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:
In this scarier-than-ever story, find out what really happened on prom night, 1964...
Overall rating
5
/
5
237 of 284 found this review helpful
Are We Dead?
PostedJanuary 10, 2015
pennmom36
fromHow did she manage to break the front windshield with a high heel, when the heels break off so easily?
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
Aimee couldn't be more excited about her class prom tonight, which is slightly overshadowed by the tragedy that occurred in this very gym, on prom night 1965! The Corcrest Cosmetics Factory was responsible for the demise of everyone who attended the prom on that fateful night 50 years ago, when a poisonous gas leak caused aggressive hallucinations, turning mild mannered students into savage killers! Aimee snapped a picture of you to memorialize this special event, which caused you to nearly hit a stranger standing in the middle of the roadway, thank goodness that tree was there to stop you! You have no idea how long you have been unconscious, what you do know is that Aimee isn't in the car, and your cell phone is dead! Something just isn't quite right, you really must have taken a hard blow to the head, because the school's banner say's "Welcome to Prom, class of 1965!" Chills run down your spine when you enter the school, you have arrived at the home of the Corcrest Stag's 50 years ago, just prior to the tragedy that took your father's life! Even more chilling, someone has kidnapped Aimee, but is this person real, or is he a ghost? Is this really happening, are you in some kind of a time warp, or just maybe, you're.......dead?!
It's no secret, my favorite game of all time is the ORIGINAL Phantasmat, Crucible Peak paled in comparison. I was satisfied with, The Endless Night, Epix has done a wonderful job with the storyline BUT....again there is no comparison to the original Phantasmat. If you haven't played that game, treat yourself to the best storyline ever! The feature that bothered me the most with this game is with the graphics, especially in the HOP, which seems bland and at times unfinished in the background. I played the Beta of this game and thought it was because the game was still in the rough, but apparently not. I was also under the impression that this game was going to be released in sections, as kind of a mini series, but I guess that didn't pan out.
Codeminions are back! There are 41 very well hidden Codeminions, which are basically symbols of an eye. There are also 13 different Achievements to earn, and you can easily keep track of them with the icons that are easily accessed next to the inventory bar. Phantasmat inventory bars are unique, when unlocked the entire menu bar will remain transparent allowing you to see the entire scene. Some of the inventory items have plus signs which indicate that you need to interact with that item before using, such as opening up the item or even combining that item with another inventory item.
The Hidden Object Scenes are mostly progressive interactive silhouetted shapes, where you find the first item that matches the silhouetted shape shown, and use that item to interact with another item which will expose the next item that matches the silhouette. There are zoomed in scenes in most of the HOS, with even more hidden objects, both list finds and silhouettes. My absolute favorite scene required you to find 5 morphing objects before the list could be accessed. there are also multiple finds of a single type of item such as 5 eye droppers. You can opt to play a Match 3 game instead, every Epix symbol that falls off the board will count as one listed item on the HOS. I enjoyed the mini games, although some of the games were too simple. My favorite game was adjusting three knobs to match the patterns shown by turning knobs for the Wavelength, the Frequency, and the Pitch.
This Collectors Edition has collectible Code Minions, replayable HOP's, Mini Games and Match 3 Games, the Making Of, Music, Video, Achievements, Pictures, a Souvenir Room, a built in Strategy Guide and a Bonus Chapter, enjoy! (and don't forget to give the original Phantasmat a try)
I recommend this game!
A dark wizard awakens the ice queen using your daughter!
Overall rating
5
/
5
122 of 131 found this review helpful
When The Last Kind Heart Turns To Ice
PostedJanuary 9, 2015
pennmom36
fromWhy didn't the wizard just give everyone magic amulets?
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
I'm beginning to wonder why anyone wants to be the King or Queen of any kingdom, and they certainly shouldn't add a princess to the equation, because they ALWAYS get kidnapped by an evil wizard! Today was supposed to be a birthday celebration for eight year old Lerione, but somehow a dark wizard managed to crash the party, kidnap the young princess, and turn the entire audience into popsicles. The only one able to stay at a toasty 98.6 degrees was you, thanks to the magical amulets your good friend Lucio the wizard provided you with! You thought seriously about using a blow torch to warm up the audience, but had second thoughts and resorted to plan B, use the mirror portal to chase after the big bad wizard, and hopefully find Lerione before he uses her kind heart to awaken the Ice Queen!
You have many magical tools at your disposal, a Crystal Ball which is capable of casting the Power of Light spell to devour dark magic spells. Unfortunately, you will have to charge the Crystal Ball after each use, which is in the form of a mini game. The mini games involve first finding the History Scrolls, and then finding one of several runes such as fire or wind, when you finish the puzzle, you will be able to charge and then use the Crystal Ball. This game must have been intended for a Christmas release (or else it's really early for next year) because there are morphing objects to find, for every 5 morphs you find, you will unlock a downloadable Christmas greeting card. In my opinion, the morphs are way too easy to spot because the objects are large and out of place in the scene. There are collectible puzzle pieces that will break the enchantment spell for each character you come across, when all puzzle pieces have been found for each puzzle, you simply place the very large and very easy pieces in the book and the spell on that person will be broken, and the character will return to his normal happy normal self.
The Hidden Object Scenes are mostly progressive silhouetted shapes where you find the first item that matches the silhouetted shape, and then use that item within the scene to uncover the next item and so forth until all items have been found. There are also the occasional, find fragmented pieces or even finding symbols that match the symbols shown. The mini games are mostly puzzle tiles that create an image when complete, but there are also potion's to create following the recipe illustrations and finding several symbols within the pages of a story, by uncovering clouds and trees and even sails on a boat.
This Collectors Edition has Cutscenes, Wallpapers, Concept Art, Soundtracks, pictures of the VG team, History Scrolls, downloadable Greeting Cards, Morphing Objects, Collectible Puzzle Pieces, a built in Strategy Guide and a Bonus Chapter, enjoy
I recommend this game!
A kingdom’s future rests in the light of three beacons. Can they be lit in time? Will the shadows be cast into light?
Overall rating
4
/
5
3 of 3 found this review helpful
Drawn: Dark Flight SE
PostedJanuary 9, 2015
pennmom36
fromIf I ask nicely Franklin will you be less vague?
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
Iris has escaped the Painted Tower where she was held captive, by hiding in the rubble by the huge bell. Destined to become the Queen of Stonebriar, Iris must now make her way towards the three beacons. You must lite two of those beacons to chase away the evil shadows lurking within, but the third must be lit by Iris to fulfil her destiny and rid the kingdom of a cruel and evil King.
This adventure is different than any other game you have played, there aren't any Hidden Object Scenes, but there are a lot of mini games and clever interactive paintings. Some of the items you need to complete your tasks are found within the rubble of the tower, other items will either need to be drawn or found within the portal drawings themselves. Franklin is still here to "help" in his own way by giving small clues to allow you to figure them out for yourself, there aren't any hints that will tell you where to go, or how to solve the quest.
The Collectors Edition doesn't offer enough in my opinion, this is the better value. The CE has Achievements, Concept Art, Wallpaper, and Music Soundtracks, either way, this is an epic adventure, enjoy!
I recommend this game!
A kingdom’s future rests in the light of three beacons. Can they be lit in time? Will the shadows be cast into light?
Overall rating
4
/
5
6 of 6 found this review helpful
Drawn: Dark Flight CE
PostedJanuary 9, 2015
pennmom36
fromWho am I supposed to be anyway?
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
Another fantastic Drawn adventure, however, I liked Painted Tower a little more. Iris has escaped the Painted Tower where she was being held captive, by hiding behind the rubble by the giant bell. Her adventure has just begun, for she is destined to rule the Kingdom of Stonebriar. The three beacons are keeping the kingdom in darkness, where evil shadows lurk in waiting, an ominous reminder of the tyranny and cruelty bestowed upon it's people by the King. You must find a way to light two of the beacons, the third must be lit by Iris herself, so that she may become the Queen and fulfil her destiny!
This adventure is like no other game I have played, there are no Hidden Object Scenes, but there are lot's of clever puzzles to figure out and just like the first Drawn, you will enter the worlds of Iris' imagination as her drawings come to life. After you repair the damaged drawings, with a little help from Iris as she leaves clues and drawings that will help you achieve your goals and make your way towards the beacons that will finally shed light upon this dreary kingdom. You will need to enter several pictures and complete different tasks within those pictures in order toe progress. Some items will be used that you find within the rubble of the Painted Tower and some items will be within the picture itself. Some drawings will need to be completed before you can use them, and of course, Franklin will be there to help you in his own twisted way, with small clues to guide you, not tell you where or how.
This Collectors Edition doesn't have that much to offer in my opinion, Concept Art, Wallpapers, Soundtracks and Achievement, none of which are available in the demo version. Enter the world of Drawn and see for yourself how unusual this adventure really is, enjoy!
I recommend this game!
Great Britain needs your help! Explore 6 uncharted islands. Solve 120 new and unique puzzles from great captains of the past!
Overall rating
5
/
5
54 of 58 found this review helpful
Aaarrr, Nobody Needs To Walk The Plank This Time!
PostedJanuary 7, 2015
pennmom36
fromWhere's me parrot mate?
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
My favorite Fill and Cross by this dev, hands down is Pirate Riddles, so I was really happy to see this sequeal today. If you haven't played a Fill & Cross, Griddler, Mosaic or Pic & Cross game before (all the same they just go by different names) here's how they work. The good news is that you don't have to be good at math, just deduction. Images are encrypted with numbers located to the left of the lines and above the columns. The numbers show how many groups are filled in the cells. All groups must have at least one empty cell between them. An example would be the numbers 1 1 1, on a 5x5 grid the first cell would be filled, followed by an empty cell, followed by a filled cell and another empty cell and the last cell would also be filled. Naturally the grids become larger and the numbers usually smaller, which means that you have to figure out which cells would be logically empty. To fill a cell you simply left click the cell, an empty cell would be an X by right clicking, or you can use the available icons and switch back and forth. You can click and drag large numbered cells both empty and filled as well.
Some of the cells contain coins that can be used to purchase bonuses such as getting two starting hints, the right to make three mistakes (you will have to replay that grid if you make a third mistake normally) or a bonus that will refill the hints on that level only. There are 17 different achievements or trophies to earn, and the grids are played on 6 different Pirate themed Islands which have 20 levels each for a total of 120 swashbuckling games. Aaarr, there's no time to walk the plank mates, tis time to solve a griddler, enjoy!
I recommend this game!
Enter the world of Drawn. Explore the Painted Tower and unravel its mysteries on your quest to save the hope of the kingdom. Can you reach the top of the tower?
Overall rating
5
/
5
12 of 13 found this review helpful
Drawn: The Painted Tower
PostedJanuary 7, 2015
pennmom36
fromWhy doesn't anyone feel sorry for Franklin?
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 have entered the world of Drawn....and I like it! I consider myself to be an expert player, I have played hundreds of adventure games, but nothing quite like this. I really had to put my thinking cap on for this unusual game. This is the first installment of the Drawn series that tells the heartbreaking tale of Iris who has been locked away in the painted tower. Iris and her family have a special gift, they can draw their way into magical doors and enchanted worlds, they are only limited by their imagination! Katherine had sent Iris to live with Franklin, to protect her from the King and his evil Chancellor, now Iris is a prisoner, Franklin has been turned to stone and Iris is the sole survivor of her family! You must rescue Iris one drawing at a time as you desperately try to reach the painted tower!
Even though Franklin has been turned to stone, he will still be able to assist you, without the normal hand holding hint system common in today's games. Instead, you will choose which objective you need help with from the list provided to the left of Franklin's portrait, he will then give you a nudge with the first of three clues vaguely, if you cannot figure out what to do next, you can ask Franklin for another clue, and usually you can figure it out by the third and final clue.
There are no Hidden Object Scenes in this game, pass this one up if you simply must have HO's. What this game doesn't have won't matter once you get hooked. This adventure is like no other, yes you will still collect a few inventory items here and there, these items are to help you find the clues that Iris has left you within her drawings. First you have to find the missing fragment of the torn picture, then you enter the picture and solve the puzzles within, usually in the form of an interactive puzzle where you may need to find a knife first and then use the knife to expose an item within a pumpkin, and so forth until you have found the last item that will help you to progress to the next door.
If you are a puzzle fanatic like me, listen up, cause there are so many clever puzzles you're going to love. Some are simple such as swapping tiles to create a picture, some a little more difficult. My favorite one was replacing window fragments by rotating and placing the glass geometrical shapes, the pieces have to go into specific slots and at first it seemed as though there weren't enough pieces no matter what I tried. Then I realized that a space will be empty to create a specific shape! (I won't tell you what that shape is) This isn't an easy game, but it is extremely entertaining, enjoy!
I recommend this game!
Discover a land of wonder and danger! Be the hero the world needs!
Overall rating
5
/
5
659 of 758 found this review helpful
Great Solitaire Game....While It Lasted!
PostedJanuary 6, 2015
pennmom36
fromThat's the end of that!
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
Unfortunately, this Endless Journey WILL end, as soon as you run out of lives! Emerland Solitaire is a decent game shadowed by a bad concept. The requirements are simple, place available cards from the board, onto the face up deck card, either one higher or one lower, regardless of suit. You will have 5 starting lives, one life is used for each new game and you will receive a new heart or life ONLY if you are able to remove ALL of the cards! You will get another set of lives (hearts) when and if you reach a new level. In my opinion, there aren't enough deck cards, which makes it very difficult to achieve a winning hand. Normally, I would love this feature, after all who wants a zillion cards to make the game easy breezy? However, if it means that I will have to pay for a heart package to continue playing, this free to play game could potentially cost me a lot of money, undoubtedly more than the standard $6.99 game would have cost me. Too bad, because I was enjoying this solitaire game, but I only made it to level three before my lives ran out, I wanted to play more but couldn't unless I purchased more lives. What if my purchased lives ran out within 5-10 minutes?
This Free2Play solitaire allows you to choose either a male or female gender as well as which character you want to portrait, seven characters available for each gender. I would assume that more characters will become available as you progress, but other than a small icon located at the top of the screen with your characters portrait, I haven't seen any other use of this feature. As you progress, you will earn bonuses in the form of wizards or knights that will allow you an undo of the last move, or change a random card (the knight's choice) Again, the problem here is that after the first use, you will need to purchase their services with your energy potions, when I used the knight to change the only card I had remaining on the board, he changed it to a card that I still couldn't use! Some of the cards will have special items hidden under them such as an energy potion, but I only uncovered one special item within the three levels I was able to play. If you are able to play at least 5 cards consecutively, you will fill the star combo meter, which helps you earn stars, the goal is three gold stars which requires you to remove all cards from the board. Some of the cards you uncover are wildcards that will be stored in your inventory to be used whenever you choose, but the wildcards are specifically numbered cards, meaning you must use that card at face value, a number 9 wildcard can only be used on the number 8 or number 10 deck card.
Don't get me wrong, I really enjoyed playing this game, my review reflects the fact that the game itself is entertaining, and I loved playing the game.....while it lasted! However, I wouldn't purchase any extra lives packages because I believe that this game will end up being too costly. There isn't anything special about this game that would persuade me to engage wholeheartedly when I can purchase any other solitaire game for $6.99 and play till my hearts content!
Make the world a better place - build your own planet!
Overall rating
3
/
5
77 of 102 found this review helpful
Does a Typhoon, Tornado, Earthquake and Meteor Make The World A Better Place?
PostedJanuary 5, 2015
pennmom36
fromIf all this is happening in one visit, it'll be apocalyptic!
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
A young boy is visiting his Grandparents when he discovers a chest in their attic. Inside this chest is a magical globe capable of mimicking things on earth and other planets as well. The boy decides to use this globe to rearrange a few elements as he sees fit, to make the world a better place. This all sounds interesting so far, and the game begins with the elements of nature on planet earth. The tutorial isn't that helpful, basically it shows you that you can click on two of the available elements, which at first is water, earth, air, sun and stars. You combine the two elements by either dragging one element to the other, or by clicking on both elements, and hopefully you will create a new element. There is a meter at the top which slowly fills as you create new elements (I'm guessing at this because no further instructions were given or available that I could see) There is a store that will allow you to purchase a single hint, a hint that shows an available element (but not which elements need to be combined to create that element) or you can purchase a full package of hints. There are icons for a single hint that takes about 2 minutes to recharge, and an icon that shows an available element, and this too must recharge before it's available. There is also an icon for a book or journal, that shows you the elements, and tells you something educational about that element, each new element will be added to the book, which helps you keep track of which elements were combined to create that element. Take a good look at the "educational information" written in this book, page one alone had so many obvious spelling errors, that you have to wonder if anyone bothered to do a spell check!
I played this game for the entire 60 minute trial, it's neither good nor bad, nothing super exciting, yet nothing horrible either (cept for speling lol) SPOILER ALERT: I will list the combinations I was able to find, mostly by trial and error, in the following paragraph so read no further if you want to discover them for yourself.
Water & Earth=grass, Grass & Water=swamp, Swamp & Grass=bamboo, Grass & Earth=bush, Bush & Swamp=moss, Swamp & Moss=fern, Grass & Sun=flower, Bush & Earth=tree, Sun & Stars=meteorite, Meteorite & Sun=Moon, Moon & Sun=lunar eclipse, Meteorite & Earth=earthquake, Water & Meteorite=stones, Stones & Earthquakes=mountains, Water & Sun=clouds, Water & Clouds=rain, Clouds & Rain=wind, Wind & Rain=heavy rain, Wind & Water=waves, Heavy Rain & Wind=tornado, Rain & Mountains=snow, Snow & Wind=blizzard, Wind & Water=waves, Snow & Waves=iceberg, Heavy Rain & Clouds=thunderstorm, Thunderstorm & Wind=tornado, Thunderstorm & Heavy Rain=lightning, Lightning & Tree=fire, Tornado & Wind=cyclone, Blizzard & Water=iceberg, Waves & Earthquake= typhoon, and now I'm just getting confused about what I have and haven't listed! Hopefully this will help you get the idea of how the game works, or at the very least you can compare my list to your's for new ideas or to list other combination's to help out the next person, enjoy!
I recommend this game!
Dracula: Love Kills
The Queen of Vampires is back and is determined to destroy the world! Help Van Helsing and Dracula as they team up to stop her!
Overall rating
4
/
5
2 of 2 found this review helpful
He Was Just Trying To Help Her!
PostedJanuary 4, 2015
pennmom36
fromAwe Drac's in love!
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
Count Dracula was in love with a beautiful, but mortal woman, and he would never harm the love of his life. Van Helsing had been hunting Dracula relentlessly, and used his vulnerability to his advantage. The famous vampire hunter shot the Count before he even sensed his presence, and left him for dead! Everyone mistakenly presumed that this creature of the night was no longer a threat, everyone that is except for his loyal servant, Igor, who knew the Count wasn't down for the count, he was merely unconscious! When Dracula finally regained consciousness, he began to make plans, vengeful plans, against the man who nearly took his immortal life, and while he was on a roll, rid himself of the Queen of vamps as well! Because the Count had been asleep for such a long time, his abilities are weak and he must forge his way into town......for a quick bite!
What unique features this game has, not to mention that you are playing from the vampires perspective not the vampire hunters or even a victims! When you first begin this game you will notice an ability meter with empty icons indicating that you have no abilities.....yet. Eventually you will regain your strength by feeding, on blood, in one form or another! You must decide how you want to obtain the blood, when you encounter a human victim, you are given the choice to feed on the victim which will turn the victim into a vampire as well. Choose wisely, if you choose yes, you will not be given the opportunity to play an extra HOS which will allow you to collect the blood anyway. Eventually you will have 4 abilities, VAMPIRIC VISION which allows you to materialize objects invisible to the naked eye, STRENGTH which will allow you to lift or break heavy objects, TELEKINESIS which allows you to reach out-of-reach objects, ANIMAL FORM allows you to shift into different shapes to access different places.
The Hidden Object Scenes are listed items with no interactions, but the items are cleverly hidden or blended into the scenery with just the right amount of difficulty. The mini games are going to be different degrees of difficulty, depending on which mode of difficulty you choose under your profile set up page at the beginning. One game I found unique was moving a Dracula token towards his victim in a hedge maze, BUT, as soon as you start to move the token, the screen turns black and you must try to move the token by memory, if you hit the sides of the hedges more than 6 times you must start over!
Both the Collectors Edition and this Standard Edition have 33 Achievements that you can continue to achieve by replaying the game in either mode. The Collectors Editions extra gameplay will only be available after you complete the game in the regular mode. The Extras will unlock after you complete the entire game, but in my opinion the Standard Edition is the better value unless you really want or need a Strategy Guide, enjoy!
I recommend this game!
The beasts Scylla and Charybdis got Hercules! Help his wife Megara free the hero and then accompany him to the forest of the Amazons and mount Olympus.
Overall rating
5
/
5
122 of 134 found this review helpful
Hercules Never Knew What Hit Him!
PostedJanuary 4, 2015
pennmom36
fromOh where oh where has my Hercules gone, oh where oh where can he be?
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
Hercules was fighting a fierce battle with the Scylla, when the Charybdis attacked him from behind! He never saw it coming, and now the mythical duo are holding Hercules hostage. Help his wife, Megara, search for the mighty Hercules, and defeat these tag teaming monsters for good! Because Hercules is a no show, you will have to rely on the workers to clear those boulder ridden paths, however Megara has a few powers up her sleeves, she can turn a fruit tree sapling into a gourmet feast tree in no time at all!
This is a Time Management game that requires you to clear debris from roads, fix holes and bridges, build Outposts to house the servants, Farms to feed the workers, Workshops to provide wood and Mines to produce gold. There are three modes of difficulty to choose from, Relaxed (no timer) Casual, and hardcore Expert. The goal is to earn three gold stars per level, if you complete the level within the gold time, a section of an ancient castle will be revealed. Each level has a hidden puzzle piece to collect, which looks more like a stone slab, and I will admit that I kept forgetting to look for the puzzle piece because I was so focused with the tasks at hand. There are also several Achievements to earn for all kinds of milestones such as using two different bonuses in the same level. This TM game allows for multi clicking tasks to pile up when all workers are busy, by flagging the tasks in a queue, a second click will cancel the task. (some TM games don't allow you to multi click several tasks) This game is also Windows 8 touch screen compatible!
Before the start of each level you will be given a list of tasks to complete such as, collecting specific amounts of resources, building altars to worship the gods, destroying crystals, or clearing the path to several mirrors and then directing the mirrors toward the obelisk to destroy it. As you progress, you will receive bonuses on your meter. Once the meter fills to the desired bonus, you click to temporarily activate bonuses such as speedier workers or more resources, however once you use that bonus you will have to wait until the meter refills before you can use it again. (these bonuses are a necessity to achieve gold time when you get to the harder levels) The Hercules TM series is perfect for newbies because the mechanics of the game are easy, some Time Management games require you to construct the correct building from a wide range of options, if you choose the wrong building, you will be unable to complete the tasks given much less complete the level within the gold time! Because these games are easy, it makes the game less frustrating and more entertaining, enjoy!
I recommend this game!