dancemom1's Profile
Stat Summary
- Average Rating:3.6
- Helpful Votes:13,287
- Reviews Submitted:871
- First Review:April 15, 2012
- Most Recent Review:November 26, 2024
- Featured reviews0
Status:
Can you save a young heir from Saint Germain in time?
Overall rating
3
/
5
7 of 8 found this review helpful
Ho-hum, the dward again!
PostedAugust 26, 2017
dancemom1
fromYakima, WA
Skill Level:Expert
Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Card & Board, Family, Hidden Object, Puzzle, Strategy, Word
Fun Factor
2
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
4
/
5
Level of Challenge
2
/
5
Storyline
2
/
5
Hello friends! As always, I review mostly on the game play and leave the story to others...mostly. I've lost count in this series, but there are way too many. Graphics are nice and clean. Colors are somewhat muted, not as sharp as in other games in this series. Game play was good and the scene fit my large screen nicely. Animation was quite good and movements are smooth. Voices are age and character appropriate, and actually show a bit more emotion and fear. The dwarf's voice sounds better in this one and he isn't constantly grunting. Sound FX aren't bad, but again, we have more music than sfx. The music seems a little better and does move with whatever is happening in the scene at the time. The creepy dwarf is still with us. I'm just tired of him and his antics. He's boring for me.
HOPs are a combination of interactive silhouettes, finding pairs and interactive lists. There isn't anything else you can switch to when you get bored with the same old HOP. Items are not hard to find and the scenes are pretty clean and clear. Puzzles are not bad, but are very simple and take no brain power to complete. I still do not care for the "follow the line" puzzles at all, but it seems that they made it not so touchy in this game. There is no challenge in this addition to this series and it feels like I'm just walking through the game. Hint system is quite helpful, but it still does not transport to longer locations. You continue to do a lot of back tracking to the same locations. There is a jump map that you can use and it does identify locations of interest. The map scenes are small and do not show if you have missed a collectible.
Collectibles were okay. We need to find what looks like odd shaped hearts, which in turn give you coins to refurbish the run down mansion. They are large enough to easily see. They come in 3 different colors and each color gives you a different number of coins. We also need to find different shaped medals for a box to open. Have to wait to collect them all at the end of the game to open it. Very disappointing, to say the least.
The story is a little better than the last, but you still have that boring little dwarf to contend with. I managed to get through the entire demo, but it was difficult. I am sure there are those who will find this one a nice game, but I believe it will be mostly beginners who have not played any of the numerous others just like it. There comes a point when a game needs to end and this is past that point. I have some of these games, but I just can't bring myself to add another. I will recommend this one only for beginners, but not for seasoned gamers who have played them all. No, I will not be adding this one to my collection.
As always, try it for yourself and see what you think. We all have different tastes in games and you may find this one to be exactly what you are looking for. Thanks for the reviews.
I recommend this game!
Explore the streets of Paris as you track down the Strangler!
Overall rating
4
/
5
25 of 33 found this review helpful
Interesting story, somewhat challenging puzzles
PostedAugust 26, 2017
dancemom1
fromYakima, WA
Skill Level:Expert
Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Card & Board, Family, Hidden Object, Puzzle, Strategy, Word
Fun Factor
5
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
4
/
5
Level of Challenge
4
/
5
Storyline
5
/
5
Hi friends! As always, I review mostly on the game play and leave the story to those who do a much better job than I. This game reminds me a lot of "Off the Record" games, which I love. It is set up the same way with beautiful graphics and excellent game play. Colors are a bit golden, but still quite nice and not over-powering. I think it's because of the "era" of the game...it fits. Voices are well done and are age and character appropriate, with just the right amount of accent. You can click through dialog if you read faster than they speak. Animation is very smooth and also well done. Music is nice and not intrusive at all. Sound FX are nicely done as well.
HOPs are a very nice combination of place item in scene, interactive lists, straight lists and highlighted words. The scenes are fairly clear and items are not difficult to find. The challenge here is finding the morphing item in the HOP. I did not see that there was something else you could switch to in this one, if you didn't care for the HOPs. The one thing I didn't care for was that the screen moved in some of the HOPs...annoying. We do get to travel back in time to gain more insight into the story and also to pick up a helpful item to progress in the game. I really like the puzzles. Some are quite different and have multiple levels, and we do still have some of the same old same old thrown in as well. Some puzzles are quite challenging and take some time and brain power to complete. The hint system is very helpful and actually gives you a hint when you ask for it. There is no transport feature in this one, but the jump map does a nice job of that for you.
Collectibles were a little disappointing, in that we only had to find a symbol. It really is not hard to see and in some cases was quite large. Still, not a game changer. Check the bottom left corner to see if there is one in the scene and if you actually found it.
As I said, this story is interesting and different. I was pulled into it almost from the very beginning. The game and story have a very nice flow and it is quite easy to follow. I was surprised at how quickly time went and how disappointed I was when the demo ended. When I beta tested this one, I gave it a 4.0. It looks like they listened and jumped this one up a notch. As you know, I do not give 5 stars easily. A game must be exceptional in all aspects for that, but this one fell a bit short, mostly because of the collectible and the moving screen. Even at that, I gave it a 4.5. I think all levels of players will find this one fun and somewhat challenging. Yep, adding it to my collection of CE games.
As always, try it for yourself and see what you think. We all have different tastes in games and you may not care for this one at all. Thanks for the reviews.
I recommend this game!
Can you find the Wise Dragon and save your people?
Overall rating
3
/
5
11 of 19 found this review helpful
Nicely done, for a very simple game.
PostedAugust 17, 2017
dancemom1
fromYakima, WA
Skill Level:Expert
Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Card & Board, Family, Hidden Object, Puzzle, Strategy, Word
Fun Factor
3
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
3
/
5
Level of Challenge
2
/
5
Storyline
2
/
5
Hi friends! As usual, I review mostly on the game play and leave the story to others. That said, the story is nothing new, but interesting. The graphics are very cartoon-like and often two dimensional. Still, they are very clear and colors are very sharp. Game play was very good, with no problems during the demo and the scene fit my large screen quite nicely. Voices aren't too bad. I thought the prince was a bit wimpy, but didn't get to hear the dragon's voice. Hopefully that is much deeper and appropriate. Sound FX are well done, but the screaming really got annoying very quickly. Animation is well done. Music was monotonous. Yes, we do have a raccoon helper in this one too.
HOPs are fairly clear and item are not difficult to find. Pretty much straight HOPs, with an occasional interactive HOP thrown in. HOPs are few and far between. I did not see that you could switch to anything else. Puzzles are painfully simple and take no time or brain power to complete. Hint system is helpful, but 15 second refill is a bit too long. We do have the transport feature for longer locations. This is very nice, as we do a lot of back tracking to the same locations.
Collectibles are 30 fragments which are quite large and easy to see. We also have 9 dragons of various shapes and colors, along with a morphing item in each scene. The item morphs fairly slowly, so it isn't difficult to find.
Even with the simple graphics, this wasn't a bad game, but I think it could have been done a little better without much work. Some scenes looked like they were pasted on. The game moved slowly and didn't have a lot of dialog. The music almost overpowered the game, even turned down to 50%. I didn't really see much in the way of challenge. I think this is geared more toward the beginner who needs to get the feel of a HOP before jumping in with both feet. There will certainly be some who find this one a great game, and that's okay. It was just too simple for me, but I will recommend it for beginners. No buy for me.
As always, try it for yourself and see what you think. We all have different tastes in games and you may find this one to be exactly what you are looking for. Thanks for the reviews.
I recommend this game!
Journey into your nephew’s mind to save him from a nightmare!
Overall rating
3
/
5
13 of 23 found this review helpful
Creepy...
PostedAugust 12, 2017
dancemom1
fromYakima, WA
Skill Level:Expert
Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Card & Board, Family, Hidden Object, Strategy, Word
Fun Factor
3
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
4
/
5
Level of Challenge
2
/
5
Storyline
2
/
5
Hi friends! As always, I review mostly on the game play and not the story, as others do a much better job of that than I. The graphics are really well done in this one, very clear. Colors are a bit muted, but still quite nice and clear. Game play was very good, with no glitches during the demo, and the scenes fit my large screen nicely. Voices are very well done, with a very sinister voice coming from our bad guy. For a nightmare, Timmy has an awfully calm voice. This addition is quite creepy and things do jump out at you. Music isn't much and neither are the sound FX. This one could have been very edge of your seat with the right sound FX.
HOPs are a variety of highlighted words and interactive lists. They are fairly clean and clear and items are not difficult to find. You do need to find morphing items in the HOPs. The morph is not one of those that jumps off the page at you, it is much more subtle and very smooth. It morphs fairly quickly, so be on the lookout. So far, the puzzles are very simple and took no brain power to complete. The jump map is helpful, since you don't have the transport feature in this one. The devs did a better job on the map, much clearer than the last game. SG is the same as all the others and collectibles are clearly shown if you need help.
The only collectibles are symbols. They aren't all easy to find, as they blend well into the background, so be on the lookout. They are fairly large. A bit disappointing.
I beta tested this one quite some time ago. This story has ghosts and monsters that jump out at you. It isn't really challenging, and moves a bit slowly. I found the story old and somewhat boring. Not sure this one is CE worthy, but I'm sure some will find it entertaining enough to buy. I may change my mind when the SE comes out, as I often do. Some games just make better SE's. This is not a bad game, but I think better for a lazy day of nothing better to do. I will hold off and see if I like the SE better, but the CE is not for me, unless a really hot deal comes along.
As always, try it for yourself and see what you think. We all have different tastes in games and you may find this one to be exactly what you are looking for. Thanks for the reviews.
I recommend this game!
Someone’s attacking the Witches’ University!
Overall rating
2
/
5
7 of 8 found this review helpful
Do I hear the word retire?
PostedAugust 11, 2017
dancemom1
fromYakima, WA
Skill Level:Expert
Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Card & Board, Family, Hidden Object, Puzzle, Strategy, Word
Fun Factor
2
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
3
/
5
Level of Challenge
2
/
5
Storyline
2
/
5
Hi friends! I've lost count on this series, but this is one of many. As always, I review mostly on the game play and leave the story line to others, but I must say, this story is old and boring. Again, this game has those awful blue and purple hues that are very tiring on the eyes. How hard is it to clean up some color? Graphics are pretty nice, game play was good. Voices were a little better than the last one in this series, but not by much. Sound FX okay. At least the ferret didn't grunt with every move this time. Music was okay but monotonous.
HOPs are nothing new and items were not difficult to find. At least they were somewhat varied. You could switch to a match 3 if you get bored with the HOPs. Puzzles were the same as any other game and too no time or brain power to complete. Nothing challenging here. The hint system was helpful. There was no transport feature in this game, which would have helped, since you do a lot of back tracking to the same few locations for quite some time. I got bored looking at the same scenery.
When a game or series becomes boring, and you can't really think of anything positive to say about it, it's time to retire it, or at least upgrade it. I did manage to make it completely through the demo, but it was not easy to do. There will be those who like this game and don't mind the colors, but they are very tiring on my eyes. I found this game to be geared more toward a true beginner and not someone who has been playing HOPs for any length of time. For that reason only, I will recommend it for a beginner. The last few in this series have been like this, so they did not get added to my collection. The game moved very slowly and had absolutely no challenge and nothing made me want to buy it. Nope, no buy for me on this one either.
As always, try it for yourself and see what you think. We all have different tastes in games and you may find this one to be exactly what you are looking for. Thanks for the reviews.
I recommend this game!
Can you stop the infamous Crows League before they strike again?
Overall rating
3
/
5
26 of 33 found this review helpful
This is Lenore?
PostedAugust 10, 2017
dancemom1
fromYakima, WA
Skill Level:Expert
Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Card & Board, Family, Hidden Object, Puzzle, Word
Fun Factor
3
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
4
/
5
Level of Challenge
3
/
5
Storyline
2
/
5
Hi friends! As always, I review mostly on the game play and leave the story to those who do a much better job than I. Not sure, but this one might make #10 in this series. I have most of the EAP games in this series, and liked what I do have. Dupin is back, but a bit different...he looks much better, but his voice just isn't right. He needs an accent, and he seems a bit wimpy this time. The graphics are very nice and colors are clear and true, even though most of it takes place during the night. Game play was very good, no problems during the demo and it fit my large screen. Animation was fairly nice and smooth. Music was okay, and seldom used. Not much in the way of sound FX, which is very disappointing. This game could have used some stormy weather, or clanging chains.
HOPs are very few and far between again in this one. Items were not difficult to find and some of the scenes were a little cluttered. At least they were varied this time. Puzzles were simple and took no time or thought to complete. Hint system is very helpful, but I did not run across a transport feature during the demo. There is a lot of back tracking, so this feature would have been nice. The game was quite easy to follow, so I didn't even bother looking at the map.
Collectibles were better in this addition to the series. We have to find 66 feathers. It looks like we use them some way to complete a scene. We also have 32 morphing objects. So far, they have all been crows, go figure.
Poe stories have always been one of my favorites, and know them all. This is not the Lenore I remember at all, nowhere near it, which is very disappointing. If you are going to use a Poe title, use the Poe story correctly. I understand they can take poetic license and all, but this was way off base. That said, it is not a bad game and one that I am sure some will like, but I do not feel this is CE worthy at all, so no buy for me. I'll recommend it for beginners, but not for seasoned gamers. I will give the SE version a try when it comes out. Quite often, I find that the SE version makes a much better game, we will see.
As always, give this one a try and see what you think. We all have different tastes in games and you may find this one to be exactly what you are looking for. Thanks for the reviews.
I recommend this game!
Can you uncover the truth behind a string of strange thefts?
Overall rating
4
/
5
21 of 30 found this review helpful
Nemo, Ahab, Dorothy and the gang...what a group of characters!
PostedAugust 5, 2017
dancemom1
fromYakima, WA
Skill Level:Expert
Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Card & Board, Family, Hidden Object, Puzzle, Strategy, Word
Fun Factor
4
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
5
/
5
Level of Challenge
4
/
5
Storyline
5
/
5
Hello, friends! As always, I mostly review on the game play and leave the story line to others who do a much better job than I. We have #3 in this wonderful series, and this addition does not disappoint. This game has excellent graphics, very clear, with bright clear true colors. Game play was excellent, I found no glitches or lag time between scenes, and animation was very smooth and nicely done, with realistic movements. The game fit my large screen quite well. Excellent voice overs, very well done and dialog can be clicked through if you read faster than they speak. They are age and character appropriate, and showed emotion in their face and voice, e.g., anger, fear, sarcasm and just plain nasty when needed. The music was well done, when we had it. Sound FX are exceptionally well done, but the game seemed a bit quieter than others in this series.
HOPs are nicely done, with highlighted words; interactive lists and item pictures to combine. The scenes are clear and items are not difficult to find. I did not see that you could switch to something else if you didn't care for the HOPs. There are morphing items in the HOPs. These are not that easy to spot either, so be on the lookout for them, as they are somewhat small and morph very quickly. Some of the puzzles were quite challenging and took some time and thought to complete. Not as simple as they looked. Hint system is helpful and it does transport to longer locations. Because of this wonderful feature, I didn't even look at the jump map. You don't do a great deal of back tracking, but there is some.
Again, the collectibles were a little disappointing. All I found were very large stars. They could be solid or outlines, but none were difficult to find. Didn't see anything else, but the game could have used a bit more in this department.
As I said before, I usually always just review on the game play and not the story line, but I need to say something about this one. Again, I really like how this story starts out by giving you some highlights from the last game in the series. It leads you into a new story, but explains a bit as to why these people are here and what they do. I found this story entertaining and a little different. We have a really fun combination of characters in this game, e.g., Captain Nemo (who is now a woman), Dorothy and all the Oz gang, Ahab, Fogg, etc. It is full of action, adventure and enough challenge to keep you interested and wanting more. This series just keeps getting better and better. As you may know, I rarely give a game 5 stars. It has to be exceptional in all areas for that. The only reason I did not give this one 5, is because I felt the collectibles needed something more, and we needed a bit more dialog. Still, I gave this game a 4.75. I think all levels of players will find this one interesting, fun and challenging. Yes, I am going to add it to my collection.
As always, try it for yourself and see what you think. We all have different tastes in games and you may not care for this one at all. Thanks for the reviews.
I recommend this game!
Become a Firewielder and prevent the Dark Lord’s rise!
Overall rating
4
/
5
8 of 13 found this review helpful
Valeria is at it again!
PostedJuly 9, 2017
dancemom1
fromYakima, WA
Skill Level:Expert
Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Card & Board, Family, Hidden Object, Puzzle, Strategy
Fun Factor
4
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
5
/
5
Level of Challenge
4
/
5
Storyline
5
/
5
Hi all! As always, I review mostly on the game play and leave the story to others who do a much better job than I. I believe this is #4 for this series. Naturally, I have all of them, in the CE version. The colors, although slightly muted, are very nice and clear. Game play was excellent, with no problems during the demo and the scenes fit my large screen very well. Music is very soothing and moves with what might be happening at the time. Animation is wonderful. The body movements are a bit stiff, but the facial movements are exceptional and very realistic. Voices are the same and very well done. The "bad guy's" voice has just the right amount of that sinister sound that you would expect. Yes, we have a little helper in the way of a very strong hammer, that is not really used all that much.
HOPs are well done and varied, with a combination of interactive lists, finding symbols and find and place items in a scene. HOPs are clear and items are not hard to find. Remember, we do need to find a morphing item in the HOP, which is not as easy as you may think. Puzzles were interesting and some did take some time and thought to complete. Not too challenging, but enough. Hint system is very helpful, but we did not have a transport feature, unless it shows up further into the game. SG is very clear and easy to follow, in case you get lost or confused.
Collections were disappointing, but then again, this series never did have much in that respect. The only thing I found are the puzzles pieces, which are quite large and very easy to see.
The one thing that I like the most about this series, is that it is a continuation of the first. The devs do a wonderful job of picking up where the last one left off, where most Devs just start a whole new story line under the same series title. The transition into this game is very smooth. I would recommend playing from the first game to really get a feel for what is going on. It is a very nice series and one that I enjoy. No, it is not all that challenging, but I think all levels of players will enjoy this one, especially if you have played the previous three. As much as I like this game, I only gave it a 4.75, because of the lack of nice collectibles. Yes, I am adding it to my CE collection.
As always, try it for yourself and see what you think. We all have different tastes in games and you may not care for this one at all. Thanks for the review.
I recommend this game!
Can you free Prometheus from Zeus's eternal punishment?
Overall rating
4
/
5
13 of 14 found this review helpful
You don't mess with the Gods!
PostedJuly 7, 2017
dancemom1
fromYakima, WA
Skill Level:Expert
Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Arcade & Action, Card & Board, Family, Hidden Object, Puzzle, Strategy
Fun Factor
4
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
5
/
5
Level of Challenge
4
/
5
Storyline
5
/
5
Hi all! Wow, unless my count is off, this is #12 in this series. I do have all the others, but not all are CE versions. As always, I review on the game play and seldom on the story line, as others do a much better job of that than I. Graphics are quite nice, very clear and clean. I didn't notice as much blurring in this one as in the last couple either. Colors are bright and true. Game play was excellent, with no problems during the demo. Voices are very nice, except Dad sounded very healthy when he was suppose to be dying. The God's sounded as I would expect them to sound and not the least bit wimpy. Music wasn't bad and was not intrusive. I usually just turn it way down anyway. Sound FX were nice and fit whatever scene or area you were in at the time.
Be aware, there are snakes in this one. Not a lot, but occasionally, and they do move.
Be aware, there are snakes in this one. Not a lot, but occasionally, and they do move.
HOPs are a combination of interactive lists, riddles and silhouettes, so far. They are fairly clear and items are not difficult to find. I didn't not find any morphing items, but I wasn't really looking for them either. If you want something different, you can switch to a match stones game...it's the usual. Puzzles are well done and most have some level of challenge. I found a couple that took me longer than I'd expect. There is a lot of running back and forth in this one as well. Didn't seem to go to very many different areas during the demo, but I'm sure it will pick up as the game progresses. Yes, we have a jump map, but what a blank and boring map it is. The hint system is very helpful and it did transport to longer locations, which came in quite handy.
Collectibles are a major disappointment. All we have are 38 Omega signs, which are quite large. They try to hide some by only showing about half of it, but they really aren't hard to spot. Definitely needed more in this department.
I still like this series, and I do like this story line a lot. It is a little different...myths, you know. There was a bit more action that I figured and it seemed to have more character interaction than in the last few in this series. The game is not difficult and it is easy to follow. It seems that it was more interesting as a beta, but I did like it enough to want to play it out and see what happens. I think most levels of players will find this game worth getting. Even though the collectibles were a huge disappointment, I am going to add the CE to my collection.
As always, try it for yourself and see what you think. We all have different tastes in games and you may not care for this one at all. Thanks for the reviews.
I recommend this game!
Travel to the underworld and save your love from Death's embrace!
Overall rating
3
/
5
39 of 52 found this review helpful
Same old story...
PostedJuly 1, 2017
dancemom1
fromYakima, WA
Skill Level:Expert
Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Card & Board, Family, Hidden Object, Puzzle, Strategy
Fun Factor
2
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
4
/
5
Level of Challenge
2
/
5
Storyline
2
/
5
Hi all. Well, I believe this is #6 in this series. I do have most of them, but not all. As usual, I review mostly on the game play and leave the story line to others. Colors are quite nice and bright in this addition. Graphics seemed very clear, even in the cut scenes and closeups. Animation was fairly nice as well. Music was quite soothing and nice and didn't over power the game play, as some often do. It is a somewhat quiet game in that we do not have much in the way of character interaction. What we do have was done well and is age and character appropriate. The sound FX were nice, but very quiet.
HOPs were nothing new or exciting, mostly interactive silhouettes, then place the item in the scene and lists. They were fairly clear and items were not difficult to find. I did not see that you could switch to anything else if you got bored with the HOPs. Puzzles were extremely simple and took no time or brain power to complete. The hint system is very helpful and we do have a transport feature in this game. You can also use the jump map if you prefer. You don't do a lot of traveling around to different areas during the demo, but you do return to the same few areas multiple times.
Collectibles are hearts which are large and quite easy to spot. They can be solid or outlines. No challenge here, you just have to remember to pick them up. I didn't see anything else in the way of collectibles and this game certainly could have used more.
This game moved very slowly. We spend too much time in a very small area before moving on, so it got boring very quickly. There was nothing new or challenging in this game that grabbed my attention and wanted me to keep playing. I played out the demo, hoping it would pick up, but it did not. I think this game is geared more toward the beginner than anyone else, but there will be those who just want an easy no brainer game for a change...this is definitely it. I have a number of games like this, but this one just didn't do it for me. I will recommend this game only for beginners. So, no buy for me.
As always, try it for yourself and see what you think. We all have different tastes in games and you may find this one to be exactly what you are looking for today. Thanks for the reviews.
I recommend this game!