pennmom36's Profile
Stat Summary
- Average Rating:3.7
- Helpful Votes:358,445
- Reviews Submitted:4701
- First Review:December 10, 2012
- Most Recent Review:February 1, 2025
- Featured reviews0
Status:
Underneath the big top, people aren’t always what they seem.
Overall rating
5
/
5
170 of 209 found this review helpful
Hurry, Hurry, Hurry, Step Right Up And.....Morph Into A Hideous Creature!
PostedJanuary 17, 2015
pennmom36
fromDON'T GO TO THE CIRCUS!
Skill Level:Expert
Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Hidden Object, Match 3, Time Management, Puzzle
Fun Factor
5
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
5
/
5
Level of Challenge
5
/
5
Storyline
5
/
5
The Strauss Circus has been a yearly tradition for your family, but this year something has gone terribly wrong! Your sister Judith volunteered to be Strauss' assistant, but this evil magician has no intention of letting her leave the circus, ever, "you will join us whether you like it or not"! Strauss seems to be one step ahead of you as you scour this circus menagerie full of hideous creatures. You soon come to realize that this magician has been toying with nature, creating his own circus attractions. At first Strauss experimented on rescued animals that wouldn't have survived otherwise, but this obsession soon expanded to humans, even his own daughter.....and Judith is next!
The first thing you get equipped with is a camera, whenever the camera icon appears, you take a picture and the photo appears with 3-4 listed items you must find to hear a small story about Strauss, and how this experimentation came to light. You can see the pictures you have taken anytime by accessing your scrapbook. You will come across an arcade game that allows you to win different amounts of coins, you can play this game every 30 seconds by accessing the pull down tab at the top of the screen. These coins will be used later to help the injured animals you come across in Strauss' zoo. You don't have to donate to the animals, but after seeing them you probably will. There are Achievements to earn, and you will receive an achievement if you cure any zoo animals.
The Hidden Object Scenes are interactive list finds, and I really liked the fact that all HOS were circus themed, but some scenes are repeated. The Mini Games are available in Casual or Hard, and they were all entertaining. One of my favorite mini games required you to turn a carousel right or left, as you swapped the dresses on several mannequins until their dress matched their different colored hats. Another clever game was matching carnivorous plants to their matching icons, but, the plants would disappear and the pots would do a major shuffle game and you had to remember which plant you were looking for each time.
This Collectors Edition has Achievements, Music, Screensavers, Wallpapers, Concept Art, Movies, replayable Mini Games and Hidden Object Scenes, a built in Strategy Guide and a Bonus Chapter, enjoy!
I recommend this game!
Welcome to Holy Mountain Hotel, where all criminals are punished.
Overall rating
5
/
5
166 of 192 found this review helpful
Crimes Punishable By Death
PostedJanuary 16, 2015
pennmom36
fromWhat exactly was James guilty of?
Skill Level:Expert
Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Hidden Object, Match 3, Time Management, Puzzle
Fun Factor
5
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
5
/
5
Level of Challenge
5
/
5
Storyline
5
/
5
The Holy Mountain hotel is a wonderful place to stay, IF you aren't guilty of any crimes! This is a very special hotel because the owner has taken it upon himself to enact justice upon the guilty, no jury required! The guilty guests receive exactly what they deserve....Death! James has written you a letter that claims he's already dead, this just can't be true, (because dead people can't write letters) so the Holy Mountain Hotel is our next destination! No need to pack a suitcase, you won't be enjoying your stay with all those guilty ghosts roaming around! We ain't afraid of no ghosts, right?
The graphics....creepy and unnerving, the music will send chills down your spine. I'll never sing that lullaby to a baby again. I really liked the fact that almost every inventory item required some type of interaction before it is available for use.
The Hidden Object Scenes are the typical interactive list finds, but there are a few silhouetted shape finds as well just to break up the monotony. Mini games are in abundance, and I loved em all! Just to name a few, one game required you to swap metal plates to match the grooves on the plate in the middle, the plates could only be swapped in specific positions, just to make it more challenging. Another game required you to place color coded wires into two different sockets with symbols that would form the correct numbered code shown when combined. Even the plus sign inventory items had fun puzzles!
The Collectors Edition has replayable mini games, Wallpapers, Concept Art, Music, Achievements, Character Figurines, Esrael's Antique room, Screensavers, a built in Strategy Guide, and an ALTERNATE ENDING!!! t
That my friends is is totally awesome, enjoy!
That my friends is is totally awesome, enjoy!
I recommend this game!
The Lost Lands are in danger again... There's only one brave soul who can face the four evil horsemen to save it – you!
Overall rating
5
/
5
235 of 248 found this review helpful
The Stronghold Of The Five Worlds
PostedJanuary 16, 2015
pennmom36
fromA fragile female? You're on your own Maaron!
Skill Level:Expert
Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Hidden Object, Match 3, Time Management, Puzzle
Fun Factor
5
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
5
/
5
Level of Challenge
5
/
5
Storyline
5
/
5
I'm beginning to think that little Jimmy is bad luck! Mom makes a quick phone call to Jimmy from a parking garage to tell him she's on her way home, but that just isn't in the cards today! In the blink of an eye, she is consumed by fog that whisks her away to the Forgotten Land, once again. Turns out that a powerful mage and alchemist, Maaron, has summoned the Chosen One and you are the lucky winner (dinners gonna be a wee bit late Jimmy) You must travel through an interdimensional corridor which links the Forgotten Lands with parallel worlds, to find the Compass of the Worlds, before the Horseman of Fire locates the compass. The Black Horseman of fire is an envoy of evil, this simply cannot happen!
Hold on to your computer chair tadpoles, this Collectors Edition is jammed pack with goodies. There are 35 Morphing Objects to find and let me tell you these morphs are tiny, and very slow to morph, and I love it! You must also locate 35 missing parts of Maarons' Magic Machine, he's supposed to be a hermit but those parts certainly made their way around the Forgotten Lands! We're not done yet, there are also 20 missing manuscript pages to find which gives you insight upon all the different creatures you may encounter from Halflings to Mermaids. There are also plenty of Achievements to make it seem like you are doing a fantastic job.
The Hidden Object Scenes are mostly interactive, progressive silhouetted shapes where you find one item that matches the silhouette and use that item in the scene to expose the next item and so forth. You're going to love the fact that most HOS have puzzles and mini games to complete as well. The Mini Games outside of the HOS were fairly easy such as arranging monks so that their hands form a closed energy chain. Another familiar favorite was rotating two circles to rotate picture tokens to the correct place, using the background images as clues.
This Collectors Edition has Wallpapers, Concept Art, Cutscenes, Music, Mini Games, Puzzles, 20 Missing Manuscripts, 35 missing Magic Machine parts, 35 Morphing Objects, Achievements, a built in Strategy Guide and a Bonus Chapter, enjoy!
I recommend this game!
Become the head of the biggest toy factory in the world as you race to save Christmas!
Overall rating
5
/
5
65 of 74 found this review helpful
Santa's Helpers
PostedJanuary 14, 2015
pennmom36
fromElves fight?
Skill Level:Expert
Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Hidden Object, Match 3, Time Management, Puzzle
Fun Factor
5
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
5
/
5
Level of Challenge
5
/
5
Storyline
5
/
5
Uncle Jo-Jo has passed the reins of his toy factory down to you! Time to start this year round factory up and make some toys. Reindeer will arrive upon their bikes with their elf helpers, which vary in numbers. Your job is to click and drag the reindeer's bike to an open slot at the bottom, and click and drag the elves to a table. The toys the reindeer need for you to make will be shown as icons, you must click the correct toy machine to produce those desired toys. When the toys are finished you deliver the toys to the reindeer who ordered them and the elves will climb back on the bike. When the elves are waiting for their toys, you can make more money if you serve them food and drinks that they desire, although you don't have to. If you accidentally order the wrong item, you simply throw it into the trash can. Some reindeer are slobs and leave trash in the bike slots, you must clean the trash before the next biker appears. This game can be played in Easy, Casual or Expert, but you can still earn expert scores if you do well, even on the easier levels. If a machine breaks down you must repair it quickly because a broken machine produces no toys, and sometimes the elves get into a fight and you must click on the table to break it up or you won't get a tip! The Reindeer themselves become impatient, some quicker than others so you will want to get the toys to them as soon as possible. As you progress, you will be able to purchase upgrades such as musicians. Different elves like different music, if the elves like the music, they will tip better. I know Christmas is over but this is a really adorable and fast paced Time Management game, enjoy!
I recommend this game!
Play the part of Lucky Luke, the best gunslinger in the West. Win hundreds of missions in this challenging game based on physics and chain reactions!
Overall rating
2
/
5
70 of 74 found this review helpful
Not So Lucky
PostedJanuary 14, 2015
pennmom36
fromSomeone run Luky Luke out of town!
Skill Level:Expert
Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Hidden Object, Match 3, Time Management, Puzzle
Fun Factor
2
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
2
/
5
Level of Challenge
2
/
5
Storyline
2
/
5
Normally I love games based upon physics, where you find the "sweet spot" to cause chain reactions that allow all objects to tumble down. Lucky Luke is a cowboy themed game with poor, unimpressive graphics, and bland colors. The object of the game is to shoot cans that are stacked with various obstacles such as boards and barrells. If you shoot the correct spot, a chain reaction will occur usually on the first shot, causing everything to come tumbling down, and you will earn three stars. Here's the problem, (besides the boring graphics) No matter how many times I reset the level, no matter where I made my first shot, it seemed to make no difference and the three star goals were almost impossible. This makes for a frustrating game, and I for one cannot find much entertainment value in this game.
I don't recommend this game.
Complete 120 new levels in Royal Solitaire! Shh! Don't wake the dragon!
Overall rating
5
/
5
75 of 88 found this review helpful
Better Than The Original Knight Solitaire
PostedJanuary 14, 2015
pennmom36
fromWhen do we get to joust?
Skill Level:Expert
Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Hidden Object, Match 3, Time Management, Puzzle
Fun Factor
5
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
5
/
5
Level of Challenge
5
/
5
Storyline
5
/
5
I always know it's an entertaining game when I'm so engrossed that I forget it's only an hour demo, and it surprises me when the demo ends abruptly! This game isn't an easy breezy game either, there are numerous cards to be removed from the deck and most of the gold cards are at the bottom of those piles. The object of this solitaire game is to play cards from the board onto the deck card, either one higher or one lower regardless of suit. There are special gold cards that must all be removed in order to win, you will automatically win the hand if all gold cards are removed, even if other cards remain. Some of the cards have special bonuses and are worth more points. There is a meter that fills each time you make large chains of at least 6 cards in a row. Once the meter fills up to the golden apple, you win that jackpot amount.
You will start out the game in a tutorial mode, in Squire Mode which allows you to replay any level. Once you complete the brief tutorial, you can switch to Knight Mode which only allows you to replay the entire pack. You can purchase bonuses in the shop such as a Joker which is a wild card, Shuffle which puts all the cards back into the deck and redeals new cards, or a Mulligan which allows you to undo the last move including using a bonus. You can go into options and choose from 9 different card backgrounds and 3 styles of face cards. I appreciated the fact that this game seemed to be a tad bit difficult, what's the fun if every hand is a winner like some solitaire games out there, enjoy!
I recommend this game!
Take a trip through a magical, snowy winterland in this frosty match-3 adventure.
Overall rating
4
/
5
69 of 72 found this review helpful
It's Christmas Once Again
PostedJanuary 13, 2015
pennmom36
fromSleigh Bells and snowballs and Match 3 games in January!
Skill Level:Expert
Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Hidden Object, Match 3, Time Management, Puzzle
Fun Factor
4
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
4
/
5
Level of Challenge
4
/
5
Storyline
4
/
5
This is a Jewel of a Match 3 game, available in three different modes, Relaxed (without a timer), Time Limited and Limited Moves (no timer). There are also Wallpapers available and a High Score leader board. The object of this game is to make matches of at least 3 identical Christmas themed tiles such as silver hearts, ornaments, trees and candy canes. The music is also very soothing with familiar christmas classics.
Some cells are covered with snow, wooden boxes, fog, chains, double chains and ice cubes which require at least one match to remove the blockage. There are special pieces to collect by dropping to the bottom, keys to unlock locks when they reach the bottom, and every once in a while coins will appear that must be clicked on to collect before they fade away. With each match, your hammer icon will charge, and when fully charged can be used to destroy a tile of your choice.
Large matches will earn you bonuses such as a Snowball which can clear an entire line, column or both (match 5), Rainbow Ornaments (match 4) can be matched with anything, and some are Multi Proxy tiles which must be matched with the number of matches shown. Treasure Chests are filled with limited amounts, anything after it's full are wasted, but they can be upgraded in the shop to accommodate more. You can also collect small mana bottles by clicking on them but large mana bottles must be dropped to the bottom. Some of the boards are larger than your screen and can be clicked and dragged to access different parts of the board and some are in several stages, by clicking the arrow when the first screen has been cleared, the next board will be brought up.
This is a fun Match 3 game, I think it would have been more enjoyable if it was released before Christmas not after, enjoy!
I recommend this game!
Lead your Kingdom against the invading Void Army that threatens all life. Your strategy and match-3 skills will determine the fate of the world!
Overall rating
5
/
5
93 of 99 found this review helpful
How Will You Rule Your City?
PostedJanuary 13, 2015
pennmom36
fromDoes anybody else feel guilty about spying on the peoples thoughts?
Skill Level:Expert
Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Hidden Object, Match 3, Time Management, Puzzle
Fun Factor
5
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
5
/
5
Level of Challenge
5
/
5
Storyline
5
/
5
This is the most unusual and complicated game I have seen in a long time, complicated but not difficult. You must build your city, name your city, rule your city, defend your city and set policies. The coolest part about making policies is that your decisions about the policies will affect the story as well as the culture of your kingdom! There are three types of buildings, Lumber mill, Foundry, and Farms are grouped together, Academy and Armory are the second group, Town Hall, Granary and Blacksmith are the last group. Each building has it's purpose in society and will allow your kingdom to flourish, academically, as well as being able to support the population with food and housing. There is a lot of information available on each building, so you will have a lot of reading to do in order to make logical decisions.
Let's not forget about defense, you will have to play Match 3 games in a battle royale form. Each region is color coded by difficulty from red to green. When you make matches of at least 3 elements, weapons will fire to the right of the screen where the enemy is approaching from, the weapons fire from the point of the match. The enemy will also drop scrolls and other artifacts that you need to pick up before they disappear as well. If you make larger matches, you will receive bonuses such as, Triads which are currency created under King Rands rule(match 4), Medic runes which will heal your tower of some damage (match 5), Gem tiles that are worth many Triads (match 5), Bombs that will destroy a small number of adjacent runes (match 6), and Explosives that destroys the entire board (match 7). Before each battle, you will visit the armory and drag and drop spells, gear, and troops into the slots to use them or deploy them during battle, the spells will need to be researched before they will be available in a battle.
Once the battle is over and you return home, the work isn't finished, there will be important decisions and policies to make. What will you do with the prisoners of war? What do you do with the baby ducks that have taken up residency? You will get to choose the outcome and decisions from a list of suggestions ranging from brutal, to peaceful outcomes, and each decision will lead you down a different path or culture. You will need to upgrade the older buildings to support the ever increasing populations, again this all depends on how you choose to rule your kingdom.
I know all of this sounds confusing, but if you like out of the box thinking and are ready to try something totally new, you just might love this game as well as the rest of us, enjoy!
I recommend this game!
After living on a pink cloud for over a year Emily decides to reopen Emily's Place!
Overall rating
5
/
5
134 of 147 found this review helpful
Delicious!
PostedJanuary 12, 2015
pennmom36
fromHow could you possibly not like Paige?
Skill Level:Expert
Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Hidden Object, Match 3, Time Management, Puzzle
Fun Factor
5
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
5
/
5
Level of Challenge
5
/
5
Storyline
5
/
5
It's Time! Baby Paige has finally arrived! The restaurant business just got a wee bit more complicated. Fortunately, you can choose to play this Time Management Game in Beginner, Normal or Advanced mode, whichever mode you choose, you're in for a fast paced and highly addictive treat, Emily style! The first thing you must do is look at the forecast menu which predicts which type of customers will be eating at the restaurant that day(how is that possible?) Then you open the gifts your darling husband left you that contain all the items you will need, then choose the menu items that will be ordered by the groups you have determined will attend to dine, as forecasted. The rest of it it simple (but fast paced) take the customers order, deliver their food, collect their money at the register, and clean their tables. Sounds simple right? The more you progress, the more customers you have to serve, and the more complex orders become. To make things more complicated, you must deal with the customers, and baby Paige too! It's okay to let Paige crawl around as long as she's happy, she can even earn you a better tip if the customers like her, but if they don't like her (what!!) you will need to scoop her up and place her back into her play area.
You will need to purchase upgrades with the money you earn that will either make your customers more patient, or make Emily move faster, you can even purchase a pacifier for Paige that will keep her happy and content, AND to stay put!
The Collectors Edition has available Achievements to earn and a scrapbook for both Emily and Paige, to store pictures in of those wonderful moments like Paige's first steps! In my opinion this Standard Edition is the better value unless you really want that scrapbook, enjoy!
I recommend this game!
Reveries: Soul Collector
Your wedding day gets interrupted when your fiancée is kidnapped!
Overall rating
3
/
5
94 of 101 found this review helpful
Nothing To Distinguish This Game From Other Wedding Tragedy Games
PostedJanuary 10, 2015
pennmom36
fromThe Queen to be and her faithful tree stump to the rescue!
Skill Level:Expert
Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Hidden Object, Match 3, Time Management, Puzzle
Fun Factor
3
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
3
/
5
Level of Challenge
3
/
5
Storyline
3
/
5
King Richard of Misty Islands has been in love with his soon to be bride and Queen, since the day they first met. The King's heart is so full of love that Dark Wing (isn't he a duck?) plans on using his beloved royal heart to feed to the wolves, literally, lunch for the hungry pups! In order to appease the guardians of the gate, Dark Wing (still makes me chuckle) must appease the guardians of the gate, to flood the world with chaos, as if it's not chaotic enough! The guardian wolves represent human emotions such as, greed and envy, and only one more heart is needed to open the gate, you guessed it, the heart of true love! The Royal wedding will have to wait your Majesty, you must enter the portal and save the King, or at the very least his heart, before Dark Wing turns King Richard into....... a tree?! (I know, I know, the story kinda lost credibility here)
Once you enter the portal you will save a wee tree, the best I can describe this anomaly, is a miniature tree, complete with limbs for hair and limbs for er..limbs. Whatever he is supposed to be, he tags along to lend you a limb here and there, squirming about whenever his services are needed. There are some features that I liked, the menu and map icons are located directly on top of the lockable inventory bar, and there is a drop down tab on the top left to access achievements (Collectors Edition) and a drop down tab on the top right that accesses an eagle which will eventually have 22 feathers once you find find them within the game. (also Collectors Edition)
The Hidden Object Scenes were mostly interactive list finds, but some of the scenes were repeated a second time which is a feature I despise because it's too boring a second time around. One of the HOS that I did find interesting was finding items in a room one at a time as the healer asked you to find a needed ingredient, but this feature isn't anything new either. You can also opt to switch to a jigsaw puzzle instead of Hidden Object Scenes. The mini games were way too easy such as moving dancers of different colors to their matching slots on a board, but I must admit there were a couple of mini games that I totally loved. One of them was choosing the correct object that correlated to several riddles being asked, and the other was defeating a monstrous cave dwelling wolf. The wolf had five lives and you only had three lives, the wolf held a sphere that represented a different element of either fire, water or earth, and you would choose which element would defeat the wolf's element such as water would defeat fire.
The Collectors Edition has Wallpapers, Concept Art, Screensavers, Movies, Music, replayable HO"s and Mini Games, Jigsaw Puzzles, Collectible Eagle Feather's, a built in Strategy Guide and a Bonus Chapter. The problem with this game was that is was super predictable, and way to easy, which makes the game kind of boring. I don't mind stories that have been done several times before, as long as the game is interesting enough, but there just isn't a wow factor to keep me entertained.