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:
Pack your bags for a fantastic family vacation! Explore the world through puzzles, mini-games and hidden object scenes.
Overall rating
4
/
5
94 of 104 found this review helpful
Designed For Kids, Fun Enough For Adults
PostedOctober 21, 2014
pennmom36
fromNewsflash: a crab and lobster are different
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
It's difficult to write a review based upon a game whose targeted genre is kids. You have to think in terms of what a school aged kid would think about the game, not what you personally thought (personally I was getting quite bored with the connect the dots game) After playing the demo with that same criteria, I think that kids 6-10 would really enjoy this game especially with the guidance of someone like you!
It's summer vacation time and mom and dad have chosen to travel worldwide to destinations such as Sao Paulo, Mexico, New York, Toronto and of course Vegas.....whoa, what??? Okay even I think that last destination was a bad decision, here ya go kids just put a $5 dollar bill in this slot and pull the lever!
I originally thought this was a Hidden Object Game with mini games to play between levels but this is actually a game chock full of mini games and puzzles as well as Seek and Find scenes, nothings really hidden and there are more mini games than seek and find games. The items on the Seek and Find searches are either list finds (no interactions, no zoomed in areas) or find multiples of one item such as 20 clocks. I would have given this game a higher rating if the scenes weren't so bland, it would have been nice to have hidden coins or at least gave you points for finding items quickly.
This game had a nice variety of puzzles and mini games, but for some reason they chose to put in way too many connect the dot games, and they weren't typical connect the dot games, these required you to connect dots one letter at a time, no continual line to make a picture (except one) just a lot of starting and stopping for a bunch of letters and in my opinion would be boring for almost any age group. There are a lot of jigsaw puzzles that form a picture of a famous icon, most have around 20 pieces and the outlines are on the board for each piece. There are matching games where you flip two cards over at a time to try to match 2 alike pictures, spot the difference and matching a country's flag to a postcard with a picture of something iconic from that country. Of course there was a slot machine game for Vegas but at least they made the slots fun themes such as sports and toys, enjoy, I'm off to Vegas!
I recommend this game!
Help the adorable grim reapers Grimm and Rose defeat monsters, ghosts, evil bunnies and more using the power of words!
Overall rating
5
/
5
192 of 216 found this review helpful
Defeat The Monsters One Word At a Time
PostedOctober 20, 2014
pennmom36
fromWhat do I get when I use all of the letters in one word??
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
You will either love this clever word game or hate it. Give it at least 15 minutes before making up your mind because there are a lot of bonuses and and special tiles added with each level that make this game quite unique. The object of this game is to spell words from a group of letters to earn points that will allow the Grimm to use the reaper on the monsters and hopefully kill the monster while retaining your health (they have points as well, your points must be bigger than theirs)
Some of the letters have cracked tiles which give you more points, citron tiles that when used restores 15% health, poison tiles that damages your health by 5% and even plague tiles which will spread quickly if not used in a word. Each letter is worth different points, bronze letters do the least damage and gold letters do the most damage. The final quest after killing the monsters is to reap the gems which will be used to purchase bonuses, the green gem is worth 1 point, blue 5, red 20, purple 50, and the yellow gem is worth 100 points.
You can visit the store anytime to purchase a wide variety of helpful tools and even upgrade the letter tiles and the reaper scythe or get a Grimm assistant! Bonuses are unlocked at different levels such as, more health, more damage to the monster or you can purchase potions that restore 100% of your health and remove poisoned letters. There is an option to buy a monster health bar preview that shows you the damage the word will deal the monster before launching that word or you can see the health bar damage that the monster will inflict upon his next attack. You can equip yourself with books (knowledge is power) such as Duality that gives monsters 20% more damage for words with double letters (battle/bubble etc) Heel Me which gives you 3 healths for every letter E used, and Wealth which makes the monsters drop 4% more gems when defeated.
My whole family was standing behind me throwing out available words as I was playing this game, it really is a fun game that anyone will enjoy if they can spell words. If you don't know if a word is real all you have to do is throw the spelled word up there and if it is indeed a legitimate word the reaper icon will light up to indicate that it is a valid word. There are Quests which are achievements that you must fulfil such as using 2 corner letters in a word, using 2 cracked letters or spelling a 6 letter word, give it a try, and enjoy!
I recommend this game!
Leonardo da Vinci needs your help! A tyrant has conquered Florence and he is destroying all works of art and science!
Overall rating
4
/
5
83 of 92 found this review helpful
How da Vinci Almost Wasn't
PostedOctober 17, 2014
pennmom36
fromSweet alarm system Leo!
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
A man claiming to be a Mage has taken control of the government, and has demanded the surrender of all works of arts and science! This self proclaimed Mage has managed to turn the citizens of Florence Italy against their ruler by using simple parlor tricks and staged predictions to frighten and confuse all but a handful of rebels who won't tolerate the censorship this "messiah" is trying to enforce! Leonardo has entrusted you, detective to expose this messiah for the con artist he really is and save da Vinci's masterpieces for centuries to come!
Because da Vinci's works of art are mechanical inventions you will have lot's of gadgets, complicated locks and secret passageways to tinker with throughout the game. You will receive a mechanical pigeon that helps you with out of the reach items but early in the game he flies the coop and disappears only to be replaced with a mechanical sheep that can eat his way through the toughest vegetation, and you get to name him so I'm assuming he will stick around a litter longer than the pigeon. The hint system requires you to find fans, mostly in the HOS, each fan you find will give you another available hint but you can use the hint for direction without using an available hint.
The Hidden Object Scenes were just okay, with very little WOW factor in my opinion. They are interactive progressive silhouette finds with small puzzles to solve, by finding clues within the scene. Some of the HOS are repeated which is a feature I really despise. The mini games are good but some are very frustrating such as turning 3 nuts with arrows on a large bolt to complete a picture of da Vinci's flying machine.
The Collectors Edition has wallpapers, screensavers, concept art, movies, achievements, replayable mini games and HOS, collectible items to place in a pop up book called Leonardo's Tales, a built in Strategy guide and a Bonus chapter, enjoy!
I recommend this game!
Death needs help from the only detective he trusts – you!
Overall rating
5
/
5
148 of 170 found this review helpful
Balance Must Be Restored
PostedOctober 16, 2014
pennmom36
fromI for one wouldn't want Death as one of my clients!
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
Every living soul must depart this world to keep balance. Not everyone follows these rules and seek immortality, that is when Death himself must come down, the overseer of the balance for eternity. If balance isn't restored, if those who seek immortality aren't found, a riff will tear open and new lives cannot begin! Seems Death needs a bit of a vacation and entrusts you Detective, once again to find these life seekers and restore order to the very fabric of society, starting with Mr. Gautiers who seems to be a blood thirsty night walker, a vampire who has been leaving a death trail of innocent women. His newest victim is Zoe a young Parisian woman who blindly left a promising career behind and seems to be blinded by her love for him. Can you find absolute proof of Mr. Gautiers guilt before Zoe becomes a victim as well?
I don't understand why this game is receiving such poor reviews, this is a fantastic story! The graphics are dark and almost void of color, but this is how a game centered around Death should be, the entire story would lose credibility if there were an abundance of roses, pastels and glitter, don't ya think! Death has equipped you with his most powerful tools, the most important tool is a Magic Sphere which allows you to quickly transport to anywhere on the globe with a single touch, a necessity when you are tracking down a wicked fast vampire! I will admit that this game went a little overboard with the back and forthing, not only will you find yourself going back and forth between the scenes of your current location, but you will need to use the Magic Sphere to travel back and forth to your home every time you need to replicate a key or develope pictures. Some of the inventory items have a blue aura around them which will indicate items that need to be examined at your residence. There are also inventory items that have a + sign indicating that you need to interact with that item before using such as opening the item or combining that item with another inventory item. You will be given a journal that belongs to Death with some of the pages missing (actually all of the pages are missing at first) and once found will automatically go into your journal. There is a Task icon for objectives, and an icon to access the Collectible figurines showcase, each story has it's own set of morphing figurines representing each character. There are 52 hidden cards to collect and when you find the entire deck, you will have access to a replayable game of solitaire which is only available in the full version which doesn't really matter because you won't be able to find 52 cards in the demo anyway.
The Hidden Object Scenes are all the same from this dev, slightly interactive list finds, some HO's require you to find bat emblems to unlock the list, others may require you to find 12 puzzle fragments at the end and complete a small puzzle of rotating puzzle pieces to open a chest for the final inventory item. I loved the mini games which were at times simple and basic but entertaining such as moving horizontal bars on a lock to allow the vertical pins to move from the bottom to the top, for all three lock pins.
This Collectors Edition has 12 different Achievements, Morphs, Wallpapers, Concept Art, Music, a Secret Room, Solitaire Game, Collectible figurines, playing cards and diary pages, a built in Strategy Guide and a Bonus Chapter, enjoy!
I recommend this game!
No tricks! 500 new and unique high-quality photos is a real treat for jigsaw fans on Halloween!
Overall rating
4
/
5
37 of 39 found this review helpful
Spooky Good Jigsaws
PostedOctober 15, 2014
pennmom36
fromI got a jigsaw puzzle trophy, can't wait to display it!
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 year gone by and once again we get a decent Halloween themed jigsaw puzzle game. I wasn't over the top thrilled with the pictured offered this go round but it's a great way to kick off the Holidays. There are five categories and each one has 100 puzzles available, Costumes (mostly adult costumes) Treats (Halloween goodies) Decorations, Family and Autumn. The same options are available as usual, you can choose to hang a picture of the puzzle as well as the size of the picture, or you can ghost the image onto the background, you can use the sort button, and border only feature. You can click and drag any piece into the box on the top left corner to make extra room (a single click will reveal all the pieces placed in the box) There is also a Hint button, a Magnifying glass and background color choices in blue, green, pink or gray. The feature I use the most is the Modify button which allows you to choose the cut (shape) and the amount of pieces and whether the pieces can be rotated for a bit more challenge, on ANY of the puzzles offered. Otherwise the puzzles have predetermined sizes from 12-247 pieces, enjoy!
I recommend this game!
Trick or treat? No tricks! 120 new levels is a real treat for solitaire fans on Halloween!
Overall rating
5
/
5
115 of 132 found this review helpful
SPOOKTACULAR SOLITAIRE
PostedOctober 15, 2014
pennmom36
fromBOO
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
What's better than a game of solitaire? A spooky Halloween themed game of solitaire! There are two modes of difficulty, Newby and Pro, you can switch to Pro after you play the first game in the tutorial. The only difference between the two difficulties is that Newby allows you to replay any level and Pro only allows you to replay the entire pack. The object of this game is to try and create chains of cards by placing cards either higher or lower than the deck card shown regardless of suit. If you are able to use all of the gold cards you will automatically win that game even if there are normal cards left on the board. There are three bonuses available, a Mulligan which allows you to undo any last action including using your bonus, a Joker which changes any open card to a joker which is a wild card, and a Shuffle icon to put all cards back in the deck and deal new cards. There are 120 levels in appropriate themes such as Mystery Lake and Nocturnal Meadow, there are also achievements and trophies to earn, enjoy!
I recommend this game!
Can you solve the mystery of the ghostly violinist?
Overall rating
5
/
5
4 of 5 found this review helpful
Hereditary Ghost Seeing Abilities
PostedOctober 14, 2014
pennmom36
fromMaybe Elsie went to the wrong Knightstone household!
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
Dana Knightstone receives a letter from her distant cousin Sebastian Knightstone requesting her help with a dearly departed ghost. Until now Dana believed she was the only family member with the ability to see ghosts, and Sebastian has become too weak to help this ghost who was murdered. Dana must figure out who murdered Elsie, a musician and composer, and find the music she composed and hid just prior to her brutal murder.
The Hidden Object Scenes are very interactive, many of them have codes that need to be found in order to open intricate locks and they also have a zoomed in area with more objects hidden within. There are a lot of mini games such as placing 10 different gears onto silhouetted outlines. Every scene is chock full of interactive areas with lots of inventory items to find and use as well as intricate locks to pick and cabinets and drawers to jimmy open.
The Collectors Edition has Wallpapers, Concept Art, Cutscenes, a built in Strategy Guide and a Bonus Chapter. In my opinion this Standard Edition is the better value, enjoy!
I recommend this game!
Can you solve the mystery of the ghostly violinist?
Overall rating
5
/
5
5 of 5 found this review helpful
Haunting Run In The Family
PostedOctober 14, 2014
pennmom36
fromMaybe Elsie went to the wrong Knightstone household!
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
Dana Knightstone thought she was the only one with the ability to see ghosts until a distant cousin, Sebastian Knightstone contacted her about his own experience with a troubled ghost. Sebastian has been ill for quite some time, his weakness has prompted him to retire as a famous musician. A fellow musician named Elise has been trying desperately to contact him from beyond, causing him to have repetitive dreams about her trying to hide her composed music before being murdered. What does this beautiful composer want to tell us about her murderer?
The graphics are really good and every scene is packed full of inventory items to pick up and use, locks to tinker with and a ton of mini games so boredom isn't a factor here. The Hidden Object Scenes are very interactive, most have clues to uncover in order to open up locks and cabinets and they also have a zoomed in area to scavenge for additional objects. There are a ton of mini games such as placing torn paper fragments in the correct position according to clues given, rotating discs until they line up and then using those completed clues to figure out what stages fuses should be set at, red, green or completely turned off.
The Collectors Edition has Concept Art, Wallpapers, Cutscenes, a built in Strategy Guide and a Bonus Chapter, enjoy!
I recommend this game!
In Optika, solve challenging light puzzles with the use of lasers, prisms, mirrors, magnets and dozens of other optical devices!
Overall rating
2
/
5
50 of 57 found this review helpful
BORING!!!!!
PostedOctober 14, 2014
pennmom36
fromSofia's tutorial consists of scientific jargon, "These black thingies absorb light"
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
This is a very basic game that requires time and patience, a lot of time and a lot of patience. You need to manipulate mirrors by rotation or length to allow a beam of light to reach the receiver which is basically a circle. There are different shaped black obstacles that are blocking or absorbing the photon beams so you will have to figure out the best angles to allow the majority of the beams to bypass the obstacles and reach the receiver. The first 18 levels are part of the Tutorial which takes you step by step through all of the game mechanics taught to you by Professor Opticus and his assistant, Sofia. There are several categories: Laser Lover with 20 levels, The Big Bang with 17 levels, Let There Be Light with 14 levels, Supermassive Black Hole with 14 levels, The Force is with you, with 15 levels, Through The Looking Glass with 16 levels, Solar Level with 13 levels, Master Blaster with 12 levels, and Photon Attack Eclipse with 10 levels.
This game moves s-l-o-w, I couldn't even finish the tutorial so in all fairness the game may move more quickly once you have made it through all 18 levels of the tutorial. From my observations however it doesn't appear that this game has the need for speed, the photon light beams creep from the Emitters forcing you to wait forever for the light to reach the Receiver, and every mirror or obstacle slows the light down to a snails pace. It's even more frustrating when you have just waited 5 minutes (I'm not exaggerating) just to find out that an adjustment needs to be made. Maybe it's just my nature but I don't have enough time or patience for this game!
I don't recommend this game.
Step into the shoes of investigator Frances Keegan and track down a tax evader suspected of murder.
Overall rating
3
/
5
68 of 76 found this review helpful
Am I In A Time Warp?
PostedOctober 14, 2014
pennmom36
fromDid anyone else think Frances looked familiar?
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
Can somebody explain to me if this is the year 2013 or 2014? This was supposed to be tomorrows game today but there are reviews from 2013 so does that make this tomorrows game, todays game or last years game? I have to lean to last years game because the click, drag, and zoom scene of yesteryear has been booted to the curb, and for a good reason!
Agent Eric Ward has disappeared, 9 months ago (that's it! agent ward has been found since last year and thats why this game has been brought back, so we could get closure!) to be exact. Eric has been presumed dead, and his colleague Frances Keegan is investigating a case that seems to be linked to to Eric's case. As an agent of the American Federal Tax Bureau, one of your jobs is to apparently dress up like a "lady of the night" and work undercover (pun intended) to get more information without being recognized.
This game is old school, you will be given items to find, either one item at a time, a list of items or several items of the same kind to search for in a room by clicking on the screen and then dragging the screen around to assimilate a 3D effect, you can also scroll to zoom into a section for a closeup. There will also be hidden stars that will appear out of nowhere and you need to collect them for extra clues, a total of 99 clues is the maximum ( couldn't we have 100?) There are also minigames such as swapping and rotating tiles to complete a picture, there are 3 different controls that you switch, one for swapping tiles, one for rotating pieces and one to rotate the entire puzzle. I'm not a fan of this type of game, in my opinion the story isn't in depth and the tasks are mundane at times, not to mention I get tired of pulling my screen all over the place looking for unidentifiable objects.
I don't recommend this game.