TracyMcGarey's Profile
Stat Summary
- Average Rating:2.9
- Helpful Votes:81
- Reviews Submitted:16
- First Review:March 7, 2013
- Most Recent Review:May 10, 2013
- Featured reviews0
Chronicles of Albian: The Magic Convention
The Fairy Godmother, Gwendolyn, needs you to repair and upgrade Albian Castle for the Convention of Magic Masters!
Overall rating
2
/
5
0 of 1 found this review helpful
Ridiculously tiny objects
PostedMay 10, 2013
TracyMcGarey
fromUK
Skill Level:Expert
Favorite Genre(s):Hidden Object, Match 3, Time Management
Current Favorite:
Farmington Tales
(150)Fun Factor
1
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
2
/
5
Level of Challenge
4
/
5
This has to be one of the worst hidden object games I have played. I did not even finish the trial hour because it is too frustrating. I don't play games to be annoyed and irritated!
Some of the objects are WAY too small, and also they don't look like what they are supposed to be. A jug and a vase are two different things, for instance, and if I am looking for a jug I will not think I have found it when I see a vase. The rooms are very cluttered and the graphics are so dark I had to adjust the monitor display. Won't be buying this one, and I would not recommend it to anyone else either. Save your bandwidth and go for something else, there are a lot better hidden object games out there.
I don't recommend this game.
Megaplex Madness 2: Summer Blockbuster
Help put together 5 different theaters and create your very own Megaplex! Keep your customers happy and succeed!
Overall rating
5
/
5
1 of 1 found this review helpful
Causal option makes this a winner for me
PostedMay 5, 2013
TracyMcGarey
fromUK
Skill Level:Beginner
Favorite Genre(s):Hidden Object, Time Management
Current Favorite:
Megaplex Madness 2: Summer Blockbuster
(196)Fun Factor
5
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
5
/
5
Level of Challenge
5
/
5
Storyline
3
/
5
The problem I have with so many Time Management Games is that they soon become unplayable for me because they are simply too difficult. I am of a more mature age, shall we say, and my reflexes are not as good as they once were, and so often I am unable to complete the harder levels, no matter how hard I try. What is so good about this game is that it offers four different difficulty levels to suit all abilities. I have just finished the casual mode, which has given me a great deal of fun because, for once, I actually managed to play and complete all levels! I will try normal mode next and see how I get on. There are also hard and insane modes, for those whose dexterity requires more of a challenge, and so every need is met in this one game. If only more developers would do this!
With regard to the gameplay, the only criticism I have is that you really have to fail levels in order to progress. If you succeed with lower than 3 stars, you cannot renovate the cinema and if you replay in order to do so you lose the money you already earned from the lower score. The only way round this is to repeatedly fail because then you get to keep the money and thus make upgrades and improvements which eventually help you get 3 stars. It is a strange thing that this game rewards failure and penalises success. I think it is a flaw in the game because I would like to be able to accumulate cash by repeated plays so I could upgrade the cinema to the max but without having to let customers walk out so I don't go over the one star level and subsequently lose everything I have already played for. I never maxed out any of the upgrades or cinemas in any of the 5 theatres which was something of a disappoinment. Other than this, the gameplay is excellent. More of the same, please!!!
I recommend this game!
Burger Bustle
Dive into some tasty fun in Burger Bustle, a fun and exciting Time Management game! Serve up delicious food as quickly as you can!
Overall rating
1
/
5
1 of 8 found this review helpful
Irritate by voices
PostedApril 19, 2013
TracyMcGarey
fromUK
Fun Factor
1
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
1
/
5
Level of Challenge
3
/
5
Storyline
3
/
5
I could not play this game for more than a few minutes because of the very annoying voices during gameplay (comments of the customers) which cannot be turned off.
I don't recommend this game.
Push The Box
Join Oink-oink on the journey to save his friends in Push the Box, a new exciting puzzle game with attractive graphics that will definitely give you a challenge.
Overall rating
3
/
5
10 of 11 found this review helpful
Excellent game ruined
PostedApril 3, 2013
TracyMcGarey
fromUK
Skill Level:Expert
Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Hidden Object, Match 3, Strategy, Marble Popper, Puzzle
Current Favorite:
Amazing Adventures Riddle of the Two Knights
(66)Fun Factor
5
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
3
/
5
Level of Challenge
5
/
5
Storyline
4
/
5
This is a very enjoyable puzzle game - or was, until the later levels (beyond the trial levels) when the screen is zoomed in and you can only see the whole area by holding down the magnifier. As soon as you release it, you can only see a small area again. This has ruined the game for me, and I am especially annoyed that this 'feature' only appears after you have paid for the full version. I wouldn't have bought this game if the zoom had been there from the beginning.
The game is not perfect, and one update has been released already, but does not fix all the problems.
If if the problems are fixed and the zoom thing removed, I would have no hesitation in highly recommending this game. As it is at present, I cannot.
I don't recommend this game.
Dark Parables: Curse of the Briar Rose
Help a detective explore a rampant briar growth in Scotland, and discover the true tale of the real Sleeping Beauty!
Overall rating
3
/
5
3 of 4 found this review helpful
Good story, shame about game execution
PostedMarch 21, 2013
TracyMcGarey
fromUK
Skill Level:Expert
Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Hidden Object, Match 3, Strategy, Marble Popper, Puzzle
Current Favorite:
Chimeras: Tune Of Revenge
(72)Fun Factor
3
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
2
/
5
Level of Challenge
3
/
5
Storyline
4
/
5
Technically speaking, there is a visual problem with this game in that the graphics are so dark you may find you need to change the settings on your computer just in order to be able to actually see anything, as I did. A gamma adjustment option within the game would have helped overcome this.
As far as playing the game itself is concerned, this could have been a really good game as I enjoyed the storyline, but it was spoiled by very inferior gameplay.
Firstly, although many things could be clicked, most of them produced nothing other than a description or commentary. Some locations had barely anything even to click on and there was nothing to do all. At one place there was a door blocked by rubble which could be clicked on but I never found anything to remove the obstacle and never had to pass through the door the complete the game anyway, which left me wondering what the point of it was.
In one location I just finished searching and finding all the parts for one item and immediately had to go back to exactly the same spot to look for the next item which was also rather tedious.
Some things, although being used in the correct place, had to be done in precisely the right order or in the right way, otherwise a rather condescending message would be given as if you had tried something stupid when, in fact, it was not very clear which item should be placed before any of the others.
As you progress through the game there is no logic as to what to do next. In order to save yourself the bother of going from place to place looking for some clue as to what you should be doing or where you should be searching, it is best just to consult the hint button which tells you where to look, as there is no logic at all behind the locations of the objects.
The hidden objects are not actual objects but fragments of things which assemble when you have found all the parts. They all look very similar - basically you are looking for what appear to be lumps of wood, bits of masonry or lumps of metal. Really. Not very inspiring and not at all visually appealing and gets really boring after a while, especially as the designers had little imagination as to where to place the parts. Pretty much all the items were in the same sorts of places. The objects parts you are looking for do not resemble their picture, either in size, colour or shape, so at the start, before you learn where they always put the object parts, you end up just randomly clicking everything in the hope that you will find something. Not very entertaining and more frustrating than challenging. Still, at least there is no click penalty, which is just as well as I would certainly have given up completely before I got very far if there had been.
I did enjoy some of the mini-games (the ones where you had to get a coloured disk into its location by pressing arrows) but all in all I found the whole thing disappointing and the game failed to deliver what it seemed to promise.
Oh if only Elephant Games had made this story! I am sticking to games made by them in the future - none of these other games at all meet their excellent standard.
I don't recommend this game.
Amazing Adventures: The Forgotten Dynasty
Travel to China in search of the Forgotten Dynasty. Can you piece together the clues and uncover the ancient secret?
Overall rating
5
/
5
7 of 8 found this review helpful
Simple yet very entertaining and enjoyable
PostedMarch 21, 2013
TracyMcGarey
fromUK
Skill Level:Expert
Favorite Genre(s):Hidden Object, Match 3, Strategy, Marble Popper, Puzzle
Current Favorite:
Amazing Adventures: Around the World
(25)Fun Factor
5
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
4
/
5
Level of Challenge
3
/
5
Storyline
3
/
5
I have played all the games in the series thus far, and find them all to be excellent.
These games are, in many ways, quite simple hidden object/puzzle games, yet there is something about them which is extremely entertaining and enjoyable, though it is hard to say exactly why.
The hidden object scenes are good and not over cluttered and the objects are easy enough to find, though not too easy. They are sometimes described rather than named, for example "stands next to gutters", which I find entertaining as I have to try to work out what it is I am looking for, is it a water barrel? a drain grate? a down-pipe? Or something else? There is a penalty for too many incorrect clicks, but this is not draconian and encourages caution without discouraging the player from trying objects when they are uncertain.
Another thing I particularly like is that all the scenes can be played again once the adventure has been completed and clearly entirely of ALL the hidden objects. This is the only series or game I know which offers this, and adds a great deal to the overall fun of the game. A match three game can also be unlocked, which adds even more value to the game.
The puzzles are very simple and don't require much brain power, but are varied enough to be entertaining, especially if you are playing this game to wind down at the end of the day (as I do).
There are two things about this game which, in my opinion, can be improved. The first is to stop the annoying hint prompt from appearing if you take too long locating the first object in the hidden object screen you are playing. I find myself racing to find something, anything, so that the irritating pop-up does not appear! Secondly, I have played all the games from this series on three different computers, and on all of them they appear rather dark and dim. I have to tweak the graphic settings on my computer to see the scenes properly. This is irritating, as the settings required to see this game clearly are too pale and bright for normal computer use, so I am constantly changing the graphics settings every time I want to play. A gamma adjustment option within the game would be a great help in this regard, and I know it is possible as I have seen this offered in other games. To be honest if I didn't enjoy the game as much as I do, I probably would be put off by this and wouldn't bother playing at all but I suppose it says something for the enjoyability of the game that I DO put myself to this inconvenience in order to play it.
These problems aside, I always look forward with eager anticipation to the next game in the series, and when it comes, I have never yet been disappointed. This game is no exception and comes highly recommended, as do the other games in the series.
I recommend this game!
Treasures of the Ancient Cavern
Restore 18 Inca artifacts by solving tricky puzzles as you travel through increasingly challenging levels in this mind-bending puzzle game.
Overall rating
3
/
5
10 of 11 found this review helpful
Simple game, not very challenging
PostedMarch 21, 2013
TracyMcGarey
fromUK
Skill Level:Expert
Favorite Genre(s):Hidden Object, Match 3, Strategy, Marble Popper, Puzzle
Current Favorite:
Rainbow Web 3
(59)Fun Factor
3
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
2
/
5
Level of Challenge
2
/
5
Storyline
1
/
5
This is a moderately entertaining match three game, whereby the rows and columns are moved, not individual icons.
I played the one hour trial game only, and this review is based on those first impressions. I played untimed mode.
The graphics are somewhat dated, and cartoon in type, but clear enough not to hinder the gameplay.
The storyline revolves around paganism and idols, a theme which did not appeal to me at all.
I found the game quite basic in its execution, and had I not also been listening to an audio book while I was playing, would soon have become bored. There did not seem to be much of a challenge, even though some interesting items such as stones or frozen lines were included. Perhaps it gets more difficult later on, but as I could only play for an hour, I have no way of knowing. What I experienced of the game in the first hour was not challenging enough for me to want to buy the full version.
There was one other annoyance, and it is a common one I find in this type of game: namely the game gives unwanted hints as to the next possible move which come up VERY quickly and cannot be turned off. This is so irritating, in fact, that it has put me off the game entirely. I wish developers of these games would understand that not everyone wants or needs to be told where the next move is, especially after only a couple of seconds hesitation. Not only that, but the hints were of a random nature, suggesting places where the board had already been cleared and thus not ones which would help the player complete the board, so in my view, the hints offered less intelligent moves than the player could discern for themselves.
For these reasons, and because there are other much better match three games available, I will not be purchasing the full version and cannot recommend it to anyone.
I don't recommend this game.
Dream Chronicles
Surreal clues and puzzles come alive in this breath-taking adventure game where the line between reality and fantasy no longer exists!
Overall rating
2
/
5
3 of 4 found this review helpful
Poor visuals, little to do in each scene, too many faires/fairy jewels
PostedMarch 21, 2013
TracyMcGarey
fromUK
Skill Level:Expert
Favorite Genre(s):Hidden Object, Match 3, Strategy, Marble Popper, Puzzle
Current Favorite:
Chimeras: Tune Of Revenge
(72)Fun Factor
2
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
1
/
5
Level of Challenge
2
/
5
Storyline
3
/
5
The basic storyline is quite good, but the game itself leaves a lot to be desired. Perhaps this game is purely for little girls, because I am sure they would be delighted by it, but it is not for anyone older than that.
I have only played the trial version of the game, but from what I have seen the puzzles are extremely easy and there is practically no challenge at all.
The thing that really sealed it for me though, was the absolutely dire standard of the graphics. I supposed I have become accustomed to a much higher level of graphics now, but these images were fuzzy, blurred and indistinct. It is just as well that the necessary objects sparkled because I could barely see what anything was. Collecting stones or small pieces of chalk would have been impossible without the hints as they were too tiny to be able to see them on the screen.
I will not be purchasing this game and would not recommend it.
I don't recommend this game.
DragonStone ™
Help Baldric the Knight in his perilous quest to recover the DragonStone and win the love of the Princess!
Overall rating
2
/
5
5 of 24 found this review helpful
Repetitive and Boring
PostedMarch 21, 2013
TracyMcGarey
fromUK
Skill Level:Expert
Favorite Genre(s):Hidden Object, Match 3, Strategy, Marble Popper, Puzzle
Current Favorite:
Rainbow Web 3
(59)Fun Factor
2
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
3
/
5
Level of Challenge
2
/
5
Storyline
2
/
5
This review is based on the trial version as I will not be purchasing it.
I have played many match three games and so have experience of this kind of game, but this one does not hold me at all. After just a few screens I found the game to be monotonous and dull, and even when new features, such as targets and barrels of explosives were introduced, I still found the whole thing uninteresting.
Unfortunately I could not play the puzzle aspect of this game as you have to complete the first level of the 'adventure' before you can enter puzzle mode and the time limit of the trial prevented me from doing this. This is very shortsighted on the part of the developers as I usually play these kind of games in puzzle mode only as I am not really interested in the often juvenile stories of the 'adventures'. Therefore, I cannot comment on the difficulty or entertainment value of the puzzles.
I don't recommend this game.
Hidden Wonders of the Depths
Navigate your way through an underwater world with a liquid mix of Mahjong, Hidden Object, and Match 3 delight.
Overall rating
3
/
5
11 of 11 found this review helpful
Entertaining match three game
PostedMarch 20, 2013
TracyMcGarey
fromUK
Skill Level:Expert
Favorite Genre(s):Hidden Object, Match 3, Strategy, Marble Popper, Puzzle
Current Favorite:
Chimeras: Tune Of Revenge
(72)Fun Factor
3
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
3
/
5
Level of Challenge
3
/
5
Storyline
3
/
5
I love all three games from this series.
This one is the most frustrating of the three because you cannot choose an untimed mode from within the game (though if you can find the xml file for each level in the program files for the game, you can edit this to increase the amount of time available to complete the levels - the time is given in the number of seconds, so changing the time value to 3600 will give you an hour to complete the board, which is more than enough time - but this tweak is done outside of the game and it not an option that can be selected while the game is running).
Having overcome the timing issue by editing the game files, I now thoroughly enjoy the game and often return to it when I want something to help me unwind in the evening.
Moving the little character along the path on the swap boards was entertaining and I would have preferred it if the game were solely of the 'swap to make a match of three' kind. I found the 'click on a group of three or more' boards rather boring, especially as a 'helpful' instruction popped up EVERY TIME I played it. Very irksome!
The magic card puzzle was annoying because it interrupted the board I was playing to construct the card. I didn't really see the necessity for the cards at all and still have no idea what they were for.
The other mini games, such as the memory games and the find x number of objects, were bearable though I would not at all miss them if they were not there.
On the whole, this is an adequate little game, and would have had four stars if it were not for the inability to play in relaxed mode, five if it were just the swap style match three game only. I recommend that anyone wishing to play this game edit the xml files for the levels that are difficult to get passed in the limited time the game gives to give yourself more time, and thus progress to the end of the game.
I recommend this game!