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:
Join Dracula and his allies on a quest for a treasure beyond imagination!
Overall rating
4
/
5
10 of 12 found this review helpful
PATIENCE IS A VIRTUE
PostedJuly 16, 2021
Fun Factor
4
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
3
/
5
Level of Challenge
3
/
5
Storyline
3
/
5
I purchased the CE version sight unseen because this is one of my favorite TM series and I've never been disappointed...until now. The Legend of the Valkyries wasn't as "Incredible" as previous games and the CE versions extra content was minimal. There are only 7 Collectible Dwarves located somewhere within the 50 Main Levels and 15 CE Bonus Levels. The graphics aren't as amazing as they were with the previous two developers, the timer is really stingy and the Strategy Guide is so small I could barely see the marked areas.
A few tasks have been changed but the gameplay is still basically the familiar Incredible Dracula scenario. There are the typical tasks of repairing or constructing bridges, sawmills, BloodDonalds, and Crystal Mines. You will still be removing debris, potions, etc. as well as collecting Keys for treasure chests, activating gates and portals, and exploring caves and/or labyrinths. Frank has a bigger role this time and actually fights the monsters and Princess has her own demons to destroy.
The Collector's Edition has 50 Main Levels, 15 Bonus Levels, 33 Achievements, 13 Music Soundtracks, 8 Concept Art Pictures, 7 Collectible Dwarves, and a built-in Strategy Guide (good luck seeing it)
This is one of the few times that I can't recommend the CE version, the bling that makes a CE version worthy just isn't there. I wish I would have waited for this SE version but this has always been one of my top 10 favorite Time Management series so I naturally thought it would be another winner. I've learned my lesson the hard way, next time I will play the demo first and be a little more patient! Won't you join me at my new forum at thewoodsforum.boards.net
I recommend this game!
The Hudson family is inviting you on their next amazing adventure! Get ready to solve puzzles and experience the wonders of Thailand!
Overall rating
3
/
5
44 of 53 found this review helpful
OBJECTS ARE A LITTLE MORE "HIDDEN" THIS TIME
PostedJune 30, 2021
Fun Factor
3
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
3
/
5
Level of Challenge
3
/
5
Storyline
2
/
5
The Hudson family travels are catching up with the penguins lately, sometimes you just gotta say Phuket...Phuket City Thailand here we come! Phucket, Big Buddha...sit tight, I'll get that bandage off your nose, or is that a moth? I'm not gonna lie, Phucket has some weird attractions, did anyone else see animal shapes in the clouds? Phuket has more than Big Buddha's, there's the Phuket Phi Phi Islands, Phuket nightlife, you can even go Phuket Island hopping! Bet the tourists drive the Phuket locals crazy!?!
In the last couple of games, they have added a few different HO variants, Mirror Reflections where the words are mirrored as well as the screen (as it would be reading the word "ambulance" in a rearview mirror), and Spot the Difference. I love "spot the differences" scenes but ONLY when they make subtle changes to the scenery, which isn't the case here. All you have to do is click on objects that have been added to the scene and in this case, the objects are huge and hard to miss! There isn't much of a challenge when the differences are Godzilla-sized moths, skateboards that are smaller than the moth, pinecones that would crumble Phucket's Big Buddha if it fell on him, or a stalk of broccoli that would scare any kid forced to eat his vegetables!
One of the biggest reasons I don't feel the need to purchase these games lately is because the items never change position when you replay the levels, which is a requirement to earn the necessary stars to unlock the next level in order to progress, therefore, it can get boring quickly. Sometimes they add a couple of new objects to the repeated scenes, but all the previous objects are in the same position every time you replay the game, Phuket...has a bunch of these repeated objects!
You can play in 3 different modes, a Relaxed Untimed Mode, 10-Minute Timed Mode, or a 3-Minute Timed Mode to complete each level. You will earn a single star on each HO location and the next location requires 1-3 stars to unlock it which means you'll have to replay the scene in a different HO mode. The Hidden Object Modes change each time you replay a scene, between Listed Item, Silhouetted Shapes, Scrambled Letter Modes, and the two new variants, Mirror Reflection and Spot the Differences. Because the objects themselves never move, you can basically guess at the objects by the time you roll around to the silhouetted shapes, and scrambled letters and get 99% of them right!
Each scene has a Lazy Turtle to discover (once you find him he won't appear in the other HO modes) There are trivia facts before visiting each location as well, Phuket...has some interesting fun facts, did I mention that already? I STILL think the developers need to use their Lazy Turtle Logo versus the cheap plastic turtle because this developer's Lazy Turtle Logo is one of the coolest logos I've ever seen, I know I'd personally rather see a Phuket Lazy Turtle logo than a plastic Phuket turtle any day of the week! He's an adorable "lazy" turtle wearing a sombrero and leaning up against a palm tree, probably thinking, Phuket...would be an awesome vacation destination! If they used a semi-transparent image of this logo and hid it in each scene it would be much more challenging to spot, which is the point of a hidden collectible that isn't on the list! (Phuket, free advertising never hurts either!)
The Hudson Family's trip locations include:
~Bangkok, The Grand Palace
~Phra Nakhon, Ayutthaya
~Bangkok, Floating Market
~Krabi, Railay Beach
~Surat Thani, Khao Sok
~Krabi, Phi Phi
~Phuket, Big Buddha
~Phuket, Phuket City
~Surat Thani, Koh Tao
~Bangkok, Khaosan Road
~Khao Yai National Park
~Chiang Rai, White Temple
~Mae Hong Son Pai
~Chiang Mai, Doi Inthanon
~Bangkok, Chao Phraya River
~Bangkok, The Grand Palace
~Phra Nakhon, Ayutthaya
~Bangkok, Floating Market
~Krabi, Railay Beach
~Surat Thani, Khao Sok
~Krabi, Phi Phi
~Phuket, Big Buddha
~Phuket, Phuket City
~Surat Thani, Koh Tao
~Bangkok, Khaosan Road
~Khao Yai National Park
~Chiang Rai, White Temple
~Mae Hong Son Pai
~Chiang Mai, Doi Inthanon
~Bangkok, Chao Phraya River
Mini-Games Available:
~Jigsaw
~Underwater Solitaire
~Travel Cards (Matching Card Pairs)
~Sea Animals (Restore picture puzzle)
~Tropical Fruits (Word Search)
~Jigsaw
~Underwater Solitaire
~Travel Cards (Matching Card Pairs)
~Sea Animals (Restore picture puzzle)
~Tropical Fruits (Word Search)
It would be a better game if the objects moved around when you revisited the scenes in a different Hidden Object Mode. I do appreciate that the objects are blended into the scenery better, but they are still really big/obvious objects that are hard to miss, even without the Magnifying Glass feature. This makes the game super easy to complete in just a couple of hours. Phuket...City isn't the only conversation topic going on in The Woods Forum! Join us at my new forum for series lists, daily game talk, and great conversation at thewoodsforum.boards.net
Emeraldium
Test your skills against 50 timed match-3 challenges across an enchanting place known as Emeraldium!
Overall rating
1
/
5
2 of 3 found this review helpful
IT WAS RATHER ADDICTING AT FIRST BUT QUICKLY BECAME BORING
PostedJune 29, 2021
pennmom36
fromOn a good note, I loved how quickly the score window popped up when you completed the level goal.
Skill Level:Expert
Fun Factor
1
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
1
/
5
Level of Challenge
1
/
5
Storyline
1
/
5
When I first started playing Emeraldium, it was addicting, but it quickly became repetitive and was so easy that I was completely bored by the time I finished the first group of 10 levels. The gem tiles eventually became hard to differentiate between the similar colors and shapes which slowed down progress, but the timer has more than enough time allowance and the levels are completed at a break-neck pace.
The goal is to turn all cells to Gold by making matches over them. The only obstacles I came across were stone blocks that require an adjacent match to destroy them which exposes more gems and cells that need to be turned to gold.
Supposedly, you'll earn Power-ups when you make a large match, but my game didn't have any no matter how large my matches were? They are the usual power-ups of a Pickaxe to remove a single tile, Dynamite to destroy 9 tiles, Double Dynamite to destroy a horizontal line, and a Nitro Lamp to destroy a vertical line.
The board layouts just weren't creative enough to present a challenge with hard-to-reach nooks & crannies. If this game were a bit more challenging and had a little more variety it would have been more interesting. I've opened my own forum, join us won't you at thewoodsforum.boards.net
I don't recommend this game.
Help the Penguins explore ancient Egypt and use logic to solve challenging mosaic puzzles!
Overall rating
3
/
5
29 of 46 found this review helpful
OH LOOK, ANOTHER FANTASY MOSAIC MONDAY
PostedJune 29, 2021
pennmom36
fromAt the risk of sounding whiny, the Penguin Family themed mosaics have just become boring to me after 47 games :(
Skill Level:Expert
Fun Factor
2
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
3
/
5
Level of Challenge
2
/
5
Storyline
1
/
5
The penguins seem to have a lot of bad luck and their 47th adventure is no exception to the rule! The Penguin family finds themselves in a new predicament after a storm blows out their balloon's fire and they make an emergency landing in Egypt. Perhaps they should stick to adventures that don't present opportunities to put them in dire distress, I hear Antarctica is fairly adventure-free, other than the occasional hangry seal?
The Zen Mode has returned for those who prefer to solve the griddlers without all the hand/flipper holding. In Zen Mode, the numbers aren't crossed off but Mistakes aren't counted against you either, because chances are, you'll have to edit some of the cells as you switch between colors. You can delete filled-in or crossed-off cells by right-clicking the cell in Zen Mode, and you'll know you have completed a particular color correctly because a checkmark will appear on the color bubble.
You can play in a Casual Mode which crosses off the cells one by one, or the Advanced Mode, which only crosses off the remaining cells once the entire row and column have been filled in. You will earn a Gold trophy if you make no mistakes, a Silver trophy if you make one mistake, and a Bronze trophy if you make two mistakes. You will also earn up to three gold Stars if you don't use any hints, one star is deducted each time you use a hint. Therefore, it is possible to make a mistake or two but still earn 3 stars as long as you don't use any available hints.
There are 20 locations, and each location has 5 Griddlers and an additional mini-game. You can choose from 7 different tile sets, ranging in color vibrancy, and styles. Locked Colors can be disabled in the Settings menu, otherwise, some of the colors are locked and unavailable until you uncover color-specific keys that are hidden beneath some of the filled-in cells The Eye feature allows you to hide the grid to get a look at the puzzle without all the grid lines, and there is a reset icon that makes it much easier to restart the level if you make a mistake.
There are groups of numbers located on each column and row of the grid, each group of numbers must be separated by at least one blank or crossed off cell. Sometimes it's easier to cross-off cells that can't possibly contain a filled-in cell, which will reduce the number of cells and narrow the playing field down a bit, when you get stuck, you can switch colors and work back and forth until it's solved.
Some of the cells contain bonuses such as extra hints, extra mistakes allowed, or an extra pickax which allows you to choose which cell you want a hint on, and some cells contain keys to unlock colors (unless you disable this feature in settings) There is a Sun icon as well that when fully charged, will give you a mega-hint, filling in or crossing off a 3x3 area of your choice. I have opened a new forum, won't you join us at thewoodsforum.boards.net
I don't recommend this game.
Polygon Art is back with colorful new Paint-by-Number puzzles that allow you to create beautiful artwork with ease!
Overall rating
1
/
5
45 of 50 found this review helpful
LOOK AT THE BF SYNOPSIS PICTURES-WHO IS THE TARGETED AUDIENCE?
PostedJune 29, 2021
pennmom36
fromLooking at the bright side I don't see a heart this time!
Skill Level:Expert
Fun Factor
1
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
1
/
5
Level of Challenge
1
/
5
Storyline
1
/
5
My review sounds like a broken record, but once again, this developer is failing to see the bigger picture in this geometrical Polygon Art game. You don't even have to download this game, just look at the BF synopsis pictures, who exactly are they trying to please because no adult would think these are interesting images and I know for fact kids wouldn't care about them!
The good stuff:
-for the 1st time, the developer is using slightly different color hue variations which gives it somewhat of a 3 dimensional appearance.
-The geometrical shapes have several advantages, it gives dimension and makes objects look like crystal, there's no need for those hideous thick black lines, the shapes are easier to see than most shapes in the paint by numbers games.
-I loved that only the current number was visible, the next number shows up when the previous number is complete (or the number is selected on the pad-no clutter)
-the cursor is smaller
-for the 1st time, the developer is using slightly different color hue variations which gives it somewhat of a 3 dimensional appearance.
-The geometrical shapes have several advantages, it gives dimension and makes objects look like crystal, there's no need for those hideous thick black lines, the shapes are easier to see than most shapes in the paint by numbers games.
-I loved that only the current number was visible, the next number shows up when the previous number is complete (or the number is selected on the pad-no clutter)
-the cursor is smaller
The bad stuff:
-The images are boring, really boring.
-The polygon shapes are huge which makes the images super easy and the levels are over in a snap.
-Did I mention the picture selection is dreadful?
-Did I mention I can only choose pictures within the current level
-This is an Art game, why are all the pictures of a single item, why can't the background be involved as well?
-I appreciate that you have finally added color hue variations, but just about any modern running computer can easily identify 16,777,216 different colors...take advantage of at least SOME of them!
-Why do so many of the pictures involve fruit? Let's compromise, I'll eat fruit while playing, how about nature and animals for the pictures, preferably the ones I don't eat?
-Why can't I have more than one cursor option? (I don't eat those ;)
-The images are boring, really boring.
-The polygon shapes are huge which makes the images super easy and the levels are over in a snap.
-Did I mention the picture selection is dreadful?
-Did I mention I can only choose pictures within the current level
-This is an Art game, why are all the pictures of a single item, why can't the background be involved as well?
-I appreciate that you have finally added color hue variations, but just about any modern running computer can easily identify 16,777,216 different colors...take advantage of at least SOME of them!
-Why do so many of the pictures involve fruit? Let's compromise, I'll eat fruit while playing, how about nature and animals for the pictures, preferably the ones I don't eat?
-Why can't I have more than one cursor option? (I don't eat those ;)
I don't actually see a bright side with this particular version. It may be time to call it quits on this series (Polygon Art) Please join us at my new forum, thewoodsforum.boards.net
I don't recommend this game.
Egypt’s only hope of survival is an artifact with the power of dreams!
Overall rating
2
/
5
89 of 111 found this review helpful
THERE'S MORE TO CLEOPATRA THAN VANITY
PostedJune 27, 2021
pennmom36
fromCleopatra was an extremely intelligent woman and a Salon isn't just a salon!
Skill Level:Expert
Fun Factor
2
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
3
/
5
Level of Challenge
3
/
5
Storyline
2
/
5
I have always loved Egyptian-themed games so I was eager to play this game when I first saw it on another site. I really wanted to like this game but not only is it boring and repetitive, it has tasks that make no sense, and features that interrupt the flow of gameplay, not to mention glitches.
The character's dialog boxes interrupt the game and simply clicking on the boxes doesn't speed through the dialog. If the dialog box is explaining a feature, you are forced to click on that task even though you can clearly see that that task isn't available because it is blocked. Turning off the tutorial would mean that you won't get explanations for any new feature, and the explanations are already pretty vague so you'll be left clueless with this option! To make matters worse, I found that if you interrupt the dialog to click on the Strategy Guide, when you return to the game, whichever dialog box was interrupted gets stuck there and you can't click on anything to continue playing. This happened on 3 different levels and I had to restart the levels every time so it's a definite glitch, if I waited until the conversation completed I didn't have any issues.
In the last game series by this developer, they gave us giant speed pills, so the developers had to put on their thinking caps to come up with the most ridiculous feature imaginable...a Beauty Salon in the middle of the dessert! Btw Cleopatra reigned as Queen of Egypt in the 1st Century B.C.
The 1st beauty salon, the Harper Method Hair Parlour was opened in Rochester, New York in 1888 by Martha Matilda Harper, a domestic servant who invested her life savings of $380. In 1891, Martha was also the 1st person to start modern retail franchising, she only sold franchises to poor women, and she was the 1st to invent reclining shampoo chairs. In Martha's lifetime, she sold 500 franchised hair salons that emphasized natural healthy hair care. Among the Harper customers were British royalty, Susan B. Anthony, Woodrow Wilson, Grace Coolidge, Joseph P. Kennedy, Rose Kennedy, Jacqueline Kennedy, George Bernard Shaw, and
Ladybird Johnson!
Ladybird Johnson!
My point here is that Cleopatra's Hair Salon in the desert seems really petty when you know the truth. The Hair Salon was created by a Canadian immigrant who didn't receive a formal education as a child, whose father sent her away at age 7 to become a domestic servant, a courageous woman who never gave up and blazed the trail to empower other women!
The developers decided to focus on Cleopatra as being nothing more than vain, even though there is evidence that she wasn't as striking as originally believed. Perhaps they should have focused on her intelligence? She spoke a dozen different languages and was educated in mathematics, philosophy, oratory, and astronomy. She was a popular Queen, a ruler “who elevated the ranks of scholars and enjoyed their company, and I can assure you that not once did she visit a Beauty Salon in the desert!...now you know :)
You can play in an Easy, Normal, or Difficult Mode, however, I found the Normal mode to be nearly impossible to earn all 3 stars on the first attempt, the timer is very stingy and you have to complete the tasks in a very specific order. My suggestion to the developer is to have a Normal player decide how fast the clock ticks down rather than the developer himself who is naturally going to know the order in which tasks need to be completed, therefore will be able to beat the levels more quickly than the Normal Average Joe! There are 20 Achievement Trophies to earn and a Hidden Puzzle rune in each level. I recommend that you search for the rune before clicking to start the level, and you can return to a level to search for missed puzzle runes without affecting your original score.
The Stars earned can be used to upgrade Cleopatra's attire which is accompanied by a booster to speed the movement of the characters, speed the removal of obstacles and building upgrades, or double the resources collected. You can also purchase furniture boosters:
*Sacred Cat: recharges running Speed
*Pharaoh's Bust: recharges workers speed
*Strengthing Magic: permanently increases the speed to remove obstacles & upgrade buildings
*Wings of Isis: slightly permanently increases the speed of characters
*Endless Chest: adds 1 gold, food, & wood at set intervals
*Precious Scarab: doubles resources
*Pharaoh's Bust: recharges workers speed
*Strengthing Magic: permanently increases the speed to remove obstacles & upgrade buildings
*Wings of Isis: slightly permanently increases the speed of characters
*Endless Chest: adds 1 gold, food, & wood at set intervals
*Precious Scarab: doubles resources
Besides needing a Beautification treatment at the Salon which has vague instructions as to what it actually does for the player, she also needs to worship the gods at the altar which activates the boosters. There will be several random merchant tents that will exchange resources but you have to be careful and use the correct merchant at the correct time. I actually hate merchant features all wrapped up in one tent, I'd rather collect them from altars or on the path.
The CE version has 50 Main levels, 5 Bonus levels, 10 Concept Art pictures, 5 Music Soundtracks, 20 Achievement Trophies, a Hidden Puzzle Rune in each level, and a built-in Strategy Guide. This SE version still offers 20 Achievement Trophies, a Hidden Puzzle Rune in each level, and 50 main levels so the only benefit I see with the CE version is with the built-in Strategy Guide.
Having a SG is definitely beneficial, but it would be nice if they added a Booklet of some sort that explained in detail what each feature does, such as the Altar, the Salon, each Merchant, etc. Catch up with long-lost forum friends on my new forum at thewoodsforum.boards.net
I don't recommend this game.
Egypt’s only hope of survival is an artifact with the power of dreams!
Overall rating
2
/
5
2 of 3 found this review helpful
THEY WENT FROM SPEED PILLS TO BEAUTY SALONS IN THE DESERT?
PostedJune 27, 2021
pennmom36
fromCleopatra was an extremely intelligent woman and a Salon isn't just a salon!
Skill Level:Expert
Fun Factor
2
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
3
/
5
Level of Challenge
3
/
5
Storyline
2
/
5
I have always loved Egyptian-themed games so I was eager to play this game when I first saw it on another site. I really wanted to like this game but not only is it boring and repetitive, it has tasks that make no sense, and features that interrupt the flow of gameplay, not to mention glitches.
The character's dialog boxes interrupt the game and simply clicking on the boxes doesn't speed through the dialog. If the dialog box is explaining a feature, you are forced to click on that task even though you can clearly see that that task isn't available because it is blocked. Turning off the tutorial would mean that you won't get explanations for any new feature, and the explanations are already pretty vague so you'll be left clueless with this option! To make matters worse, I found that if you interrupt the dialog to click on the Strategy Guide, when you return to the game, whichever dialog box was interrupted gets stuck there and you can't click on anything to continue playing. This happened on 3 different levels and I had to restart the levels every time so it's a definite glitch, if I waited until the conversation completed I didn't have any issues.
In the last game series by this developer, they gave us giant speed pills, so the developers had to put on their thinking caps to come up with the most ridiculous feature imaginable...a Beauty Salon in the middle of the dessert! Btw Cleopatra reigned as Queen of Egypt in the 1st Century B.C.
The 1st beauty salon, the Harper Method Hair Parlour was opened in Rochester, New York in 1888 by Martha Matilda Harper, a domestic servant who invested her life savings of $380. In 1891, Martha was also the 1st person to start modern retail franchising, she only sold franchises to poor women, and she was the 1st to invent reclining shampoo chairs. In Martha's lifetime, she sold 500 franchised hair salons that emphasized natural healthy hair care. Among the Harper customers were British royalty, Susan B. Anthony, Woodrow Wilson, Grace Coolidge, Joseph P. Kennedy, Rose Kennedy, Jacqueline Kennedy, George Bernard Shaw, and Ladybird Johnson!
My point here is that Cleopatra's Hair Salon in the desert seems really petty when you know the truth. The Hair Salon was created by a Canadian immigrant who didn't receive a formal education as a child, whose father sent her away at age 7 to become a domestic servant, a courageous woman who never gave up and blazed the trail to empower other women!
The developers decided to focus on Cleopatra as being nothing more than vain, even though there is evidence that she wasn't as striking as originally believed. Perhaps they should have focused on her intelligence? She spoke a dozen different languages and was educated in mathematics, philosophy, oratory, and astronomy. She was a popular Queen, a ruler “who elevated the ranks of scholars and enjoyed their company, and I can assure you that not once did she visit a Beauty Salon in the desert!...now you know :)
You can play in an Easy, Normal, or Difficult Mode, however, I found the Normal mode to be nearly impossible to earn all 3 stars on the first attempt, the timer is very stingy and you have to complete the tasks in a very specific order. My suggestion to the developer is to have a Normal player decide how fast the clock ticks down rather than the developer himself who is naturally going to know the order in which tasks need to be completed, therefore will be able to beat the levels more quickly than the Normal Average Joe! There are 20 Achievement Trophies to earn and a Hidden Puzzle rune in each level. I recommend that you search for the rune before clicking to start the level, and you can return to a level to search for missed puzzle runes without affecting your original score.
The Stars earned can be used to upgrade Cleopatra's attire which is accompanied by a booster to speed the movement of the characters, speed the removal of obstacles and building upgrades, or double the resources collected. You can also purchase furniture boosters:
*Sacred Cat: recharges running Speed
*Pharaoh's Bust: recharges workers speed
*Strengthing Magic: permanently increases the speed to remove obstacles & upgrade buildings
*Wings of Isis: slightly permanently increases the speed of characters
*Endless Chest: adds 1 gold, food, & wood at set intervals
*Precious Scarab: doubles resources
*Pharaoh's Bust: recharges workers speed
*Strengthing Magic: permanently increases the speed to remove obstacles & upgrade buildings
*Wings of Isis: slightly permanently increases the speed of characters
*Endless Chest: adds 1 gold, food, & wood at set intervals
*Precious Scarab: doubles resources
Besides needing a Beautification treatment at the Salon which has vague instructions as to what it actually does for the player, she also needs to worship the gods at the altar which activates the boosters. There will be several random merchant tents that will exchange resources but you have to be careful and use the correct merchant at the correct time. I actually hate merchant features all wrapped up in one tent, I'd rather collect them from altars or on the path.
The CE version has 50 Main levels, 5 Bonus levels, 10 Concept Art pictures, 5 Music Soundtracks, 20 Achievement Trophies, a Hidden Puzzle Rune in each level, and a built-in Strategy Guide.
Having a SG is definitely beneficial, but it would be nice if they added a Booklet of some sort that explained in detail what each feature does, such as the Altar, the Salon, each Merchant, etc. Catch up with long-lost forum friends on my new forum at thewoodsforum.boards.net
I don't recommend this game.
Everyone’s favorite ghosts are back, and this time they’ll have to help a very unusual guest in their latest match-3 adventure!
Overall rating
5
/
5
87 of 97 found this review helpful
A GOLDILOCKS KIND OF GAME-NOT TO HARD, NOT TOO EASY-JUST RIGHT!
PostedJune 26, 2021
pennmom36
fromOnly 1/2 of those slain in battle honorably went to Valhalla The weapon-dead 1/2 were chosen 1st for Fólkvangr Odin gave this right to Freya as a sign of friendliness for the Vanir, to end the war between them & the aesir to earn their friendship
Skill Level:Expert
Fun Factor
5
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
5
/
5
Level of Challenge
5
/
5
Storyline
5
/
5
Bravo devs, I think you found the sweet spot for the perfect gameplay! The game mechanics are easy enough to figure out what needs to be done, yet it still requires a lot of strategies to beat each level. It's not a frustrating game to play and this perfect mixture has made Laruaville 11 one of the most addicting games in this series. Whenever a demo abruptly ends mid-game and shocks me into the reality that I haven't yet purchased the game, I know that it's a 5-star game that I cannot pass on! Valhalla Or Bust!
You can play in a Relaxed Mode, a Limited Moves, or a Limited Time Mode. After each Match 3 level, you can play a Hidden Object Scene, or a mini-game, such as Blocks, Mahjong, or my personal favorite, Spot the Difference with differences that aren't as obvious as you'd expect! You can skip the mini-games (and there is a Hint feature with no penalties) They have added a Hint feature that points to the level goal feature, and they have a Strategy Guide Booklet that explains every feature as well as Tips & Tricks.
Laruaville is a Match 3 game that's "All About The Coins", the level goals are always the same,..collect all of the coins, of course, collecting the coins is anything but simple! There are plenty of obstacles to make the goal more difficult, but overcoming those obstacles only matters if they prevent you from getting to the coins.
There are several types of Coins available:
•Gold Coins: requires an adjacent match to collect.
•Frozen Coins: requires activating fires.
•Half Coins: requires joining 2 halves by making matches between the two halves.
•Locked Coins: requires bringing the key to the coin by making matches in front of the key to create a path.
•Coin Molds: requires guiding liquid gold to the mold to form a coin.
There are several Obstacles preventing you from getting to the Coins, however, if they aren't blocking a coin there's no need to overcome those obstacles. Power-ups will destroy most obstacles as well:
•Gold Coins: requires an adjacent match to collect.
•Frozen Coins: requires activating fires.
•Half Coins: requires joining 2 halves by making matches between the two halves.
•Locked Coins: requires bringing the key to the coin by making matches in front of the key to create a path.
•Coin Molds: requires guiding liquid gold to the mold to form a coin.
There are several Obstacles preventing you from getting to the Coins, however, if they aren't blocking a coin there's no need to overcome those obstacles. Power-ups will destroy most obstacles as well:
•Crates: requires an adjacent match to remove.
•Shielded Crates: requires an adjacent match on the unshielded portion. (rockets work too)
•Petals: requires an adjacent match to remove.
•Clay: requires power-up or explosion to destroy.
•Stone: requires power-up or explosion to destroy.
•Fog: requires an adjacent match to remove.
•Ice: requires a match 3 of whichever tile is trapped in the ice.
•Chains: requires a match 3 of whichever tile is chained.
•Keys: requires moving towards a locked coin by matching in between.
•Portals: requires moving the key to the key portals (portals also move drops and fire)
•Vials: requires filling with purple drops by matching vertically.
•Wooden Walls: requires an adjacent match to remove.
•Stone Walls: requires several adjacent matches to remove.
•Gem Stone Walls: cannot be destroyed.
•Torches: spread fire to melt snow, ice, etc. by making adjacent matches.
•Shielded Crates: requires an adjacent match on the unshielded portion. (rockets work too)
•Petals: requires an adjacent match to remove.
•Clay: requires power-up or explosion to destroy.
•Stone: requires power-up or explosion to destroy.
•Fog: requires an adjacent match to remove.
•Ice: requires a match 3 of whichever tile is trapped in the ice.
•Chains: requires a match 3 of whichever tile is chained.
•Keys: requires moving towards a locked coin by matching in between.
•Portals: requires moving the key to the key portals (portals also move drops and fire)
•Vials: requires filling with purple drops by matching vertically.
•Wooden Walls: requires an adjacent match to remove.
•Stone Walls: requires several adjacent matches to remove.
•Gem Stone Walls: cannot be destroyed.
•Torches: spread fire to melt snow, ice, etc. by making adjacent matches.
Large Matches will earn Power-ups on the board, however, there are times when a Power-up can hurt rather than help (read the Tips & Tricks Book) Most power-ups can be moved or double-clicked to activate.
•Small Rocket: (match 5) vertical OR horizontal line busters (right-click to direct)
•Large Rocket: selects a target in order of importance.
•Bombs: explodes with an adjacent match (usually w/ a chain reaction)
•Cannons: requires an adjacent match on the Red Cell to activate.
•Small Rocket: (match 5) vertical OR horizontal line busters (right-click to direct)
•Large Rocket: selects a target in order of importance.
•Bombs: explodes with an adjacent match (usually w/ a chain reaction)
•Cannons: requires an adjacent match on the Red Cell to activate.
I own every game in every series by this developer and I have yet to be disappointed! They always have different features and obstacles added so they are always new and exciting games. If you've been missing the BF forum then come join us at my new forum to reconnect with old friends at thewoodsforum.boards.net
I recommend this game!
The oracle’s strange vision portends cataclysmic destruction!
Overall rating
4
/
5
55 of 65 found this review helpful
THE CE VERSION HAS MY FAVORITE COLLECTIBLES AND MORPHS. WELL-WORTH THE EXTRA MONEY
PostedJune 25, 2021
pennmom36
fromStill my number 1 favorite developer after all these years
Skill Level:Expert
Fun Factor
4
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
5
/
5
Level of Challenge
5
/
5
Storyline
5
/
5
Completed Game approximately 7.0 Hours
(including completion of all puzzles & Bonus Chapter)
30 Scene Locations +12 CE Bonus Chapter
Difficulty Range: Intermediate-Expert (But not impossible for Beginners!)
(including completion of all puzzles & Bonus Chapter)
30 Scene Locations +12 CE Bonus Chapter
Difficulty Range: Intermediate-Expert (But not impossible for Beginners!)
Lucia continues her journey solo after her werewolf brother Ulf destroyed the witches’ sarcophagi. After being summoned by an all-seeing Oracle, Lucia discovers she has been chosen to save the world from a devastating Cataclysm by finding something that is lost but never was...and the adventure continues!
Audio/Graphics Quality:
Perfection at its best here folks! Although I don't understand the connection to witches, the music is The Music of the Plains, a type of Native American traditional/ceremonial music that is really relaxing to listen to. As far as graphics go, this developer perfected realism years before other developers. The characters are CG but 100% authentic, they look real, they move fluently, they have well-synced lip and eye movement and they are always likable characters...and always a female-protagonist. Drop the Mic guys, you're job is done, others can only dream of this type of perfection!
Perfection at its best here folks! Although I don't understand the connection to witches, the music is The Music of the Plains, a type of Native American traditional/ceremonial music that is really relaxing to listen to. As far as graphics go, this developer perfected realism years before other developers. The characters are CG but 100% authentic, they look real, they move fluently, they have well-synced lip and eye movement and they are always likable characters...and always a female-protagonist. Drop the Mic guys, you're job is done, others can only dream of this type of perfection!
Collectibles (CE version only)
No other developer beats the CE bling that Five-BN games offer, which definitely makes the CE well-worthy of the extra price! Not only are there 42 Collectible's total, but there are also several different types, 8 Crystal Balls-8 Figurines-7 Compasses-7 Ravens, and 12 Shells (the 12 Shells are offered in the Bonus Chapter) You will earn an Achievement and unlock an extra Bonus Mini-Game for every collection completed! There are also 8 Manuscripts that give you in-depth insight about the Witches, Oracles, and Ancient ones and are actually quite enjoyable to read. Completing the Manuscripts Collections will also unlock an Achievement and an extra Mini-Game with many levels in the extra's menu.
No other developer beats the CE bling that Five-BN games offer, which definitely makes the CE well-worthy of the extra price! Not only are there 42 Collectible's total, but there are also several different types, 8 Crystal Balls-8 Figurines-7 Compasses-7 Ravens, and 12 Shells (the 12 Shells are offered in the Bonus Chapter) You will earn an Achievement and unlock an extra Bonus Mini-Game for every collection completed! There are also 8 Manuscripts that give you in-depth insight about the Witches, Oracles, and Ancient ones and are actually quite enjoyable to read. Completing the Manuscripts Collections will also unlock an Achievement and an extra Mini-Game with many levels in the extra's menu.
Morphing Objects (CE version only)
There's only one developer that did a better job with Morphing Objects but they moved on to other projects, unfortunately. (they were non-linear morphs that were triggered by an action in an entirely different scene!) There are 30 Morphing Objects that morph at the perfect pace and are just the right size to make them challenging to spot, which is the whole point of a morphing object! You can even tweak the custom setting to disable/enable the cursor from changing to a hand. Completing the Morphing Objects Collections will earn you an Achievement and unlock a Bonus Game as well...totally worth the price of a CE!
There's only one developer that did a better job with Morphing Objects but they moved on to other projects, unfortunately. (they were non-linear morphs that were triggered by an action in an entirely different scene!) There are 30 Morphing Objects that morph at the perfect pace and are just the right size to make them challenging to spot, which is the whole point of a morphing object! You can even tweak the custom setting to disable/enable the cursor from changing to a hand. Completing the Morphing Objects Collections will earn you an Achievement and unlock a Bonus Game as well...totally worth the price of a CE!
Hidden Object Scenes:
There are only 10 Hidden Object Puzzles +5 in the CE Bonus Chapter. Usually, Hidden Object Scenes bore me to tears but Five-BN has the most creative Hidden Object PUZZLES you'll ever play! (these can't be put in the same HOS category, these are Hidden Object Puzzles, not Hidden Object Scenes!) These are scenes that take place in the entire scene or room, they aren't just piles of junk laying on the table in a dark corner of the room like most games offer! There are basically 4 different variations of Hidden Object Puzzles offered, Progressive-Interactive List, Progressive-Interactive Silhouetted Shapes, Progressive-Interactive Multiples, and Progressive-Finding & Replacing. The interactions are multi-layered and do require a lot of thought processes because the interactions are not your typical cookie-cutter interactions. You will always be required to figure out how to open boxes, find hidden caches, etc. and everything requires multiple tasks or progressions to solve them which is why they aren't Hidden Object Scenes, they are Hidden Object Puzzles, not to mention the fact that every HOP has a mini-game puzzle to solve, and sometimes two! Did I mention how talented this team is? One of my favorite HO features is when Five-BN creates a Hidden Object of Urgency, they truly make you feel like you are in dire straits. In this case, you are underwater and have to come up for air every 30 seconds which doesn't give you a lot of time underwater to figure out the complicated progressive interactions required!
There are only 10 Hidden Object Puzzles +5 in the CE Bonus Chapter. Usually, Hidden Object Scenes bore me to tears but Five-BN has the most creative Hidden Object PUZZLES you'll ever play! (these can't be put in the same HOS category, these are Hidden Object Puzzles, not Hidden Object Scenes!) These are scenes that take place in the entire scene or room, they aren't just piles of junk laying on the table in a dark corner of the room like most games offer! There are basically 4 different variations of Hidden Object Puzzles offered, Progressive-Interactive List, Progressive-Interactive Silhouetted Shapes, Progressive-Interactive Multiples, and Progressive-Finding & Replacing. The interactions are multi-layered and do require a lot of thought processes because the interactions are not your typical cookie-cutter interactions. You will always be required to figure out how to open boxes, find hidden caches, etc. and everything requires multiple tasks or progressions to solve them which is why they aren't Hidden Object Scenes, they are Hidden Object Puzzles, not to mention the fact that every HOP has a mini-game puzzle to solve, and sometimes two! Did I mention how talented this team is? One of my favorite HO features is when Five-BN creates a Hidden Object of Urgency, they truly make you feel like you are in dire straits. In this case, you are underwater and have to come up for air every 30 seconds which doesn't give you a lot of time underwater to figure out the complicated progressive interactions required!
Mini-Games:
There are 43 Mini-Games +8 in the CE Bonus Chapter. (including the puzzles within the Hidden Object Scenes) The puzzles weren't as impressive as they have been in the past and many of them are rehashed puzzles from previous games by this developer. With that being said, they are still 95% more enjoyable than the games by all other developers combined, they just weren't as mind-boggling. These aren't the kind of games that can be solved in one or two moves, and certainly not by luck of the draw! Most of them take several complicated steps to tweak puzzle pieces into position, and most games will require a little bit of thought and a little bit of patience to solve. Did I mention how incredibly talented this team is? Even the Hidden Object Scenes are more like puzzles AND they have mini-games within them! My only complaint is that they STILL tend to have horribly confusing instructions simply because of the way they try to draw out the explanation, such as, "in order to achieve the goal a parameter needs to be established around the elements by..." Most of the instructions are far too complicated to understand what is expected of the player in order to solve the puzzle even though the games themselves aren't necessarily complicated. I would love to help my favorite developer uncomplicate these instructions, always willing to help, just ask :)
There are 43 Mini-Games +8 in the CE Bonus Chapter. (including the puzzles within the Hidden Object Scenes) The puzzles weren't as impressive as they have been in the past and many of them are rehashed puzzles from previous games by this developer. With that being said, they are still 95% more enjoyable than the games by all other developers combined, they just weren't as mind-boggling. These aren't the kind of games that can be solved in one or two moves, and certainly not by luck of the draw! Most of them take several complicated steps to tweak puzzle pieces into position, and most games will require a little bit of thought and a little bit of patience to solve. Did I mention how incredibly talented this team is? Even the Hidden Object Scenes are more like puzzles AND they have mini-games within them! My only complaint is that they STILL tend to have horribly confusing instructions simply because of the way they try to draw out the explanation, such as, "in order to achieve the goal a parameter needs to be established around the elements by..." Most of the instructions are far too complicated to understand what is expected of the player in order to solve the puzzle even though the games themselves aren't necessarily complicated. I would love to help my favorite developer uncomplicate these instructions, always willing to help, just ask :)
Some of my favorite Mini-games:
1-Strategically place green gems on the board to light up every red gem. (see, uncomplicated instructions!)
2-Slide pull out tabs on the left or right side & rotate the central disk to align each of the animal sections. Click on the completed images.
3-Move "blocks" to allow the chips to be placed in their matching colored slots.
4-Place all weapons into the box on the left side without overlapping.
5-Click the central button to swap puzzle sections until each circle has only one color.
6-Collect stones with the magnet in a specific pattern to place them in their matching recessed slots at the same time.
7-Place numbers into cells on a grid to equal the sums shown on each column & row.
1-Strategically place green gems on the board to light up every red gem. (see, uncomplicated instructions!)
2-Slide pull out tabs on the left or right side & rotate the central disk to align each of the animal sections. Click on the completed images.
3-Move "blocks" to allow the chips to be placed in their matching colored slots.
4-Place all weapons into the box on the left side without overlapping.
5-Click the central button to swap puzzle sections until each circle has only one color.
6-Collect stones with the magnet in a specific pattern to place them in their matching recessed slots at the same time.
7-Place numbers into cells on a grid to equal the sums shown on each column & row.
Puzzles I didn't like:
1-Replicate the colored pattern shown by rotating chains of colored balls, use directional arrows to switch the junction box from the upper to lower level. (a really frustrating puzzle)
2-Move ships along the tracks to their color-coded slots. (far too simplistic)
3-Swap books to restore the image on the spines (so old-school, done these hundreds of times before)
4-Rotate 3 disk sections to align the 3 symbols you discovered a few seconds ago (if I had to remember this clue for longer than 2 seconds it may have been more challenging, you might as well have slapped a sticky note to give me the answer!)
5-Uncrumple wads of paper and place 4 sections together to complete the star image (4 pieces...really?)
1-Replicate the colored pattern shown by rotating chains of colored balls, use directional arrows to switch the junction box from the upper to lower level. (a really frustrating puzzle)
2-Move ships along the tracks to their color-coded slots. (far too simplistic)
3-Swap books to restore the image on the spines (so old-school, done these hundreds of times before)
4-Rotate 3 disk sections to align the 3 symbols you discovered a few seconds ago (if I had to remember this clue for longer than 2 seconds it may have been more challenging, you might as well have slapped a sticky note to give me the answer!)
5-Uncrumple wads of paper and place 4 sections together to complete the star image (4 pieces...really?)
Bonus Chapter: (CE version only)
Wind back the Hands of the Clock and embark on a Legendary adventure as the Archwitch. Your journey takes you to Eltay Island in search of Sarcophagi and information about the legendary Ancient Ones. This is a lengthy chapter spanning over 12 scene locations, but you'll wish it never ended (unlike the games by the other weekly dev) with 8 Mini-Games and 5 incredible HO Scenes including those ingenious Progressive-Interactive Hidden Object Scenes. Although there are no more Morphing Objects or Historical Manuscripts remaining, a brand new Collectible becomes available, so you'll search for 13 Shells, and of course, it will unlock another Bonus Game in the CE extra's Menu as well as award you with a new Achievement!
Wind back the Hands of the Clock and embark on a Legendary adventure as the Archwitch. Your journey takes you to Eltay Island in search of Sarcophagi and information about the legendary Ancient Ones. This is a lengthy chapter spanning over 12 scene locations, but you'll wish it never ended (unlike the games by the other weekly dev) with 8 Mini-Games and 5 incredible HO Scenes including those ingenious Progressive-Interactive Hidden Object Scenes. Although there are no more Morphing Objects or Historical Manuscripts remaining, a brand new Collectible becomes available, so you'll search for 13 Shells, and of course, it will unlock another Bonus Game in the CE extra's Menu as well as award you with a new Achievement!
Collector's Edition Extra's:
10 amazing Wallpapers, 8 Music Soundtracks, 11 Video Cutscenes, 14 Replayable Mini-Games, 5 Puzzles +Bonus Puzzles if you complete the Collections Categories which unlocks a new Bonus Puzzle for EACH collection completed!) 42 Collectibles (12 Shells-8 Crystal Balls-8 Figurines-7 Compasses-7 Ravens (the 12 Shells are offered in the Bonus Chapter) 8 Manuscripts (Completing the Manuscripts Collections will unlock an extra Mini-Game with many levels in the extra's menu) 30 Morphing Objects (Completing the Morphing Objects Collections will unlock a Bonus Game) 4 very long Chapters +Bonus Chapter and a Built-In Strategy Guide. The Woods is the place to be, join us won't you, at my new forum thewoodsforum.boards.net
10 amazing Wallpapers, 8 Music Soundtracks, 11 Video Cutscenes, 14 Replayable Mini-Games, 5 Puzzles +Bonus Puzzles if you complete the Collections Categories which unlocks a new Bonus Puzzle for EACH collection completed!) 42 Collectibles (12 Shells-8 Crystal Balls-8 Figurines-7 Compasses-7 Ravens (the 12 Shells are offered in the Bonus Chapter) 8 Manuscripts (Completing the Manuscripts Collections will unlock an extra Mini-Game with many levels in the extra's menu) 30 Morphing Objects (Completing the Morphing Objects Collections will unlock a Bonus Game) 4 very long Chapters +Bonus Chapter and a Built-In Strategy Guide. The Woods is the place to be, join us won't you, at my new forum thewoodsforum.boards.net
I recommend this game!
A desperate alliance between worlds hides a secret betrayal!
Overall rating
3
/
5
138 of 177 found this review helpful
IT SEEMS TO ME THAT THE "SEEKERS" NEVER SEEK NEW WORLDS THEY ALWAYS FIND THEM BY CHANCE OR ACCIDENT, SHOULDN'T WE CALL THE STUMBLERS?
PostedJune 24, 2021
pennmom36
fromLet's vote: who thinks everyone should get BF games at the same time?
Skill Level:Expert
Fun Factor
3
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
3
/
5
Level of Challenge
1
/
5
Storyline
2
/
5
Completed Game approximately 5.0 hours
(including completion of all mini-games & CE Bonus Chapter)
25 Main Game Scene Locations +11 Bonus Chapter
Difficulty Range: Beginner
(including completion of all mini-games & CE Bonus Chapter)
25 Main Game Scene Locations +11 Bonus Chapter
Difficulty Range: Beginner
Once again, the Seekers have accidentally stumbled into an otherworldly portal, and once again, the bad guy spends most of the game giving them strong warnings to stop meddling as if he were simply flicking a bug off his shoulders...meanwhile he's constantly trying to kill everyone else. Naturally, I escape with the help of a mini-game, after completing a Hidden Object Scene that appears after I've planted colorful flowers and fixed every broken object I could find in a one-mile radius with the items I looted from places no one in their right mind would think to look in the first place!
It was bad enough that I had to endure the mindless, repetitive tasks that appear game after game, but now they are doing the same storyline over and over...really? This game is no different than any other Domini game in any of their series. Fatal Evidence has the same tasks and same plots as Fairy Godmother Stories, and Fairy Godmother is the same as Dark Romance which is exactly the same as their new series Twin Mind! They all have the same HO's, the same puzzles, and the same ridiculous, repetitive tasks, in the same exact order, every single time! Wouldn't it be nice if Domini cared enough about their [sinking] reputation to implement changes?
Audio/Visuals:
Domini has always had crisp, detailed graphics even though they sometimes struggle with the color palette which tends to have an overabundance of one dominant color for each game. They did seem to tone it down with this game which I find a little bit odd that they chose this fantasy-themed game to buffer colors. They can't seem to find that sweet spot because I thought the color choices were way too bland in a game that is centered around otherworldly planets with advanced technology capabilities?? The audio always seems spot on and you'll; probably never notice looped soundtracks, but that's exactly how background music should work, it should go unnoticed while subconsciously stimulating the brain to recognize the ebbs, floes, and climaxes of the storyline. Domini is famous for adding items that can be interacted with, spheres that spin with an eerie sound, feathers that get whisked away and gently float back down to the ground, lizards that scurry about, and my personal favorite, a rat that skedaddles across a rope and finds himself dangling at the end clinging on for dear life until you give him another turbo boost lol My only complaint is that Domini tricks you into believing that there will be a ton of interactions throughout the game when in reality, most of the interactions are only available in the demo portion!
Domini has always had crisp, detailed graphics even though they sometimes struggle with the color palette which tends to have an overabundance of one dominant color for each game. They did seem to tone it down with this game which I find a little bit odd that they chose this fantasy-themed game to buffer colors. They can't seem to find that sweet spot because I thought the color choices were way too bland in a game that is centered around otherworldly planets with advanced technology capabilities?? The audio always seems spot on and you'll; probably never notice looped soundtracks, but that's exactly how background music should work, it should go unnoticed while subconsciously stimulating the brain to recognize the ebbs, floes, and climaxes of the storyline. Domini is famous for adding items that can be interacted with, spheres that spin with an eerie sound, feathers that get whisked away and gently float back down to the ground, lizards that scurry about, and my personal favorite, a rat that skedaddles across a rope and finds himself dangling at the end clinging on for dear life until you give him another turbo boost lol My only complaint is that Domini tricks you into believing that there will be a ton of interactions throughout the game when in reality, most of the interactions are only available in the demo portion!
Gadgets/Helper:
Although you will use a few of the native's technology like summoning a Storm to make it rain, there are no gadgets or helpers.
Although you will use a few of the native's technology like summoning a Storm to make it rain, there are no gadgets or helpers.
Collectibles & Morphing Objects (CE Version Only):
It's hard to enjoy a repetitive Collectible offered game after game. Domini seems to be the only kid left on the block so I guess we'll be stuck with the same routines? Once again, there are 15 Morphing Perfume Flasks and 15 Naomi's Things to click on. I say click on versus collect because they are never challenging to find nowadays! There are 70 Zoom Zone Feathers that are used to purchase 15 Garden Decorations, which is far more interesting than the usual Boudoir or Laboratory items offered! There is an optional Collection Icon Tab that can be enabled or disabled in the settings menu as well and will light up when there is a collectible in the current scene. You can also choose to show/hide the availability of collectibles on the Map.
It's hard to enjoy a repetitive Collectible offered game after game. Domini seems to be the only kid left on the block so I guess we'll be stuck with the same routines? Once again, there are 15 Morphing Perfume Flasks and 15 Naomi's Things to click on. I say click on versus collect because they are never challenging to find nowadays! There are 70 Zoom Zone Feathers that are used to purchase 15 Garden Decorations, which is far more interesting than the usual Boudoir or Laboratory items offered! There is an optional Collection Icon Tab that can be enabled or disabled in the settings menu as well and will light up when there is a collectible in the current scene. You can also choose to show/hide the availability of collectibles on the Map.
Hidden Object Scenes:
There are 15 Hidden Object Scenes +3 in the CE Bonus Chapter, with a few Zoom Zone HOP's thrown in for good measure. There is an alternate Match 3 Game available, which still doesn't allow you to make consecutive matches quickly because you have to wait for all tiles to stop falling before you can make the next match which makes the game super boring. The M3 boards are always square and they never add obstacles or new features to make it progress in difficulty. FYI: one of the achievements requires you to play the alternate Match 3 game in place of the HOS. (just once) The Hidden Object Scenes vary with Listed Item Finds, Keywords in Sentence Finds, Finding & Replacing items into the Scene, Matching Pairs, Silhouetted Shape Finds, Spot the Difference, and Multiples of the Same Object.
There are 15 Hidden Object Scenes +3 in the CE Bonus Chapter, with a few Zoom Zone HOP's thrown in for good measure. There is an alternate Match 3 Game available, which still doesn't allow you to make consecutive matches quickly because you have to wait for all tiles to stop falling before you can make the next match which makes the game super boring. The M3 boards are always square and they never add obstacles or new features to make it progress in difficulty. FYI: one of the achievements requires you to play the alternate Match 3 game in place of the HOS. (just once) The Hidden Object Scenes vary with Listed Item Finds, Keywords in Sentence Finds, Finding & Replacing items into the Scene, Matching Pairs, Silhouetted Shape Finds, Spot the Difference, and Multiples of the Same Object.
Mini-Games:
There are 18 Mini-Games +8 in the CE Bonus Chapter. You can choose to play them in an Easy or Hard difficulty mode and you can choose which mode to have them start out in the Custom Setting (you can still switch between modes for each individual game) I don't even list my personal favorites anymore because Domini has really stopped putting much effort with their puzzles now that they seem to be the only HOPA devs on the block. You've played them all, hundreds of times, such as Placing Spheres to allow the rays to cover all honeycomb cells, Rotating a circular maze to drop the ball into the slot at the bottom, Moving a crystal into the slot using tokens as bumpers, plotting the course of a ship while avoiding obstacles, planting flowers so that identical colors aren't adjacent, or recreating a pattern shown on an example...all sounds familiar doesn't it?
There are 18 Mini-Games +8 in the CE Bonus Chapter. You can choose to play them in an Easy or Hard difficulty mode and you can choose which mode to have them start out in the Custom Setting (you can still switch between modes for each individual game) I don't even list my personal favorites anymore because Domini has really stopped putting much effort with their puzzles now that they seem to be the only HOPA devs on the block. You've played them all, hundreds of times, such as Placing Spheres to allow the rays to cover all honeycomb cells, Rotating a circular maze to drop the ball into the slot at the bottom, Moving a crystal into the slot using tokens as bumpers, plotting the course of a ship while avoiding obstacles, planting flowers so that identical colors aren't adjacent, or recreating a pattern shown on an example...all sounds familiar doesn't it?
Bonus Chapter (CE Version Only)
Wind back the hand of time to the 1900s and travel to the magical world of Source to stop Serena from overthrowing her brother Dorm. Serena has summoned the dark arts and will stop at nothing to reclaim what she believes is rightfully hers. Once again, Domini has taken a somewhat interesting story and ruined it by stretching out the Bonus Chapter with a ton of meaningless, repetitive, cliche tasks over 11 scene locations! There are 8 additional Mini-Games and 3 Hidden Object Scenes, and you will continue your search for the final 4 Morphing Perfume Flasks, 5 Naomi's Things, and 11 Zoom Zone Feathers which allows you to purchase the final Garden Items Decorations which I admit is far more interesting than the Laboratory items they usually offer!
Wind back the hand of time to the 1900s and travel to the magical world of Source to stop Serena from overthrowing her brother Dorm. Serena has summoned the dark arts and will stop at nothing to reclaim what she believes is rightfully hers. Once again, Domini has taken a somewhat interesting story and ruined it by stretching out the Bonus Chapter with a ton of meaningless, repetitive, cliche tasks over 11 scene locations! There are 8 additional Mini-Games and 3 Hidden Object Scenes, and you will continue your search for the final 4 Morphing Perfume Flasks, 5 Naomi's Things, and 11 Zoom Zone Feathers which allows you to purchase the final Garden Items Decorations which I admit is far more interesting than the Laboratory items they usually offer!
Collector's Edition Extra's: (CE version only)
21 Wallpapers, 21 Concept Art Pictures, 5 Music Soundtracks, 28 Movie Video Cutscenes, 38 Achievements, 18 Replayable Mini-Games, 18 Replayable Hidden Object Scenes, 15 Morphing Perfume Flasks, 15 Naomi's Things, a gazillion Missing Notes, 70 Zoom-Zone Feathers, 15 Garden Items (purchase with feathers) 7 Main Chapters, +Bonus Chapter, and a Built-In Strategy Guide. Reconnect with long-lost forum friends and become an official Woosdey when you join us on my new forum at thewoodsforum.boards.net
21 Wallpapers, 21 Concept Art Pictures, 5 Music Soundtracks, 28 Movie Video Cutscenes, 38 Achievements, 18 Replayable Mini-Games, 18 Replayable Hidden Object Scenes, 15 Morphing Perfume Flasks, 15 Naomi's Things, a gazillion Missing Notes, 70 Zoom-Zone Feathers, 15 Garden Items (purchase with feathers) 7 Main Chapters, +Bonus Chapter, and a Built-In Strategy Guide. Reconnect with long-lost forum friends and become an official Woosdey when you join us on my new forum at thewoodsforum.boards.net
I don't recommend this game.