donadriedger's Profile
Stat Summary
- Average Rating:3.1
- Helpful Votes:5,309
- Reviews Submitted:166
- First Review:April 23, 2012
- Most Recent Review:November 18, 2021
- Featured reviews0
Status:
Dark Manor: A Hidden Object Mystery
The bayou. The roaring 1920’s. A supernatural secret. Step into Dark Manor, where ghostly hosts will help you find your way! Beautify your manor today!
Overall rating
3
/
5
15 of 24 found this review helpful
OK...for freeplay
PostedAugust 24, 2013
donadriedger
fromNova Scotia, Canada
Skill Level:Intermediate
Favorite Genre(s):Word, Hidden Object, Large File, Match 3, Card & Board, Mahjong
Fun Factor
3
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
4
/
5
Level of Challenge
4
/
5
Storyline
3
/
5
This is a fairly fun game, albeit a frustrating eye test at the same time. Things are mostly tiny in the HO parts. The play is a bit stilted...buy things, search here, go there. Most of the time, I really didn't know what I was doing. Also, the loading between different actions is quite slow. Not bad but not really good, either.
I recommend this game!
Who is responsible for your children’s disappearance? Follow the trail!
Overall rating
3
/
5
13 of 23 found this review helpful
I'll never look at ginger confections in the same way!
PostedAugust 24, 2013
donadriedger
fromNova Scotia, Canada
Skill Level:Intermediate
Favorite Genre(s):Word, Hidden Object, Large File, Match 3, Card & Board, Mahjong
Fun Factor
4
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
3
/
5
Level of Challenge
3
/
5
Storyline
5
/
5
The very freaky cookies are the best part of this game. They are nasty little blighters....this is the first time I've ever disliked a pastry! But, I must say.. I really don't like the artwork. The HOs are drawn with a lot of detail, but the other scenes are not...they are mostly hazy, bland and very simple drawings with no background detail...so disappointing, when we are used to beautiful graphics. The music is very good, though and the VOs are also well done, and I love the rhyming narration. The helper cookie can bring up a jumping type portal in lieu of a map, which is fun and different. The HOs are slightly interactive and the mini games are cute, but not very difficult. You get to find hidden cupcakes, but after a while, I didn't want to find them as the trophy thing that comes up each time you find one stays up way too long and you can't seem to hurry it along. Actually, I found this a continuing annoyance with other pop up things...too slow at going away! It also lacks depth in other ways...the little tasks you need to complete seem very simple and almost unnecessary, as if the devs were trying to stretch out the contents. All in all, though, I think it will be a fun little game; just not too challenging.
I recommend this game!
The quaint mountain town of Hochwald hides a deadly secret. Defeat a mechanical mastermind and save your friend before another earthquake strikes!
Overall rating
5
/
5
12 of 20 found this review helpful
Cute
PostedAugust 10, 2013
donadriedger
fromNova Scotia, Canada
Skill Level:Intermediate
Favorite Genre(s):Word, Hidden Object, Match 3, Card & Board, Mahjong
Fun Factor
5
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
4
/
5
Level of Challenge
4
/
5
Storyline
5
/
5
I liked it! I love HG Well-sian art; Victorian gizmos and mechanical things, so I got a big kick out of the art and the story. I only played the demo, so I cannot say how long this game is, but I figure it's a good buy with the reduced prices going on this weekend for CEs. The voices are well done, the HOs are fun and slightly different, in that you do not seem to complete everything in the scene, so you will be going back to the same set. There are bugs to collect and achievements. The HOs and mini games will be accessible in the extras, as well as a bonus chapter. I thought the graphics were beautiful and the story interesting...can't wait to get back to it and catch that nasty worm thing!
Well done.
Well done.
I recommend this game!
Save your niece from the evil presence haunting her school!
Overall rating
5
/
5
8 of 12 found this review helpful
Yikes!! Scary and fun!
PostedAugust 1, 2013
donadriedger
fromNova Scotia, Canada
Skill Level:Intermediate
Favorite Genre(s):Word, Hidden Object, Large File, Match 3, Card & Board, Mahjong
Fun Factor
5
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
5
/
5
Level of Challenge
5
/
5
Storyline
5
/
5
What a fun game! I wouldn't want to play it at night, though...scared the bejeepers out of me! I love all the Grim Tales games, and this one looks to be the best entry yet. The story is really good and the voices, the music and the ambient sounds are all disturbingly creepy...love it! You've got to take time to look at all the scenes because there are so many little spooky things that add to the overall terror. The HOs are interactive; some are dark and some are small, adding to the challenge. The mini games are straight forward but different and part of the story. There is a transporting map, which is a good thing, as there are so many things to do at each site, that it is easy to lose track of where you need something. There are collectibles and achievements as well as the usual extras in a CE. The hint recharges quickly and there are a lot of sparkles in the easiest mode. You have a chipmunk assistant to retrieve high up objects and a strategy guide...didn't use it though, so I don't know if it keeps pace with you or not. The graphics are the usual excellent standard of these devs....all in all a really good game!
I recommend this game!
Giant mutated plants have sprung up across the city! It's time to save the day!
Overall rating
2
/
5
31 of 41 found this review helpful
Nyeh....
PostedJuly 24, 2013
donadriedger
fromNova Scotia, Canada
Skill Level:Intermediate
Favorite Genre(s):Word, Hidden Object, Large File, Match 3, Card & Board, Mahjong
Fun Factor
2
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
2
/
5
Level of Challenge
2
/
5
Storyline
3
/
5
I found this game way too slow to be any fun. Each scene takes a long time to load and after you finish a task it takes too long to acknowledge it and continue with the play. Half the time, I thought I had done something wrong. The graphics are very fuzzy and the whole thing had a old time feel to it. The only nearly good thing was the story, which had lots of possibilities, but I couldn't stick it out to see if they went anywhere with it. Some parts seemed unnecessarily silly...why stop to pull a car out from under a tree when it doesn't lead anywhere...why cause a boat/car pileup with injuries while avoiding a cat on the road? The lady ought to have her license revoked! Surely, with giant mutant surly plants on the loose, the writers could have done better. It has a strange mix of the childish and the gratuitously violent that leaves one wondering who the target audience is supposed to be. I think I'll give it a miss.
I don't recommend this game.
There are screams heard in Silent Hollow... Trouble at the Mystery Trackers headquarters means you're called in to help.
Overall rating
5
/
5
193 of 207 found this review helpful
EXCELLENT!! IT'S GOT EVERYTHING
PostedJuly 18, 2013
donadriedger
fromNova Scotia, Canada
Skill Level:Intermediate
Favorite Genre(s):Word, Hidden Object, Large File, Match 3, Card & Board, Mahjong
Fun Factor
5
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
5
/
5
Level of Challenge
4
/
5
Storyline
5
/
5
Another excellent Mystery Tracker entry! (Mind you, I love them all, and these devs are one of my favourites). It's so much fun I hardly know where to start.....maybe with the little dog helper: adorable! This has some great new elements to it: really fun and different mini games, achievements galore, coins to collect and things to buy, powerful tools for the hero...to name a few. There are not too many HOs and a nice transporting map that shows the spots that have activities, at least on the casual mode, not sure of the harder styles. The hint button is very useful, giving you directions without dragging you by the hand...love that. The VOs are a mixed bag...some good, some not so and the music is a good spooky, tension type mix. The graphics are beautiful as usual and the story line is captivating....all in all: a really fun game!
Ooh....and I forgot...LOVE the exotic animal collections!
Ooh....and I forgot...LOVE the exotic animal collections!
I recommend this game!
Discover the city of Apothecarium, where inhabitants are caught in a perilous struggle against a powerful alchemist who is taking the lives of innocent!
Overall rating
5
/
5
89 of 95 found this review helpful
A REALLY GOOD GAME!
PostedJuly 13, 2013
donadriedger
fromNova Scotia, Canada
Skill Level:Intermediate
Favorite Genre(s):Word, Hidden Object, Large File, Match 3, Card & Board, Mahjong
Fun Factor
5
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
5
/
5
Level of Challenge
5
/
5
Storyline
5
/
5
Wow...this is a surprise: an SE that packs a lot of punch! This is so different. The HO scenes, to start with, are great fun. The highlighted items must be located in a different way...not saying how. The mini games are different and fun and are kind of drawn in an HG Wells style, which I love....and you can switch to match 3 to collect coins and to assist with locating really hard to find objects in the HOs. The coins can be used to buy upgrades for M3 and for hints, etc. There are achievements to get and coins to find scattered amongst the scenes. You need to use your brain a bit to figure out what to use where...not very much handholding, also a good thing. The story is entertaining and there is enough of a creepy element to entertain. The hint button refills quickly, the music and VOs are quite good (except for maybe the little girl type voices), and the artwork and graphics are very good....overall, an excellent buy!!
I recommend this game!
Guide a mother who pursues a terrifying apparition into a twisted reality to save her daughter.
Overall rating
4
/
5
22 of 32 found this review helpful
4.75 Actually
PostedJuly 6, 2013
donadriedger
fromNova Scotia, Canada
Skill Level:Intermediate
Favorite Genre(s):Word, Hidden Object, Large File, Match 3, Card & Board, Mahjong
Fun Factor
5
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
4
/
5
Level of Challenge
5
/
5
Storyline
5
/
5
I would have given this 5 stars if only the little rag doll could be deactivated....I would like him as a hint button as he is creepy and well drawn, but I hate his constant instructions which are totally unnecessary. I also can't stand the voices, except for the heroine...everyone else should go to acting classes! These are my only negative remarks, however. I love the overall spookiness (the pop up cards and pull out are fun extras), creepy clowns, strange children and freaky puppets add a lot of fun. The mini games are really good...colorful and enjoyable..not too difficult. The HOs are not numerous and have slight interactions in them. The journal stays where you leave it and the hint system is pretty useless, as it only shows the map. There are no morphs or collectables other than the doll house characters themselves, so while I really enjoy this scary game, I will probably wait for the SE price. Good sequel though.
I recommend this game!
Solve the mystery of a seaside town as you uncover your lost memories.
Overall rating
5
/
5
39 of 49 found this review helpful
ABSOLUTELY BEAUTIFUL!
PostedJuly 4, 2013
donadriedger
fromNova Scotia, Canada
Skill Level:Intermediate
Favorite Genre(s):Word, Hidden Object, Large File, Match 3, Card & Board, Mahjong
Fun Factor
5
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
5
/
5
Level of Challenge
5
/
5
Storyline
5
/
5
What a great game! I love these devs...the Fierce Tales Dog's Heart one is one of my favourites and this one is possibly even better. The graphics are stunning, the story excellent and the play value is so high! You have many things to collect along the way; turtles, sea animals and shells. Also, you have the assistance of a beautiful dolphin...love it! The HOs have a lot of interactive play, which is always a plus, but what I really loved were the mini games....so colourful, fun and different..nice job! Even the VOs are good, which is very rare, in my opinion. I purchased after the trial, so now I'm going to start over so I can look for every single thing and enjoy the awesome artwork.
I recommend this game!
A doctor has mysteriously vanished from a psychiatric clinic, and it’s up to you, hypnotist Maya Anderson, to solve the mystery!
Overall rating
1
/
5
81 of 110 found this review helpful
My...those are some very buxom women!
PostedJuly 2, 2013
donadriedger
fromNova Scotia, Canada
Skill Level:Intermediate
Favorite Genre(s):Word, Adventure, Hidden Object, Match 3, Card & Board, Mahjong
Fun Factor
1
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
3
/
5
Level of Challenge
2
/
5
Storyline
1
/
5
Well....this must have been developed by lonely men; it's juvenile, the females are nubile and the game is plain vile. Could they have come up with a creepier premise to start with? Not every woman fears she will turn up in public naked....and what is with fighting that goofy phobia guy? Mental illness is not a game, phobias are not funny little things that can be killed, and owning a book of Freud quotes does not make a game developer a philosopher! Not only does the premise stink, but the game play itself is boring and slow....marching from place to place, not encountering very much, then having to listen to the stilted dialogue...blechh. I'll give it a big miss!
I don't recommend this game.