graceland9's Profile
Stat Summary
- Average Rating:4.4
- Helpful Votes:959
- Reviews Submitted:102
- First Review:April 22, 2012
- Most Recent Review:March 17, 2017
- Featured reviews0
Status:
The real Bloody Stanley was caught, or so they thought...
Overall rating
5
/
5
73 of 88 found this review helpful
A-Maze-ing Puzzles!
PostedMay 19, 2016
graceland9
fromLove the maze!
Skill Level:Expert
Favorite Genre(s):Puzzle, Hidden Object, Time Management, Adventure, Large File, Strategy, Word, Card & Board, Brain Teaser
Fun Factor
5
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
4
/
5
Level of Challenge
5
/
5
Storyline
5
/
5
As a Victorian detective, you have to go and investigate the 'Bloody Stanley' murders. Seems the prisoner, Hank Williams, isn't the murderer after all!
This is a dark, bloody HOA with all the bells and whistles: interactive map, gorgeous graphics, and interactive HOS. I thought the game didn't live up to the Editors recommendation - that was, until I hit the garden labyrinth.
Honestly, Monster in Disguise is worth it just for this puzzle. I didn't even make it through before my hour sample ran out. The puzzle is huge, with a mapped labyrinth you negotiate in the mist, trying to locate objects to get you through the rest of the maze.
I'd happily buy a game that's based on this concept alone. Kudos to the designers - have they come up with a new kind of puzzler?
I'll definitely be purchasing this game, thanks to this maze and the need to collect coins throughout. I always enjoy looking for money in a game - it's like finding a ten-dollar bill in the pocket of your jeans after you do the laundry.
I recommend this game!
In Lucky Luke: Transcontinental Railroad, oversee the construction of the historic railroad stretching across the United States!
Overall rating
4
/
5
3 of 4 found this review helpful
Good Game, but needs work
PostedMay 19, 2016
graceland9
fromLuke is still a babe, though.
Skill Level:Expert
Favorite Genre(s):Puzzle, Hidden Object, Time Management, Adventure, Large File, Strategy, Word, Card & Board, Brain Teaser
Fun Factor
4
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
4
/
5
Level of Challenge
4
/
5
Storyline
4
/
5
I'm a Lucky Luke fan. I used to read all the books I could get about the French cowboy - am I a total dork if I admit I had a bit of a crush on Luke?
This game SHOULD have been fun, but the continual pop-up instructions (with no way to opt out) really got on my nerves AND made me lose a star a few times on the first few levels. And when Luke finally says he's going to leave us alone to play the levels - big sigh of relief - his horse, Jolly Jumper, jumps right in with more instructions.
Not only that, but as other reviews have stated it's difficult to tell which resources you need. Granted I'm over the hill, but I could not tell the difference between iron and rock a few times. And, just as I ordered the right one, clicked on my stagecoach to have it delivered, and got all set to build, up popped Luke again with another message! Gah!
I think this would be a fun game for Western enthusiasts who don't mind the non-PC of the game. Rantanplan, the chief, is a villain in the Lucky Luke stories. He's a cardboard figure and certainly non representative of any true Native culture.
Give it a try if you like Luke, the West, and construction games. Maybe once you FINALLY get past the tutorial the game will take off and be fun.
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
2 of 2 found this review helpful
Great Puzzle Game
PostedMay 18, 2016
graceland9
fromDerek is quite the brat, though.
Favorite Genre(s):Puzzle, Hidden Object, Time Management, Adventure, Large File, Strategy, Word, Card & Board, Brain Teaser
Fun Factor
5
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
4
/
5
Level of Challenge
5
/
5
Storyline
5
/
5
Sure, the graphics are clunky and the dialogue is almost comically over-the-top, but this puzzle game is original and addictive. You work with Princess Claudine to match up dragon scales, which clear in groups of 3 and up.
The challenges become progressively harder, but along the way you collect gold coins to buy power-ups. You also win coins by playing mini-games like card matches, slots, etc.
When I started this game up, at first I thought No way, I won't even make it through the demo. However, I was sucked in by the great concept and interesting story line, complete with villains like Greedy Greenie and Derek the elf.
If you like a thought-based game with different options and a fantasy setting, this is a great addition to your game manager.
I recommend this game!
Master this fun and challenging Match-3 game inspired by the magical world of witches and wizards!
Overall rating
4
/
5
Make Matches, Create Spells
PostedMay 17, 2016
graceland9
fromThe little owl are so cute!
Skill Level:Expert
Favorite Genre(s):Puzzle, Hidden Object, Time Management, Adventure, Match 3, Large File, Strategy, Word, Card & Board, Brain Teaser
Fun Factor
4
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
4
/
5
Level of Challenge
4
/
5
Storyline
4
/
5
For those who enjoyed Forgotten Tales: Day of the Dead, this game will seem familiar. You get ingredients for spells by bringing them down to the bottom of the Match 3 board, negotiating webbed cells and gated cells by matching around them.
You play as a student witch learning new spells or power-ups. As in Day of the Dead, you can buy more power-ups as you uncover coins through matches. Your mission is to rescue your parents with the help of Aunt Wendy.
Along the way, the wizard headmaster and Aunt Wendy, a witch teacher. show you how to use your spells. It's all complimented with cute graphics and explosive Match 3 boards.
I liked the spell concept and gameplay, although I thought the ending of each match was too drawn out. In my opinion, there was no need for all the fireworks and hoop-la, but that's a small critique.
This is a great game for those who look for an original type of Match-3 game. Enjoy!
I recommend this game!
An old nemesis returns but only as a forbearer of something even more malevolent in the epic Weather Lord: Following the Princess!
Overall rating
5
/
5
2 of 2 found this review helpful
Control the Weather!
PostedMay 16, 2016
graceland9
fromHow does wind create gold again?
Skill Level:Expert
Favorite Genre(s):Puzzle, Hidden Object, Time Management, Adventure, Match 3, Large File, Strategy, Word, Card & Board, Brain Teaser
Fun Factor
5
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
5
/
5
Level of Challenge
5
/
5
Storyline
4
/
5
I loved the weather component of this TM game. Weather Lord is an original TM game on its own, complete with rainbow fairies you 'make happy' with rainbow crystals and frog princes who want gold to buy crowns.
There's the usual construction - wood to collect, sawmills to build, grain to grow - but you get to control the weather. Drag the rain cloud over the wheat field, create more gold in the mine with a tornado, dry up swamps with the sun - plus you can get rid of those pesky ghosts with a blast of warm sunshine!
Throughout you rescue a princess from a tower. It's not the most earth-shattering story, but it kept my interest. I just really enjoyed fiddling with rain, sun, and rainbows.
You also find treasure chests that give you artifacts to use as you play.
If you like TM, this is a good option for your summer trip or pool time.
I recommend this game!
It was supposed to be a routine mission. But when a dragon attacks your plane, crash-landing in a lush valley, you're drawn into the adventure of a lifetime!
Overall rating
4
/
5
2 of 2 found this review helpful
Great Gameplay but...
PostedMay 15, 2016
graceland9
fromLOVE setting off fireworks, though.
Skill Level:Expert
Favorite Genre(s):Puzzle, Hidden Object, Time Management, Adventure, Match 3, Large File, Strategy, Word, Card & Board, Brain Teaser
Fun Factor
5
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
4
/
5
Level of Challenge
5
/
5
Storyline
3
/
5
I get that the writers and game designers were trying to create a Eastern fantasy / mystery, but - hello. A little research is necessary to create a realistic world, even within a HOA. Are we in China? Japan? Thailand? South Korea? The dragon storyline is great - I like the concept of the golden heart, nd I loved the puzzles. The HOS were great too.
But the characterization was lacking (pure stereotypes with the inscrutable wise elder and mysterious little girl.) Too bad, because the graphics are great and otherwise, I really enjoyed this game.
You survive a plane crash and find yourself in a town where terracotta soldiers attack the people. Meanwhile, the dragons are in a serious snit, and you have to use the Golden Heart to forge peace with them.
Don't get me wrong, it could be a really great story. But PC it's not.
I'm going to recommend this for pure gameplay alone, but don't expect a lot of accuracy in the story.
I recommend this game!
Complete a massive variety of puzzles, recover the missing ancient amulets, and restore nature's harmony!
Overall rating
5
/
5
18 of 21 found this review helpful
This winner deserves a trophy as well as amulets!
PostedMay 15, 2016
graceland9
fromHidden butterflies are tricky!
Skill Level:Expert
Favorite Genre(s):Puzzle, Hidden Object, Time Management, Adventure, Match 3, Large File, Strategy, Word, Card & Board, Brain Teaser
Fun Factor
5
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
5
/
5
Level of Challenge
5
/
5
Storyline
4
/
5
Lost Amulets might be one of the best games I've played in a long time, and I'm not a MahJong solitaire fan. But Amulets combines Mah Jong and hidden objects as well as matching and BINGO to create a really fun puzzler.
You have to find all five lost amulets by finding hidden objects. The scenes are birds' eye, which takes it up a notch. They're so much fun, and the objects (5 horseshoes, 4 numbers, etc.) as well as different kinds of butterflies are challenging.
Not only that, the solitaire isn't your everyday tile-match but another matching game. As tiles pop up on the bottom, you have to pair them with free tiles in the level. There are freebies (the gold cat waving its paw) and also hidden/memory tiles - just in case you thought it was going to be easy.
Graphics are gorgeous, and I enjoyed the mellow music. This one's a winner.
I recommend this game!
Find lost gems and use special board tools to solve challenging Match-3 puzzles in totally new ways.
Overall rating
2
/
5
2 of 3 found this review helpful
Got Sick of the Unnecessary Tutorial
PostedMay 15, 2016
graceland9
fromI GET IT - I click and drag and rotate.
Skill Level:Expert
Favorite Genre(s):Puzzle, Hidden Object, Time Management, Adventure, Match 3, Large File, Strategy, Word, Card & Board, Brain Teaser
Fun Factor
4
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
4
/
5
Level of Challenge
4
/
5
Storyline
4
/
5
I really wanted to like this game. There's so much to praise: original gameplay in a Match-3, cool storyline, nice graphics, interesting map, fun objects to collect...
But the tutorial, alas, made me quit in disgust. If they had me make the new move one more time, I was going to heave my laptop through the window. I really like my laptop, so I chose a big NOPE for this game instead.
However, that's just me. Give it a try - it may be your cup of tea. I couldn't deal, though.
I don't recommend this game.
Bejeweled 3
Escape to the biggest, brightest Bejeweled ever! Discover all-new ways to play the world's #1 puzzle game!
Overall rating
5
/
5
The Classic
PostedMay 11, 2016
graceland9
fromI LOVE Hypercubes.
Skill Level:Expert
Favorite Genre(s):Puzzle, Hidden Object, Time Management, Adventure, Match 3, Large File, Strategy, Word, Card & Board, Brain Teaser
Fun Factor
5
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
5
/
5
Level of Challenge
5
/
5
Storyline
4
/
5
Of all the games I've downloaded, this one has stayed on my Game Manager the longest. There's one reason for that: the Diamond Mine challenge (which you unlock by playing Quest for a certain amount of levels) is amazing.
The other games are good too, but Diamond continues to confound and challenge me. You start with 90 seconds of play time and, as you clear each level by 'blasting' the rock with matches, you increase your time in 30 second intervals. Clear the entire board by sheer skill or swapping two hypercubes, and you get another 90 seconds.
As you dig down you uncover gems, gold, and artifacts. There are hidden hypercubes in the rock, and believe me - you'll need them!
TRY to get past level 28. Just try. But this game isn't frustrating at all - since it goes by so quickly, it'll have you saying, "Okay, just one more game!"
I recommend this game!
Is the notorious Axiom Butcher back from the grave?
Overall rating
4
/
5
28 of 32 found this review helpful
Dark Detective Game
PostedApril 30, 2016
graceland9
fromI really should just carry around bottles of lighter fluid.
Skill Level:Expert
Favorite Genre(s):Puzzle, Hidden Object, Time Management, Match 3, Large File, Strategy, Word, Card & Board, Brain Teaser
Fun Factor
4
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
5
/
5
Level of Challenge
4
/
5
Storyline
5
/
5
As the detective, you pick up a policeman in a snowstorm and get sucked into a string of murder mysteries at the Axiom Hotel. It was the scene of another series of murders, done by the Axiom butcher who, supposedly, killed himself when he was caught.
First, the art (especially the cutscenes) is breathtaking. They are done like a well-directed movie, all serving to advance the story and increase the dark atmosphere.
All the bells and whistles are available: custom mode and interactive map. The CE has several collections available, including crystal balls and morphing objects (always a plus!)
I'll be the first to admit to my fellow fishies I'm a bit of a wuss when it comes to horror, and this game hit just the right note - eerie without being an asylum filled with unnecessary gore. However, the murder scenes are very realistic, with a lot of blood. Still, I had no problem with them.
When did make a bit impatient were ALL the locks I had to open. I lost count of how many keys, in all shapes and sizes, I had to collect and use in order to get simple tools or - MORE keys! I know it's a way to direct the gameplay, but I've seen other games do this without locks, locks, and more locks. I think there were 5 on the teacart alone.
Still, this is just a personal note. If you don't mind searching for loads of keys in order to play the puzzles (really well done) and interactive HO's, then this could be the game for you.