This "Top Reviewer" is one of our most frequent game reviewers. We think you'll trust what they have to say and find their reviews helpful and informative.
This "Top Reviewer" is one of our most frequent game reviewers. We think you'll trust what they have to say and find their reviews helpful and informative.
Favorite Genre(s):Puzzle, Hidden Object, Time Management, Adventure, Match 3
Current Favorite:
Phantasmat Collector's Edition
(101)
Fun Factor
5/ 5
Visual/Sound Quality
5/ 5
Level of Challenge
5/ 5
Storyline
5/ 5
You can always count on this series to deliver family fun for the holidays. Mike and Emma are super excited because Halloween is just around the corner, which means it's time once again to visit Bill's Pumpkin Patch! Every game in this series, whether it's Easter, Christmas or Halloween, is a great family oriented game. You don't have to worry about scary scenes, or inappropriate language, you don't even have to have kids to enjoy this relaxing seek and find game! You can choose Casual mode or Challenge mode that has no tutorial, and a slower recharge time on the hint and skip buttons.
Every level has at least one Gold Pumpkin which will earn you bonus coins, and each level has special items to find that aren't on the list, but shown as a silhouetted shape inside the pumpkin located next to the listed items. (if the pumpkin lid closes, all silhouettes have been found) The money you earned can be used to purchase Halloween themed gifts which are stored on a shelf in the souvenir room. There are 13 different Achievements to earn, one of which is the Eagle Eye award if you don't use any hints. There are two different types of hints, a normal single item Hint and a Mega Hint which briefly shows all remaining item locations.
You are awarded a Bronze star if you find all listed items in the HOP, a Silver star if you find all listed items and either all gold pumpkins OR all silhouetted shape items and a Gold star if you find all listed items, all gold pumpkins AND all silhouetted shape items. You can return to any of the scenes to find the "extras" you may have missed and upgrade your star status. Words in Red text are hidden in or behind things, words in Blue text require a task to be completed such as putting a helmet on a boy, and some scenes have zoom in zones with hidden items. After each HOP, you get to play a Mini Game or Puzzle such as a Word Search puzzle, a Matching game where you flip two pumpkins at a time to match identical images, and a Jigsaw type game where you rotate several square tiles to complete a map.
If there aren't any kids to join you, grab a cup of coffee and enjoy!
I recommend this game!
+104points
128of152voted this as helpful.
Grim Tales: Threads of Destiny Collector's Edition
Can you free Jackie’s parents from their deadly fates?
Overall rating
5/ 5
239 of 281 found this review helpful
The Grim Final Destination
PostedOctober 8, 2015
pennmom36
fromWas Natalia just pointing at the missed airplane?
This "Top Reviewer" is one of our most frequent game reviewers. We think you'll trust what they have to say and find their reviews helpful and informative.
Favorite Genre(s):Puzzle, Hidden Object, Time Management, Adventure, Match 3
Current Favorite:
Phantasmat Collector's Edition
(101)
Fun Factor
5/ 5
Visual/Sound Quality
5/ 5
Level of Challenge
5/ 5
Storyline
5/ 5
It has been 20 years since Jackie's parents, Natalia and Alexander disappeared. Finally, after all these years, their bodies have been recovered and you accompany your niece to the police station for answers to so many questions. The Gray family has always thought how ironic the events turned out. Alexander and Natalia missed their flight, the very flight that crashed with no survivors! They could have been killed on that flight, but as circumstances would have it, Fate had other plans. The sheriff explains all the horrible details surrounding their deaths, seemingly random victims of a cold blooded serial killer! Jackie begs you to use your time traveling skills to return to that fateful night and prevent the unthinkable. The question is, will Fate allow you to turn back the hands of time? Or is this the grim final destination?
Grim Tales has never disappointed me, I love the ongoing saga of the Gray family turmoils, the characters are always familiar. You won't need any magical props on this time traveling adventure, it's just you, Aunt McGray and a handful of people stuck in time unable to move forward until you leave. There are however, collectible Family Medallions (with family bios) several Morphing Objects, plenty of Achievements to earn and many inventory items to tinker with, in both the past and the present. The graphics and voiceovers are as good as they get, but they seem to get better with every new Grim Tales episode.
The Hidden Object Scenes offer a mixture to please just about everyone, finding the item in green text as a story is being told, finding multiples of a single item, silhouetted shape finds and good old fashioned list finds.
The Mini Games, however are what makes or breaks a decent game, too easy and it's boring, too difficult, and you just want to throw in the towel out of sheer frustration. Below is a list of some of the more prominent mini games, if this will SPOIL it for you, skip this section of game descriptions NOT solutions:
1) Guide an airplane to it's destination through obstacles 2) Zoom Zone games where you identify similarities. 3) Clicking to shoot an arrow when in specific ranges. 4) Selecting directional arrows to allow a crane to pick up specific boxes (really creative) 5) Matching identical items and placing them correctly.
This Collector's Edition has 8 Concept Art pictures, 8 Wallpapers, 18 Achievements, 5 Music Soundtracks, an Archive Room, a Secret Room, 16 Family Medallion Collectibles, Morphing Objects, a built in Strategy Guide and a Bonus Chapter, enjoy!
I recommend this game!
+197points
239of281voted this as helpful.
Ghost Towns: The Cats Of Ulthar Collector's Edition
Upon arriving in a strange city, you find the citizens ready to burn Menes at the stake in Ghost Towns: The Cats of Ulthar!
This "Top Reviewer" is one of our most frequent game reviewers. We think you'll trust what they have to say and find their reviews helpful and informative.
Favorite Genre(s):Puzzle, Hidden Object, Time Management, Adventure, Match 3
Current Favorite:
Phantasmat Collector's Edition
(101)
Fun Factor
4/ 5
Visual/Sound Quality
4/ 5
Level of Challenge
4/ 5
Storyline
4/ 5
The town of Ulthar hasn't gone to the dogs, but it has gone to the cats! For as long as anyone can remember, the cats of Ulthar have banded together to protect the city and the grateful citizens erected a monument to honor their feline protectors. In the blink of an eye, all that has changed, and the cats seem to be in a frenzy, they have attacked and killed a prominent but odd couple. The Mayor believes that a young vagabond boy has enchanted these cats, and is scheduled to be executed for the murder of Mr. & Mrs. Jones! This is going to be a tough case to solve once the beloved cats of Ulthar turn against you!
Naturally you will be aided on this investigation by a fuzzy feline as your "hint" buddy, let's keep our fingers crossed that he doesn't become enchanted and turn on us, I don't trust his beady little eyes! You also get to collect 24 scaredy cats, cats that are scared and hiding all around Ulthar, and I must say, some are challenging to find and they aren't in every scene which make it even more challenging. The graphics are hand drawn, not my favorite, but for hand drawn graphics they are pretty decent. There are no voiceover either, jut dialog boxes to read, but after all this is an older game so I really wasn't expecting voiceovers.
The Hidden Object Scenes are all simple text lists with no interactions and some items are difficult to find because of clarity issues with the hand drawn graphics. The Mini Games are fairly entertaining such as selecting cat shaped locks in the correct order, rotating three different discs so that the color coded leaves match the visual hint shown, there are even the old standard jigsaw puzzles to.
This Collector's Edition has Screensavers, Wallpapers, Concept Art pictures, 24 hidden Cats, Music, a built in Strategy Guide and a Bonus Chapter, enjoy!
This "Top Reviewer" is one of our most frequent game reviewers. We think you'll trust what they have to say and find their reviews helpful and informative.
Favorite Genre(s):Puzzle, Hidden Object, Time Management, Adventure, Match 3
Current Favorite:
Phantasmat Collector's Edition
(101)
Fun Factor
4/ 5
Visual/Sound Quality
4/ 5
Level of Challenge
4/ 5
Storyline
4/ 5
The Vatican has called in their best agent to put an end to the madness of one of their own, who has gone rogue. Behind the safety of the gates of Portone, reside many very frightened citizens, who live in constant fear of a wrath from Inquisitor Augustine. Augustine has appointed himself judge, jury and executioner, in his never ending obsessive quest to find the Pagan witch Miguela, the Wolf Queen. Inquisitor Augustine shows no mercy, not even a man of the cloth is spared, it's no secret in this village, the Inquisitor has blood on his hands! Disguised as a Knight's Templar, you must infiltrate Portone, nestled in the foothills of the Spanish mountains, and find a way to gain the trust of the locals. The Vatican is counting on your discretion in this matter, this is a secret mission, from now on, you're on your own!
I loved the first installment of Where Angels Cry, because of the unusual storyline and computer generated graphics that were so masterfully accomplished. Tears of the Fallen, in my opinion, does not disappoint either. Obviously, this is one of those games you either love or hate. None of the reviewers really disliked the storyline itself, which is a good thing because the theme is rarely touched upon therefore, it hasn't been played to death. I think most gamers disliked some of the features, which some consider archaic. For starters, some items require the use of a feature called a Combiner that appears when certain items are clicked on. The Combiner will display silhouetted shapes around it that need to be found and then placed upon it's silhouetted shape, and when all items have been found the item task can be completed. Tears of the Fallen has a really cool feature that unlocks videos you can watch that tell the story of this little village, the characters, and above all, what makes these characters special and what their purpose in life is. (very interesting to watch) There is a falcon that follows you, when he lands to keep his eyes on you, you simply click on him which eventually unlocks this video feature. You can choose an optional Icon feature that will show feet wherever there is a different available exit to move to, and if you use the hint feature, it will continue showing you the direction to travel until you are at the scene that requires action, or you can use the transporter map to quickly relocate. The Collector's Edition has the additional features of the usual Achievements to earn as well as 15 collectible hidden Doves to search for.
The Hidden Object Scenes are varied with either listed items or silhouetted shape finds, and most of the HOP's will continue with a few progressive interaction tasks after the list is completed, such as finding and using rocks on a catapult to bust open a stone castle which will expose a key which is used to open a box and so forth. My only complaint is that they didn't stick with period related items, I'm pretty sure they didn't have spring loaded clothespins and aluminum cookie cutters in the 1300's.
The Mini Games are actually pretty decent, but a bit on the easy side, as shown below if you want to get an idea of what's in store, Warning: some may consider these spoilers so skip this section if you feel it may spoil the solution, however, I have just listed descriptions NOT solutions.
1) Swap Maltese Crosses on a board within their color coded slots and from smallest to largest. 2) Arrange round tokens to complete an image, clicking once to swap, twice to rotate the token. 3) Defend yourself in a sword and Shield game by clicking the shield icon when the crosshairs are inside the shield, if you misclick it results in damage to your character instead of your opponent. 4) Arrange different shapes inside the silhouette of three different images. 5) Rearrange Knight figurines so that they have something in common with their neighbors on both sides. (my favorite)
The Collector's Edition has replayable Mini Games and HOP's, unlockable Background stories(available in both editions), 5 Wallpapers, 9 Concept Art pictures, Music Soundtracks, 15 Collectible Doves, 16 Achievements, a built in Strategy Guide and a Bonus Chapter, put on your Templar gear, and stop this madness, enjoy!
This "Top Reviewer" is one of our most frequent game reviewers. We think you'll trust what they have to say and find their reviews helpful and informative.
Favorite Genre(s):Puzzle, Hidden Object, Time Management, Adventure, Match 3
Current Favorite:
Phantasmat Collector's Edition
(101)
Fun Factor
5/ 5
Visual/Sound Quality
5/ 5
Level of Challenge
5/ 5
Storyline
5/ 5
Be careful Mr. Penguin! Prehistoric land of the dinosaurs is NOT a good place for a penguin to be , especially at dinner time! As with all Fantasy Mosaics puzzles (more like Fantastic Mosaics) , every step you take in the game will help the penguin explore this new world, the land of the dinosaur.
This is a griddler or mosaic type puzzle game where you fill in and cross of cells on various sized grids, using logic. There are groups of numbers located on each column and row of the grid, each group of numbers must be separated by at least one blank or crossed off cell. Sometimes it's easier to figure out where numbers can't possibly fit to reduce the amount of cells and narrow the playing field down a bit. Some cells contain bonuses such as extra hints, extra mistakes allowed or an extra pickaxe which allows you to choose which cell you want a hint on. There is a Sun icon as well that when fully charged, will give you a mega hint, filling in or crossing off a 3x3 area of your choice.
The one feature that makes Fantasy Mosaics stand out from the rest of the griddler games, is the vibrant array of colors available. It can also help you solve the puzzle when you get stuck, because you can switch to another color which ultimately narrows down the available cells. Unlike many griddler games, these pictures actually make sense, because they have three different colors you know what image you have created, such as a woodpecker, dolphins and even a puppy giving you his paw.
If you make no mistakes, you will earn a Gold Trophy regardless of the time it takes to complete the puzzle, a Silver Trophy is earned if you make one mistake, and a Bronze Trophy is earned if you make 2 mistakes. You can replay the grid as often as you want in order to improve your trophy status. This series is one of the best available, and certainly the most colorful. This is a must have game for griddler geeks and an immediate purchase for this geek, enjoy!
This "Top Reviewer" is one of our most frequent game reviewers. We think you'll trust what they have to say and find their reviews helpful and informative.
Favorite Genre(s):Puzzle, Hidden Object, Time Management, Adventure, Match 3
Current Favorite:
Haunted Domains
(48)
Fun Factor
3/ 5
Visual/Sound Quality
3/ 5
Level of Challenge
3/ 5
Storyline
3/ 5
I really enjoyed this candy land themed Time Management game, for a while, then it just got kinda boring. This is one of those games where if you don't select tasks in the correct order, you will be unable to progress any further and you'll have to restart the level over. For example, if you build the Jelly Factory before the Sugar Factory, you won't be able to repair the bridge because of the lack of sugar it requires to repair the bridge and you cannot go any further without repairing the bridge.
You can choose to play this game in Normal mode, Multi-click mode (allows you to queue several available tasks) or an untimed mode. There are Achievements to earn, but from what I can tell, they are all achievements for earning a specific number of stars. The main character looks like a Willy Wonka knockoff, and at one point, his dialog box was blank, so I had no idea what that was about. This biggest problem with this candy themed game is that all of the buildings look the same, you can't really tell the difference between the Jelly factory (which produces sugar cube shaped jelly?), the Sugar factory (produces sugar cubes) and the Chocolate factory (which produces candy canes??) Each level is littered with what seems like hundreds of pieces of candy which is awe inspiring the first couple of levels, then seems mundane and repetitive. There is a bonus bar at the bottom that fills up to allow the use of different bonuses such as an extra worker, a snowflake to freeze the timer for a short time, a boot that makes the workers work at a neck breaking pace or an icon that produces + 1 of a particular resource.
My first thought was that this was a Time Management game that the kids could play. After playing several levels, many of which I had to restart because I put the cart before the candy horse, I don't think younger kids would get the concept, and older kids aren't going to be awe inspired by the abundance of sugary props. Maybe this was just designed to be an early Christmas game, but I think the sweet concept failed to impress any age group!
This "Top Reviewer" is one of our most frequent game reviewers. We think you'll trust what they have to say and find their reviews helpful and informative.
Favorite Genre(s):Puzzle, Hidden Object, Time Management, Adventure, Match 3
Current Favorite:
Haunted Domains
(48)
Fun Factor
5/ 5
Visual/Sound Quality
5/ 5
Level of Challenge
5/ 5
Storyline
5/ 5
One of the biggest reasons I love playing Monument Builders Time Management games are because you get to learn interesting facts about the construction that you probably never knew. My favorite MB is the construction of the Alcatraz federal prison, but I probably learned more interesting facts about the last monument, Big Ben. Don't get me wrong, this isn't a boring history lesson, you simply get to read a paragraph of interesting facts before each level, and you can skip it if you want to get on with the game. Most of the Monument Builders games are uncomplicated and fairly easy to figure out which make them perfect for beginners, especially because they have very thorough tutorials.
The goals are shown at the top of the screen as well as an inventory bar that displays the quantity of your supplies such as wood, cement, food, steel and cement blocks. You will need to clear the roadways first of any food, money, supplies or debris, and some roads need holes repaired. Lazy workers need a nudge occasionally and pelicans need fed before they'll move on to greener pastures. Trees need cut to make room for buildings, and new workers can be recruited at the main warehouse.
Some levels will give you bonuses to choose before the level starts, you can choose only one at a time to Tone up the workers, have Faster Production and my favorite, Automatic Delivery of all goods, otherwise you have to click on all carts to send them to their delivery destination. The goal is to earn 3 gold stars, according to how long it takes you to complete all of the goals, however, you can replay any level as often as you want to try for a faster score. Enjoy!
This "Top Reviewer" is one of our most frequent game reviewers. We think you'll trust what they have to say and find their reviews helpful and informative.
Favorite Genre(s):Puzzle, Hidden Object, Time Management, Adventure, Match 3
Current Favorite:
Phantasmat Collector's Edition
(101)
Fun Factor
4/ 5
Visual/Sound Quality
4/ 5
Level of Challenge
4/ 5
Storyline
4/ 5
Dark Dimensions has always been one of my favorite series, mostly because of the genre and certainly because of the superior computer generated graphics DD is known to have. Until now. :( Why have the devs abandoned the crisp, well defined graphics that made this series great, for the inferior graphics presented in Shadow Pirouette? The overabundance of pink and purple hues, make this game seem more like a fairytale than a game that's supposed to be "dark". I was waiting for a poof of glitter and a magical unicorn to show up, so I could be whisked away to another pastel colored dimension, far far away from the Shadows who plague the tiny town of Everton! Dark Dimensions usually center their focus around the paranormal, somewhere between the living and those who have passed on but still have attitude. With this game however, we get a Magic Lantern that's powered by magic crystals. That would be okay if the Lantern belonged to the Lantern man and was "souler" powered. As I said before, all this would be okay if it wasn't Dark Dimensions, so I'm betting that if you're new to this series, you'll be perfectly fine with the graphics and the magical props.
The magical crystal powered lantern is used to ward off the Shadows that are slowly encroaching upon the entire town of Everton. Each time you use the lantern you will play a quick mini game of untangling the ropes, that get slightly more complicated each time, as more ropes are added and the pattern becomes a little tighter. Throughout the game, you will collect figurine silhouettes in groups of three, for 10 separate scenes. Once you collect a set of three silhouettes, you can watch a very short clip of a movie that eventually tells you the story about the evil entities. There's the usual features of plus sign interactive inventory items as well as 16 Achievements to earn as well.
The Hidden Object Scenes are mostly Interactive Listed Items, but there are some with puzzles as well as silhouetted shape finds in multiples such as a mug X 2. The Mini Games are way more entertaining than the Hidden Object Scenes, They are familiar games such as moving all the elements to their correct slot, or adjusting the power grid and switches to connect wires to fuses and even a super simple jigsaw puzzle where you move the main center piece towards the other pieces using directional arrows.
This Collector's Edition has 6 Wallpapers, 12 Concept Art pictures, 19 Developer's Diary photos, 16 Achievements, Figurine Silhouettes, 12 Mini Games, 12 Hidden Object Puzzles, 8 Bonus Puzzles, 6 Soundtracks, a built in Strategy Guide and a Bonus Chapter, enjoy (if you don't try to compare this game to the other fantastic Dark Dimension games!)
This "Top Reviewer" is one of our most frequent game reviewers. We think you'll trust what they have to say and find their reviews helpful and informative.
Favorite Genre(s):Puzzle, Hidden Object, Time Management, Adventure, Match 3
Current Favorite:
Phantasmat Collector's Edition
(101)
Fun Factor
4/ 5
Visual/Sound Quality
4/ 5
Level of Challenge
4/ 5
Storyline
4/ 5
There's a legend here in the Whispering Marsh, of a mysterious and frightening man who loathes any form or merriment, they call him the Lantern Man (insert dramatic music). Careless people who laugh and sing or even the foolish who dare taunt the Lantern Man, have disappeared into the foggy marsh, never to return! It is said, that if you can hold your breath when he shines his lantern upon you, your soul will be spared. So many good people have disappeared, prompting an investigation by the County Bounder, surely this legend was created to to frighten misbehaving children, but just in case........HOLD YOUR BREATH!
The graphics are fantastic, crisp, and well defined, exactly what you'd expect in a quiet town nestled near an eerie marsh, especially a Whispering Marsh. Top the graphics off with theater quality video cinematics that draw you into the storyline, hook, line and sinker, and you get another superior Myths of the World episode. Many of the inventory items you collect are complex items that require some form of interaction before they can be used, such as combining it with another item. The Collector's Edition has the addition of Achievements to earn, Hidden Acorns to find, and even Morphing Objects within the HOP's! Personally, I love Morphs in the game itself with very slow morphing features that aren't linear, putting an occasional morph into a HOP doesn't thrill me as much.
The Hidden Object Scenes are pretty lengthy, some have interactive list finds followed by duel pictures that require you to find the item associated when combines such as a mirror image of a womans silhouette is a mirror. One of my favorite HOP was an extremely interactive and progressive silhouetted shape find where you find the first item matching the silhouetted shape and then use that item in the scene to expose the next item and so forth. There was also one that tasked you with finding 5 birds and 5 keys on a stone mural, which would combine to a pigeon and a large key that is used to eat bird seed and open a lock uncovering a list of items, I enjoyed the variety. There are also small HOP's within zoomed in zones where you find a handful of the same type of item such as 6 petals. Both this Standard Edition and the Collector's Edition offer an alternate game of Mahjong, but the HOP's are really entertaining and way more exciting than a tile matching game.
I didn't come across anything new as far as the puzzle or mini games went, I'll list a few of the games that stand out:
1) Navigating through obstacles on a map using a directional compass arrow. 2) Sliding 4 shells to open a bookshelf, some shells also affect others. 3) Matching pairs of symbols by turning over two symbols at a time. 4) Using a lockpick to open 3 different lock tumblers, rotating the top pick until correctly placed and pushing in on the bottom pick. 5) Connecting gears from the top left to the bottom right using chains of different lengths, blue chains connect two fields, red chains connect a single field. 6) Several increasingly difficult Lantern puzzles where you make connections to enclose all of the symbols in a continuous line, however you cannot directly connect two identical symbols you have to alternate them.
The Collector's Edition has 13 Achievements, 42 Hidden Acorns, 16 Morphing Objects within the HOP's, 18 Puzzles or Mini Games, an alternate game of Mahjong, a Souvenir Room, Lore Book, 10 Soundtracks, the Making of, Videos, 8 Concept Art pictures, 8 Wallpapers, 16 replayable HOP's, a built in Strategy Guide and a Bonus Chapter, enjoy....... and remember to hold your breath when the Lantern Man shines his lantern upon you!
I recommend this game!
+84points
106of128voted this as helpful.
Ghost Town Mysteries: Bodie
Explore the abandoned Ghost Town of Bodie and solve the mystery of Evelyn Byers, a little girl who died over a hundred years ago!
Overall rating
1/ 5
1 of 1 found this review helpful
Ghost Town Mysteries: Bodie
PostedOctober 1, 2015
pennmom36
fromDid Madame Moustache have a hairy hand as well?
This "Top Reviewer" is one of our most frequent game reviewers. We think you'll trust what they have to say and find their reviews helpful and informative.
Favorite Genre(s):Puzzle, Hidden Object, Time Management, Adventure, Match 3
Current Favorite:
Phantasmat Collector's Edition
(101)
Fun Factor
1/ 5
Visual/Sound Quality
1/ 5
Level of Challenge
1/ 5
Storyline
1/ 5
Oh...the game that could have been a masterpiece, but failed miserably all because of poor graphics! The storyline began to pull me in right from the get go, as I'm challenged with solving a murder mystery of a 6 year old girl, Evelyn Byers, who was murdered all because she witnessed Washoe Pete commit a murder in the tiny town of Bodie. Several years have passed without incidents until tombstones suddenly began to vanish as if the townsfolk of yesteryear were begging for your help! See what I mean? What an awesome story! Too bad the graphics are so horrible within the HOP's that I gave up on the story after just 20 minutes.
This game is all about finding the tombstones that have disappeared, and as a reward for repairing the desecrated graves, the dearly departed will give you a section of the map that will lead to the murderer! First things first, you must play a seek and find game within one of the citizens humble abode and you will find the bag full of their tombstone pieces. This is where the game goes south, way south. You are tasked with finding simple listed items that didn't make sense. The houses were built in the 1800's and basically abandoned after everyone was murdered, so why am I tasked with finding chocolate truffles and electric fans and radios? To make things worse, the graphics as so grainy and blurry that it's nearly impossible to recognize most of the items. I couldn't even recognize a cowboy hat!
After the HOP, you take your bag of tombstone pieces (seems like that would be a big and heavy bag right?) and repair the tombstones one at a time. in a jigsaw type puzzle where you click to rotate the piece and drag it to the correct space on the tombstone outline. Once repaired, the resident of that tombstone will hand you their map section which leads you to the next house and so forth, lather, rinse, repeat.