pennmom36's Profile
Stat Summary
- Average Rating:3.7
- Helpful Votes:358,445
- Reviews Submitted:4700
- First Review:December 10, 2012
- Most Recent Review:January 15, 2025
- Featured reviews0
Status:
Rescue a young girl from the Penumbra Motel. Solve puzzles, unravel a long standing mystery of death and disappearances in this heart-pounding adventure game!
Overall rating
5
/
5
5 of 5 found this review helpful
Dark Alleys: Penumbra Motel SE
PostedJune 5, 2014
pennmom36
fromHey bff, about Monica.....
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 played both editions back to back starting with the Collectors Edition which has music, concept art, wallpaper, screensavers and a bonus game. The CE also has collectible war medals and a task bar with listed objectives. This Standard Edition however is the better value in my opinion. The story begins with a road trip on Route 66 to take your best friends daughter Monica to visit her ailing grandmother. As you pull into what appears to be local gas station, little Monica decides to buy some snacks but as she reaches the entrance, a strange man abducts her and locks the door! Within seconds the normal appearance of the gas station transforms and now seems to be over 50 years old! Who took Monica and what exactly is going on in this decaying town? As you search for answers and try desperately to save Monica, you find film reels that start to paint a grisly picture. Over 50 years ago Zack Penum axe murdered his entire family in cold blood, his wife Ellis, daughter Mary and her boyfriend, and the eldest son Jack who had just returned from the war. A body was never recovered for the youngest member of the family, 11 year old Frank Penum, could he be the one responsible for taking Monica, and why?? You aren't going to find any Hidden Object Scenes in this game, not a single one, but I can assure you this game is worth it. Each and every scene is jam packed with areas of interest with plenty of inventory items to fix and use throughout the game. The mini games are very entertaining ranging from simple puzzles to brain teasers. The mini game I enjoyed the most required you to flip colored switches and then use directional arrows to guide color coded buttons to the correct color matched wires. This is one of those games that draws you in with a creepy ghostly paranormal plot and holds your interest throughout the game, enjoy!
I recommend this game!
Rescue a young girl from the Penumbra Motel. Solve puzzles, unravel a long standing mystery of death and disappearances in this heart-pounding adventure game!
Overall rating
5
/
5
12 of 15 found this review helpful
Dark Alleys: Penumbra Motel CE
PostedJune 5, 2014
pennmom36
fromBet Monica's mom won't ask you to babysit again.
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
Somebody has been watching your every move since you first arrived on that desolate highway known as Route 66, watching you AND filming you! You are on a weekend adventure to take your friends daughter, Monica to see her ailing grandmother, but this good deed will put you somewhere between reality and insanity! Monica asks politely for some money to use at the gas stations store and skips merrily toward the door, and the unthinkable happens, she is abruptly grabbed by a stranger who locks the door behind him! You frantically search for items to use to get inside and protect yourself when a ghostly apparatus appears to warn you that Zack Penum has taken Monica and his intentions are evil. A murder took place in this very Motel, Zack Penum went on a brutal killing spree using a large axe and a pen knife (the axe probably got too dull). The victims were Ellis, Jack and Mary Penum his own family and his daughters boyfriend! There was a sole survivor, the youngest child, Frank merely 11 years old! Could Frank have returned after all these years to finish what his father didn't?
This is a classic adventure game with great cinematic clips, rustic, grainy graphics to set the atmosphere and creepy actors and ghosts. The Collectors Edition has a built in Strategy Guide, music, concept art, screen savers, wallpapers and a bonus game. You can choose from 3 modes of difficulty, Casual, Hard and Advanced and there is a setting option for Fullscreen and Widescreen. You lug around an old projector that will be used to view different reels of film you come across that tells you bits and pieces of the story including footage from the war that Jack served in, the projector case also holds collectible war medals that you find.
This is an adventure game with puzzles and mini games, there are NO hidden object games in any way shape or form and I promise you won't miss em, this game is that good. There are several areas of interest in each scene, tons of inventory items to use and collect, so it doesn't become mundane at any point. The mini games are actually quite good ranging from simple puzzles like reconstructing a photo that has been torn, and more complex and time consuming games like turning on all numbered cash register buttons in the correct order. My favorite game was guiding color coded buttons to bridge the gap of their matching colored wires by using directional arrows. The arrows guide two buttons at a time through a maze, you choose which colored buttons to move by flipping the desired colors switch and you have to manipulate the buttons by using dead ends and walls so that both buttons reach the wire gap at the same time!
I actually own this game and re-downloaded and dusted off, even though this game is now a couple of years old, it will always remain a classic that can hold it's own against the newer games of lte, enjoy!
I recommend this game!
Is Martha really a werewolf - or has she been wrongly accused?
Overall rating
5
/
5
201 of 248 found this review helpful
Blood Moon
PostedJune 5, 2014
pennmom36
fromI'm more frightened by the vicious snake and angry cat than the werewolf!
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
Wolves are viciously attacking people unprovoked every night, and a blood moon is rising! The townspeople are frightened and began accusing thy neighbors of being ..... (insert epic music) a werewolf! Ellis Cote has summoned your detective services after she was brutally attacked by a wolf in her own coach, fearful that her own neighbor, Martha is a werewolf. Ellis believes so strongly in werewolves that she actually pricks herself with silver pins to keep from turning into one of these hideous creatures! You came prepared with your official magnifying glass and an analyzer. Each person you meet gets the full magnifying glass inspection which gives you clues allowing you to make character assessments and even tell where they were at recently. Your analyzer is used to identify substances that you are unfamiliar with, the analyzer will ask questions such as, is it a liquid, gas or solid. Don't worry, if you guess incorrectly you simply try again with a different answer. You will find collectible story pages that tell of a legend about the first werewolf, Lycaon, once a king of Arcadia, until Zeus turned him into half man, half wolf because of his cruelty.
The hidden object scenes are a mixture of finding 12 alike items such as metal objects, and placing items back into the scene in their correct location. The HOS are repeated twice and you have the option of playing a mini game instead where you have to match two alike tiles whose paths aren't blocked by any other tile. You can choose Casual or Hard modes for each mini game. Some mini games require you to make matches by flipping two tiles at a time, if you choose incorrectly the tile will switch locations. My personal favorite was the Blackberry game where you had to choose which blackberry to start with and click on the directional arrow with the goal of course to create a path that will cover all blackberries in one continuous path.
This game has a great story and entertaining games and puzzles, however, in my opinion, this Collectors Edition doesn't have enough backbone to make me choose this edition, I'm going to wait until the Standard Edition is released to make my purchasing decision, enjoy!
I recommend this game!
Your neighbor, Monty, has been murdered! It`s up to you to solve the case by exploring solving puzzles and finding clues.
Overall rating
3
/
5
14 of 23 found this review helpful
Danger Next Door: Miss Teri Tales
PostedJune 4, 2014
pennmom36
fromNewest resident Mike has some explaining to do!
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
I found this game strange, bizarre, and just plain weird. The hidden object scenes are somewhat normal but the cutscenes are confusing with a bunch of random people, dogs and kids with superimposed heads on animated bodies?? Each scene has several list items to search for in a junkpile of random items and some of the items you find will be used in the scene interactively such as finding a dart and a blowgun, combining the two items and blowing the dart at a balloon to burst the balloon and drop the car keys that for some reason were tied to the balloon (that's some party) There are two modes of difficulty, Timed and Relaxed. The story is about a small town Mayor, Miss Teri, whose deputy Mayor is found murdered and Miss Teri and the local police man try to find out who murdered him and why. Nothing special enough in this game for my taste.
I don't recommend this game.
Samba your way to the tropical paradise of Rio de Janiero! Search for thousands of cleverly hidden items and play fun mini-games along the way.
Overall rating
5
/
5
279 of 314 found this review helpful
Rio Bound!
PostedJune 4, 2014
pennmom36
fromInk stick=pen, really?
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
Another exciting Hidden Object Adventure in Rio de Janeiro with Timed or Relaxed options. Travel to Sambodromo, Santa Teresa, Corcovado and even Lapa to search for some extremely well hidden objects including hidden coins and 20 pictures of sandcastles. Every scene has a few hidden coins that aren't on the list, 5 different coins in all that give you an extra hint, extra points, fast forward hint, extra time and even a skip coin to skip a mini game. Each scene has one area that can be zoomed into in order to find the items listed in blue. The only differences I noticed with this edition of Big City Adventures was that you don't pick a family member as your profile, and the graphics have noticeably improved. You earn points with each find and get more points the quicker you find items and the points are tallied along with unused coins, quick finds and the time left over. There are 12 different achievements to earn such as not misclicking or using hints. After each HOS you will play a simple mini game such as clicking tiles to complete a road from start to finish, or, clicking on groups of two or more tiles until all brown cells have had a match over them. My favorite mini game so far was placing 4 soccer balls into 4 goals and then rearranging them one by one until by reason of deduction they are in the correct goals. There are several Big City Adventures available such as San Francisco, Tokyo and even Paris, and with the exception of one or two, all are very fun and relaxing. One of the best features in these games are the short postcard bios that give a brief description of the location you are about to visit. Give this game a try and I'll bet you'll want to try the others, enjoy!
I recommend this game!
After being summoned to a mysterious manor, you must unravel the story of an ancient evil and discover your destiny before it’s too late!
Overall rating
5
/
5
4 of 6 found this review helpful
Curse at Twilight: Thief of Souls CE
PostedJune 3, 2014
pennmom36
fromWhats beyond the gate, I have to know?!
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 absolutely love this game, I played the Standard Edition first and had to play this Collectors Edition to find out what goodies were in store for me. Everything about this game is unique. With the CE you get the usual concept art, wallpapers, soundtracks, strategy guide and a bonus game. You will need to collect gold, silver and bronze keys to unlock those locked areas in the game and you will earn the pearl keys when you complete the missions in the bonus game. You have been invited to attend a housewarming party of sorts to that old mansion down the street that you thought was abandoned much less renovated, but when you arrive, the only thing you are finding are locked doors and ghostly apparitions!
At the top of the screen you have a task completion bar and a coin bar, each scene has at least 4 coins to find and when you find all of the coins you will receive a picture of that scene which goes in your map to allow you to quickly move to the desired location, and they are used as extra hints as well! Each scene has an item that is broken and you need to find all of the missing fragments to repair and then use that item. Don't worry, there are still the normal HOS which have several items to interact with such as finding and using a key on a lock or finding and using a corkscrew on a corked bottle to get to the lemon at the bottom of the bottle. The mini games are fun, mostly simple puzzles that require you to swap and rotate pieces but there are also mini games such as pressing the correct stones by referring to the directions you uncover.
I highly recommend the Collectors Edition over the Standard Edition, just so much going on, but the SE isn't a bad choice because you still get to collect the coins, enjoy!
I recommend this game!
After waking up chained to the floor of a cabin, you must discover the Secret of Agony Creek and escape before it's too late!
Overall rating
5
/
5
33 of 36 found this review helpful
Cursed Memories: The Secret of Agony Creek SE
PostedJune 3, 2014
pennmom36
fromDon't you remember?
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 actually own this game and this is the third time I have played this game, and still enjoy the plot, puzzles and hidden object games. The story begins with dramatic music, you wake up shackled in an abandoned building with no idea what's happening to you. As panic sets in you hear a cell phone ring and this stranger tells you to escape by any means possible and meet her in the cabin in the woods (yeah right) She also warns that a maniacal cop, Diane Matthews, responsible for the deaths of five people, is after you! Who can you trust if not the officer? See I told you it's a great plot.
The graphics aren't the best out there, but they are really good and really creepy, keep in mind this is an older game. There are a bunch of puzzles such as spot the difference as well as more complex games requiring you to mix paints to achieve the correct colors as indicated, but you must fill 2 cans at a time side by side so choose the two cans wisely. The Hidden Object Scenes are interactive list finds with a whole lot of graves, skulls and abnormal creepy items.
Either edition of this game is great but the Collectors Edition does have a built in Strategy Guide and collectible money bags, enjoy!
I recommend this game!
The Elven kingdom is in great danger! Can you find the remaining holy shrines to save the kingdom from the Evil Necromancer?
Overall rating
5
/
5
120 of 135 found this review helpful
Love Those Little Gremlins!
PostedJune 3, 2014
pennmom36
fromLook out for Swampy!
Skill Level:Expert
Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Hidden Object, Match 3, Time Management, Puzzle
Fun Factor
5
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
5
/
5
Level of Challenge
5
/
5
Storyline
5
/
5
The Shrine of Compassion has been corrupted, instead of spreading health and well being, the Shrine is now spreading death and the Trolls must find the other Shrines and take a sample of each one to rejuvenate the Shrine of Death. You can choose a Relaxed setting if so desired, and you can speed up the game or slow it down to customize the game. There are several resources to collect such as wood or food and you must send the Troll Shaman to chase away the Mummies, Pumpkin Heads, and Skeletons which will steal your resources. If you build houses, you get more Gremlins which are the one's who do the legwork here, and if you build taverns, they will produce food over time. You are tasked with collecting manna, gold and chopping down trees for wood, and you must fix bridges and corrupt gardens which will produce food as well. There are several alters which when activated will regrow trees and pumpkins and even make the gremlins faster for a burst of time. One of the features I like on this game is that whenever you press the spacebar, you can see what tasks are available in green circles around the items and if the item is red that task is not yet available. When you complete the level in the allotted time, you receive flowers that can be used to upgrade the gremlins and Troll in a 3D virtual room, enjoy!
I recommend this game!
Solve the puzzles of an old pirate and find the treasure! Challenge yourself by adjusting the game mode and puzzle pieces.
Overall rating
5
/
5
92 of 98 found this review helpful
Jigsaw Puzzles With caribbean Flair!
PostedJune 2, 2014
pennmom36
fromWelcome to the Caribbean mon!
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 love the beautiful Caribbean pictures available from sea turtles to beaches. The only drawback I have is that there are only 18 puzzles in each box with 4 boxes total. You can choose Easy or Casual settings and there are 7 trophies to earn. You can modify any of the puzzles offered and choose from 10-300 pieces as well as the shape of the puzzle and if you want the pieces to rotate. You can choose from 4 different background colors and the resolution setting. There are options to display the image up to 3 times the size or ghost the image on the background. There are also options to show only the border pieces and you can use the box to store extra pieces to make more room. There are available hints and a magnifying glass too, enjoy!
I recommend this game!
A new fantastic Mahjong adventure awaits you in this epic story of the struggle between good and evil!
Overall rating
5
/
5
97 of 104 found this review helpful
Fantastic Mahjong-Time Management Concept!
PostedJune 2, 2014
pennmom36
fromCan I interest you in a different mahjong book...Please??
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've never seen a Mahjong game quite like this one, fast paced, exciting, frustrating and entertaining! The goal of this game is to match books (A.K.A Mahjong tiles) for each of the library clients. A tiny little Elf enters the library and requests a book as shown next to him and you must find a matching pair of tiles, hopefully before his patience runs out and he leaves. There is a Freeplay mode to choose as well which doesn't require you to serve any clients. There are 6 different trophies to earn and 8 different Elixer's to earn which can be used to find a random set of tiles, give you an undo or even unlock a tile. This game can be difficult, I found myself having to repeat some of the levels a couple of times because there were very few matching tiles, none of which were books I needed and you had to make all available matches before the board would shuffle. If there was an available shuffle button without having to earn or buy an elixir, that would have been a better option. I love it when the developers "think outside of the box" and this game is a perfect example of how creative a game can be when they make the slightest changes. This game could really qualify for a Time Management game as well, enjoy!
I recommend this game!