alowan's Profile
Stat Summary
- Average Rating:4
- Helpful Votes:508
- Reviews Submitted:38
- First Review:April 16, 2015
- Most Recent Review:September 14, 2016
- Featured reviews0
Status:
Set out across the globe to stop the end of the world!
Overall rating
5
/
5
26 of 35 found this review helpful
A short review!
PostedJune 2, 2016
alowan
fromLooking for my Brunhilda costume. Hoiyotoho!
Skill Level:Intermediate
Favorite Genre(s):Hidden Object, Match 3, Mahjong, Card & Board
Fun Factor
5
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
5
/
5
Level of Challenge
5
/
5
Storyline
5
/
5
A short review:
It took me an hour to play the demo. It felt like 10 minutes!
Graphics: up to Eipix’s good standards!
Music: very suspenseful.
Voiceovers: far from amateur.
Game play: fast & furious. HOPs well done. Puzzles: take pains to get them right.
Music: very suspenseful.
Voiceovers: far from amateur.
Game play: fast & furious. HOPs well done. Puzzles: take pains to get them right.
That’s some fine Dover Sole!
***
My scale:
My scale:
Dover sole: I must have it, now!
Smoked trout: delicious, but not quite as yummy as the sole
Finnan Haddie: worth having
Fish cakes: only if there’s nothing else in the house
Fish sticks: where’s the garbage bin?
Smoked trout: delicious, but not quite as yummy as the sole
Finnan Haddie: worth having
Fish cakes: only if there’s nothing else in the house
Fish sticks: where’s the garbage bin?
I recommend this game!
The real Bloody Stanley was caught, or so they thought...
Overall rating
3
/
5
9 of 13 found this review helpful
Nice, but I can’t afford it.
PostedMay 25, 2016
alowan
fromIn the corner, counting my pennies
Skill Level:Intermediate
Favorite Genre(s):Puzzle, Hidden Object, Match 3, Mahjong, Card & Board, Brain Teaser
Fun Factor
3
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
5
/
5
Level of Challenge
4
/
5
Storyline
4
/
5
Back when I lived on my generous salary, I would have bought this right away. The story seems good, though it’s pretty much a repeat of “Find the Murderer in the Mask.” The graphics are excellent. The music is acceptable, meaning neither great nor “Ack! Grab the headphones and listen to Bach!” It has the Custom level, which is getting to be a must-have for me.
The game play is what got to me. Gimmicks, gimmicks everywhere. I have never cared about “achievements;” now I wish that the Custom offered the option to turn the dang things off. There are several different things to collect, another thing I wish I could turn off. (I get especially irked when some of the Bonus game play is only available if you get all of something.)
Worst – having to collect coins to buy something essential to gameplay. That was what tipped it from “maybe” to “not going to buy this.” Or from Finnan Haddie to Fish Cakes, if you will.
I rate this “fish cakes.”
Do try the demo, and make your own decision. Remember that I said I would have bought it right away if I wasn’t so broke.
Dover sole: I must have it, now!
Smoked trout: delicious, but not quite as yummy as the sole
Finnan Haddie: worth having
Fish cakes: only if there’s nothing else in the house
Fish sticks: where’s the garbage bin?
Smoked trout: delicious, but not quite as yummy as the sole
Finnan Haddie: worth having
Fish cakes: only if there’s nothing else in the house
Fish sticks: where’s the garbage bin?
It's up to you to rescue your friend and discover what the dark forces are after!
Overall rating
4
/
5
12 of 20 found this review helpful
Get out the Scuba equipment!
PostedMay 21, 2016
alowan
fromI'd swim in Lake Sunapee, if it wasn't so far away
Skill Level:Intermediate
Favorite Genre(s):Puzzle, Hidden Object, Match 3, Mahjong, Card & Board, Brain Teaser
Fun Factor
5
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
3
/
5
Level of Challenge
4
/
5
Storyline
4
/
5
I found myself enjoying this game. I thought the graphics were fine, for the most. The human characters are made of that horrid plastic that supposedly makes them 3d. And I thought the dragon helper was a stuffed toy when I first saw it. But the scenery is lovely, and the villain-creatures have enough detail added to the plastic to make them believable.
The story line is different enough to keep my interest. Dragons, being underwater, rescuing a friend and a little boy and a dragon, and foiling an evil plot – just my style. And having the demo end with the introduction of a Native American looking character… pretty good! (Unless the devs mix up all the tribal artifacts like they usually do.)
The man that read the story book – fire him. Gah. It’s a story, not a news broadcast!
The game play seemed to be pretty standard. There seems to be less of the constant bouncing back and forth to find a tool, and I only said, “It’s your best friend! So what if you break a nail!” once! (Too much of either or both makes it a no buy for me.)
(My new standard of whether a game is worth buying is borrowed from LovetoMissLisa: “But, I have so many games...this adds nothing new to my library.”)
I rate this Smoked Trout; well worth spending a bit of my pension on.
Let me introduce my new ratings:
Dover sole, Smoked trout, Finnan Haddie, fish cakes, fish sticks
Dover sole, Smoked trout, Finnan Haddie, fish cakes, fish sticks
I recommend this game!
Turn off the lights, turn up the sound and play the scariest hidden object game ever!
Overall rating
2
/
5
2 of 5 found this review helpful
Unable to find a hook
PostedMay 4, 2016
alowan
fromAt the "Pride of Lake Morey's Shores," in my memories
Skill Level:Intermediate
Favorite Genre(s):Hidden Object, Match 3, Word, Mahjong, Card & Board, Brain Teaser
Fun Factor
1
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
3
/
5
Level of Challenge
5
/
5
Storyline
4
/
5
I would have loved to get through this game, especially because one of the girls around the campfire looked like Velma! but I couldn't even make it past the first HOP.
Finding the key to the cabin was easy - but having the shutters be clickable at that point was tiresome. Having thought that the key might be there, I clicked on them - only to be returned to the "find the key" scene.
In the shed, I stumbled over two objects by just clicking around. I didn't see them until I picked them up! I used the two "bugs" I had for the next two. I couldn't see the last object to save my life - got my cursor de-activated for a few seconds because I clicked too much - and that's when I quit. Don't punish me! I'm a potential customer, not a baby!
I also disliked the handling of the inventory. Having the items I had over on the left, obscuring part of the scene, I couldn't lock it (even if that option was available). And I kept thinking I had the items I was searching for, since they were there, in color, down where the inventory usually is.
I am disappointed that I couldn't play this game. I wanted so much to see the story of the Hookman!
I don't recommend this game.
Solve the secret of the pharaoh and find the pyramids' treasures in Pharaoh's Riddles! New Egyptian riddles await you!
Overall rating
5
/
5
11 of 14 found this review helpful
"Crossing" the Nile with logic!
PostedApril 26, 2016
alowan
fromNot too far from the mountains, where the weather changes in minutes!
Skill Level:Intermediate
Favorite Genre(s):Puzzle, Hidden Object, Match 3, Word, Mahjong, Card & Board, Brain Teaser
Fun Factor
5
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
4
/
5
Level of Challenge
4
/
5
I love the puzzles themselves, so the lack of a real story doesn't bother me at all.
I am still in the 10 x 15 stage. What I like even more about this game is that I can decipher the hieroglyphics - oops, I mean pictures - with no trouble.
I suspect they've hired a cross-stitcher! I'm one myself, and I know it's hard to design with such a small number of stitches and come out with something recognizable.
Don't take my word for it, though. Pennmom is one of my favorite reviewers. She can't be wrong about her experience! Maybe it's my very minor, fringe, dyslexia. Or my last concussion. ;-)
The murders are rampant in Miami! Follow the clues to crack the cases and arrest the killers!
Overall rating
4
/
5
18 of 20 found this review helpful
I think it was the guy with the pipe!
PostedApril 25, 2016
alowan
fromAt my desk instead of outside gardening!
Skill Level:Expert
Favorite Genre(s):Puzzle, Hidden Object, Match 3, Word, Mahjong, Card & Board, Brain Teaser
Fun Factor
5
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
5
/
5
Level of Challenge
5
/
5
Storyline
3
/
5
And, off we go! I played the demo, bought it immediately, and also bought the first one!
Has anyone mentioned that, when you first click "Play," you are offered two levels? That's so nice.
I gave an "excellent" to visual/sound quality not because of how the characters were handled (old-fashioned, much?) but because of the way the puzzles are done. There is no confusion about whether a space is full, empty, or "I dunno yet." After some puzzles I've done, I'm very happy with that!
Being a fan of both fictional and real mysteries, I have to say they're pretty pathetic in this game. But that's just fine with me. I can live with it, for the pleasure of the puzzles.
Now, excuse me, I have to put a candlestick in the library, so the good Colonel can see to write letters....
I recommend this game!
Refill four magic runes and help the poor wizard return back home.
Overall rating
5
/
5
4 of 8 found this review helpful
A great break from doing my taxes!
PostedApril 12, 2016
alowan
fromswearing at all the tax forms!
Skill Level:Intermediate
Favorite Genre(s):Puzzle, Hidden Object, Match 3, Mahjong, Card & Board, Brain Teaser
Fun Factor
5
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
5
/
5
Level of Challenge
3
/
5
Storyline
3
/
5
The Far Kingdoms: Magic Mosaics, which I finished a few minutes ago.
An enjoyable game; and a nice break from working on our taxes! The puzzles aren’t all that hard. IIRC the biggest are 20 x 15, or maybe 20x20.
What I really love about the game are the graphics. I haven’t seen such good background work since the first 4 Elements. They change twice or three times within one level, and are different for each level, too. Biscuitsmama is right; they change for each new character.
It actually has a plot! A very simple one, but there are 5 characters that actually talk to you! (I don’t know if there are voiceovers; I was listening to the radio.)
Another nice thing is that, after you finish the puzzle, they actually tell you what the pictures are meant to represent! When I looked and said, “What the heck is that,” I could find out by looking above the score window.
There are only 4 levels, which is, I suppose, why the puzzles are so easy. I thought about withholding a star for that, but flipped a coin and didn’t. I want to encourage these devs to make more mosaics!!
I recommend this game!
The fabled Minotaur waits patiently in his labyrinth to be reborn. Only the descendent of Ariadne can stop him... which just happens to be you!
Overall rating
4
/
5
5 of 6 found this review helpful
At Last, a New Story
PostedMarch 14, 2016
alowan
fromIn a scary place below the Palace on Crete
Skill Level:Intermediate
Favorite Genre(s):Hidden Object, Match 3, Word, Mahjong, Card & Board, Brain Teaser
Fun Factor
5
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
3
/
5
Level of Challenge
4
/
5
Storyline
5
/
5
This seems to be an old-fashioned game as far as art and mechanics goes. Characters are a bit cartoony, and the "3D" style needs some work.
Having said that, I love the game! I wish I had seen it while the sale was on!
I may be influenced by my familiarity with the original myth, and with Mary Renault's superb book based on it. But so far, there seems to be nothing happening in the way of supernatural events that clashes with the myth.
Many of the HOPs and/or mini games have freshness; they may seem to be the same old thing, but are done in a new way. I like that.
Good for these Devs! I'm like a moth flying to-wards the Sun of my limited spending money... ka-ching, it will soon be spent!
I recommend this game!
Play scales on a board to form combinations of the same color! Solve more than 150 levels, including rampant match-3 duels!
Overall rating
5
/
5
10 of 14 found this review helpful
Even better the second time!
PostedFebruary 26, 2016
alowan
fromSomeplace scaly
Skill Level:Beginner
Favorite Genre(s):Hidden Object, Match 3, Word, Mahjong, Brain Teaser
Fun Factor
5
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
5
/
5
Level of Challenge
5
/
5
Storyline
3
/
5
This game is so unlike the standard Match 3 that I almost want to invent a new category for it…
I also have the first Dragon scales game, and I like this one better. I especially like the Practice department, because I couldn’t pass one board of the first game, and so was stuck and frustrated. I still love it, though, and I’m hoping that much practice will help me get past it!
I have to say that I love the graphics! They are well above the usual standard.
I could live without the music. Not that it’s awful; just that I’m a music snob. But I love the deep and accented voice that cheers me on. That guy could read me the phone book without boring me.
Now excuse me while I go buy the thing!
I recommend this game!
Get ready for a romantic journey! 120 fun griddlers await you in Valentine's Day Griddlers!
Overall rating
5
/
5
3 of 3 found this review helpful
Goes well with chocolates!
PostedFebruary 16, 2016
alowan
fromTemporarily throwing nutrition out the window!
Skill Level:Intermediate
Favorite Genre(s):Hidden Object, Match 3, Mahjong, Card & Board, Brain Teaser
Fun Factor
5
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
4
/
5
Level of Challenge
4
/
5
I don’t know why the other reviewers were so disappointed. Yes, these devs deliver essentially the same thing in every game; only the decorations change. But the decorations are consistently enjoyable! In this game, I love the scribbly filling.(It reminds me how nice it is to do them on the computer. I don't know how many erasers I'd go through if I did them on paper!) Different devs, different fillings, and there’s none I hate.
As for the filling color, it’s a nice sky blue. And by Valentine’s Day, if I never see red and pink again, it’ll be too soon. Except for the red hearts around the sale chocolates my sweetie brought me today. (We call the day after Valentine’s Day, Cheap Chocolates Day.)
As far as the music goes, sometimes I like it and sometimes I don’t. Usually, I just turn it off and listen to Bach, who helps me stay on top of the math. (My last concussion took away my math skills; nonograms have helped me get them back!)
I only made it to the 10 x 15 grids before the demo ended, which is the first place where it’s possible to have real pictures. There are just so many things one can do with a 5 x 5 grid! Perhaps it is my cross-stitching that helps me see the pictures that are there. (Plenty of filled nonograms would make great cross stitch designs!) In 10x15, I have seen a very clear swan, and a line of bottles.
Perhaps it’s the very short time we get to look at our completed pictures before they are covered. I’ve been known to wait to click on the last box until I can make something of the picture.
I’m giving it 5 stars, and I recommend it. I’m gonna buy it as soon as I post this!
I recommend this game!