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:
The Sandman is back for revenge! This time his victim is Tim, Laura's husband. Will you succeed in pulling him out of this nightmare?
Overall rating
5
/
5
148 of 175 found this review helpful
The Sandman Wants To Retire
PostedDecember 2, 2014
pennmom36
fromTim's medical chart showed his temperature as 36.6 I think he's a gonner!
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 has been two years since you rescued Laura Young from the evil Sandman, he vowed to return one day, and today is that day! This time it is Laura's husband Tim who is in a coma, struggling to survive nightmare after nightmare until he no longer has the strength to fight. Laura escaped the Sandman's clutches with your help, as a result she has obtained the power to manipulate time and resist the powers of darkness, but she cannot use these powers to help Tim, leaving you no choice but to enter his nightmares and save him from the Sandman before it's too late. The Sandman has big plans for Tim, the Sandman is getting old and wants Tim to be his disciple, his successor! Laura will help you enter Tim's nightmares but once you're there, you are on your own in this strange world made entirely of nightmares!
Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, prepare yourself for creepy crawlers and things that go bump in the night, because the BEHOLDERS have returned, 100 of them to be specific! Once you enter Tim's nightmarish realm, keep your eye (just one eye) out for the beholders, each scene has at least 3 beholders, the only thing you will see is a tiny blinking eyeball, when you click on the eyeball the beholder will emerge. The beholder can be a one eyed slithery snake, a one eyed eight legged spider or even a one eyed winged bat, there is a tab on the left of the screen that will indicate how many beholders are in your current location. This was by far the best feature in the original Dreamscapes: Sandman, and I'm so glad they are back because they are so incredibly fun to search for! (some of them are very well hidden) There are also Achievements available for some unusual accomplishments such as using the hint button to learn about objects, playing three chapters without using the hint button or saving Tim from his first nightmare.
The first Dreamscapes game had no Hidden Object Scenes whatsoever, but they tweaked this edition to include HO's, with good old fashioned list finds, that have a couple of slightly interactive tasks such as moving an item to expose another item, personally I thought this was a great addition. There are only a handful of mini games that may require you to swap masks until they are in the correct slots, or pull levers in a specific order to raise several platforms to the up position but of course pulling one lever may affect what another levers action already accomplished. This game is mostly an adventure game, you will have several areas of interest in each location to find inventory items and apply those items to solve the task at hand, there's just no way this game can become boring because there's so much to do in each scene.
I'm sure many players will be disappointed with the map feature, when you click on the compass, all available location directions will be shown, in other words, arrows will indicate all the different directions you can go to, not which way you should go. If you click the Hint icon, an arrow will appear in the direction you should be going, there are no transport/jump features. The inventory bar has no locking feature, but it's kinda cool that it opens up a closes like a hand held fan whenever you scroll your mouse over the inventory bar. The music was appropriate for the theme, and the graphics are decent, the characters are well drawn but at times the lip sync was off by a second or two. For me, this is a definite coupon redemption kind of game, enjoy!
I recommend this game!
A fire breaks out during a concert, and now your daughters are both missing. Hurry to track them down – their music may hold the key to life and death!
Overall rating
2
/
5
62 of 69 found this review helpful
Glad It's Over!
PostedDecember 1, 2014
pennmom36
fromI almost went insane playing this game!
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
The Deux family has been blessed with so many talented musicians that some say music actually runs through their blood! Yvette Deux, a French soprano was at the height of her career when she completely disappeared from the public's eye in 1947. Several years later she reappeared with two beautiful and equally as talented young girls, Amelie and Bernadette. The girls were performing for a packed audience in Italy when the stage burst into flames for no apparent reason. As the audience members began flailing around in a panicked frenzy, Yvette remained calm and quickly doused the flames as she watched the piano player Draco swiftly guide the children backstage. To her dismay, Draco has no intentions of returning these children to their anxious parents, in fact he states that Amelie and Bernadette will soon be fulfilling the family legacy! What on Earth does that mean? Who on Earth is Draco?
I'm simply not impressed with anything this game has to offer and I can't for the life of me figure out why so many reviewers fell head over heels in love with this game. The graphics are mediocre at best, the characters are cartoonish and not really "likeable" the tasks are predictable and mundane, and the main feature is music button icon. Yvette has the unique ability to listen to any melody and translate that melody into musical notes, therefore, whenever you hear music from any source, including birds, you click on the music icon which automatically jots down the musical notes in a decryption. For whatever reason, there are random musical locks located not only in the school, but the town as well, and you must click on the music icon once again to bring up your decryption code so you can rotate the musical discs to match this code (when you rotate one disc others are affected as well) You will also find dragon emblems that will unlock a story about the Deux family and eventually tell the story leading up to the family legacy.
The Collectors Edition didn't have enough substance to make it stand apart from this Standard Edition in my opinion. There are Wallpapers, Concept Art, Music, Achievements, a Bonus Chapter and a built in Strategy Guide available in the CE, other than that if you really dig the story, this Standard Edition would probably be the better choice.
I don't recommend this game.
Challenge your mind with a new collection of colorful mosaic puzzles while discovering beautiful images.
Overall rating
5
/
5
74 of 84 found this review helpful
Brilliant Colors
PostedDecember 1, 2014
pennmom36
fromMr. Penguin sure does love his gardens!
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
Fantasy Fantastic! The color combinations used are stunningly vibrant right from the get go, making this game one of the best Fantasy Mosaics yet. You can choose Casual which crosses off the numbers one by one or Advanced which crosses off the numbers when an entire row is complete. Just like the other Fantasy games, every step you take in the game will help renovate the penguins newest mystery garden with beautiful flowers and decorations. Mosaic games are based on logic so you won't have to be a math expert to enjoy these addicting games. You simply left click to mark a filled square and right click to highlight an empty square, if you have the numbers 2 1, this means that two squares will be filled in, followed by at least one empty square and then one filled in square. Every number must be separated by at least one empty square, and the grids vary in size, but you use logic to figure out which squares are filled in both rows and columns according to the numbers given. You are allowed up to three mistakes before you have to restart that level, the penguin will give you two hints per level on a random filled square and there is a pick axe you can use to reveal the state of any square. You will start out the puzzle in one color, and once all squares have been filled in with that color, the next color will automatically be displayed, however, if you get stuck, switching to another color may help you solve the puzzle so I suggest you try a different color before using up your available hints, enjoy!
I recommend this game!
Mana Crusher
Gather your team of wizards! Complete over 100 puzzles in the magical world of Mana Crusher!
Overall rating
3
/
5
30 of 30 found this review helpful
Click And Drag Match
PostedDecember 1, 2014
pennmom36
fromWhat am I supposed to do with the lottery cards?
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
This is a click and drag type game where you draw a continuous line of matches, across and even diagonally. The storyline is about various wizards and sorcerers who have been found guilty of witchcraft and have been banned to the planet Magia Orbis as their punishment. You choose which character you want to portrait which are listed on cards with a small bio on that character. After you reach level 6, more character cards are unlocked allowing you to purchase those characters with the money you earn playing the match games. The basic concept is to make the largest chain of matches possible, as you strive to earn more points than your opponent. The longer the chain of matches you make, the more points you will earn and the goal is to achieve enough points to reach the three star mark. Large chains will also earn extra points such as presents (wrapped boxes with ribbons) the first level is worth 200 extra points followed by a Magic box and a super present called Abracadabra, and each match of seven, earns a Flashing Mana Bomb. In my opinion, the game is too easy, once you choose which group of tiles you want to create a chain with, the other tiles are blocked out. The graphics are fairly decent and colorful and the tiles are interesting but each level seems to have the same goal, with the exception of clearing out cobwebs as you make matches of the tiles covered with cobwebs. It's not a bad game, but certainly not the most entertaining match game out there.
Submerge into the unique deep-sea world with your amusing aquatic buddies that will never let you feel bored in Fishdom: Depths of Time.
Overall rating
5
/
5
215 of 252 found this review helpful
Cleanest Aquarium I've Ever Had!
PostedNovember 27, 2014
pennmom36
fromHAPPY THANKSGIVING....gobble gobble, gobble
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
Age doesn't matter, everyone loves Fishdom! This is a Match 3 game, but mostly it's an interactive Aquarium that allows you to decorate up to 8 different aquariums with various themes. Naturally you will need money to purchase saltwater fish, aquatic plants and decorations, you will earn money with each Match 3 game you complete. There are different goals with each game such as, making matches on all yellow tiles, making matches under diamonds to allow them to reach the bottom, or breaking chained and boxed tiles. There is a Relaxed, untimed setting available, otherwise the faster you complete each game, the more money you will earn. There is a time meter on the right of the screen that has a bobber, if the bobber drops below the gold mark you will earn less money, silver is the next lowest score but I'm not sure if you still earn money if the bobber dips below silver. The tiles are delightful with a 3D aspect, there are scuba masks, lilies, sharks and turtles with bold and bright colors. If you match 4 tiles you receive a bonus that will clear a line of tiles, if you match a T shape or L shape from 5 tiles you will receive a Bomb which destroys a two tile radius, if you match 5 tiles in one row you receive Lightning which clears tiles of the same type and if you combine bonuses in a match you receive a Mega bonus which obliterates practically all of the tiles! There is an icon at the top which shows your current level status, as you gain experience stars, you level up which unlocks more items in the shop.
The best part of this game is decorating your 3D aquarium once you have earned enough money. Eventually you will unlock backgrounds and decorations with 8 different themes, Primitive, Antiquity, Extraterrestrial, Mesoamerican, Atlantis, Fantasy, Future and European, allowing you to have up to 8 different aquariums. Tina the turtle is already in your aquarium to give you a quick tutorial, and your first fish available is a Yellow Tang (however Tina said it was a Flame Angel) When you click on the desired fish available for purchase, a bio window will pop up with information about that fish. This is the really cool part....you choose either male or female and then select it's name either from the extensive list suggestions, OR you can backspace to delete any of those names and retype the name you prefer! The fish are constantly chattering as they make comments about your decoration choices and what a great person you are, and they even talk to each other, so have fun with the names, even when you enter your own name because all of those names are used when referring to you and each other! You will receive experience points with each new purchase as well and it's incredible how eager you become waiting to level up so a new fish can be purchased! This game also allows you to use any of your aquariums as screensavers which is a really cool feature, enjoy!
I recommend this game!
Track down a vampire hiding on a Mississippi riverboat cruise.
Overall rating
4
/
5
76 of 87 found this review helpful
The Thirst For Blood
PostedNovember 26, 2014
pennmom36
fromBlack Rose does bite!
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
Mrs. Brooks had no idea her husband wouldn't be interested in her homemade pie, turns out he was thirsty, thirsty for blood! Benjamin Brooks has become a blood thirsty, night dwelling creature who just feasted upon his wife's precious blood, tis a shame nobody had a slice of pie right? A Vampire Hunter's work is never done, and at a moments notice, you and your partner Simon, will be prepared, in fact, word has it that Ben has just boarded a Mississippi River Cruise. Pack you wooden stakes and garlic powder, you're heading to Louisiana!
You will be packing light for this trip, you'll only need the essentials, the Vampire Hunting Manual which will glow whenever it contains new information to dispel the spells that vamps have cast. You will also take a prized possession from Benjamin, a Vial of pure light. The Vial of Light apparently is a cure, could it be the cure for vampirism? You aren't really sure what this light can do, but the "cure" also needs dirt from a vampire's grave and an object of personal value to the vampire. It would seems that the vial of light is effective against strange phenomenon left behind from the vampires themselves! Some of the inventory items have plus signs indicating that some type of interaction is required before using that item such as combining that item with another inventory item.
The Hidden Object Scenes are presented in sections, you may start out with a few interactive list finds, which are followed by sketches of items, and finish by searching for missing parts to an ornate box. You can opt for a Bubble Shoot game instead of the Hidden Object game, either choice is entertaining. The Vial of Light requires a mini game to use the light, you need to select symbols shown in a specific order by trial and error (or good guessing) each time you use the vial, more symbols are shown. There are also the normal mini games such as a multi task game where you first rotate discs to complete a picture and receive a gear, then you have to untangle chains to receive a second gear, then you rotate nine square tiles until the symbols on each side of the tiles match up to receive the third gear, then you follow tangled wires from left to right and swap tiles with symbols so that each wire has matching symbols to receive the fourth gear. You place those four gears onto a mechanical spider until each gear interconnects and causes a chain reaction so the spider will crawl away, exposing a giant bat. The bat has arteries that need to make a complete path by rotating each section until you have a continuous connection from his heart to both wings. Next the bats wings begin to pulsate with blinking symbols that you match to the opposite wing, that's a maxi mini game!
The Collectors Edition was more appealing in my opinion with 10 collectible pumpkins that morph into a jack-o-lanterns, 43 Collectible Roses, Achievements, Pictures, Music, Morphs, Puzzles, HOP's, Movies, the Making of, Bubble Shoot, Screensavers, Concept Art, Souvenir Box, a built in Strategy Guide and a Bonus Chapter, enjoy!
I recommend this game!
In this exciting match-3 game, you’ve been called upon by the Queen to cultivate the biggest garden ever. Are you up to the task?
Overall rating
3
/
5
47 of 48 found this review helpful
Build The Queen A Garden
PostedNovember 26, 2014
pennmom36
fromOoohhh
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
This is a Match 3 game that I'm sure will delight many players, but in my opinion, there simply aren't enough wow factors to keep my interest. The tokens are huge, and the icons and graphics are cartoonish. You can choose to play Untimed with no limits for a casual pace, or you can play Timed or Challenge mode which sets a specific limit of moves. Each level has specific requirements such as collecting 40 roses and 40 shovels, or clear all background tiles by matching tokens of the same color only, or allowing butterfly bubbles to drop to the bottom to release them. There are four different Bonus icons that fill up as you make matches, a Gopher will gnaw through any row, even if blocked, Lightning removes all tokens from a column, Hummingbirds remove all similar tiles, a Pickaxe removes a single tile, and large matches will place gems onto the board of different strengths, which will destroy tiles surrounding the match. There are the usual obstacles, Vines which require a match of the token that is stuck in the vine, Wood blocks require a single match adjacent to the box, Stone blocks require two matches to break, and Ice blocks require a match of the same token that is frozen. Once you have collected enough gold, you can purchase items to build the Queen a magnificent garden. Each item must first be unlocked, this will happen automatically as you level up, then you get to choose from three different designs for each item you purchase. There are a handful of mini games available as well, such as "find 12 tools" or "match pairs" of identical butterflies by flipping over two bubbles at a time. This isn't a bad game, it just doesn't have anything new or exciting to separate this game from all the other Match 3 games, but who know's, maybe you'll love it, enjoy!
I recommend this game!
A deadly secret lurks in the woods of Dire Grove!
Overall rating
5
/
5
370 of 451 found this review helpful
I'm Already Preparing To Re-Visit Ravenhearst!
PostedNovember 25, 2014
pennmom36
fromI'm pretty sure it's 30 below where I live too!
Skill Level:Expert
Fun Factor
5
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
5
/
5
Level of Challenge
5
/
5
Storyline
5
/
5
Mystery Case Files are undeniably the most entertaining series available. If I had to choose one word to describe Dire Grove Sacred Grove, it would be perfection! I'm keeping my fingers crossed that the next Mystery Case Files will somehow take me back to Ravenhearst, which is my favorite storyline of the MCF!
Dire Grove is very dire indeed, the grove has been plagued with wild animals who have been attacking the townsfolk completely unprovoked. To make matters worse, the temperatures have plummeted to minus 30 degrees, turning the entire grove into a frozen tundra and forcing the town to evacuate their homes. Only a handful of hunters have stayed behind, determined to hunt down those responsible for the phenomenon, the Druid Mistwalkers! Dust off that MCF badge detective, it's time to return to Dire Grove!
There are many new features in this game, starting with the option of choosing which gender of Master Detective you want to portrait, male or female! There isn't a custom difficulty mode which surprises me, but there are several modes to choose from including the most insane difficulty which gives you no hints, no skips, and no direction at all, to make it even more challenging you must complete the game with time limits! Whenever you speak with one of the characters, several questions will pop up within a dialog window allowing you to ask specific questions in whatever order you choose. As a detective, you must find several items of evidence, once you have found all pieces of evidence pertaining to that subject, you will put all the pieces together and deduce the evidence which is basically a narration tying the evidence collected so far, together. Some of the inventory items have plus signs indicating that you must interact with that item, such as combining that item with another inventory item, before you can use it. There are Collectible Puzzle Pieces that can be assembled to unlock wallpapers, however the puzzle pieces may not be accessible the first time you visit an area, so don't forget to check back from time to time. There are also Collectible Dire Grove models and of course Achievements to earn. Best of all, there is an ALTERNATE ENDING, which makes this game a must purchase, gotta have it game!
The Hidden Object Scenes are creative, with extremely interactive list finds, requiring several interactions with several of the items as well as quick little mini games within the scenes. There are also HO's requiring you to find 12 icicles, 12 birds and 12 lights, and even this HO is interactive. Then there's the mini games, ooohhh those mind bending interactive puzzles mad famous in Fates Carnival. You know the ones, figuring out how to solve a seemingly impossible (seemingly yet possible) and lengthy interactive puzzle by flipping switches, clicking on buttons, bells and whistles in a specific order in hopes that you did it correctly and don't have to hit the reset button. Aaaarrrr, but I love it! Don't worry, there are the normal mini games as well, such as plugging wires into two different shapes so that the combined shapes match the example shown.
This Collectors Edition has Wallpapers, Concept Art, Achievements, Music, Puzzle Piece Collections, Videos, Dire Grove Collectibles, a built in Strategy Guide and an Alternate Ending (I simply can't wait to find out) making this edition a must have for all us Mystery Case Files fans, enjoy!
I recommend this game!
Find out who framed your fiancé for murder and clear his name
Overall rating
4
/
5
79 of 81 found this review helpful
A Killer Movie
PostedNovember 24, 2014
pennmom36
fromIt's a good thing that crew member told me that studio 6's rooftop would be located on the top of studio 6!
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
How many people have to die before calling this movie a wash? True Escapades has returned to production once again, each time someone ends up dead! Brian Garcia is this cursed film's latest victim, seems that gun prop was real with real bullets, did Ruben know the bullets were real? Someone want's this production scrapped badly, a ransom note has been found with an ultimatum, bring the original film to studio 6's rooftop or Ruben and Brian's wife will die! Just what is so important about this old film and why are people associated with the film dying?
The storyline is just okay, a bit too old fashioned and predictable. I consider myself to be pretty observant, but did anyone else see any Morphing Objects anywhere? I certainly didn't , and the extras claim that there are indeed morphs, so either they are some of the best morphs out there, or they simply aren't offered in the demo, or perhaps I wasn't interested enough in the story to pay attention. There are plus sign indicators on some of the inventory items that require you to interact with the item before using, and they have equipped us with an old school slide projector viewer. Whenever the viewer icon begins to shake, that's an indication that you can put any slide that you have come across into the viewer and use the viewer in that same scene in the form of spot the difference, with a difference! There is a slider button at the top which you slide to the right and left of the current scene, and click on any item that is different than the original scene. (okay, that's kinda cool) There are 40 collectible film strips, one in each scene, and they are well blended into the background, so kudos on that as well.
The Hidden Object Scenes were too scarce in my opinion, and a tad bit mundane, first you find 5 musical notes which will unlock that window to expose a key which is used to open up the next window with list finds, then you find 5 stars to unlock the next window which exposes a knife which unlocks the next list find, I'm bored just writing about it! The mini games were okay, but way too easy, however I would rather they be easy that frustratingly impossible. Most games were tiles that you swap to create a complete picture, or use arrows to roll a ball toward the hole of a labyrinth maze and the easiest game was sliding tokens through a simplistic maze to place on top of symbols located along the maze so that the token and symbol create the same symbol shown on the diagram.
This Collectors Edition claims to have Morphing Objects, 40 hidden Film Strips (what happened to the clapboards?) Match 3 games, 18 replayable HOS and 17 replayable Puzzles, 19 Achievements, a Souvenir Room (only available in full version) Movies, Music, Making of (only available in full version) Snap Shots and Wallpapers, Pictures, a built in Strategy Guide and a Bonus Chapter. This game will surely delight diehard Final Cut fans, but I personally wasn't over the top thrilled, mostly because of the story, but the dialog was poor at times and the acting wasn't that great either. Enjoy!
I recommend this game!
Stop Morgana by helping Princess Arianna find the essential elements to remove the curse from her kingdom.
Overall rating
4
/
5
59 of 62 found this review helpful
Best Of Both Worlds
PostedNovember 24, 2014
pennmom36
fromSomething's wrong with the ocean because your boat is broken and you can't catch fish?
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
If you like Hidden Object Adventures, this game has you covered, if you like Match 3 games, this game still has you covered. The Princess has embarked on yet another adventure to defeat the evil sorceress, Morgana who has been turning people of the kingdom into stone. This is a very easy game to play, but quite honestly it is a nice change of pace. Once again the Princess is joined by a sultry frog who lounges upon the hint icon just in case you are in need of his services and Corvus the beautiful bird is at your service as well and serves as your go to guy. Corvus has returned your Amulet which can be used to torch just about anything.
What makes this game so unique is the method used for obtaining inventory items, which are Match 3 games. The inventory item you need is received by playing a Match 3 game to allow pieces of the item to fall off the board until all pieces are collected. Some tiles are blocked, requiring you to make matches next to the block to break the tile, some require you to make matches over all of the cells to clear them, and there are even floating boards where you make matches to clear a path from one side to the other. There doesn't seem to be any bonuses to earn to help with the Match 3 games, but you can shuffle the tiles up to three different times.
There are also lot's of Hidden Object Scenes, which are simple list finds or finding several of one type such as 17 butterflies. If you don't like HOS, you can still switch over to a Match 3 game instead. There are mini games available as well such as moving spiders around a web until they are in the matching colored slots, or moving crabs to their correct slots using directional arrows around a maze, but when you move one crab, the other crab moves as well. This game isn't going to please hard core Hidden Object gamers, but if you want to kick back and play a relaxing nautical themed game with pleasant music, this game will please you, enjoy!
I recommend this game!