pennmom36's Profile
Stat Summary
- Average Rating:3.7
- Helpful Votes:358,445
- Reviews Submitted:4721
- First Review:December 10, 2012
- Most Recent Review:June 22, 2025
- Featured reviews0
Status:
The Smithsonian Castle's secrets lie in a Civil War past.
Overall rating
4
/
5
98 of 105 found this review helpful
Blast From The Past.....Way Past
PostedJanuary 25, 2015
pennmom36
fromI needed h.e.l.p finding out what H.E.L.P stood for!
Skill Level:Expert
Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Hidden Object, Match 3, Time Management, Puzzle
Current Favorite:
Phantasmat Collector's Edition
(101)Fun Factor
4
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
4
/
5
Level of Challenge
4
/
5
Storyline
4
/
5
I researched some fun facts about the Hidden Expedition series recently, because I wanted to find out what H.E.L.P stood for, the P was stumping me. Turns out that this league has had a few name changes over the years. In Hidden Expedition: Titanic, the league went by the name of H.E.A.L, which was the Hidden Expedition Adventure League. In Hidden Expedition: Everest, the league was simply the Hidden Expedition Club, and Hidden Expedition: Devil's Triangle was H.E.A.T which stood for Hidden Expedition Adventure Team. The newer games feature the name H.E.L.P which stands for Hidden Expedition League of Preservation (my guess originally was protection) I guess this is a lot of useless information, but now you know!
The Preservation Team Agents (P.T.A) have been called back to the Smithsonian Castle to investigate mysterious power outages. What they discover is a time traveling twisted love story between two different eras, the present day and the Civil War era!
Once again, H.E.L.P has equipped us with a communication device that doubles as a fact finding device which tells us various fun facts about people, places and items related to the Smithsonian, as you find the cards throughout the game. They have added a new feature that allows you to scroll up, down, right and left on several of the zoomed in locations. Another new feature that I thought was kinda cool, were the random Kiosks throughout the museum that allowed you to listen to even more Smithsonian information. Some of the inventory items are complex items that require some form of interaction before they are available for use, such as solving a quick mini game or combining that item with another inventory item. The Collectors Edition has 43 Hidden Symbols to collect, one in each location!
Some of the Hidden Object games were really good, others were ho hum. Some are silhouetted shapes, some are sketches, most of the sketches represent an item and aren't necessarily exact images. One of the HOS had sketches of two items with a plus sign between them requiring you to find the item that both items combined would represent such as, Ear + Musical Notes would equal headphones. The Collectors Edition has a traditional feature where all of the HOS have a morphing object (16 total morphs), and to remind you to look, there is a morphing object icon to the right of the inventory bar. The mini games were way too easy, but still entertaining, matching top and bottom bar codes, or filling in hollow letters with several different shapes, or aligning all planets horizontally however selecting one planet will affect others at the same time.
The Collectors Edition has Movies, Pictures (screensavers & wallpapers) Puzzles, HOP's, Music, a Souvenir Room, Collectibles, Morphing Objects, Achievements, a built in Strategy Guide and a Bonus Chapter, enjoy!
I recommend this game!
Mystery Tales: The Twilight World Collector's Edition
A stay at a peaceful hotel turns into a nightmare when a witch from the Twilight World takes your daughter!
Overall rating
4
/
5
87 of 94 found this review helpful
Any-Body Will Do
PostedJanuary 24, 2015
pennmom36
fromAnd to think, nobody wanted the ice bucket!
Skill Level:Expert
Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Hidden Object, Match 3, Time Management, Puzzle
Current Favorite:
Phantasmat Collector's Edition
(101)Fun Factor
4
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
4
/
5
Level of Challenge
4
/
5
Storyline
4
/
5
It's been a long road trip for you and your daughter, and the Silver Lake Inn seems like the perfect place to catch some shut eye. This newly remodeled Inn looks so peaceful, but looks can be deceiving, and evil witchcraft is anything but peaceful! You barely have time to kick off your shoes when something or someone attacks your daughter Nancy, rendering her unconscious, what on earth is happening here? The Innkeeper isn't much help either, although he seems genuinely concerned, something about him is "off" so instead of calling for professional help, we're just going to snoop around the Inn's grounds, play a game of toss with the puppy and fix a few thousand broken gadgets until she comes to!
Just before the attack on Nancy, she finds a large hat box. This is anything but a normal hat box, this is a Magical Chest which stores magical artifacts. This box can defend it's owner from the negative energy generated by the magical artifacts within. (how'd that work out for Nancy)? Eventually this box will hold several artifacts, but for now there's just one, the Witch's ice bucket which can cool and freeze any liquid instantly. You can access your Dossier within the map, which is basically a journal that keeps track of your notes and clues you find as well as information about devices you come across. Some of the inventory items have plus signs, indicating that further action is required before you can use that item. There are 40 Collectible Cats, Rabbits, and Postcards as well as a ton of Achievements to earn in this Collectors Edition.
The Hidden Object Scenes are decent, but nothing to write home about. The HO's are mostly silhouetted shapes that you find in groups, such as astrological symbols, once the group has been found, they automatically get placed where they belong which usually exposes the next group of items you need to find. The Mini Games seem to be on the easy side, such as turning three small triangles until they align with the main triangle (turning one triangle affects others) or clicking on different colored stars in the correct color sequence, following the clue given, Mr. ROY G. BIV.
This Collectors Edition has Music Soundtracks, Arts, Achievements, Collectibles, Wallpapers, a built in Strategy Guide and a Bonus Chapter. In my personal opinion, this CE doesn't have enough features to persuade me, I think the Standard Edition will have enough bang for my buck so to speak, enjoy!
I recommend this game!
Living Legends: Wrath of the Beast Collector's Edition
Help Goldilocks’s son protect his village from invading bears!
Overall rating
2
/
5
87 of 96 found this review helpful
Magical Bears
PostedJanuary 24, 2015
pennmom36
fromHold still bear, so I can lasso your legs!
Skill Level:Expert
Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Hidden Object, Match 3, Time Management, Puzzle
Current Favorite:
Phantasmat Collector's Edition
(101)Fun Factor
2
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
2
/
5
Level of Challenge
2
/
5
Storyline
2
/
5
Nothing in this story made any sense. The main character is a grown man who states that his mother, Goldilocks, was killed by a bear three years ago. That makes sense, however, the picture of his family shows a young boy about eight years old, which means that he is only around eleven years old presently! Then there's the Magical Bears, which can be identified because they are "painted" and it just so happens that the horse you are riding, is painted just like the bears, is the horse magical too? Anyway, you have just graduated from the local Hunting Academy where you learn how to hunt bears because the town you live in is plagued with vicious bears. This plague of attacks has increased because dearly departed Goldilocks presumably took something from the magic bears, and they want it back! The academy needs to step up their academics because three students can't control a bear who is attacking their village. Perhaps it's because the only hunting gear they are equipped with are small leather straps with silver and blue balls attached for weights. This school certainly didn't prepare the students for real life eh?
This game tends to be on the easy side, almost everything within the game is predictable and logical, the puzzles and mini games are short and not in the least bit complicated. The mini games range from small puzzles within the plus items in your inventory, to matching identical tokens by flipping two tokens at a time, if you don't find an exact match, the tokens rotate to a different spot. The Hidden Object Scenes are entertaining, I liked the HOS where you had to find silhouetted shapes, and use those shapes interactively between two different scenes. There are 34 Morphing Runes to collect, and when you collect a certain number, 3-8-16-25-34, you get to hear a story that fills you in on this Goldilocks and the Magical Bear tale.
This Collectors Edition has 34 Morphing Objects, Wallpapers, Screensavers, Music, Concept Art, Movies, replayable Mini Games and Hidden Object Scenes, Achievements, a built in Strategy guide and a Bonus Chapter, enjoy!
I recommend this game!
Legend of Maya
Dive into this Maya fairytale! Take on Prince Chaac's mission and construct an outstanding city with many inhabitants!
Overall rating
4
/
5
58 of 62 found this review helpful
Build A Village Worthy Of The Princess
PostedJanuary 23, 2015
pennmom36
fromIt might be easier to elope!
Skill Level:Expert
Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Hidden Object, Match 3, Time Management, Puzzle
Current Favorite:
Phantasmat Collector's Edition
(101)Fun Factor
4
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
4
/
5
Level of Challenge
4
/
5
Storyline
4
/
5
Prince Chaac is deeply in love with Princess Kin, problem is, they are from two different tribes who don't exactly see eye to eye. Kin's father agrees to allow the marriage on one condition, Prince Chaac must build a village for the Princess, bigger and better than the village of her father.
I love the colorful graphics, and the story is amusing as well. I am a little bit disappointed with the size of some of the Match 3 boards and the Hidden Object Scene, which have very small items to search for. The Match 3 tiles are bright and interesting, and new tiles are added as you progress to keep the game interesting. You can play this game in Casual, Normal or Hard difficulty modes and you can earn Achievements. If you make matches of 4 or more, you will get bonuses to use on the board such as a bomb. There are coins to match that will allow you to purchase the buildings you need to grow your village, and each one you build gives you a different bonus to use once it has filled up. Enjoy!
I recommend this game!
Royal Flush Solitaire
Royal Flush Solitaire offers its own gameplay experience – completely different from other solitaire games.
Overall rating
5
/
5
82 of 95 found this review helpful
Solitaire Poker!
PostedJanuary 21, 2015
pennmom36
fromI got a Royal Flush!
Skill Level:Expert
Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Hidden Object, Match 3, Time Management, Puzzle
Current Favorite:
Phantasmat Collector's Edition
(101)Fun Factor
5
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
5
/
5
Level of Challenge
5
/
5
Storyline
1
/
5
What a great concept! This is a unique solitaire game where you drag and drop 5 cards of your choice from either the board or draw pile to create winning hands of poker. Just like poker, winning hands are a Royal Flush worth 900 points, a Straight Flush worth 600 points, Four of a Kind is worth 400 points, a Full House is worth 200 points, a Flush is worth 90 points, a Straight is worth 70 points, Three of a Kind is worth 40 points, Two Pairs is worth 30 points and a Pair is worth 10 points. The goal is to remove all cards from the board to earn gold, if you have cards left over the stars will diminish to silver and then bronze, but you can replay the game for a higher score. There are trophies and achievements to earn as well, and as you progress you will be able to place larger bets, up to 2000 points.
You can use the points you have earned in the shop to purchase upgrades such as, Cheat Cards, a Draw Pile Counter, an extra Undo, Bullets to shoot unwanted cards, X ray Power Packs that allow you to see face down cards briefly, and even better odds of receiving free bullets. There are FBI raids and Police raids occasionally, and you cannot use cheat cards during that hand, but you can purchase upgrades that decrease the chances of the raids. You will play poker in most of the large cities, Boston, New York, Philadelphia, Washington DC and even Miami, Orlando and Key West. You can change the cards faces and backs in the options menu as well.
The only complaint I have with this game was that the game shrinks the screen size down to a small window which is a bummer when you have a 27" screen. If you aren't a fan of poker, you may want to pass on this game, however it is very easy to learn (not master) and there is a help icon which shows you what hands qualify that can be accessed quickly, enjoy!
I recommend this game!
The Musketeers: Victoria's Quest
Are you ready to take on a challenge that will change the destiny of the whole kingdom? Help Victoria bring back the rightful heir to the throne and restore justice.
Overall rating
5
/
5
82 of 103 found this review helpful
A Strategic Time Management Game
PostedJanuary 19, 2015
pennmom36
fromOops, wrong choice!
Skill Level:Expert
Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Hidden Object, Match 3, Time Management, Puzzle
Current Favorite:
Phantasmat Collector's Edition
(101)Fun Factor
5
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
5
/
5
Level of Challenge
5
/
5
Storyline
5
/
5
I loved the graphics on this TM game which requires you to pick and choose your tasks carefully, otherwise you will not be able to get enough resources to finish the level. If you aren't familiar with Time Management games, I suggest you choose the casual setting, multi-clicking can sometimes get you in trouble because you eat up precious time if you choose the wrong tasks at the wrong time. The goal is to achieve three stars which tends to be somewhat difficult with this game. Great entertainment, especially if you enjoy fast paced games that make you think, enjoy!
I recommend this game!
The Chronicles of Emerland Solitaire
Defeat the forces of darkness and defend Emerland by uniting the races of the world against the evil sorcerer, Sat, in this magical card game!
Overall rating
5
/
5
18 of 18 found this review helpful
The Chronicles of Emerland Solitaire
PostedJanuary 19, 2015
pennmom36
fromA must have game for solitaire lovers!
Skill Level:Expert
Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Hidden Object, Match 3, Card & Board, Time Management, Puzzle
Current Favorite:
Phantasmat Collector's Edition
(101)Fun Factor
5
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
5
/
5
Level of Challenge
5
/
5
Storyline
5
/
5
I have found my new favorite solitaire game! This game can be played in a relaxed mode or a master mode for more of a challenge. You play cards from the board onto the deck card either one higher or one lower regardless of suit, trying to make large chains to increase the multiplier bonus bar. There are coins hidden under the last card of each group which can be used to buy amulets or wildcards to help you win difficult hands.
You can replay any level to try to achieve a gold or perfect score, but once you move to the next hand, you cannot go back. Some cards are covered in frost, ice and moss which adds to the complexity of the game, and you can earn achievements as well. There are wild cards to earn but they are number specific, and you will also earn bonuses that will do things such as turn over two face down cards. This game also has mini games available as the wizard asks for your help in finding 10 hidden cards, 10 blue flowers or 10 caterpillars, enjoy!
I recommend this game!
Fantasy Mosaics 6: Into the Unknown
Experience this new installment of mosaics puzzles in rainbow colors!
Overall rating
5
/
5
64 of 72 found this review helpful
Keep 'Em Coming!
PostedJanuary 19, 2015
pennmom36
fromMr. Penguin....phone home!
Skill Level:Expert
Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Hidden Object, Match 3, Time Management, Puzzle
Current Favorite:
Phantasmat Collector's Edition
(101)Fun Factor
5
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
5
/
5
Level of Challenge
5
/
5
Storyline
5
/
5
They've done it again! The mosaic's are bigger and brighter than ever before! That penguin sure get's around, and has managed to find the perfect spot for his garden on another planet. Just like the other 5 Fantasy Mosaics, every step you take in the game will help you explore his new found (and in this case intergalactic) planet, and discover it's inhabitants.
This is a grid type game based upon logic and deduction. There are numbers on each row and column that indicate the number of filled tiles, each group of filled tiles must be separated by at least one blank tile. Once you fill in all tiles with one color, the next color will automatically open up, or you can toggle back and forth between the colors which sometimes makes the puzzle easier to figure out. Some of the filled tiles contain bonuses for extra hints, more mistakes allowed, or pick axes to find out the state of a tile, and a Sun which reveals any square you use it on, and all the squares around it.
You can choose to play this game in Casual where the numbers are crossed off one by one, or, Advanced which only crosses off the numbers when the entire row is complete. You can earn Gold, Silver or Bronze achievements for each grid completed, according to the time it takes you to finish the puzzle. My only complaint is that your progress isn't saved if you exit the game with an unfinished puzzle. Enjoy!
I recommend this game!
Tri-Peaks 2: Quest for the Ruby Ring
Complete hands and collect artifacts for the Museum in this globe-trotting solitaire adventure.
Overall rating
4
/
5
13 of 13 found this review helpful
Tri-Peaks 2: Quest For The Ruby Ring
PostedJanuary 18, 2015
pennmom36
fromWhat happens to Ally if I'm late?
Skill Level:Expert
Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Hidden Object, Match 3, Time Management, Puzzle
Current Favorite:
Phantasmat Collector's Edition
(101)Fun Factor
4
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
4
/
5
Level of Challenge
4
/
5
Storyline
4
/
5
I have always been a big fan of Tri-Peaks solitaire, so naturally I had to give this game a whirl. I didn't see much difference in the graphics, or the mechanics, and I was disappointed that the full screen setting was still a very small window that was a fourth the size of my 27" screen.
The explorer is in India this time, trying to locate rubies. The solitaire cards are set up in a tri-peaks style requiring you to place a card from the board onto the deck either one higher or one lower regardless of suit. A lizard works his way up a pillar as you remove a chain of cards and if he can reach all the way to 3x the multiplier. When all cards are removed from each of the peaks, the gods will dump their gold coins for you to collect. The explorer will advance, if you win, to one of the four treasure chests, the fourth is a gold chest which allows you to level up. Each chest contains goodies such as wild cards, points and occasionally dud antiques. If you don't win the hand, the explorer doesn't advance and will get torched, fall through the floor or get carried away by creatures. A new feature in this game is explorer Ally who gets captured and you must clear 5 peaks in 3 minutes to save her, enjoy!
I recommend this game!
Monument Builders: Cathedral Rising
Discover more than 40 places! Uncover 29 hidden object scenes and play 26 mini-games that will test your patience and reasoning skills!
Overall rating
5
/
5
57 of 62 found this review helpful
Hohe Domkirche St. Petrus
PostedJanuary 18, 2015
pennmom36
fromGuten Tag
Skill Level:Expert
Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Hidden Object, Match 3, Time Management, Puzzle
Current Favorite:
Phantasmat Collector's Edition
(101)Fun Factor
5
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
5
/
5
Level of Challenge
5
/
5
Storyline
5
/
5
Who doesn't love Monument Builders? At least you feel a bit educated afterwards! If you haven't played any of the Monument Builder, Time Management games, they are games that tell you interesting facts about the building, in this case, The Cologne Cathedral or Kolner Dom. The graphics are good, the tasks are interesting and I love hearing the clip clop of those pack mules.
As in most Time Management games, you must complete the tasks given within a certain time limit in order to achieve up to three stars. You will also earn gems that can be used to purchase upgrades such as Specialized Workers, Faster Production, and even Automatic Transport. You are the Project Manager so you will need to figure out what needs to be done to achieve those goals, which buildings to build and when to build them. There are Farms to build that will produce food for workers (and hungry stray dogs) Quarry's that produce stone, Banks to collect Gold and even Workshops. You will need to clear away debris and repair roads to allow the mules a clear passage to deliver their loads, clear trees for their wood, and ward off hunters. Buildings can be improved twice which will increase production, and you can recruit new workers when and if you have the resources.
This game has a really good tutorial available, so if you aren't familiar with TM games, this is a great game to start with. Enjoy!
I recommend this game!