pennmom36's Profile
Stat Summary
- Average Rating:3.7
- Helpful Votes:358,445
- Reviews Submitted:4709
- First Review:December 10, 2012
- Most Recent Review:March 15, 2025
- Featured reviews0
Status:
A criminal organization searching for an ancient treasure shot your partner!
Overall rating
4
/
5
56 of 66 found this review helpful
Awesome Storyline
PostedOctober 19, 2015
pennmom36
fromLook's like everyone is bailing on ya, run!
Skill Level:Expert
Favorite Genre(s):Puzzle, Hidden Object, Time Management, Adventure, Match 3
Fun Factor
4
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
4
/
5
Level of Challenge
4
/
5
Storyline
4
/
5
This is another one of those games that had great potential and could have been a superior game, but it fell a little flat. The lip syncing is really bad, and the characters look lifelike and cartoonish at the same time, but the camera angles annoyed me more than anything, the game looks like it was filmed with a camcorder. If you can overlook those minor details, and keep in mind that the game starts out cheesy and slow moving, it does improve, and the storyline is awesome.
This is a Detective game that delves deep into secret societies and underground criminal organizations, the Knight's Templar want's to protect the legendary Blue Veil chest, which supposedly contains a map of great importance, and the elusive Shadows want to possess the Blue Veil for it's wealth. When your partner Jason Palmer becomes "unavailable" you are thrust into this investigation not knowing who to trust, and with good reason!
The Hidden Object Puzzles are all the same, and just about every scene has one. They are listed item finds with several of the items requiring an interaction that progresses. For example, you pick up a knife and zoom into a teddy bear that has something sewn inside, you use the knife to open up the threads and expose an item that is used on another item which exposes another item and so forth. They are entertaining but not very challenging. You can opt for a game of Mahjong instead, but Mahjong is too boring.
The Mini Games are not bad, some are old standards, others are either newer or have a new take on an old standard. Below are brief descriptions of some of the Mini Games available.
1) Swap square sections of a circuit board so that all the color coded current lines match up.
2) Use arrows to rotate tumblers to find the correct combination of images that has been written in your journal.
3) Turn on a series of lights in order from top to bottom by following the wires from the light to the correct switch.
4) Locate 5 Diamonds, 5 Fleur-de-lis, 5 Spears, 5 Stars, 5 Flowers and 5 Crescent Moons hidden within several sketched drawings. (one of my favorites)
5) Follow steps to create a library card, such as taking a photo with a camera, cropping the picture and using items in a specific order.
6) Connect each Node to as many nodes as indicated on the individual nodes themselves.
7) Swap Gems in the correct order so that they reach their matching slots when you click to activate the machine.
The Collector's Edition has Concept Art, Wallpapers, Original Score, Bonus Movies, a built in Strategy Guide, and a Bonus Adventure, which really isn't enough to constitute the extra price in my opinion, enjoy!
I recommend this game!
Your morning omelette still churns in your stomach. What dangers await hidden in the darkness? Will this Halloween night ever end?
Overall rating
5
/
5
77 of 89 found this review helpful
Time For Some Chicken Soup!
PostedOctober 19, 2015
pennmom36
fromWhere do the burgers come from?
Skill Level:Expert
Favorite Genre(s):Puzzle, Hidden Object, Time Management, Adventure, Match 3
Fun Factor
5
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
5
/
5
Level of Challenge
5
/
5
Storyline
5
/
5
Have you ever played one of those games that are so frustrating you cannot stop playing it? This is one of those games, 5 starting lives isn't enough, so you find yourself starting over and over, learning from your mistakes as you progress just a little further each time.
Just like the original space invaders, you must defend your planet from space invaders, which in this case are vicious Chickens! (some are dressed in Halloween costumes)The Chicken invaders have unique weapons and defenses, the hens lay eggs that will completely obliterate your spaceship should you take a direct hit or even if you mistakenly broadside a falling egg. When you blast the full grown chickens, they will reward you with delicious chicken legs and even whole roasted chickens, which can only be collected when your spaceship runs over them, which isn't always easy when the egg bombs are everywhere! There are also keys to collect, burgers, presents and weapon upgrades to snag. There are several achievements available and a high score leader board that will list all of your top scores (and the scores of other players on your computer)
The options are vast, starting with the fact that you can choose the method you want to use to control your spaceship and weapons, your keyboard, your mouse, and even TOUCHSCREEN! The best feature in my opinion, is that you get to customize your spaceship with the keys you collect during the game, as well as backgrounds from previous versions. For starters, you will choose the base color of the spaceship, the color of the cockpit, and the color of the engine flames both inner and outer. There are several colors and shades to choose from and you will unlock paint options for the fuselage, the weapons pod, the tail wing, and even the density and shininess of the spaceship!
In my opinion, this is a very addicting game that would be awesome on your phone as well. The graphics have come a long way since the days of Space Invaders, not to mention the fact that the mouse has greatly improved our ability to control the spaceship. Give it a try, but be warned, you're gonna get hooked on this comical chicken invading game, enjoy!
I recommend this game!
After falling asleep in the cinema, you wake up in the movie. Solve the mystery of the missing film crew and finish the movie.
Overall rating
2
/
5
106 of 137 found this review helpful
I Can't Even Figure Out The Plot
PostedOctober 19, 2015
pennmom36
fromNate should ask for a refund
Skill Level:Expert
Favorite Genre(s):Puzzle, Hidden Object, Time Management, Adventure, Match 3
Fun Factor
3
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
2
/
5
Level of Challenge
3
/
5
Storyline
1
/
5
This game has huge potential, but failed miserably because the plot isn't clear, the Hidden Object Scenes have non existant items, and don't even get me started on the clarity of instructions for the puzzles. I don't mind a game that is difficult, but I had to use the hint button several times because I had no idea what to do next, and some of the mini games were so poorly explained that I ended up skipping two of them because I had no idea what I was supposed to do! There are several puzzles where, in order to get the inventory item you just found, you have to position the item inside a silhouette shape exactly using rotational arrows. The first couple of times I thought it was a pretty cool feature, then it became annoying and frustrating.
The storyline? Well, Nate seems to be a loner who loves to see the same movie over and over again, but somehow today, he is hypnotized by the music and ends up in the movie scene. A woman approaches him to explain a few rules, disappears, and then somehow shows up again when he's figured out how to start the car, what? Oh, I missed the part where a tree with glowing eyes becomes human and thanks Nate for saving her. She's apparently one of the several missing film crew, but where did she disappear to? Is she in the back seat of the car too? Did I just ditch her at the portapotties? Does she still want the job?
I actually Beta tested this game several months ago, but was unable to finish the demo because of glitches, it's obviously been fixed but perhaps they should have just scrapped the game and started over. This game just doesn't make sense.
I don't recommend this game.
Your wedding day goes dark... and your fiancée has no idea who's behind it all.
Overall rating
3
/
5
83 of 100 found this review helpful
Bought The Game Thinking It Would Surely Improve.......
PostedOctober 18, 2015
pennmom36
fromIt's a good thing they let me keep my rake, and rope when they imprisoned me!
Skill Level:Expert
Favorite Genre(s):Puzzle, Hidden Object, Time Management, Adventure, Match 3
Fun Factor
3
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
3
/
5
Level of Challenge
3
/
5
Storyline
3
/
5
The game does improve, it does become slightly more entertaining, but it really isn't that great of a game. The storyline is predictable because it's the same story, the prince has been deceived by his court magician who will stop at nothing to keep him from marrying a common garden assistant. I loved the original Dark Romance, which was about vampires, the second game was still good, but not as interesting, this game is just not that interesting.
The best feature in all Dark Romance games is that you play the game as both main characters, in this case, the handsome prince, Siegfried, and his beautiful wife to be, Odette. This gives you different perspectives, and a whole new set of tasks, and it is done in such a way that it isn't confusing. Some of the characters you have conversations with give you the option to choose which questions to ask, but why? If you have to eventually ask all of the questions, and it doesn't affect the outcome, what difference does it make what order I ask the questions in? There are plus signs on some of the inventory items items indicating that some type of interaction is required before the item can be used. There are several "extras" available in this Collector's Edition, the usual Achievements to earn, Dossier notes to discover, Collectible Character Figurines, Stained Glass pieces and Collectible Feathers. The Feathers are used like coins that will allow you purchase items for the honeymoon Boudoir, such as flowers, harps, rocking chairs and other decorations. In my opinion this feature is lame, the items to purchase are boring, and it's a feature I believe few gamers will get excited about.
The Hidden Object Scenes are mostly Silhouetted Shape finds of different types. Some are progressive interactive finds where you find the first item and use that item in the scene interactively to expose the next item. Some require you to find several items matching the silhouettes to "fill them up" and there are also multiples of one item, and typical listed item finds and fragmented finds where you find several pieces of items scattered about the scene. You can play a Match 3 game instead of the Hidden Object Puzzles.
The Mini games range from simple to frustrating, below is a list of some of the games you'll encounter so skip the numbered section if you don't want to know what's in store for you:
1) A Lock and Key puzzle where you figure out the correct sequences.
2) A three part game where you first uncover objects to match identical animals, then free a caged animal by untangling ropes and following the freed animals path.
3) Position pictures correctly by looking at fragmented clues.
4) Swap heads to the correct body.
5) Pop bubbles that contain skulls.
6) Move tokens to the correct matching slots according to a pattern.
7) Swap pie shaped pieces to create an image.
2) A three part game where you first uncover objects to match identical animals, then free a caged animal by untangling ropes and following the freed animals path.
3) Position pictures correctly by looking at fragmented clues.
4) Swap heads to the correct body.
5) Pop bubbles that contain skulls.
6) Move tokens to the correct matching slots according to a pattern.
7) Swap pie shaped pieces to create an image.
This Collector's Edition has 20 Stained Glass pieces to collect, 5 Music Soundtracks, 15 Concept Art pictures, 13 Wallpapers, 19 Free Search HOP's, 23 replayable Mini Games, 15 Achievements, 15 Collectible Character Figurines, Collectible Feathers, a Boudoir to decorate, a built in Strategy Guide and a Bonus Chapter, enjoy!
I recommend this game!
Return to your hometown to save your father and uncover Midnight Castle's secrets!
Overall rating
5
/
5
100 of 120 found this review helpful
I'm Coming Home!
PostedOctober 16, 2015
pennmom36
fromThat poor butterfly, that's horrifying!
Skill Level:Expert
Favorite Genre(s):Puzzle, Hidden Object, Time Management, Adventure, Match 3
Fun Factor
5
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
5
/
5
Level of Challenge
5
/
5
Storyline
5
/
5
MIDNIGHT CASTLE FANS UNITE! Midnight Castle has become a cult classic, it's a journey to fulfil a prophecy and this game has loyal followers like no other game. After recurring dreams of her father pleading with her to come home, Anabel buys a one way ticket to her home town of Rocksville, and home to the Midnight Castle. Anabel's father Henry was (or is?) a famous explorer and archaeologist who entered the Midnight Castle 10 years ago and hasn't been heard from since. A prophecy has been foretold by the queen upon her deathbed that when she dies, so shall the magic. She also foretold that every decade at the stroke of Midnight, dragons would awaken and spirits would return, and the last living heir would return to fulfil her prophecy!
Henry was suspicious of danger and began hiding everything of importance behind Midnight Castle symbols. This is where your journey begins, finding the symbols which hide the devices you need to get to and enter the castle. A very cute Bat will eventually join you on this journey and help you retrieve items just out of reach. The Collector's Edition has Morphing Objects, collectible Stained Glass pieces and even hidden Fairies to find, an abundance of Achievements to earn and even Plus Sign Inventory items to tinker with before using, some of which have small puzzles to figure out.
The Hidden Object Scenes are decent but nothing out of the ordinary such as Silhouetted Shape finds, finding Matching Pairs of items hidden underneath a few select items and even finding items that relate to the word in Red text as a story is told about the prophecy of Midnight Castle.
The Mini Games however are everywhere and anywhere, and very entertaining. There are games where you move symbols to their surrounding images and then rotate rings to allow figures to follow paths to their matching silhouettes. Next up is selecting arrows to rotate circles and swap elements in order to place letters and numbers as shown above the elements. Swapping books so that all the shelves hang on the same level. Moving colored disks to a matching ring using empty slots to slide the disks into to solve the puzzle. and even a series of puzzles where you tinker with several devices moving gems to the center of the chain, connecting colored heads together without overlapping lines etc. and using the items each puzzle gives you to move on to the next puzzle until the entire mechanism is working.
The Collector's Edition has 9 Wallpapers, 10 Concept Art pictures, 4 Music Soundtracks, 27 Achievements, Morphing Objects, 32 Stained Glass puzzle pieces, 12 Collectible Fairies, a Secret Room, a built in Strategy Guide and a Bonus Chapter. Don't forget to give Midnight Castle a try as well, enjoy!
I recommend this game!
Join Manuel in this incredible adventure through the land of the dead and help him to rescue his beloved bride.
Overall rating
5
/
5
96 of 104 found this review helpful
Getting Married On The Day Of The Dead Was Not A Good Idea
PostedOctober 16, 2015
pennmom36
fromDia de los Muertos
Skill Level:Expert
Favorite Genre(s):Puzzle, Hidden Object, Time Management, Adventure, Match 3
Fun Factor
5
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
5
/
5
Level of Challenge
5
/
5
Storyline
5
/
5
Manuel and Maria thought it would be a good idea to get married on the Day Of The Dead so that all their dead relatives could attend the wedding. Turns out, they were wrong!
What a fantastic solitaire game, it even has a fantastic story to go along with it. This is a Higher/Lower game of solitaire where you play cards either one number higher or one number lower than the deck card. You start out with 25 cards in the deck, and you receive 3 extra cards when you finish the first round, and another two cards when you finish the second round. At first the game is super easy, but don't worry, it gets more challenging as you progress, and you will have fewer cards by the end of the rounds. If you lose the final round due to lack of cards, you will have to restart from the beginning round.
There are Bomb Cards that can be clicked on to destroy other cards around them, and directional Rocket cards as well. Combos fill up the Gold Skull meter, each skull the meter fills to will give you 100 Golden Coins. Some of the cards require finding the key to unlock the padlock, some are on fire requiring you to play all water cards to put out the fire.
There are Bonus Cards to uncover, Extra Cards which allows you to receive 5 additional cards, Coin Cards gives you extra coins, an Undo Card gives you extra undo options, the Sword of Justice allows you to choose a card to be destroyed, the Joker is a Wild Card, and you can even unlock an extra Slot on the draw card with an increased chance of matches.
I loved the features, the graphics, and the Solitaire game, but most of all, it has a very interesting story, enjoy!
I recommend this game!
Ghost Whisperer™
Join Melinda Gordon in helping ghosts with unfinished business.
Overall rating
1
/
5
3 of 3 found this review helpful
Ghost Whisperer
PostedOctober 15, 2015
pennmom36
fromTo be honest, one star is generous!
Skill Level:Expert
Favorite Genre(s):Puzzle, Hidden Object, Time Management, Adventure, Match 3
Fun Factor
1
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
1
/
5
Level of Challenge
1
/
5
Storyline
1
/
5
This game was downright annoying and I could only endure playing the demo for about 20 minutes before I selected the option to exit. Even the fact that my only option was to "save and exit" made me cringe because I certainly didn't want to "save" my progress. Melinda Gordon has always been able to see the dearly departed, even as a child, she saw ghosts, but eventually learned that they were seeking her help with their unfinished business that they were no longer capable of completing. Melinda's husband, Jim Clancy is a paramedic that supports her talent and lends a hand whenever possible. Helping misguided ghosts move on is just a hobby, Melinda owns and operates an Antique Shop along with her good friend Dalia.
The storyline is somewhat intriguing but the graphics have a lot of room for improvement. There are no voiceovers (they would probably be really bad if there were voiceovers) and the characters slide when they move. I would rather see jilted movements than to watch the characters glide across the floor as if they were riding a people mover at the airport, it's so unnatural. The worse feature in this game is the inventory bar, there are two of them, one with clues and objectives that is stationary, the other holds your inventory with no option to lock it in place. This bar just slides up and down constantly, unless of course I actually need to use an item, then I have to click on it.
The Hidden Object Scenes are simple text listed items, some of the words are obscured with clouds that eventually disappear or clear up, however, if you find and click on the hidden ghost, the cloud will dissipate immediately. If you click on the ghost after the clouds automatically clear, the Moon Hint icon will fully recharge.
The Mini Games are frustrating, the kind that are solvable, but make you want to pull your hair out trying to solve them, for instance, you have to use three different dials to adjust a scrambled picture on a monitor but adjusting one knob affects the portion that you just unscrambled and you just go back and forth turning knobs in random order hoping the skip button will charge up and the nightmare will end. It's a no go for me, and I'm not a difficult person to please, I can usually find some type of entertainment in every game, not so with this game. Do yourself a favor, don't waste time on this hot mess.
I don't recommend this game.
It's Halloween time and the Queen wants to celebrate! Help the Queen and her loyal assistant Jack decorate the garden in this unique match-3 game!
Overall rating
4
/
5
50 of 57 found this review helpful
The Queen's Preparing For Halloween
PostedOctober 15, 2015
pennmom36
fromWill the Queen make her appearance in this edition?
Skill Level:Expert
Favorite Genre(s):Puzzle, Hidden Object, Time Management, Adventure, Match 3
Fun Factor
4
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
4
/
5
Level of Challenge
4
/
5
Storyline
4
/
5
I was a little disappointed in the graphics of this game, the tiles aren't appealing enough, and everything is exactly the same as Queen's Garden 1 & 2, same plants, same decorations, with the addition of some Halloween inspired decorations. It's not bad, but not all that entertaining. There are three modes of difficulty, Timed, Relaxed and Piece Of Cake where there is no timer and the weed growth has been disabled.
The goal is to make matches of at least three identical tiles, with specific numbers of certain tiles to match as well as breaking all green tiles, some of which begin as a different color and eventually become green after a few matches. If you match 4 tiles you will receive a powerup on the board that will destroy tiles in a horizontal or vertical row when included in a match of whichever tile the powerup shows. Matching 5 tiles will give you a bomb, and making a combo match vertically and horizontally will give you a Bat that will remove all of the same type of token you choose as he calls in all his buddies to help.
Some cells have wooden crates, some have earth, some have chains or double chains, there are Tombstones that require 4 different matches adjacent to them to remove, and there are wicked Weeds that multiply very quickly if left unchecked. Some cells contain hidden gems that allow you to purchase special items in the shop.
The money you earn playing Match 3, can be used to purchase plants and decorations for your garden, or at least for the Queen's Garden. You can design the Garden anyway you want, adding walkways one square block at a time. There are three different categories to choose from, Garden Plants and Bushes, Man Made items such as walkways, ponds, fountains and terrain, and Halloween with pumpkins, dead trees, and even black cats. After making your selection, you can move the items anywhere you want, and the entire garden can be zoomed in or out and you can click and drag the garden to see beyond the current pathways. There is a new feature that allows you to change the garden from the normal Daytime view, to Nighttime when all the ghosts and goblins are on the prowl, enjoy!
I recommend this game!
Help the young wolf find his missing family in this Mahjong puzzle adventure!
Overall rating
4
/
5
54 of 58 found this review helpful
No Need To Cry Wolf In This Mahjong Game
PostedOctober 15, 2015
pennmom36
fromJust howling at the moon.
Skill Level:Expert
Favorite Genre(s):Puzzle, Hidden Object, Time Management, Adventure, Match 3
Fun Factor
4
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
4
/
5
Level of Challenge
4
/
5
Storyline
4
/
5
I really liked the layout patterns available in this Mahjong game where you help the wolf cub find his family. The graphics are decent and the tiles are well proportioned, and you can choose from three different styles of Mahjong tiles. This game is available in a Relaxed or normal mode of difficulty, which gives you the choice of playing with challenges such as completing the game within a specific number of moves or just a relaxed and typical game of mahjong without any gimmicks. As with most Mahjong games, you must remove all gold tiles which are usually located underneath all of the regular tiles which make it even more challenging to remove the gold tiles within a specific number of moves, making you think before randomly clicking. Mahjong is my least favorite genre, but this one's actually not bad, and not nearly as boring as some of them can be, enjoy!
I recommend this game!
A dark prophecy threatens to destroy the city of Munich!
Overall rating
5
/
5
309 of 406 found this review helpful
KEEPERS OF THE PROPHECY
PostedOctober 15, 2015
pennmom36
fromThe end of the world or just the beginning?
Skill Level:Expert
Favorite Genre(s):Puzzle, Hidden Object, Time Management, Adventure, Match 3
Fun Factor
5
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
5
/
5
Level of Challenge
5
/
5
Storyline
5
/
5
There is no scientific explanation for the sun's total eclipse that has occurred over the town of Munich. This eclipse is just the beginning, soon the water will darken, the trees will wither and die, the Wanderer will be exposed, as will the 4 Keepers of the Prophecy. You're no stranger to this kind of phenomenon, in fact, it's your specialty, but digging deeper into this apocalyptic prophecy reveals that you might just play an important role here, because your choices guide the Wanderer's path, directing him towards creation, or destruction!
You can always count on Chimeras to deliver us a fantastic story! The graphics and ambience are perfect for this "end of days" scenario, and exactly what you'd expect during an unexpected and unexplained total eclipse, where uncertainty and a sense of uneasiness prevail, where speculations run wild and panic ensues. No, you're not seeing things, the Chimera is real, what once was no more than a slab of stone representing a mythical Greek monster, is now capable of flight and fright. This creature has the head and front legs of a lion, the head and back legs of a goat the head and wings of a fire breathing dragon and the tail of a snake. The only defense you'll have against this Chimera is an Ancient Amulet (because there is no such thing as a Modern Day Amulet) you discovered that repels any living statue. There are Plus Sign inventory items available that require some type of interaction or even a small puzzle solved before the item can be used. This Collector's Edition has the typical Achievements to earn and several Collectibles, 13 Tarot Cards to find, 19 Morphing Chimeras, and 27 random Morphing Objects throughout the game. I am a little disappointed in the Morphing Objects, although the cursor doesn't change to a hand to give away their location, the Morphs are very large and morph so quickly that you cannot overlook them. I prefer Morphs to change slowly, better yet I like it when games are nonlinear and you have to trigger the morphing action in another scene, never knowing when and what triggers the action, that's so much more challenging and fun.
The Hidden Object Scenes are a bit scarce, but I suspect that the devs realize that the HOP are getting old, and today's gamers want more Mini Games and puzzles. There are traditional Interactive listed items, Silhouetted Shape finds and Story oriented finds where you find items that match the Keywords in a small story. Not bad, but then again, there's not a whole lot that can be changed in a Hidden Object Puzzle.
The Mini Games are decent, but not very challenging, most games can be solved within the first attempt. I'll briefly "describe" some of the games within the demo:
1) Sliding gears and boxes around so that the gears on the inside will connect to the gears on the outside.
2) Changing the amount of liquid within several bottles as shown on a diagram.
3) Pressing cash register buttons a specific number of times as shown as roman numeral clues.
4) Swap Books to create an image on the spines.
5) Swap feathers on an owl correctly.
6) A multi puzzle game where you tinker with 4 different types of puzzles, lighting all lights, removing tangled bars, finding matching pairs, recreating 3d images with stars.
2) Changing the amount of liquid within several bottles as shown on a diagram.
3) Pressing cash register buttons a specific number of times as shown as roman numeral clues.
4) Swap Books to create an image on the spines.
5) Swap feathers on an owl correctly.
6) A multi puzzle game where you tinker with 4 different types of puzzles, lighting all lights, removing tangled bars, finding matching pairs, recreating 3d images with stars.
This Collector's Edition has 18 Wallpapers, 16 Concept Art pictures, 5 Music Soundtracks, 1 Screensaver, 13 Tarot Cards, 19 Morphing Chimeras, 27 Morphing Objects, Achievements, a Secret Room, a built in Strategy Guide and a Bonus Adventure, enjoy!
I recommend this game!