Howatch's Profile
Stat Summary
- Average Rating:4.7
- Helpful Votes:1,143
- Reviews Submitted:49
- First Review:May 15, 2012
- Most Recent Review:April 5, 2024
- Featured reviews0
Status:
New York Mysteries: Secrets of the Mafia Collector's Edition
Discover a story of mysterious kidnappings of both children and mafiosi.
Overall rating
5
/
5
18 of 28 found this review helpful
This game has the fun factor
PostedApril 19, 2014
Howatch
fromCoarsegold, CA
Skill Level:Intermediate
Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Time Management, Hidden Object, Marble Popper, Large File, Match 3, Card & Board
Current Favorite:
Cadenza: Music, Betrayal and Death Collector's Edition
(237)Fun Factor
5
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
5
/
5
Level of Challenge
4
/
5
Storyline
4
/
5
Yes, this game is fun. It has the usual preposterous plot and therefore suspension of disbelief is definitely required, but I always keep firmly in mind that these games are not intended to be documentaries. :-)
This developer has brought us several Collector's Editions in the past, including the House of 1000 Doors series, Forbidden Secrets: Alien Town, and most recently Lost Lands: Dark Overlord. The usual smooth game play is evident here, and the music is appropriately stirring and dramatic.
I'm looking forward to a fun weekend of gaming with this one. I hope you enjoy it, too. :-)
I recommend this game!
Cadenza: Music, Betrayal and Death Collector's Edition
You've returned from school to visit your father at his famous Jazz Pepper Club during Mardi Gras, but everyone is hypnotized. Have they heard the wrong note?
Overall rating
5
/
5
72 of 89 found this review helpful
Excellent game
PostedApril 12, 2014
Howatch
fromCoarsegold, CA
Skill Level:Intermediate
Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Time Management, Hidden Object, Marble Popper, Large File, Match 3, Card & Board
Current Favorite:
Emberwing: Lost Legacy Collector's Edition
(53)Fun Factor
5
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
5
/
5
Level of Challenge
5
/
5
Storyline
5
/
5
This developer's other games include Rite of Passage: The Perfect Show, Rite of Passage: Child of the Forest, and Nevertales: The Beauty Within. All of these games were good, with considerable attention to detail - and Cadenza will certainly be another feather in their cap. The music is wonderful and the setting is interesting and well conveyed. These developers seem committed to making game play that is more creative and unusual; I never feel like they are just phoning it in.
Highly recommended - and do give their other games a try, too, if you haven't already. :)
Legends of Solitaire: Curse of the Dragons
When an ancient curse is cast upon the Solitaire Kingdom, it’s up to you to defeat the dragons and put a stop to the evil spell!
Overall rating
5
/
5
25 of 26 found this review helpful
Beautiful and entertaining
PostedApril 9, 2014
Howatch
fromCoarsegold, CA
Skill Level:Intermediate
Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Time Management, Hidden Object, Marble Popper, Large File, Match 3, Card & Board
Current Favorite:
Emberwing: Lost Legacy Collector's Edition
(53)Fun Factor
5
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
5
/
5
Level of Challenge
5
/
5
Storyline
5
/
5
This is brought to you by the same developer who created Legends of Solitaire: The Lost Cards; if you liked that game, you will certainly like this one as well. There are three levels of play including casual, normal, and hard. Good voiceovers, pleasing graphics, and interesting gameplay make this a winner for me. I hope you enjoy it as much as I do. :-)
True Fear: Forsaken Souls Collector's Edition
What if everything you knew about your life, everything your family ever told you, turned out to be a lie?
Overall rating
5
/
5
5 of 6 found this review helpful
A Very Entertaining Game
PostedMarch 2, 2014
Howatch
fromCoarsegold, CA
Skill Level:Expert
Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Time Management, Hidden Object, Large File, Match 3
Current Favorite:
Nancy Drew: Tomb of the Lost Queen
(53)Fun Factor
5
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
4
/
5
Level of Challenge
4
/
5
Storyline
4
/
5
Ever since I played Shiver: Vanishing Hitchhiker and Shiver: Poltergeist, I have been hoping for another game with more adventure and fewer HOPs, along with a spooky atmosphere, and this comes the closest to anything I have played subsequent to those two in terms of having a similar feel to it. Dark and creepy, with plenty of inventory to find and to then figure out where to use.
I'm having fun with this one, and I recommend it for lovers of light adventuring and an eerie setting. :-)
I recommend this game!
Nancy Drew: The Deadly Device
When an elusive killer strikes a high-tech lab, Nancy Drew is called in to sneak into secret areas, interrogate workers for multiple motives, and expose the truth behind The Deadly Device!
Overall rating
5
/
5
84 of 91 found this review helpful
A Challenging Adventure Awaits You
PostedFebruary 11, 2014
Howatch
fromCoarsegold, CA
Skill Level:Expert
Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Time Management, Hidden Object, Large File, Match 3
Current Favorite:
Nancy Drew: Tomb of the Lost Queen
(53)Fun Factor
5
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
5
/
5
Level of Challenge
5
/
5
Storyline
5
/
5
I have all 29 games in the Nancy Drew series, and I found this entry to be particularly challenging. If you choose to play the game on the Amateur level of difficulty, though, you will have in-game hints available to you which will give you anything from gentle nudges in the right direction or, if you need it, the full solution.
During the game, you will interrogate suspects; learn interesting facts about Nikola Tesla, the great physicist and inventor; spend time snooping; and investigate the lab during the day as well as at night.
If you have played Alibi in Ashes (Nancy Drew game #25), you will be either delighted or dismayed to discover that Deirdre Shannon is one of Nancy's phone contacts in The Deadly Device. I enjoyed the phone conversations between Nancy and Deirdre, and I like the way that these games often bring back characters from previous games in the series so that we get to talk to them again.
Have fun; I certainly did!
I recommend this game!
Order of the Light: The Deathly Artisan Collector's Edition
Paranormal activity has turned Smalltown upside-down! As the newest initiate of the Order of the Light, you must investigate why.
Overall rating
4
/
5
9 of 13 found this review helpful
An Enjoyable Game
PostedJanuary 18, 2014
Howatch
fromCoarsegold, CA
Skill Level:Intermediate
Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Time Management, Hidden Object, Match 3
Current Favorite:
Mythic Wonders: The Philosopher's Stone Collector's Edition
(51)Fun Factor
4
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
4
/
5
Level of Challenge
4
/
5
Storyline
4
/
5
This, I believe, is a developer new to Collector's Editions. I am finding the game quite enjoyable, in large part due to the fact that the game has a system whereby you score points based on how many collectables you have found and other achievement goals throughout the game. It reminds me of some of the older adventure games I used to play where there was a total number of points possible after having completed the game, but you could finish the game with fewer points. This gives the game replay value, and it will be fun to play it again to see if I can do better the second time around.
I look forward to this developer's future endeavors.
I recommend this game!
Baking Success
Join Fay on her Flying Bakery and travel the world, serving delicious baked goods!
Overall rating
5
/
5
42 of 46 found this review helpful
Excellent TM game
PostedJuly 10, 2013
Howatch
fromCoarsegold, CA
Skill Level:Intermediate
Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Time Management, Hidden Object, Match 3
Current Favorite:
Nancy Drew: Tomb of the Lost Queen
(53)Fun Factor
5
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
5
/
5
Level of Challenge
5
/
5
Storyline
4
/
5
With smooth gameplay and controls, this is one of the best TM games I have played in months. Good tutorial, and the difficulty level ramps up at just the right pace. Fifty levels in story mode and an expert mode with another 50 levels. There is also a challenge mode with 5 different challenges as well as an endless mode that gets harder the longer you play. So, it looks to be a very replayable and long-lasting game, and there are achievements to be earned as well. Highly recommended!
I recommend this game!
Mystery Case Files: Shadow Lake Collector's Edition
The residents of Bitterford, Maine have fallen prey to a terrible curse. It’s up to you to unravel the series of mysterious events that led to the town’s downfall and uncover the evil that was responsible.
Overall rating
5
/
5
7 of 13 found this review helpful
Very entertaining
PostedNovember 21, 2012
Howatch
fromCoarsegold, CA
Skill Level:Intermediate
Favorite Genre(s):Hidden Object, Match 3, Time Management
Current Favorite:
Mystery of the Ancients: Curse of the Black Water Collector's Edition
(105)Fun Factor
5
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
5
/
5
Level of Challenge
4
/
5
Storyline
4
/
5
I'm loving this game and finding it very entertaining. I've found that the difficulty level on hard mode is just right for me, making it an interesting challenge but not frustrating. I'm finding the full motion video sequences to be of very good quality, the storyline is fun, the map is well presented, the journal is very helpful, and the game is a pleasure to play. I'm happy that I purchased it and will definitely play it again at some point.
I recommend this game!
Secrets of the Dark: Eclipse Mountain Collector's Edition
Challenge yourself in the role of the scientist-historian-scholar of ancient civilizations and mystical legends and save your friend from the Demon of Darkness!
Overall rating
5
/
5
10 of 10 found this review helpful
A Truly Outstanding Game
PostedMay 15, 2012
Howatch
fromCoarsegold, CA
Skill Level:Intermediate
Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Hidden Object, Match 3, Time Management
Current Favorite:
Mystery Case Files®: Escape from Ravenhearst™ Collector's Edition
(896)Fun Factor
5
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
5
/
5
Level of Challenge
5
/
5
Storyline
4
/
5
This game comes to us from Orneon, the developers of the Echoes of the Past games and Secrets of the Dark: Temple of Night. Having enjoyed those games already, I was expecting good things from this game and was not disappointed. The graphics are lush and gorgeous, and the atmosphere is excellent. Hidden object scenes are well done; along with straight hidden object scenes, you also get to play "figure out where to place the item in the scene," as well. Puzzles were various and most were challenging without being obtuse or overly frustrating. The game is also a very good length - I didn't use a lot of hints, and the main game took me a good number of hours (roughly six). The bonus gameplay was equally good and of a very generous length. The storyline was nothing unique but I felt that the entire game was expertly done. There was a lot of backtracking, but the game was so beautiful and interesting to look at that it didn't really bother me. I highly recommend this game. I've played a lot of Collector's Editions and this is one of the best that I have played. This is a very high-quality game.
I recommend this game!