pennmom36's Profile
Stat Summary
- Average Rating:3.7
- Helpful Votes:358,445
- Reviews Submitted:4711
- First Review:December 10, 2012
- Most Recent Review:March 30, 2025
- Featured reviews0
Status:
Overall rating
5
/
5
103 of 127 found this review helpful
Dare I Say No?
PostedJanuary 23, 2017
pennmom36
fromI just want to throw the ball with poor little Anna!
Skill Level:Expert
Current Favorite:
Phantasmat Collector's Edition
(100)Fun Factor
5
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
5
/
5
Level of Challenge
5
/
5
Storyline
5
/
5
Dear Carl Stein:
Your life is about to take a drastic turn. You're the lucky new Landlord of the Class D Apartments on Krushvitze 6. You're mission, should you decide to accept (I wouldn't suggest otherwise) is to spy on your tenants and report any suspicious behavior. You will install cameras in every apartment, and go through all of their personal belongings when they aren't home. You will document their hobbies, interests and even their conversations. We have taken the liberty of moving your entire family, and you have been drugged so that you'll have no need for sleep. Any Questions?
Signed: The Ministry of Allocation.
This has got to be one of the strangest Click and Point games, I've ever played, and I'm pretty sure it's the first Black and White graphics game. On one hand I feel sorry for poor Carl who has little choices, on the other hand, what a horrible landlord and father! Carl must wait for tenants to leave their apartment, use his key to enter, install surveillance cameras, then snoop, by opening drawers, reading diary's, even checking under their beds for contraband. Anything that seems suspicious is documented and reported, which usually means they are arrested. The Ministry sends out new directives which state what citizens can and cannot do, they can't even buy an apple!
If you've never played this type of game (this is not a HOP) basically you control every move Carl makes, by clicking where you want him to go. Areas that can be interacted with, will highlight when you scan your mouse over it, and when you click on it, Carl will interact with whichever icon you choose that pops up, such as a magnifying glass to search for items or use a key to open, answer the phone etc. Objectives are listed on the upper left corner, but it's up to you to figure out what to do to achieve those goals. For instance, Carl's wife needs a large pan, so you must go to the neighbor's and ask to borrow one, they may say they don't have one, but another neighbor might. You will need to have conversations with everyone, because they may have information, they may need your help etc. When you have a conversation, several key conversation questions will appear that can be asked in whichever order you deem necessary. This is the kind of game that makes you think, and it can be quite addicting once you get the hang of it.
Because this isn't the kind of game that will knock the socks off of everyone, I strongly suggest trying the demo, you may find that you enjoy the unusual aspects it presents. There is a fairly decent tutorial that explains how to play, this point and click game which can be zoomed in and out to get a different aspect. Enjoy, and aren't you glad we have choices!
Your life is about to take a drastic turn. You're the lucky new Landlord of the Class D Apartments on Krushvitze 6. You're mission, should you decide to accept (I wouldn't suggest otherwise) is to spy on your tenants and report any suspicious behavior. You will install cameras in every apartment, and go through all of their personal belongings when they aren't home. You will document their hobbies, interests and even their conversations. We have taken the liberty of moving your entire family, and you have been drugged so that you'll have no need for sleep. Any Questions?
Signed: The Ministry of Allocation.
This has got to be one of the strangest Click and Point games, I've ever played, and I'm pretty sure it's the first Black and White graphics game. On one hand I feel sorry for poor Carl who has little choices, on the other hand, what a horrible landlord and father! Carl must wait for tenants to leave their apartment, use his key to enter, install surveillance cameras, then snoop, by opening drawers, reading diary's, even checking under their beds for contraband. Anything that seems suspicious is documented and reported, which usually means they are arrested. The Ministry sends out new directives which state what citizens can and cannot do, they can't even buy an apple!
If you've never played this type of game (this is not a HOP) basically you control every move Carl makes, by clicking where you want him to go. Areas that can be interacted with, will highlight when you scan your mouse over it, and when you click on it, Carl will interact with whichever icon you choose that pops up, such as a magnifying glass to search for items or use a key to open, answer the phone etc. Objectives are listed on the upper left corner, but it's up to you to figure out what to do to achieve those goals. For instance, Carl's wife needs a large pan, so you must go to the neighbor's and ask to borrow one, they may say they don't have one, but another neighbor might. You will need to have conversations with everyone, because they may have information, they may need your help etc. When you have a conversation, several key conversation questions will appear that can be asked in whichever order you deem necessary. This is the kind of game that makes you think, and it can be quite addicting once you get the hang of it.
Because this isn't the kind of game that will knock the socks off of everyone, I strongly suggest trying the demo, you may find that you enjoy the unusual aspects it presents. There is a fairly decent tutorial that explains how to play, this point and click game which can be zoomed in and out to get a different aspect. Enjoy, and aren't you glad we have choices!
I recommend this game!
Race to save your son from beyond the grave!
Overall rating
5
/
5
77 of 90 found this review helpful
I Hate It When This Happens
PostedJanuary 22, 2017
pennmom36
fromKeep the lights on
Skill Level:Expert
Current Favorite:
Phantasmat Collector's Edition
(100)Fun Factor
5
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
5
/
5
Level of Challenge
5
/
5
Storyline
5
/
5
This edition of Haunted Hotel has the best storyline in it's history. Although the plot doesn't take many twists and turns as I'd like, it's a solid game from beginning to end. This game has the kind of storyline that I would have expected more in the Phantasmat series, because.....I'm dead!
This is Haunted Hotel's version of the Hatfield's and the McCoy's, where two close families become bitter rivals, both believing their causes are just. Both families became obsessed as they searched for infinite life. They did indeed find an ancient artifact to grant their quest for immortality, but the two families couldn't agree on how this powerful artifact should be used. The Baker family chose darkness, the Barlow family chose light, thus The Son's of Dusk, and The Som's of Dawn were created. The Baker family needs to kill 13 members of the Barlow family, you are number 12, your son Matt, will be number 13, unless you can stop the madness!
The Collector's Edition has it all, Morphing Objects, Achievements, Hidden Jewels, and Ghostly Portraits to collect that will give you insight on the Baker family tree. You are indeed, dead! You will need energy to be able to pick items up, in the form of a Mini Game of some sort of course. This is a feature similar to the "filters" in the latest Mystery Trackers game.
The Hidden Object Scenes are varied with several different types, including Interactive List finds, Keywords in sentences, Silhouetted Shapes and moving items to uncover two identical objects to match.
The Mini Games are fairly easy, but there are a couple of trickier puzzles and multi layered puzzles available. Below are brief descriptions of some of the games you'll encounter during the demo:
1) Energy game where you use your ghostly hand to catch energy orbs.
2) Fish a key out of the water by clicking when the ball is inside of the increasingly smaller target red zone.
3) Move the buttons into the correct spots based on their images.
4) Move the blue lock parts from the right and left disks into the center disk using rotation and directional arrows.
5) Collect energy by untangling spectral spheres.
6) Use the hint to complete the combination code.
7) Follow a recipe to make explosive powder.
8) Place all dishes correctly according to the clue .
9) Move the rods so they don't cross over each other.
10) Arrange arrows so they all point downward, moving one arrow may affect another.
The Collector's Edition has: 10 Wallpapers, 10 Concept Art pictures, 1 Screensaver, 18 Achievements, 4 Music Soundtracks, 12 Collectible Baker Family Portraits, a Jewel Room, 20 Morphing Objects, 20 Collectible Jewels, a Secret Room, a built in Strategy Guide and a Bonus Chapter, enjoy!
I recommend this game!
Can you uncover the cause of the cool down?
Overall rating
4
/
5
64 of 69 found this review helpful
It's A Midnight Castle Thing......
PostedJanuary 22, 2017
Fun Factor
4
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
4
/
5
Level of Challenge
4
/
5
Storyline
4
/
5
This is the third game in the Midnight Calling series that is a spin off of the cult classic Midnight Castle. If you haven't played Midnight Castle, you might not "get it" but if you are a fan like me, you totally "get it" Yes, this is a fairly easy game to play, but what's wrong with easy? Not every game has to be challenging in every aspect, sometimes an easy game is just as entertaining, and I was entertained by this game. Midnight Castle has a following unlike any other adventure game out there, and Midnight Calling ties into the original nicely, but can still be understood without having played Midnight Castle. Don't be intimidated into thinking this game is child's play, it is a fantasy themed game, and fantasy isn't real, so use your imagination, and enter another realm, a Kingdom that is bitter cold, and slowly freezing anything and everything in it's path. The reason for the killing frost may have been caused by one of the Castle's royalty, but what happened and why is the real question!
This Collector's Edition has plenty of bling, each scene has a Morphing Object, and there are collectible Zodiac symbols to find, Fresco Fragments, and plenty of Achievements to earn as well. Eventually you will be joined by a baby Griffin with very large baby blues to help you with items you cannot reach or to scare away various critters. Granny gives you her Magic Watch which can turn back the hands of fate and land you right where you want to be, only at an earlier time, before the tragedy occurred. Honestly, I would have given this game 5 stars had it not been for the poor graphics. The hand drawn graphics are too cartoonish, after three tries, you'd think the devs would up their game by tweaking the graphics. This game could be epic with sharp, computer generated graphics.
The Hidden Object Scenes are actually not bad, there are Interactive Listed Items finds, Silhouetted Shape finds in groups of 3, Matching Pairs to uncover, and my favorite required you to click on the scene the exact location shown in a square tile fragment. Some of the HOP's have a small puzzle to solve, or an extra requirement such as using a magnifying glass to find several fragments to open a chest.
The Mini Games are easy, all of them as a matter of fact, but as I stated earlier, mini games and puzzles don't have to require a college degree, to be entertaining and fun. Below are brief descriptions of some of the games you'll encounter during the demo:
1) Select the lock pieces in the right order.
2) Arrange the small tokens around the image that matches them by clicking on the circle centers to rotate them.
3) Swap vertical tiles to restore the image.
4) Solve the super puzzle by completing 5 different smaller puzzles.
a) Click on matching maze tokens.
b) place each sphere so that they all connect with their
specified number of connections.
c) Use directional arrows to move the token over each
light symbol within a specific amount of moves.
d) Select runes in a specific order.
e) Arrange the small circles so they are next to the
symbol that matches their color.
b) place each sphere so that they all connect with their
specified number of connections.
c) Use directional arrows to move the token over each
light symbol within a specific amount of moves.
d) Select runes in a specific order.
e) Arrange the small circles so they are next to the
symbol that matches their color.
5) Select the correct roots to escape the trap.
6) Select the arrows in the right order.
7) Recreate the blue image on the tiles by selecting and dragging across other tiles to form the image.
This Collector's Edition has 12 Wallpapers, 10 Concept Art pictures, a Screensaver, 4 Music Soundtracks, 23 Achievements to earn, 32 Fresco Fragments, 12 Zodiac Pieces to collect for horoscopes, a Morphing Object in every scene, a Secret Room, a built in Strategy Guide and a Bonus Chapter, enjoy your trip to the Midnight Castle!
I recommend this game!
Haunted Hotel: Charles Dexter Ward
Enter the abandoned hotel and find your missing twin!
Overall rating
4
/
5
8 of 9 found this review helpful
Haunted Hotel: Charles Dexter Ward SE
PostedJanuary 21, 2017
pennmom36
from3 days in search of Charlie
Skill Level:Expert
Current Favorite:
Phantasmat Collector's Edition
(100)Fun Factor
4
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
4
/
5
Level of Challenge
4
/
5
Storyline
4
/
5
I haven't heard from my brother Charles Dexter Ward, in over a week. The police aren't concerned because they believe he's probably just gone out of town, but that's not like Charles. He would never leave without saying anything, and he certainly would have been in contact with me by now. My suspicions were confirmed when I received a small package containing a necklace with an engraving of the initials JC. Charles has always been there for me, when our parents died, he looked after me in the orphanage. I didn't hesitate to pack my bags and headed to the return address from the package, I had a bad feeling about all this. The address led me to a very large lakeside estate, where I have found several notes written by Charles. It's all beginning to make sense now, but there's no sign of Charles, in fact there's no sign of anyone, this place has been abandoned for quite some time. I can feel it in my heart, something horrible has happened to my brother.........
Recently, I have been playing the Haunted House series from the very beginning. The first couple of episodes are really strange, and really don't have anything to do with the storyline that has made this series epic lately. Charles Dexter Ward is really the first game that is an actual HOPA rather than a HOG. The graphics are really good compared to the first few games, but it has a long way to go. There is no "jump map" yet, and the game mechanics are still archaic, when you click on the Hint feature, you are only given a nudge in the right direction such as, "check out the shed by the lake" I must admit, this is the kind of game that made me fall in love with Hidden Object Adventures, games today are auto-piloted, it's hard not to succeed because they are just point and click games. There aren't really any frills, no Morphs, no collectibles, no furry assistant to help you retrieve items that somehow manage to get to impossible places, this is old school, but it's a cool old school game that doesn't hold your hand every step of the way.
The Hidden Object Scenes are simply Listed items with no frills, no interactions, no puzzles. The items are very well blended into the scenery which make some items really difficult to find. This is a feature that is rare nowadays, because no items are simply thrown together in a huge junkpile, they aren't hidden, they aren't blended into the scenery, they are just laying there with a sign that says "pick me" I can usually find items in today's HOPA games without even looking at the list, they are that obvious!
The Mini Games are decent and come with good instructions. Obviously they aren't new, because this is a very old game, such as taking lock pieces from one peg to another, but larger pieces cannot go on top of smaller pieces. It's not a difficult game, but it is fairly time consuming.
The Collector's Edition doesn't really offer enough bling in my opinion, so this Standard Edition is the better version to purchase. You should really check this game out, it's an oldie but goodie, and exactly the kind of game that probably made you a HOPA game in the first place, enjoy!
I recommend this game!
Jigsaw365
Start at today's date and work through the year with Jigsaw365; choose from 365 photographs or use your own digital pictures.
Overall rating
1
/
5
6 of 7 found this review helpful
Jigsaw 365
PostedJanuary 21, 2017
Fun Factor
1
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
1
/
5
Level of Challenge
1
/
5
Storyline
1
/
5
I love jigsaw puzzles, but this is the worse virtual jigsaw puzzle game I've ever played. The game itself is clunky and constantly freezes, so it was really annoying for me to just try to set my puzzle with the size and shape I wanted. You can download your own personal pictures or download any current day's puzzle, as well as any other puzzle from 2004 and up. Each puzzle can be set with different shapes starting with traditional jigsaw pieces or lion shapes, us. flag and map shapes, fantasy castle, special shapes, muhindi, snowflakes, dreidel or even no edges to name a few.
Once you choose the puzzle shape and size you want, you can auto arrange the puzzle, show just border pieces, use a hint or have the computer solve the puzzle. This is a very old game with archaic features. The puzzle options aren't even that great. If you want a great puzzle game with a ton of features, try Puzzle Mania.
I don't recommend this game.
What's waiting for you in the Shadow Realm?
Overall rating
4
/
5
110 of 125 found this review helpful
It Really Does Exist
PostedJanuary 21, 2017
pennmom36
from:)
Skill Level:Expert
Current Favorite:
Phantasmat Collector's Edition
(100)Fun Factor
4
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
4
/
5
Level of Challenge
4
/
5
Storyline
4
/
5
Today is the last day of your training as a mage, what could possible go wrong? Well, just about everything! Your mentor Archie, opened the portal to Grimsdale, but no sooner did Veronica enter the world of Grimsdale, when a huge explosion occurred and cut off all communications with her. Something terrible must have happened, and it's up to you to find Veronica and help the good people of Grimsdale. Once on the other side you quickly learn that the citizens of Grimsdale have had their fair share of magic, their mage apparently isn't very good at his job. In his attempts to prove his skills to the people, Aedan hasn't fared too well, his last feat accidentally caught the town square on fire, but this time Aeden may have gone too far. It would seem that he has found a way to open a portal, a portal to the Shadow World, and the Shadows aren't just a Menace, they're deadly!
Archie has equipped you with the latest and greatest magical Bracelet which will allow you to communicate with Archie as well as hold a few magical spells you find along the way. You will eventually get five spells, but in the demo you will only have two different spells, the Light spell which is basically a candle to light up the dark, and a Restore spell which allows you turn back the hands of time to view destroyed items in their original state. There are also Collectible Magic cards located in each scene in Grimsdale, and in the Shadow Realm. The portal allows you to travel back and forth, from the present to the past, performing tasks in one time period that will affect the other. It does become a bit monotonous after a while because of the constant and tedious back and forthing, which get to be a little annoying at times.
The Hidden Object Scenes aren't very impressive, the scenes are repeated which is a feature I find very boring. The Interactive List finds have extremely large print, the largest print I've ever seen, and I've played a lot of HOPA games, and the items themselves are very large. There is one scene in a lake or pond, that has a bunch of random junk floating in the water, large vases, a brush, utensils, mirrors, kettles etc. all that was missing was a few car tires to make it the worlds most polluted lake! There are also HOS that require you to find pairs of similar items, but for the most part they are all simple, slightly interactive list finds.
The Mini Games are decent, but nothing new really. The following are brief descriptions of some of the games you'll encounter during the demo:
1) Assemble the gold plates so that they align with the patterns on the rune stones by swapping and rotating.
2) Adjust the speed of each tube so that all the tubes reach full capacity at the same time.
3) Put the shapes in the correct positions bases on the clues you found, using arrow buttons to rotate the surrounding shapes.
4) Find three of each item that match the highlighted keywords within a story, one paragraph at a time.
5) Find misplaced items within a storybook and place them correctly.
6) Select the symbols that don't match the others shown.
7) Restore the picture image by selecting arrows to move each section up, down, right or left.
8) Connect matching colored bulbs with a line of the same color, by selecting a prism to change the image, and buttons located on the bottom to swap the prisms.
This Collector's Image has 12 Achievements to earn, Music Soundtracks, 8 Wallpapers, 8 Concept Art sketches, 37 Collectible Magic Cards, a built in Strategy Guide and a Bonus Adventure, enjoy!
Archie has equipped you with the latest and greatest magical Bracelet which will allow you to communicate with Archie as well as hold a few magical spells you find along the way. You will eventually get five spells, but in the demo you will only have two different spells, the Light spell which is basically a candle to light up the dark, and a Restore spell which allows you turn back the hands of time to view destroyed items in their original state. There are also Collectible Magic cards located in each scene in Grimsdale, and in the Shadow Realm. The portal allows you to travel back and forth, from the present to the past, performing tasks in one time period that will affect the other. It does become a bit monotonous after a while because of the constant and tedious back and forthing, which get to be a little annoying at times.
The Hidden Object Scenes aren't very impressive, the scenes are repeated which is a feature I find very boring. The Interactive List finds have extremely large print, the largest print I've ever seen, and I've played a lot of HOPA games, and the items themselves are very large. There is one scene in a lake or pond, that has a bunch of random junk floating in the water, large vases, a brush, utensils, mirrors, kettles etc. all that was missing was a few car tires to make it the worlds most polluted lake! There are also HOS that require you to find pairs of similar items, but for the most part they are all simple, slightly interactive list finds.
The Mini Games are decent, but nothing new really. The following are brief descriptions of some of the games you'll encounter during the demo:
1) Assemble the gold plates so that they align with the patterns on the rune stones by swapping and rotating.
2) Adjust the speed of each tube so that all the tubes reach full capacity at the same time.
3) Put the shapes in the correct positions bases on the clues you found, using arrow buttons to rotate the surrounding shapes.
4) Find three of each item that match the highlighted keywords within a story, one paragraph at a time.
5) Find misplaced items within a storybook and place them correctly.
6) Select the symbols that don't match the others shown.
7) Restore the picture image by selecting arrows to move each section up, down, right or left.
8) Connect matching colored bulbs with a line of the same color, by selecting a prism to change the image, and buttons located on the bottom to swap the prisms.
This Collector's Image has 12 Achievements to earn, Music Soundtracks, 8 Wallpapers, 8 Concept Art sketches, 37 Collectible Magic Cards, a built in Strategy Guide and a Bonus Adventure, enjoy!
I recommend this game!
Jigsaw Mania
Solve any of the six hundred puzzles or use the Editor feature to create your own puzzle masterpieces and email them to others.
Overall rating
5
/
5
57 of 64 found this review helpful
Jigsaw Mania
PostedJanuary 20, 2017
pennmom36
fromThe options seem endless!
Skill Level:Expert
Current Favorite:
Phantasmat Collector's Edition
(100)Fun Factor
5
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
5
/
5
Level of Challenge
5
/
5
Storyline
5
/
5
I'm a jigsaw geek, and this one is so different, I had to buy it. Not only can you opt to do the puzzles in Small, Medium, Large and Jumbo sized pieces, but they also can be Jagged, Wavy, Angular or my personal favorite, squares. There is a section that allows you to download more puzzles in several different categories such as specific countries like New Zealand, but there are plant themes, animal themes and even landscape packs. You can download your own photos to assemble as a puzzle, and download your own music too.
Any puzzle can be e-mailed to a friend, or yourself so you can use it as a wallpaper. There are so many settings available that it makes this game the most customizable puzzle game ever offered. Don't just take my word for it, this is a game you just have to try, seeing is believing, enjoy!
I recommend this game!
Team up with experts to uncover a lost underwater civilization!
Overall rating
3
/
5
64 of 73 found this review helpful
I Got Tired Of Looking For Paradise
PostedJanuary 20, 2017
pennmom36
fromWell, at least the bad guys know which agent is the bright one!
Skill Level:Expert
Current Favorite:
Phantasmat Collector's Edition
(100)Fun Factor
3
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
3
/
5
Level of Challenge
3
/
5
Storyline
3
/
5
After the demo, I was expecting to be searching for the Lost Paradise under the sea, instead I went to Havana. The graphics are nowhere close to the sharp HD graphics they show on the menu page and the page where the game says "loading" Take another look at the toucan shown as the game tells you to play with sound for a more indepth game, the bird is beautiful, the details flawless, followed by a beautiful scene under water with schools of fish swimming to and fro. What a disappointment, when the game itself has little color, and very little detail, not to mention, very little under water exploration. Other than that, this edition of Hidden Expedition has a pretty good storyline, below is my review synopsis.
Philip Drake struck gold when he discovered a clean viable energy source in the Caribbean Sea, he also discovered something far more valuable than the energy source. H.E.L.P has been asked to travel to Costa Rica to meet with Mr. Drake to piece together the clues of an ancient civilization, known as Digui. It is believed that the tribe somehow angered the gods, so they sent their children to find a better world in which to live. Fearing for their safety, and unsure of their success, the elders designed a device that would allow them to return to their home, that once was Paradise. Word spread quickly, and protests have engulfed Mr. Drake's estate, demanding what they believe to be rightfully theirs. You and your partner Sam, are once again thrown into a dangerous mission, and you may not make it out alive!
I'm still a little upset that Sam received a promotion, why does he get paid the big bucks to do absolutely nothing? Seriously, he's dressed as if this is a vacation, and simply makes himself at home once inside Mr. Drake's home. I'm surprised he hasn't kicked off his shoes and popped a cold one, he might as well because so far, I'm doing all the work. He can't even manage to keep himself from getting held hostage, AGAIN, didn't this same scenario just happen in the last episode? I'll just look at the bright side, at least the weather's nice and I get to search for cute lizards, which btw, is so much better than finding those stupid Hidden Signs, don't you agree? They may have replaced the Hidden Signs with Hidden Lizards, but we still have to lug around that huge bulky H.E.L.P box so we can collect a few Fact Cards to brush up on our knowledge of wind, water and solar energy. Has anyone from this agency ever heard of a smartphone and G.O.O.G.L.E?
The Hidden Object Scenes are the traditional Hidden Expedition style HOP's. They are usually layered with different types, such as Interactive List finds, Multiple finds and one of my personal favorites, Silhouetted Shape Combinations. This is where you are given several items to find that will match the item that two different Silhouetted Shapes combined will logically match. An example would be a silhouette of a person and a silhouette of a fish would logically match a pair of swimming flippers. In the Collector's Edition, each HOP has a Morphing Object, a feature I love, but loathe when they are only offered in the HOP's.
The Mini Games are decent, some of which come in 3 parts. Below are brief descriptions of some of the games you'll encounter during the demo:
1) Toggle the blank tiles to choose the correct symbols so that each power button can energize the lightning tiles. fans send lightning in one direction, wind sends it left or right etc.
2) Rotate molecules and place them in their matching positions.
3) Use the chart to unlock the briefcase by choosing the numbers that intersect in the clues row and column.
4) Move symbols through the maze to the bottom three spots.
5) Drag the tiles which share 2 adjacent symbols with the middle tile onto it.
6) Select a sphere and place it on the right coordinates on the map.
7) Connect the dots via drag and drop so that the lines intersect in the same spot, each dot can only be connected to one other dot at a time.
The Collector's Edition has 13 replayable Videos, 8 Wallpapers, 8 Concept Art Pictures, 13 Music Soundtracks, a Souvenir Room, 12 replayable Hidden Object Scenes, 17 replayable Mini Games, 38 Hidden Lizards, 18 Achievements to earn, 12 Morphing Objects within the HOP's, Collectible Fact Cards, a built in Strategy Guides, and a Bonus Chapter, enjoy!
I recommend this game!
Haunted Hotel: Charles Dexter Ward Collector's Edition
Enter the abandoned hotel and find your missing twin!
Overall rating
4
/
5
6 of 6 found this review helpful
Haunted Hotel: Charles Dexter Ward CE
PostedJanuary 19, 2017
pennmom36
fromCharlie, why do you write all this stuff on paper, where's your smartphone? Oh I forgot, they didn't have smartphones, just semi-smartphones.
Skill Level:Expert
Current Favorite:
Phantasmat Collector's Edition
(100)Fun Factor
4
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
4
/
5
Level of Challenge
4
/
5
I haven't heard from my brother Charles Dexter Ward, in over a week. The police aren't concerned because they believe he's probably just gone out of town, but that's not like Charles. He would never leave without saying anything, and he certainly would have been in contact with me by now. My suspicions were confirmed when I received a small package containing a necklace with an engraving of the initials JC. Charles has always been there for me, when our parents died, he looked after me in the orphanage. I didn't hesitate to pack my bags and headed to the return address from the package, I had a bad feeling about all this. The address led me to a very large lakeside estate, where I have found several notes written by Charles. It's all beginning to make sense now, but there's no sign of Charles, in fact there's no sign of anyone, this place has been abandoned for quite some time. I can feel it in my heart, something horrible has happened to my brother.........
Recently, I have been playing the Haunted House series from the very beginning. The first couple of episodes are really strange, and really don't have anything to do with the storyline that has made this series epic lately. Charles Dexter Ward is really the first game that is an actual HOPA rather than a HOG. The graphics are really good compared to the first few games, but it has a long way to go. There is no "jump map" yet, and the game mechanics are still archaic, when you click on the Hint feature, you are only given a nudge in the right direction such as, "check out the shed by the lake" I must admit, this is the kind of game that made me fall in love with Hidden Object Adventures, games today are auto-piloted, it's hard not to succeed because they are just point and click games. There aren't really any frills, no Morphs, no collectibles, no furry assistant to help you retrieve items that somehow manage to get to impossible places, this is old school, but it's a cool old school game that doesn't hold your hand every step of the way.
The Hidden Object Scenes are simply Listed items with no frills, no interactions, no puzzles. The items are very well blended into the scenery which make some items really difficult to find. This is a feature that is rare nowadays, because no items are simply thrown together in a huge junkpile, they aren't hidden, they aren't blended into the scenery, they are just laying there with a sign that says "pick me" I can usually find items in today's HOPA games without even looking at the list, they are that obvious!
The Mini Games are decent and come with good instructions. Obviously they aren't new, because this is a very old game, such as taking lock pieces from one peg to another, but larger pieces cannot go on top of smaller pieces. It's not a difficult game, but it is fairly time consuming.
You should really check this game out, it's an oldie but goodie, and exactly the kind of game that probably made you a HOPA game in the first place, enjoy!
I recommend this game!
Take a trip through Victorian England and play 120 crazy-fun nonogram puzzles!
Overall rating
3
/
5
63 of 73 found this review helpful
It Isn't A Picnic If You Have To Use A Hint Or Guess On Some Puzzles Instead Of Using Logic
PostedJanuary 18, 2017
pennmom36
fromAt least some of the pictures are recognizable, but what a bland color choice!
Skill Level:Expert
Current Favorite:
Phantasmat Collector's Edition
(100)Fun Factor
3
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
3
/
5
Level of Challenge
3
/
5
Storyline
3
/
5
This game is no different than the ton's of other games offered by this developer. The features are all the same, the music is the same, even the grid sizes are the same. All they change from one game to the next, is the scenery and the images the grids make. My biggest complaint is that just during the demo alone, there were two different puzzles that couldn't be solved using logic alone, which is what these games are supposed to be about. In order to finish these two puzzles, I had to use the Hint Feature, or I could have chosen to "guess" which is a super big No-No in the griddler world!
The idea behind this type of puzzle is to either fill in or cross off square tiles in a grid of a specific size. There are numbers or sometimes groups of numbers located on all columns and rows, which indicate how many cells must be filled in, each group of numbers must be separated by at least one crossed off cell. Each filled in cell contains a coin, and some of them contain bonus coins which can be used to buy extra hints, refill hints on the current level, or rights to make three mistakes instead of 2. You will earn three gold stars, and a star is deducted for each mistake made.
There are 7 Beginner tutorial levels, and one Expert level available to learn or brush up on your Griddler Mosaic skills, and there are 6 Rooms in the Adventure mode which offer 20 griddler puzzles in each room. There are Trophies to earn as well, and any puzzle can be replayed as often as you want, to try to earn a better score. Personally, I have to replay the puzzle if I make a mistake, which always seems to happen right at the very end of the puzzle.. There just isn't any incentives in this game that make me want to purchase it, or even use a coupon.
I don't recommend this game.