Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Hidden Object, Large File, Card & Board
Fun Factor
4/ 5
Visual/Sound Quality
4/ 5
Level of Challenge
4/ 5
Storyline
4/ 5
I was thoroughly enjoying this game when to my annoyance the underground train scene slowed right down. It was probably a glitch in my computer operation as I did not see that any other reviewers had a similar problem. The next scene was o.k. and then as I progressed further another couple of scenes went the same way. It was all right at the end. Other than that it was akin to a couple of other 'Puppet show" games in the series ---- very well done. The plot evolves around the fact that an entire town is excited about the discovery of a new cave system when a young girl is taken by a mechanical beast who leaves a cave-in behind him as he escapes with the girl and heads deeper into the labyrinth. The dialogue is adequate and the diary is helpful when it appears. The graphics are clear and defined and the music is pleasant and easy on the ear. The puzzles, on the whole, need a bit of nutting out and are quite challenging. Most of the hidden object are well hidden and require some close attention. A great Collectors Edition game again and I would have given if more stars if it had not been for the small hiccup during play but maybe I should not blame B.F. for this.
Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Hidden Object, Large File, Card & Board
Fun Factor
4/ 5
Visual/Sound Quality
4/ 5
Level of Challenge
4/ 5
Storyline
4/ 5
In this delightful little game a former premier resort has fallen into disrepair and as the new owner it is your job to restore the rooms and the exterior of the building and the grounds to its former glory. It was a pleasant change of pace from the mystery and 'who dunnit' type games and was really relaxing to play without dashing all over looking and solving mind boggling puzzles etc. There were two levels of game play and each room had three phases to complete the renovation to be suitable for renting. The first phase was to place items in their correct place, secondly numerous items had to be found from a list of hidden objects some of which were required and built up the requisites for another room, and the third phase was to find a quantity of similar items hidden about the room. The only annoying aspect of the game was the dialogue from the prissy manager who after every phase would utter comments akin to the old English, well to do gentry. The finding of gold coins and magnifying glasses during the game added to your spending money coffers and built up your hints. There were also other items that would assist your quests to find objects. A very interesting, relaxing and entertaining game.
Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Hidden Object, Large File, Card & Board
Fun Factor
5/ 5
Visual/Sound Quality
5/ 5
Level of Challenge
5/ 5
Storyline
5/ 5
Stray souls was a usual prestigious Collectors Edition rendition which was well executed well portrayed and well received. There rarely seems to be a bad C.E. game these days and this one was no exception. A wife must risk her own life in an effort to find her husband after he disappeared from their own house following a knock on the door. She must uncover terrible secrets hidden and buried behind a derelict orphanage. The dialogue was precise and to the point and the diary and map were very useful in pointing you in the right direction and advising you that there were things to do at particular locations. The music was eerie and spooky and the macabre piano playing added to the authenticity of the game. The graphics were good clear and crisp but probably just a tad darkish in a few scenes. The puzzles were quite engaging and interesting with some requiring a little more effort to nut out. All were solveable given time. The hidden objects were the standard type of piles of junk and paraphernalia but most were fairly easy to find without requiring a hint. There were more h.o. scenes than some of the latest games but this did not distract from the game especially if you are an avid h.o. fan. Finding the morphing objects or "Beyond Objects" as they are referred to in this game were an added interest even though they had no actual part to play in the final wrap up. Good game, good fun, well presented and worth the money.
Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Hidden Object, Large File, Card & Board
Fun Factor
4/ 5
Visual/Sound Quality
3/ 5
Level of Challenge
4/ 5
Storyline
4/ 5
I played this game in virtually two parts, the first few chapters and then the rest. At first I was astounded at the amateurish way it was drawn. It was like drawings from a pre-schooler's reading book and not a presentation from a professional game author's studio. I played the first chapters and then turned it off in disgust. I completed a few other games that I had started and then tentatively went back to this game. The plot was based on a mother just waking up from being knocked unconsious by some villians to find that her daughter had been kidnapped and she obviously had to find her and see that the culprits were suitably punished. As I continued playing the plot became more realistic and really feasible. Once I got over the dislike of the drawings the game imploved dramatically. The dialogue was to the point and the voice overs added to the interest and the probability of the story line. The spooky and eerie music also made the game more authentic together with other little aspects of the various scenes, like a fan revolving and a calendar and other papers in the room fluttering in the wind - very realistic. Another disappointing aspect of the game as was mentioned by other reviewers was the translation into English with some of the items. There was a skothtape which was a roll of sticky tape or scotch tape, a headtap which was the top cross member or handle of a tap and sealtape which was sello tape or once again sticky tape. This phraseology was a tad confusing. The puzzles were quite challenging with some requiring a rather steady slow hand to complete, failure to do so would return the task to the start, including the skip button.. The hidden objects were quite reasonable to find, some can be seen but could not be picked up until some other time during the game which resulted in quite a bit of backtracking. Most of the hidden objects were of the standard type but others were of the matching related items type which gave good variation. In the end this game turned out to be a rather enjoyable, interesting mystery thriller with an unsuspected ending.
Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Hidden Object, Large File, Card & Board
Fun Factor
4/ 5
Visual/Sound Quality
4/ 5
Level of Challenge
4/ 5
Storyline
4/ 5
This game was fantasy through and through, out of the ordinary, unfathomable, unrealistic but having said all that was a very enjoyable and engrossing game. With no walk through blog some of the areas really tested the old grey cells and was pretty tricky and challenging in many areas. Anna must seek out and save the four children of light from the clutches of Pandora and along the way rescue and heal a number of enchanted animals. A very good story line even though it was a little far-fetched. The colourful bursts and reactions as new areas became available were well done and added to the surprise effect of what to expect next. The dialogue between Anna and the Blue Whale with interjections from Jacob added to the enjoyment and intrigue during the whole game with an ending you probably wouldn't expect. The graphics were excellent... what more could I say. The puzzles were different, unique and many were quite involved, the main aspect was to try and figure out what was required and with no blog this was sometimes a real challenge. The hidden objects did not present any major problems in locating most of the items but just a few tested the eyeballs. I really enjoyed this one, perhaps 4 1/2 stars would have been a better rating.
Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Hidden Object, Large File, Card & Board
Fun Factor
3/ 5
Visual/Sound Quality
3/ 5
Level of Challenge
3/ 5
Storyline
3/ 5
This game was different than most other hidden object games but it lacked get up and go. It was quite confusing in a number of areas and the hints were not as helpful as they could have been. It was very difficult to maintain any sort of continuity or sequence. The jumping from scene to scene was not so much as the problem as what to do with some of the items once they were found and where to put them. A bad accident left you seeking a second change at life as you must prove yourself worthy by succeeding in tasks by using only your soul and wits. The dialogue from the 'angel' waffled on a bit and the replies from the other characters was not much better, and could have been more to the point of the game. The graphics were probably the best part of the game in as much as they were clear, bright and colourful and the back ground music added somewhat to the comical aspect of the game. The hidden objects were many and varied in difficilty.... some were very easy and others were so hard to find that a hint was needed in more than a few occasions. The objects that needed to be found were located in several different scenes and when assembled were part of another object which had to be positioned correctly in order to continue. Not one of the best games from BF but I reluctantly gave it 3 stars only because I completed it, and I wouldn't really recommend it to any seasoned player.
Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Hidden Object, Large File, Card & Board
Fun Factor
4/ 5
Visual/Sound Quality
4/ 5
Level of Challenge
4/ 5
Storyline
4/ 5
To start off with I made a couple attemps to fathom out what to do, where to go and why. It seemed way out of my league. Why? Surely one little game is not going to get the better of me - so I game back to it and perservered. Gradually it all came to me, although I did have to use the walk through blog in a couple of sticky places but by the time I had reached the end I was somewhat disappointed that it was finished. You had to explore various locations and meet interesting people, help them with some problems whilst trying to locate and help the professor with a mysterious discovery. The dialogue, various books and the diary all added to the progress of the game but did become a little tiresome at times but not overbearing. Graphics were quite clear and well defined in most cases but some scenes were a little dark. The puzzles were different, ingenious, intriguing and challenging. The hidden objects were of the pictorial variety with each set pertaining to that particular chapter alone. These objects were located over several scenes and some needed extra work to be located. Because of all this they were quite difficult to find in most cases as some tended to blend into the surrounding backgrounds. I found this game to be decidedly different and quite challenging and well worth sticking with if at first you are not impressed.
Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Hidden Object, Large File, Card & Board
Fun Factor
5/ 5
Visual/Sound Quality
5/ 5
Level of Challenge
5/ 5
Storyline
5/ 5
This game Maestro - Music of Death - had it all, suspense, adventure, hidden objects, puzzles, good music and background noises. A mysterious black cloud and eerie music emanated from a town whose inhabitants age quickly and die prematurely and the task is to locate the trapped little girl, discover the source of the music and free the town of the Music of Death. The dialogue is acceptable and notes in the diary record progress and events as they happen throughout the game. The graphics are good and clear and reasonably colourful for this eerie type of game but some areas of some scenes are a little dark, especially in the corners. Having said that, the hidden objects are clear and well defined and do not present any great difficulty in locating most of them. The puzzles are unique and varied and quite ingenious and most were comparatively easy to solve but of course there are some tricky ones. One task that made me smile though was that a giant tree had fallen over the road and had to be cut with a little hand saw. Mission impossible. In general a very good and exciting game, I really enjoyed it, including the bonus section.
Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Hidden Object, Large File, Card & Board
Fun Factor
4/ 5
Visual/Sound Quality
4/ 5
Level of Challenge
4/ 5
Storyline
4/ 5
This game started like a usual detective game, hunting for clues of hidden relics in local surburban locations and finding them in drawers, bank vaults, bookcases and other feasible positions then went off on a tangent to underground caverns and catacombs with stone doors, walls and other not so feasible locations. The story begins after a local P.I. while investigating lost or stolen relics, meets with foul play and his daughter must continue where he left off to find these relics before they fall into the wrong hands and find and release her father. The cut scenes and introductiion were comic book stile but was still bearable but the music was a bit monotonous. The graphics were mainly clear, bright and precise but some scenes tended to be a bit darkish which made some of the hidden objects almost impossible to discern in the gloom. Others were quite reasonable to find with some effort. The puzzles were challenging and took a fair bit of figuring out which made them even more difficilt with no clues or help to let you know what had to be done. I feel this could have been a better game if the ending was not so "out of place"
Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Hidden Object, Large File, Card & Board
Fun Factor
4/ 5
Visual/Sound Quality
5/ 5
Level of Challenge
4/ 5
Storyline
5/ 5
This game, to me, was like a mini collectors edition game without the full on intensity and difficulty. In almost every scene anything you clicked on exploded into a wheel like fragmented hidden object article where a number of pieces were needed to complete the item which was then used in another part of the game. There were, of course, some standard hidden object scenes which were not very difficult to complete without using the hint button. In this game a mother needs to find and rescue her son from a world behind a mirror and then locate and overcome the witch responsible for the series of spells. The dialogue was not excessive and the music was relaxing and easy to listen to and complimented the mood of the game. The graphics were excellent, clear, bright and colourful allowing the hidden objects to be reasonably easy to spot. There was a great variety of puzzles with no two the same and quite unique and different with a varying degree of simplicity and challenge. This game, I feel, was not excellent enough to merit 5 stars but having said that it is definitely worth more than four - 4 1/2 stars would be perfect.