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:
Help Joe and Tom repair an old barn and prepare for the harsh winter in Barn Yarn, a unique mix of Hidden Object and simulation!
Overall rating
5
/
5
102 of 149 found this review helpful
Love it!!
PostedMarch 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
I love Farmscapes and have played it many many times, and this sequel is just as cute, simple and fun!! This time, Grandpa Joe is restoring an old barn with the help of his grandson. Instead of a match 3 like Farmscapes, this is a fast paced hidden object game. You have 3 different types of hints that can help you, and as you accumulate coins you buy things to make improvements. It has very smooth action...you just need to run your cursor over the coins as you find items and sell them, not like in Gardenscapes, where you had to click on the coins. This makes it much faster to move on to the next thing. The same cute characters are included along with some new ones; the story is sweet and uncomplicated and the artwork is adorable....all in all: a total hit with me!
I recommend this game!
An evil sorcerer has returned to take vengeance upon your kingdom. Will you be able to stop him?
Overall rating
3
/
5
17 of 21 found this review helpful
Only so so...
PostedMarch 2, 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
3
/
5
Level of Challenge
3
/
5
Storyline
3
/
5
This game leaves me slightly cold. It was ok for play value, but the artwork was very one dimensional, and now I look for good graphics as a basic for all new games. I did like the sounds..the background noises were quite cute...crows, crickets, etc, and I did like the noises made when you located something. The VOs were fairly good too, but the volume on the narrator's voice was way louder than the rest of the sounds, and eventually I had to turn the whole thing down. The HO scenes were not interactive, nor were they very well drawn...a bit boring, really. The puzzles were old familiars although some of them were frustrating...why can you only move the squares up and down in a rearrange the tiles scenario...and I HATE that darn old 'rotating the rings' thing! There is no map and the objectives keep coming onto the screen in an intrusive way...also there is a lot of hand holding when working on something such as making a potion; you have to look at the directions in a diary, but when you click on the apparatus to make the thing, it will tell you each step..I mean, what is the point? I would recommend trying this game for yourself as it is a simple old HO game, and that may satisfy some....mostly though, I didn't like the name..."King Mongo"?? What kind of a king has a name from an old Mel Brooks movie??
I don't recommend this game.
A simple murder investigation in Spain becomes a puzzling whodunit filled with intrigue.
Overall rating
5
/
5
11 of 18 found this review helpful
Totally excellent!
PostedFebruary 28, 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 game has it all! The artwork is so beautiful...you could just watch it and follow the story without even having a game. The story is a really good one, though, and the HO scenes are different each time; some with outlines, some with lists and sometimes you have to look into inset scenes within the HO. The devs put a lot of work into the playing part as well as the visuals. The mini games are also slightly different and a lot of fun. The VOs are really good for a change and the background music is also fun and slightly spooky. There doesn't seem to be a map, but I didn't really need one. ..not too much back and forthing. Hidden fans give you added clues and you need to find coins to buy things you need. The cute fox accompanies you and assists from time to time. The journal keeps track of clues for each suspect, and also keeps track of the story. The hint button seems to be directional only outside of HOs. As I have said before, these are my favourite devs and they do not disappoint with this one!
I recommend this game!
Tile-matching gets an epic makeover in Age of Mahjong!
Overall rating
3
/
5
26 of 28 found this review helpful
Darn it!
PostedFebruary 27, 2013
donadriedger
fromNova Scotia, Canada
Favorite Genre(s):Word, Hidden Object, Match 3, Card & Board, Mahjong
Fun Factor
4
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
3
/
5
Level of Challenge
4
/
5
Storyline
4
/
5
I really would have loved this game if only the tiles had been drawn better. The story is cute with cartoon pages to tell the story, the music is very soothing as are the other sounds. The timing is relaxed and you have accomplishments to get as well as buildings to erect. Everything would have been charming, except that the tiles are so small and the patterns are so detailed that you cannot tell one from the other easily....very frustrating.
The patterns for the layouts are excellent and there seems to be a lot to play...a different one for each building or upgrade you make....so close but not quite! It's always been hard to find a good mahjong...nothing ever seems to beat Liong, the Lost Amulet.
The patterns for the layouts are excellent and there seems to be a lot to play...a different one for each building or upgrade you make....so close but not quite! It's always been hard to find a good mahjong...nothing ever seems to beat Liong, the Lost Amulet.
I recommend this game!
Spend the night in an abandoned mansion. Can you survive to uncover the terrible secret about your ancestor?
Overall rating
2
/
5
4 of 7 found this review helpful
Not very good
PostedFebruary 27, 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
1
/
5
Level of Challenge
2
/
5
Storyline
2
/
5
This does look like a beginners effort, as another reviewer said. Given that, it could have been a lot better even for a first effort. The HO items are sometimes not visible although the print of the list is enormous. The graphics are dark and fuzzy and the whole game's actions are not smooth. You kind of jerk from one scene to another. The story is not well told and it looks as if you will be trapped in the rotten house the whole time, so I think it will get to be quite tedious in short order. The sound effects are good enough but the voice over is terrible...sounds like someone reading a bed time story. The mini games were trying as the logic was totally missing and the instructions were bad...perhaps English is not the first language of the devs. You also have to click around a lot in each scene for things you might not know you need...I've always hated that; it messes up the story. After a while, I started to wish longingly for the end of the demo. I think they need to go back to the drawing board.
I don't recommend this game.
The Order’s most closely-guarded secret sleeps deep beneath the ancient Spanish streets. What lies within this mysterious box?
Overall rating
4
/
5
3 of 5 found this review helpful
Quite a bit of fun
PostedFebruary 24, 2013
donadriedger
fromNova Scotia, Canada
Favorite Genre(s):Word, Hidden Object, Large File, Match 3, Card & Board, Mahjong
Fun Factor
4
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
5
/
5
Level of Challenge
4
/
5
Storyline
5
/
5
This is based only on the demo, so I have no idea how long this game will be, as they did not preview any chapters, as some demos do, but I enjoyed the demo a lot. The voices are good and the graphics are very good. The story is not too familiar; you are a guardian of a mysterious box, which turns out to be Pandora's box. Naturally it gets taken from you so you have to travel around a Spanish city in search of it and to try to keep it from falling into the hands of evil.. (natch). There is a map, which in the demo you really do not need, as there aren't too many places that you are likely to get lost, but it might come in handy later. The hint system is directional but refills quickly. The mini games were good, although I did have to skip some, as time is limited on the demo. I think I will definitely enjoy them though, when I purchase the game. I really liked the Spanish voices and the music which add a lot to the game. There is a little bull fighting reference in the beginning, and I know that can be offensive to many, but it looks like the bulls fared better than the matadors for once, and the only bull you fight in the demo is a demon one, which just runs off..so it is not too bad. There are morphing objects to find, and they do not jump out or turn your cursor into a pointer when you cross over them, so you get to look around for them, which I like. Overall, I think this looks to be a fun game that might be worth the CE price tag...there is an extra chapter and the usual art things, and some accomplishments, although I always find those things fluff.
I recommend this game!
Jessica would never imagine that her big day would turn out to be a nightmare; they had an accident and Jonathan McNealy, her husband is missing.
Overall rating
2
/
5
11 of 23 found this review helpful
What a drag!
PostedFebruary 23, 2013
donadriedger
fromNova Scotia, Canada
Skill Level:Intermediate
Favorite Genre(s):Hidden Object, Large File, Match 3, Card & Board, Mahjong
Fun Factor
1
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
2
/
5
Level of Challenge
2
/
5
Storyline
2
/
5
A completely hackneyed story, combined with fuzzy poorly drawn graphics leave this one at the starting gate! The HO scenes are used more than once and you have to track back and forth a lot to gather far too many items to do one simple task....you need 4 piles of wood to light one fire and you need to catch a rat to eliminate a weasel, just to get some oil... I nearly gave up before I got out of the crashed car....I suppose the devs thought this would make it more in depth, but it feels a lot like padding to me. The puzzles are irritating, the heroine's voice is whiny and she uses bad grammar, the pace is slow and some scenes are too dark. All in all, I would rather be in Cleveland!
I don't recommend this game.
Soul and machine are one in Motor Town, where a stunning mystery awaits!
Overall rating
3
/
5
26 of 31 found this review helpful
MAYBE...MAYBE NOT
PostedFebruary 12, 2013
donadriedger
fromNova Scotia, Canada
Favorite Genre(s):Word, Adventure, Hidden Object, Large File, Match 3, Card & Board, Mahjong
Fun Factor
3
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
3
/
5
Level of Challenge
3
/
5
Storyline
5
/
5
I am on the fence with this game. I really liked the story and the creepy atmosphere of the whole thing, and it stretched out the time between finding new locations, so you have a lot of fun exploring. The artwork is amazing, but not always in a good way. I have never seen junk piles like this! They ought to get some kind of award for this; they bring new meaning to 'messy'. Even in scenes that are not HOs the junk and mess are incredible. After a bit, I started to feel kind of queasy from the filth of it all... but I've got to admit a lot of work must have gone into making the detailed art. There is a fair mix of HO and puzzles. The only thing is the logic of some of the puzzles is very fuzzy, unless of course I am just dense, which is not out the realm of reality, I admit. I had to skip a couple of the puzzles as I just could not understand the directions or make the leap of logic the devs were looking for. I did like the refilling lists and interactive play in the HOs though. All in all, I recommend trying this game and judging for yourself.
After finding an artifact, you're whisked away to a dying world. Can you save it from the darkness?
Overall rating
3
/
5
11 of 23 found this review helpful
Thank heaven for the mute button!
PostedJanuary 27, 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
3
/
5
Level of Challenge
4
/
5
Storyline
2
/
5
I agree the graphics are nice...but that is not enough to carry this game. To start with, the voices are the worst I have ever heard! The heroine sounds like a 3rd grade school teacher reading a story, and after I heard the captain doing a laughable Walter Cronkite impression I had to hit the mute...also, when the heroine is giving some exposition, she says she has been "journalling"...there's no way that's a word! So, I was not off to a good start right away. The story itself is okay, although sort of disorganized (is this a sequel or something?) and I got the feeling that the devs added a lot of frills to pad out the actual play. You get to collect butterflies and blimps, and possibly other things..not sure, as I only discovered those things by accident. There is an owl in practically every scene, although I'm pretty sure owls don't hang out in the jungle. I thought they were gonna be collectibles, but they were not..so go figure. There is a map, but it is not a transporter, and there is a LOT of traipsing back and forth. The journal has the story and, for some reason, a play back button for scenes that are not important, and also has a list of your current objectives. One other reviewer said that the hint told you exactly what to do, but I found it only pointed the direction or indicated an area that you could do something to...it does reload quickly though. I did enjoy the HO scenes with some interactive items but overall I did not enjoy the game enough to lay out the expense of a CE. I thought it was too disjointed and silly...sorry.
I don't recommend this game.
Your brother is kidnapped during an air show. Search for him in a beautiful world where the sky is as wide as your imagination.
Overall rating
5
/
5
61 of 68 found this review helpful
Loved it!!
PostedJanuary 24, 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
What a beautiful game!! These devs always have great graphics, but this time the HG Wells-ian aura takes it way beyond. I love the futuristc sci-fi gadgets drawn with the Victorian flair! The HO scenes are great...really not cluttered and yet so fun, needing items you are holding in the inventory. The mini games are really lovely to look at, even if they are not very difficult. You can really see that a lot of time and effort went into the art work in every area. As with the other Surface games, you collect flowers but this time you can use them to buy items to fix up different scenes...so cute! The game has a transporting map and an interesting journal where you can review scenes plus the hint button tells you directly what you need to do next...not really much need for the SG. I absolutely love the storyline and look forward to continuing to follow it. I also enjoyed the background sounds and the music. The whole package is simply excellent...this type of game stands head and shoulders above the usual fare.
I recommend this game!