mikesilverman's Profile
Stat Summary
- Average Rating:4.6
- Helpful Votes:396
- Reviews Submitted:53
- First Review:August 5, 2012
- Most Recent Review:October 18, 2020
- Featured reviews0
Status:
When his sister is murdered, you must prove your nephew’s innocence!
Overall rating
5
/
5
1 of 1 found this review helpful
YOU MUST PLAY THIS GAME
PostedJuly 6, 2014
mikesilverman
fromMassachusetts
Skill Level:Expert
Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Hidden Object, Match 3, Card & Board, Mahjong
Fun Factor
5
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
5
/
5
Level of Challenge
5
/
5
Storyline
5
/
5
This is a visually stunning adventure game with beautiful breathtaking scenes that could qualify as fine works of art in themselves. The impact of the artwork is astounding as it draws you into the scenes. There are many hidden object scenes throughout the game and they are all mesmerizing for the detail of artwork and care that went into designing them. Every hidden object scene is laden with beautifully rendered objects and animated items and mood lighting. I have not seen any other hidden object adventure game that comes close to this. Not too easy or too hard, this was exciting and entertaining to play. I really have to admire the artists who crafted the detailed scenery in this game. It's just fantastic.
But it's more than just visually intoxicating, the storyline is exciting and dramatic, you are trying to rescue your nephew who has been arrested and accused of murdering his sister for their father's inheritance. Using a supernatural power that you posses to teleport yourself psychically into the past, you step back in time to the day of the murder and investigate room after room in the mansion and surrounding grounds of the the family home as you try to gather evidence that will prove your nephew is innocent.
There are multitudes of unusual boxes , chests and secret panels that need to be unlocked and investigated, indoor and outdoor scenes, and all the while you are being stalked by a supernatural evil that is following you and wants to stop you from succeeding.
There are many puzzles in the game that are highly original, and some that are more standard. Some are a little too easy and others have just the right balance of difficulty without being frustrating to complete.
There is a diary that logs key events as you come across them in the game, and there are "morphing" objects that you can collect if you want but it's not necessary for completion of the game. There is an interactive map that allows you to jump from one location to any other location you have been to. And the map also points out where there are tasks awaiting that you can accomplish and this helps you to see where you should be going to move forward in the game. If you look at the map and see no ( ! ) tasks on it, then it means there is something in your inventory that you need to construct in order to advance the game. Some items that you find in the game are incomplete, for example the glass cutter. You find the handle first, and then in another area you find the base and a diamond to use with it, and all of this can be put together to fully construct the glass cutter within your inventory.
I hope to see and play more brilliantly crafted games like this one.
I recommend this game!
Discover a story of mysterious kidnappings of both children and mafiosi.
Overall rating
5
/
5
1 of 1 found this review helpful
NOT A HIDDEN OBJECT GAME
PostedJune 16, 2014
mikesilverman
fromMassachusetts
Skill Level:Expert
Favorite Genre(s):Hidden Object, Match 3, Card & Board, Time Management, Mahjong
Fun Factor
5
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
5
/
5
Level of Challenge
5
/
5
Storyline
5
/
5
This is not a hidden object game. While there are a handful of scenes where you are presented with an inventory screen full of "outlines" of objects that you need to match up with objects in the scene ( which I don't really think of as a hidden object qualifier ), this is not in any sense a hidden object game. So if that's what you are looking for, look at another game.
But, with that said, this is still an excellent adventure game with lots of puzzles to solve and rooms to explore. The game runs very deep and the storyline is excellent with interesting plot twists. It's a mix of supernatural and traditional crime adventure and has great animated sequences that add to the game.
Also it has one of the very best opening animation sequences of any game.
The map is very helpful as it points you to rooms where you can affect something so you don't end up hunting around in a scene where there is nothing more you can do. And you can jump quickly from one room to another room using the map.
The puzzles are a mix of easy to solve and difficult to solve, to nearly impossible to solve. For example, at one point there is a mini game requiring you to turn on a set of colored lamps in such a way that the painting at the center of them lights up correctly. I could find no clue at all as to what the color setting of the lamps should be and I had to reach for the strategy guide there. So I recommend the collectors edition since it comes with the strategy guide and you might find yourself needing it a few times during the game.
The artwork is excellent, the setting of New York circa 1940's is recreated wonderfuly with correct attention paid to the style of cars and clothing, architecture and technology.
The extra adventure that you can access after completing the main adventure game is also excellent, well designed with beautiful artwork and is different enough from the first adventure to provide new challenges and new plot twists.
I highly recommend this game.
I recommend this game!
Save your niece from the evil presence haunting her school!
Overall rating
5
/
5
1 of 1 found this review helpful
Frightening Fun
PostedMay 11, 2014
mikesilverman
fromMassachusetts
Skill Level:Expert
Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Hidden Object, Match 3, Card & Board, Time Management, Mahjong
Fun Factor
5
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
5
/
5
Level of Challenge
5
/
5
Storyline
5
/
5
The dark mood of the game , the haunting sounds, the eerie and beautiful graphics and chilling special animated effects make this a great game for people who like horror based adventures. The game does a great job of creating and atmosphere that makes you want to go further and further into it, while also sending a chill down your spine.
The game has a fully interactive map that allows you to jump from one location to another location, as long as you have already been to that particular location. It also shows where there are still tasks that need to be completed so that you can see where you need to go if you're not sure what to do next.
The hidden object scenes have some random animation to them and are clear, detailed and comfortable to search with well defined objects to locate. You should be able to complete most of them within a few minutes each. The puzzles range from moderate to easy in difficulty.
A few rooms/locations in the game might require very careful searching in order to find the parts of the scene where you need to act. For example, the children's bedroom upstairs is impossible to fully access until you fix the fuse box on the wall in that room , to restore light to the room. I only happened upon it accidentally by randomly clicking around in the near darkness there. And in the garden off of the main room in the house you need to move your mouse carefully to locate the dirt patch with a foot print on it. In other words be sure to very thoroughly and very carefully inspect each scene for actionable areas.
While this game is a lot of fun, I would rate this a moderately difficult adventure, I recommend having some previous experience completing hidden object adventures before trying this one.
I recommend this game!
The seven deadly sins have plunged peaceful Riddlestone into chaos! Rescue the royal family and save their people from destruction.
Overall rating
5
/
5
4 of 4 found this review helpful
A MUST HAVE ADVENTURE
PostedMay 5, 2014
mikesilverman
fromMassachusetts
Skill Level:Expert
Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Hidden Object, Match 3, Card & Board, Time Management, Mahjong
Fun Factor
5
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
5
/
5
Level of Challenge
5
/
5
Storyline
5
/
5
This is a magnificently beautiful game. Every scene in this hidden object adventure is a masterful work of art, beautiful to look at, fun to explore and interact with. A lot of care was taken in the development of this game to make it a fantastic journey in a highly detailed environment.
There are tons of doors and locks and secret passages that need to be opened and explored, rooms full of mysterious objects and elegant royal treasures that fill the many hidden object scenes. There are lots of puzzles that need to be solved, but none of them are too hard or frustrating to finish, the longest I spent on any puzzle was maybe around 7 minutes or so. There are a wide variety of characters you will encounter, some very helpful and many evil characters who will try to stop you from freeing the kingdom from the seven deadly sins.
There is a great interactive map that shows where you are, where you can travel to, and allows you to jump from one location to another as long as you have already visited that location. The map also indicates where there are tasks that need to be completed, so if you are not sure where to go next, just consult the map for a good clue.
I would rate this as a moderately complex game. You should have some prior experience with hidden object games before trying this one. The game is a lot of fun to play from start to finish and there are lots of awards you can potentially win during the game for excellence at hidden object scenes and puzzles. I strongly recommend this game.
I recommend this game!
Enter the enchanted realm of the Snow Kingdom!
Overall rating
5
/
5
3 of 4 found this review helpful
The Perfect Game
PostedMay 2, 2014
mikesilverman
fromMassachusetts
Skill Level:Expert
Favorite Genre(s):Hidden Object, Match 3, Card & Board, Time Management, Mahjong
Fun Factor
5
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
5
/
5
Level of Challenge
5
/
5
Storyline
5
/
5
The quality of the visuals in this game are amazing. Every scene is like stepping into a beautifully animated storybook.
Every scene has special interactive touches, such as store signs that swing freely when you touch them or a cat that will play with a ball of yarn when you click on it and leaves that blow gently across the scene.
The creators of the game have gone to extra measures to make you feel like you are part of a movie. You carry with you an animal friend in the form of a Lynx who you get to name within the game. The lynx is helpful in getting some items in hard to reach places.
There is an interactive map that shows you where you are and where you need to go to perform tasks. There are lots of hidden object scenes that are bright and colorful and animated in high detail with interactive parts. For example, one hidden object scene requires you to find marshmallows among other objects, but, you have to bake the marshmallows first within the hidden object scene by following a recipe and using an oven.
There are also magic scrolls and potions to locate and secret morphing objects to collect as well as cleverly hidden snowflakes to collect for extra merit. The story itself is also great. You are a hunter who rescues a princess whose horse-drawn carriage has come under attack. After bringing her back to your cabin, she becomes magically trapped inside a snow globe and you begin a long dangerous quest to amazing places in an effort to set her free, including collecting magic spells to help you overcome obstacles. It's great from start to finish.
I recommend this game!
Travel to the faraway land of Sundast, where emotions exist as real sentient beings!
Overall rating
5
/
5
11 of 11 found this review helpful
Lots Of Fun!!
PostedApril 24, 2014
mikesilverman
fromMassachusetts
Skill Level:Expert
Favorite Genre(s):Hidden Object, Match 3, Card & Board, Time Management, Mahjong
Fun Factor
5
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
5
/
5
Level of Challenge
5
/
5
Storyline
3
/
5
This is a real standout match-3 game. The tiles are attractive and humorously animated, especially the face tiles, and there are tons of unique power ups and "spells" you can use to blow up tiles on the board in spectacular ways. There is a timer, but it has a lot of time on it and should pose no problem to anyone , and the sound effects are great, from a sharp clattering when ice tiles are destroyed to metallic effects for destroying gold tiles, and fireworks display when you achieve the next "level up" which earns you tokens to purchase more spells. For a rather small game, only 48 megabytes, it packs a powerful punch of entertainment. I strongly recommend it, it's just a lot of fun to play.
I recommend this game!
Take a journey through medieval times. Help Joan of Arc to build a new kingdom and change the fate of the people in this epic story of honor and courage.
Overall rating
5
/
5
2 of 2 found this review helpful
Worth The Price
PostedApril 10, 2014
mikesilverman
fromMassachusetts
Skill Level:Expert
Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Hidden Object, Match 3, Card & Board, Time Management, Puzzle, Mahjong
Fun Factor
4
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
4
/
5
Level of Challenge
5
/
5
Storyline
3
/
5
This is a very challenging match-3 game, especially if you play it while using the timer.
The visuals are very nice, with game pieces that are very detailed images of armor and chalices and medieval jewelry and religious objects. The backgrounds are beautifully detailed fields and castles, and the music is gentle non-distracting.
As I said, this is a challenging game. The "matches" do not fall into place quickly, you have to plan as you look at the game boards to click on existing matches that will result in pieces falling into line to create more matches. This game requires strategy where you think a few moves in advance. For this reason you may want to play it in casual mode rather than timed mode. Personally I like to challenge myself and I have been playing the timed mode.
Also, the "power ups" or tools that you can earn as you play that will help you complete boards , are limited and show up few and far between. They work well, but you will only a have a few chances to use them on each board. Also the way in which the power-ups or tools appear on screen for you to click on and use is very poorly designed. The power-ups all appear in the same small window... one at a time. First the "axe" appears that allows you to chop one square away from the board. Then, ( if you have earned additional power-ups ) the next more powerful power-up ( the bomb ) will appear in a few minutes, wiping out the axe and appearing were the axe was. Then you can only access the bomb and not the axe. Then the next power-up, the bow and arrow, will appear in a few minutes later, wiping out the bomb. And so on. And this happens for each new game board. You can only access one power-up at a time. A terrible system. But if you can overlook that, you will find the game fun if you want a good match-3 challenge. There is the opportunity to select the style of match three you want to play, such as "Swapping tiles" or "clicking on matched tiles" or "chaining tiles together by dragging your mouse across matching tiles". And there is a shuffle button that will rearrange all the tiles on the board ( only works a few times for each game ).
I recommend this game!
What if everything you knew about your life, everything your family ever told you, turned out to be a lie?
Overall rating
4
/
5
1 of 2 found this review helpful
A TOUGH GAME
PostedApril 8, 2014
mikesilverman
fromMassachusetts
Skill Level:Expert
Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Hidden Object, Match 3, Card & Board, Time Management, Puzzle, Mahjong
Fun Factor
3
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
5
/
5
Level of Challenge
4
/
5
Storyline
4
/
5
The horror theme of the game makes it intriguing although it takes a long time for the story to develop within the game. While there are some creepy moments and some disturbing blood stains here and there , it never gets very emphatic on the horror. Since the horror aspect of the game is rather hyped up on the web site, it's a little disappointing in that regard. You can set your level of difficulty at the start of the game, and you can change it in mid game if you want, if you find it to be too easy or too difficult.
The adventure style of play is typical of most hidden object games, find the tools you need to complete tasks that allow you to advance, find puzzle pieces that allow you to complete mini games and puzzles. The hidden object scenes are standard, nothing special, and not too hard to complete.
Where it got me tripped up is on the puzzles. The game is a bit off here. Most hidden object adventure games do not allow you to play the mini puzzles unless you have the necessary puzzle pieces in your inventory to fully implement the puzzle and complete it. But this game doesn't do that. You can find and work on some of the puzzles even if you don't have all the pieces needed to complete the puzzle. This became very frustrating at several points when I began solving mini puzzles and only later after spending long frustrating minutes on them realized that I did not have enough pieces to complete them. For any puzzles you encounter that have a lot segments to put together, make sure you have searched and found all the pieces of it first, that will save you some frustration.
The visuals are appropriately dark and grim, but I think could have been more so. The houses are very much creaking old mansions, with spooky atmosphere , music, and sound effects. I was hoping the game would be like a thrill ride of haunts and scares but it's more like a casual stroll through a moody amusement park fun house. Nonetheless it's still fun and interesting enough to want to push through to the end, so I do recommend it.
I recommend this game!
An organ grinder seeks revenge, marking his victims with cards. Can you stop him before he destroys the entire city?
Overall rating
5
/
5
2 of 4 found this review helpful
VERY WELL DONE
PostedFebruary 24, 2013
mikesilverman
fromMassachusetts
Skill Level:Expert
Favorite Genre(s):Word, Adventure, Hidden Object, Card & Board, Time Management, Mahjong
Fun Factor
5
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
5
/
5
Level of Challenge
5
/
5
Storyline
5
/
5
Excellent graphics. Interactive map that helps you figure out where you need to be to advance the story, and lets you jump from place to place. Great characters, you meet up with a dozen different characters who each have unique personalities and different voices. Hidden object scenes were beautifully designed and never repeated. Each one is different and has the right balance, not too easy , not too hard. The puzzles were fun and of moderate difficulty, no need to use the "skip" button to skip over them, they average between 5 and 7 minutes each to complete. The ending was satisfying, and the bonus chapter helped put the final touch on it and give closure to the story. Excellent from beginning to end.
I recommend this game!
Explore the magical world of Enchantia as you race to save the land from the evil Phoenix Queen.
Overall rating
2
/
5
4 of 5 found this review helpful
DISAPPOINTING
PostedFebruary 24, 2013
mikesilverman
fromMassachusetts
Skill Level:Expert
Favorite Genre(s):Word, Adventure, Hidden Object, Card & Board, Time Management, Mahjong
Fun Factor
3
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
2
/
5
Level of Challenge
3
/
5
Storyline
2
/
5
This would have been a much better game if the graphic presentation had been done better. Every scene is overcrowded over-packed with imagery that makes you feel claustrophobic and the effect is confusing, the perspective is poor, and sometimes you can't even tell which direction the scene leads in. The hidden object scenes were "okay" but the colors seemed washed-out and overcast with a semi-greenish hue and the hunting for "parts" of an object in the scenes became a real task instead of being fun because they were so small and tightly hidden. The graphics really made this a dismal game for me and was such an annoying issue that I lost interest in the storyline early on. I'm sorry but I can't recommend it.
I don't recommend this game.