate them. Dropping Chests off of the board is worth 2000 points.
You need to make the required amounts of matches of each token type, as shown at the top, for each level. Most levels have a Key you must drop off of the board, that will unlock the hidden part of the Match 3 board. I found it easier to meet the goal requirements by going after the key as soon as possible. Large matches will give you a power-up on the board, Potions will destroy tokens in an X formation, Dark Pumpkins destroy all tokens surrounding it, and directional firecrackers destroy tokens in either a row or column. You can include them in a match, swipe them to an adjacent tile, or double click to detonate them. Dropping Chests off of the board is worth 2000 points.
As you progress, you unlock Power-ups to use at any given time such as the Magic Wand to destroy a token of your choice, the Hammer destroys one obstacle, and the Whirlwind shuffles the tiles, the fourth power-up wasn't available in the demo or I haven't progressed enough to earn it.
There are several obstacles, the power-ups are originally encased inside a clay square that you'll need to make matches next to first to break the clay, then drop the encased item off of the board. There are also Crates, and Stone barriers that require one or two matches next to them to break, tiles inside chains require matches of whichever tile is chained, to release them.
I hated the fact that the "loading" page took forever in between levels, but I liked the fact that I could continue making matches, not having to wait for all tiles to finish dropping etc. You get to purchase Halloween items to decorate the Magic School Entrance, and each item gives you 3 different option styles. The best part about this game is that you can customize the type of Match 3 game you like. Enjoy!
I recommend this game!
In this unique solitaire adventure, tour a country with a great history and unforgettable architecture.
Overall rating
4
/
5
39 of 45 found this review helpful
"La semplicità è l'ultima sofisticazione"
PostedOctober 9, 2017
pennmom36
fromMeraviglioso!
Skill Level:Expert
Current Favorite:
Magic Cards Solitaire
(28)Fun Factor
4
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
4
/
5
Level of Challenge
4
/
5
Storyline
4
/
5
To quote Leonardo Da Vinci, "La semplicità è l'ultima sofisticazione," Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication. I found this Italian themed Solitaire game to be simple, yet somewhat sophisticated, with beautiful graphics and pleasant music. This is a Higher/Lower type solitaire game, despite the tutorial page description that tells you to remove cards of the same rank. That same tutorial page says that you will collect coins and hats, but the special cards have ribbons on them not hats, which leads me to believe that this dev has at least one other Solitaire game available and they didn't bother to change the tutorial accordingly, but I could be wrong!
There are 12 Packs available that require you to earn specific amounts of stars to unlock the next pack. Each Pack has 10 levels, and you can earn 12 different Trophies. There are 4 Italian Themed cards to choose from, and 2 face cards, one with a small font, one with a very large font.
There is a Star Meter at the top of the screen, and it took me a long time to figure out how the star meter worked as far as scoring goes. Basically it boils down to the combo index amount. Each card you remove is worth 10 points, when you reach a certain amount of points, you receive a star, but that also depends on the index which rises when you make combos. The game is over when you remove all special Ribbon cards, even if other cards remain. So it is possible to win the level, but not earn all 3 stars. The good news is that you can replay the level as often as you want.
You can buy items in the shop with the points you earn, that give you wild cards, shuffle and undo features, reveal a percentage of face down cards or tell you how many cards remain in the deck.
I love Solitaire games, although I don't really like the kind that ends the game once all special cards remain. I prefer to have to remove all of the cards, but this really is a beautiful and relaxing game, enjoy!
I recommend this game!
Can you break free from your nightmares in time?
Overall rating
4
/
5
61 of 66 found this review helpful
At dawn your soul will be harvested...WAKE UP!
PostedOctober 8, 2017
pennmom36
from"it's my old books, I always enjoyed studying" no wonder he has issues!
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
I know I sound like a broken record, but I always wait for a good CE sale that make them the same price as a SE version, before buying these games. Then I wait for the Standard Edition release, and play the demo of the game in the SE version first. Then I finish playing the Collector's Edition version, unless the game tanks after the demo, leaving me with no desire to play it all the way through. Nightmare Shadows has a decent storyline that continued to hold my interest after the demo, it even has a few twists that you might not have anticipated. I wasn't thrilled with many of the Hidden Object Scenes, because I thought they were too simplistic, and too brief. This game has several chapters, each chapter is a different milestone in the main characters life or memory, so it's well worth purchasing. Personally, I prefer the CE version because I like collectibles, and this one has 15 Family Portraits and 15 Shadow People to find which gives you a brief description about each one, once you find them, in the Shadow People Encyclopedia. Below is a recap of my review to help you make a decision on which version, if either is right for you:
Our minds tend to block terrifying events as a coping mechanism, to help us survive. Our dreams however, don't always get the memo, and sometimes we're forced to relive horrifying events of the past, events we've tried so hard to forget. On this fateful night, Reynell's nightmares come to fruition, as his dreams open portals of his past from Sullivan River to Norwich Caves University, back to where his troubles first began. A nightmare filled with Shadows of those who haunt his life. It is said that a man who cannot find his deepest memories, will wake up, but what happens if he does find his deepest memory?
I remember when Sullivan River was first released, and I bought the game without hesitation, and loved every minute of it. Since then, Sable Maze has had it's ups and downs, but I continue to enjoy this series, and Nightmare Shadows will definitely join my series collection. The characters are very realistic and have fluid movements (unlike the ones in Dark Romance that glide or walk with jilted movements) The graphics are decent, but tend to be a bit on the dark side.
The Hidden Object Scenes are the same ole, same ole, however, I did enjoy some of the locations. There are items to find that match riddles, Fragment finds, Interactive Progressive Silhouetted Shape finds and even smaller Zoom Zones HOP's with Multiples. One of the scene's were repeated in the demo, which is a feature I really don't like, because its boring a second time around, but fortunately, not too many scenes are repeated in the main game. There is an alternate Match 3 game available if you're not into HOP's, and they seem to be a bit simplistic, and way too brief.
The Mini Games are fairly decent, and not too difficult to solve. A lot of them are the kind that when you rotate one piece, it affects other pieces, which can be frustrating, and some are available with an Easy or Hard difficulty mode. Below are brief descriptions of some of the games you'll encounter during the demo:
1) Overlay a colored lens with the clear lens to scan for stepping stones, using the clues shown on each stone to choose the next colored lens.
2) Move figurines to their matching colored doors, moving a figurine will cause the others to move in the opposite direction.
3) Click rotational arrows and swap picture pieces along the lines to restore the 4 pictures.
4) Rotate circle sections until marbles align with all holes.
5) Find and replace torn book fragments correctly.
6) Use arrows to align two glass shards together.
7) Click on items to uncover fragments, if the selection is wrong, the items will shuffle.
8) Place tiles in their matching slots correctly.
9) Fold the map horizontally and vertically using visual clues on the map.
10) Use the map to find your way out of the maze.
11) Create a path for the ball to travel from left to right using directional arrows to move columns of tiles.
12) Arrange labels according to the timetable.
13) Defeat the shadow by selecting symbols in the scene that are shown in the top right corner.
14) Rotate the disks to swap the pieces to complete the picture.
15) Select and place the gears into the correct slots using the clues shown.
SABLE MAZE GAMES AVAILABLE
Title***Collector's Edition Release Date***Average Rating
Title***Collector's Edition Release Date***Average Rating
1-Sullivan River (September 30-12) 4.0
2-Norwich Caves (August 29-13) 4.0
3-Forbidden Garden (July 24-14) 3.5
4-Twelve Fears (May 14-15) 3.6
5-Soul Catcher (December 31-15) 3.7
6-Sinister Knowledge (September 8-16) 4.2
7-Nightmare Shadows (September 9-17) 3.6
2-Norwich Caves (August 29-13) 4.0
3-Forbidden Garden (July 24-14) 3.5
4-Twelve Fears (May 14-15) 3.6
5-Soul Catcher (December 31-15) 3.7
6-Sinister Knowledge (September 8-16) 4.2
7-Nightmare Shadows (September 9-17) 3.6
The Collector's Edition has 13 Developer Diary pictures, 18 Concept Art pictures, 12 Wallpapers, 15 Family Pictures to collect, 15 hidden Shadow People, 4 Music Soundtracks, 15 Achievements to earn, a built in Strategy Guide and a Bonus Chapter, whatever you do, don't fall asleep, enjoy!
I recommend this game!
Can you stop history from repeating itself?
Overall rating
5
/
5
153 of 188 found this review helpful
HAS THE PAST CAUGHT UP TO THE FUTURE OR HAS THE FUTURE CAUGHT UP TO THE PAST?
PostedOctober 7, 2017
pennmom36
fromWhat's up with the "LOADING........." so annoying!
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
Emma Roberts the famous journalist from the Fear For Sale magazine, is on another paranormal investigation in Alaska. The small town of Whitefall is experiencing some large issues, of ghostly proportions. Some say these are the spirits of the victims who were burned to death when Whitefall was completely turned to ash in 1912! The spirits became restless when a Spa and Hotel was recently commissioned, and Emma soon finds herself stuck in the past. Has the curse of Whitefall snared Emma in a trap from the past, or has the past caught up to it's future?
WHAT HAPPENED to this series staple features??? There aren't any points to earn for collecting items or achievements. There aren't any collectibles in several categories, there aren't any jigsaw puzzle pieces to find, and you don't get to work your way up the journalistic ladder from Cub reporter to a pulitzer prize winning Emma Robert status! I never thought much about these features to be honest, but now that they're gone, I'm really disappointed! Elefun games includes these staple features in all their games, Witches Legacy, Mayan Prophecies, The Keeper of Antiques, and until now, Fear For Sale. Now that they are gone, I say bring them back, otherwise these games are no different than all the other games out there. They added a new feature that made me gasp with horror, a Tribal Amulet to help Emma overcome mystical objects. Let's not talk about this feature...ever!
What this Collector's Edition version does offer, isn't all that exciting, I love the storyline because it's different, but I will add that because I'm not impressed with the CE bling, I'll probably wait for the SE version to buy this game, unless I take advantage of a good sale. Besides the normal CE features of 12 Achievements to earn, wallpapers and concept art pictures, there are 33 Morphing Objects, one in each scene, (At least they still offer Morphs) and the collectibles are just a stupid Eye sketch. If you go into the journal, you can click the eye symbols to fill in puzzle squares and read a paragraph about the story with each eye you find. This feature does not impress me in the least bit, and it's kind of hard not to spot an out of place eye sketch with huge eyelashes. The cursor also changes whenever you scan across an item that morphs, a feature I wish was an option that can be disabled. You can still interact with a few items in each scene but not as many items as usual for this dev.
The Hidden Object Scenes are varied with Interactive List finds, Multiple Item finds, and Keywords in a Story. There are also the usual Zoom Zone HOP's where you find a handful of objects that are spread throughout the scene on the outside of the Zoom Zoned area. Some HOP's have an optional Jigsaw Puzzle to assemble, but the one jigsaw puzzle I assembled, had very dark pieces on a dark background that made it difficult to see the puzzle pieces and where they were supposed to go.
The Mini Games are decent, but fairly easy to solve. Below are brief descriptions of some of the games you'll encounter during the demo:
1) Use the clues shown to enter the correct code, each of the 5 clues tells you where the puzzle piece doesn't go such as this isn't first, or this tile doesn't go before this one.
2) Move figurines along the track to their corresponding articles.
3) Use the Tribal Amulet to find 7 hidden symbols.
4) Find and select the landmark clues to find the correct paths through the forest.
5) Swap photos and notes to the correct labeled category.
6) Follow the recipe directions.
FEAR FOR SALE GAME SERIES IN CHRONOLOGICAL ORDER
Title***Collector's Edition Release Date***Average Rating
Title***Collector's Edition Release Date***Average Rating
1-The Mystery of McInroy Manor (December 23-2010) 4.1
2-Sunnyvale Story (December 9-2011) 4.1
3-Nightmare Cinema (April 4-2013) 4.4
4-Phantom Tide (April 3-2014) 3.7
5-The 13 Keys (October 23-2014) 4.0
6-Endless Voyage (April 2-2015) 4.5
7-City in the Past (October 22-2015) 4.1
8-The House on Black River (March 17-2016) 4.3
9-The Dusk Wanderer (October 1-2016) 3.6
10-Hidden In the Darkness (April 20-2017) 3.8
11-The Curse of Whitefall (October 7-2017) n/a
2-Sunnyvale Story (December 9-2011) 4.1
3-Nightmare Cinema (April 4-2013) 4.4
4-Phantom Tide (April 3-2014) 3.7
5-The 13 Keys (October 23-2014) 4.0
6-Endless Voyage (April 2-2015) 4.5
7-City in the Past (October 22-2015) 4.1
8-The House on Black River (March 17-2016) 4.3
9-The Dusk Wanderer (October 1-2016) 3.6
10-Hidden In the Darkness (April 20-2017) 3.8
11-The Curse of Whitefall (October 7-2017) n/a
This Collector's Edition has 9 Wallpapers, 11 Concept Art pictures, 3 Screensavers, 3 Music Soundtracks, 12 Achievements to earn, 33 Morphing Objects, 20 Collectible Eye symbols, a built in Strategy Guide and a Bonus Chapter, enjoy!
I recommend this game!