pennmom36's Profile
Stat Summary
- Average Rating:3.7
- Helpful Votes:358,445
- Reviews Submitted:4712
- First Review:December 10, 2012
- Most Recent Review:April 24, 2025
- Featured reviews0
Status:
Dark Arcana: The Carnival
Find the woman who disappears in the Hall of Mirrors. Investigate two worlds: the Carnivals of Good and Evil!
Overall rating
5
/
5
10 of 15 found this review helpful
Dark Arcana: The Carnival
PostedJune 6, 2014
pennmom36
fromFYI, you can pop the balloons on the play, quit page!
Skill Level:Expert
Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Hidden Object, Match 3, Time Management, Puzzle
Current Favorite:
Dark Arcana: The Carnival
(150)Fun Factor
5
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
5
/
5
Level of Challenge
5
/
5
Storyline
5
/
5
What a hidden gem of a Hidden Object Adventure, edgy, creepy and plain old entertaining. Susan Jones was enjoying a day at the carnival with her daughter when they decide to visit the House of Fear. Bad choice for Susan, the carney owner waits until Susan's daughter goes through the exit door and traps Susan inside! (should have seen that coming with that evil clown on the door). You are the detective assigned to the case and there's all kinds of crazy going on inside the carnival. Apparently the carney's owner Jim Gibbons killed his wife Alice Baker who was assisting him 25 years ago in his knife throwing act in 1975. Once you start snooping around you begin to see the big picture, has Jim made the devil a deal to use Susan to bring Alice back to life?
The first thing you will notice are the incredible graphics, creepy takes on a whole new level, and I was amazed at how lifelike and detailed the characters were. Even though this is just a Standard Edition, there are all kinds of achievements to earn for things like no misclick or hints used on HOS and befriending the monkey. This monkey you befriend, was chained at the ankle and scared. You play an arcade claw game to retrieve a stuffed banana toy and the monkey is your pal, helping you out by retrieving items out of your reach. I found it amusing that there were objects throughout the carnival that you could interact with, none are pertinent to the game just there for amusement such as popping balloons or moving wind chimes.
The mini games are really simple but really fun, almost all of the games are arcade style games, the Claw, shooting BB's at targets and, switching the scenery and characters on a carnival act until everything makes logical sense, by using directional arrows. The Hidden Object Scenes are slightly interactive list finds, mostly just clicking on items as indicated by gears, to uncover an item such as a lid or moving a blanket. If you aren't a fan of HOS (is that possible?) you can opt to play a game of Monaco which is a simple game of matching two cards with alike pictures and the remaining cards drop down or over in a match 3 type game (only it's a match 2 lol) I will tell you that the HOS are repeated twice, but not in the same place, surprise you get to enter a mirror portal to the good carnivals alter ego, the dark twisted evil carnival. Yep, dark and dreary and full of evil!
I can't think of a single thing I didn't like about this game, awesome story, terrific graphics, evil clowns -everybody loves a clown-creative achievements and two dimensional games, good carnival bad carnival. The more I think about it the more I wish I got a 6 star option, enjoy!
I recommend this game!
Lost Souls: Timeless Fables
Set out with Bella in search of her brother through the pages of well-known novels and true stories.
Overall rating
5
/
5
147 of 175 found this review helpful
Leave All Fears At The Altar of Fate!
PostedJune 6, 2014
pennmom36
fromHand me a fishing pole, I'll take care of Cthulhu!
Skill Level:Expert
Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Hidden Object, Match 3, Time Management, Puzzle
Current Favorite:
Awakening: The Redleaf Forest Collector's Edition
(78)Fun Factor
5
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
5
/
5
Level of Challenge
5
/
5
Storyline
5
/
5
Bella has the same terrifying dream night after night that something horrible has happened to her brother Stan, dreams so vivid that surely they mean something! Naturally you set out on a search and rescue mission where you meet Professor Angel who is now nothing more that a ghost doomed to wander between heaven and earth until he fixes the mistake he has made. The mistake just happens to be an ancient artifact that her brother Stan discovered, the Professor used this artifact to open up portals in of all things, books! Now it's up to you to enter the pages of these timeless classics and save your brother and rid the world of the Cthulhu monster!
The Collectors Edition has the usual screensavers, music, art, strategy guide and bonus game as well as achievements and hidden coins which are used to purchase ancient artifacts for your virtual trophy room. This game has several locations to visit such as the Museum, the Professor's house and even the Altar of Fate which require you to use the map constantly to travel back and forth as you find items in one scene that need to be used in another, so if you're not a fan of the back and forthing you might not enjoy this game. The graphics are very well done, cutscenes are unobtrusive and the characters are extremely detailed and lifelike.
The Hidden Object Scenes are slightly interactive list finds as well as finding items that match the pictures shown. After all items are found, a final item will be displayed in either a picture or list form which will be used as inventory. Some of the HOS are repeated but usually if it was a list find the first time it will switch to a picture find the next time. There are all kinds of different mini games, some require you to slide picture discs along given paths until they are in the correct place to complete a picture, and rearranging statues to the correct places but when you click on one statue two others move. My favorite one was actually pretty simple, you had to click on two matching butterflies fluttering about but if another butterfly crosses your path when you are clicking on the correct match, you have to catch two all over again.
In my opinion, the Standard Edition is perfectly fine, the game itself has enough of a backbone to support itself without searching for coins or earning achievements. The game is fairly easy to figure out even if you just jump to other locations to search for areas of interest, enjoy!
I recommend this game!
Dark Alleys: Penumbra Motel
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
Current Favorite:
Awakening: The Redleaf Forest Collector's Edition
(78)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!
Dark Alleys: Penumbra Motel Collector`s Edition
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!
Shadow Wolf Mysteries: Under the Crimson Moon Collector's Edition
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
Current Favorite:
Awakening: The Redleaf Forest Collector's Edition
(78)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!
Danger Next Door: Miss Teri Tale's Adventure
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
Current Favorite:
Awakening: The Redleaf Forest Collector's Edition
(78)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.
Big City Adventure: Rio de Janeiro
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
Current Favorite:
Awakening: The Redleaf Forest Collector's Edition
(78)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!
Curse at Twilight: Thief of Souls Collector's Edition
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
Current Favorite:
Awakening: The Redleaf Forest Collector's Edition
(78)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!
Cursed Memories: The Secret of Agony Creek
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
Current Favorite:
Awakening: The Redleaf Forest Collector's Edition
(78)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 Tiny Tale 2
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
Current Favorite:
Awakening: The Redleaf Forest Collector's Edition
(78)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!