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:
Only you can save the kingdom from a mysterious disease!
Overall rating
4
/
5
10 of 15 found this review helpful
Great collectibles!
PostedApril 8, 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
4
/
5
Hi all! Well, we have a nice CE today. As always, I review mostly on the game play and leave the story line to others who do a much better job than I. This game started out with a lot of purple, which always puts me off. However, after the opening scene, the colors cleared up and are very bright and true. Graphics are very clear, even in close ups and cut scenes. Animation is well done and lifelike when we have it. Music is soothing, but does move with whatever is happening at the time. Voices are fairly nice and are age and character appropriate. Actually, our main voice sounds a lot like Adam West...yep, old batman! We get to heal people of dreaded diseases, using a healer kit and a diagnosis tool. The tool is used to ID the problem and then figure out which herbs are needed for the cure. You get a list to find and then put it together to heal our character. Sound FX are nice, but mostly we have the music.
HOPs are varied and well done, with interactive silhouettes, highlighted words and straight lists. Some items are quite small, but still not difficult to find. You can switch to a match 3 if you prefer. Puzzles were fairly simple, but you can choose between easy and hard. This game has one of my favorite maps. Areas are clearly identified and you can choose to get a hint on whether you missed a collectible or not. The hint system is very helpful and it does transport to longer locations. Mostly by the map opening up and showing you where to go next. There is a lot of back-tracking, so this is a big time saver. Strategy guide is the usual and easy to follow.
We have many collectibles, which I really like in a CE game. We need to find 15 busts, which are fairly large and can be partially hidden; 69 crystals that are often small but still not difficult to see...these can be most anywhere in a scene; 15 artifacts of various items and are easy to overlook and forget. Best part, we get to eat 14 cupcakes. Don't know why, but it's kind of fun anyway. Nicely done.
Be aware that when traveling, you do have bright lights, but travel is few and far between. This game is not exceptionally challenging, but it was fun and the story interesting enough to make me want to get it. I think all levels of players will find this one a nice game. Yes, I am adding 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 it at all. Thanks for the reviews.
I recommend this game!
A pearl is stolen, leading you on a worldwide chase!
Overall rating
4
/
5
42 of 49 found this review helpful
Beautiful game, excellent story...
PostedApril 8, 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 all! Wow, is this really #12 in this series, or did I count wrong? As always, I mostly review on the game play and not the story line, as others do a much better job on that than I. The graphics are excellent, very clear and clean, although some close ups are a little blurry. Colors are very nice, clear and true. Game play was quite good, with no problems during the demo and the scenes fit my large screen completely. The voice overs are well done and are age and character appropriate, along with emotion. There isn't a lot of character interaction, but enough to keep you interested. Animation is well done and some is rather funny, e.g. bad guys in the helicopter. Music was nice and moved with whatever was happening at the time, adding a little suspense now and then. Sound FX are well done and are throughout the game, so there are no dead areas that I found.
HOPs are a very nice combination of find the highlighted word; interactive lists and straight lists. The scenes are quite 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 HOP. They are well done and we do have morphing objects in 12 of the HOPs. Puzzles were very interesting and somewhat different. They do take a little time and thought, but are not all that difficult. I did find a few that were mind taxing and a little challenging. SG is the same as all other games. Hint system is mostly helpful, but occasionally says "move on"...frustrating! You do transport to longer locations, which is a good thing, as you are constantly on the move. Did not care for the generic map, definitely needs an upgrade. There is a lot of action in this game to keep you interested and on the move. I got so engrossed in the game, that I forgot to keep track of notes.
Very few collectibles in this addition. Besides the morphing items in the HOPs, we have 38 keys. These are a golden hand holding an odd shaped key. They are not easy to spot in most scenes, as some are faded in color or well hidden in or next to another item. This can be challenging to find. We also have the usual fact cards that give us information on areas and things within the game. Didn't see that they really relate to the game play.
I really like this series. I don't have all of them in this series, but most. The story is different and interesting and as I said, there is a lot of action to keep you interested, and there is some challenge here and there. I never had any desire to jump out of a perfectly good plane, but the parachute jump was done extremely well. I think all levels of players will find this one interesting and fun and yes, I am going to add it to my collection. I do not give 5 stars easily, a game has to be exceptional to get them. This one was close, but still again, not perfect, so I gave it a 4.5.
As always, try it for yourself and see what you think. We all have different tasted in games and you may not care for this one at all. Thanks for the reviews.
I recommend this game!
Can you find your Maestro’s murderer in time?
Overall rating
3
/
5
11 of 14 found this review helpful
Slow, somewhat boring...same old story line
PostedApril 2, 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
3
/
5
Storyline
3
/
5
Hi all! Well, looks like we have #7 in this series, and I do have them all. The graphics in this game seemed a little blurry, worse in the close up cut scenes. Colors are bright and true. Game play was very good during the demo and I had no problems at all. Voice overs weren't bad, but not a lot of character interaction. It seems that they did add a little more since I beta tested in December, but still fairly quiet. Music was soothing and nice, but often over-powered the voices, even when turned to half sound. Sound FX aren't too badly done, but again, we had more music than anything else. Feels like they got a little lazy on this one.
HOPs are a combination of interactive and straight lists, and silhouettes, with a couple that had a HOP within a HOP. Items were fairly easy to spot, but some were blended to much into the background colors, and some scenes were a bit cluttered. As usual, you do have to find a morphing item in 12 of the HOPs, which is a bit of a challenge since they morph fairly quickly and don't jump off the page. There seemed to be a few more HOPs in this one, than in the last in this series, which is okay with me. You can switch to a match 3 if you prefer. Puzzles are the same as always and are fairly simple as well. Hint system is very helpful and it does transport to longer locations. Quite nice, since you do a lot of backtracking. I did like how my name was incorporated into the game on some found items. That was fun.
Collectibles are 38 hidden "signs," which look like grapes, but hard to tell, they are pretty small, but still easy to spot. The game needed something more in this department. Somewhat disappointing.
I like this series, but this one was a bit boring for me. Maybe the extremely short demo had something to do with it. Just couldn't get into the game. Maybe I need to play on and see if it picks up, but I'm not sure this one is CE worthy. This is a very simple game, with a somewhat boring and nothing new story line. This would be a nice game for a beginner, but not too sure about a seasoned gamer. Didn't check the extras, but they would have to be exceptional to make this one CE worthy. Just not sure if I want to get this one or wait for the SE. There are many CE games that make much better SE games. I'll put this one in my puddle and think about it. I will recommend this one for beginners or those of us who just want a simple easy game now and then...I have many like that.
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!
In the midst of a battle for the Academy of Alchemy, a young promising student, Eliana, is sent on a dangerous mission of retrieving three powerful artifacts, the Dragon Crystals.
Overall rating
2
/
5
14 of 20 found this review helpful
Magic and mayhem!
PostedMarch 25, 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
Hi all! We have another addition to this series. As always, I review mostly on the game play and leave the rest to others. The graphics seem somewhat old school in a way, but still very nice, very clear, with no noticeable blurring. The colors are bright, clear and very nicely done, but not over-done. Animation is exceptional, with eye movements and all. I didn't see any choppy movements either. Game play was very good, with no problems during the demo and the scene fit my large screen very nicely. Voice overs are nice and are age and character appropriate. Music was quiet and mostly soothing until something was about to happen, then picked up. Sound FX were pretty nice as well. During the beta, there were very few, so they must have listened to suggestions. We do obtain a helpful fairy, but she really isn't used that much during the demo. You also have an amulet to ward off evil...that was boring for me.
HOPs are quite well done. We have a nice variation of interactive lists, straight lists, and silhouettes. I also found one morphing item in one of them. Unless I missed it, I did not see that you could switch to something else, if you got bored. Puzzles are very simple and took no time or thought to complete. Hint system is quite helpful, but it does not transport you to longer locations. Again, you don't really travel great distances at a time. I did note that you had multiple things to accomplish in each scene, so back-tracking was far less than in most other games. I didn't care for the map at all, very bland, but it was helpful since we do not have the transport. SG is the standard and does show you where all the collectibles are found. We also have very simple story boards, which I found to be quite boring. This game moved very slowly.
Collectibles very easy to see, plenty large and colorful, with no challenge to find them. We have to find 42 crests, 16 hats of various shapes, and 8 ghosts that really stand out in a scene. Somewhat disappointing and too simple.
This game is not challenging and the story is nothing new. As I said, it moved very slowly, but I stayed with it to the end, hoping it would pick up. It did not. I was rather surprised when the game just suddenly ended in mid sentence and without warning. This is definitely geared to the beginner and not for a seasoned gamer. I'm not even sure this would make a good rainy day game and I really don't feel it is CE worthy. I will recommend this one for beginners, but it just isn't for me.
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 stop the townspeople from mysteriously aging?
Overall rating
4
/
5
8 of 20 found this review helpful
Interesting story, challenging puzzles...
PostedMarch 23, 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
4
/
5
Level of Challenge
4
/
5
Storyline
5
/
5
Hello friends! Well, we have another addition to this wonderful collection. I love this series, but I don't have them all. I mostly review on the game play and not the story line, as others do a much better job of that than I. I try to give just the highlights and not list everything in a game, as it's more fun to explore and find things out for yourself. That said, this game has excellent graphics, with a lot of detail, even though there is an occasional blurry segment, usually in the closeups. This was not a deal breaker for me. Animation is well done, and the movements are very smooth. The colors are clear and nice. Game play was excellent, with no problems during the demo and the scene fit my large screen quite nicely. Voices are wonderful, but then I do love a good accent. The voices are age and character appropriate and actually show emotion and not someone just reading a script. You can skip through dialog if you read faster than they speak, but I found that the "continue" button did not always work. Odd, had the same problem in the last one in this series. The music seems to play in the background most all the time and is soothing, until it needs to get you moving. The sound FX aren't too bad. We have a lot of wind and stormy weather, which fits this game and story.
HOPs are nicely done as well and are a combination of straight lists, interactive lists and interactive silhouettes. I did not see that you can switch to another game. You do need to find morphing objects in the HOPs, which are not as easy as you may think. For the most part, the puzzles were somewhat challenging in this game. I found that I had to stop and think more often than usual. Again, you can skip all or part of a puzzle if you get stuck. Hint system is very helpful and it does transport to longer locations. This is very helpful, as you do a lot of back-tracking. There is a jump map, but you don't need it with the transport feature, which is also a time saver.
Collectibles were lacking in this one, again. We needed to find 38 puzzle pieces. These are very easy to spot. Personally, I think a good selection of collectibles makes a game even more challenging and fun. I did not see that there was anything else to find during the demo.
The story is the same, but still a little different. I found that I was drawn in from the opening scene, which was very well done. When the game ended, I thought it was a very short demo, until I saw that I had spent almost an hour on it. The game flows quite well and the story was interesting enough to keep me wanting more. Most of the challenge is in the puzzles, but I think most all levels of players would find this one to be a very nice game and worth the price of a CE. I rarely give a game 5 stars, and this one is no exception, only because of the few things I mentioned above. Even so, I still think it's worth a 4.5. Yes, I am adding this one to my collection.
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 stop a mystical murderer in time?
Overall rating
4
/
5
10 of 11 found this review helpful
Supernatural strikes again!
PostedMarch 19, 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
Hi all! As usual, I review mostly on the game play and leave the story line to others who do a much better job than I. The graphics in this game are exceptionally well done, nice and clear even when moving from cut scene to full scene. Game play was very good, with no problems during the demo. Colors are bright and true, no faded or washed out colors. Animation is extremely well done, true facial and body movements, no skips or lags in movement. Voices are very nice and have emotion, not just someone reading a script, and are age and character appropriate. Music has a very sinister sound and fell when needed..that edge of your seat kind of music, which builds up to something about to happen. Yes, we have supernatural powers, which is fun and different, but is not over-used.
HOPs are a little different in their set up. Yes, we have interactive silhouettes, find it here and use it there, but they were fun and interesting. Scenes are fairly clean and items were not difficult to find. Some of the puzzles were quite challenging and did take some time and thought to complete. We have a jump map, which is helpful since we don't have a transport feature. The map is easy to follow and areas are well marked and identified, but it does not show if the scene has any collectibles. Hint system is very helpful.
Collectibles left a lot to be desired. All I found was that we have 77 symbols of different shape and color to find in each scene. They aren't difficult to find, but you do have to look for them. Each scene has more than one and some have three. Could have used just a bit more, maybe some morphing items in the HOPs, unless it does have it and I missed it. There is a lot of back-tracking between a couple of scenes at a time, so be ready for it. Sort of felt like we spent a little too much time in an area before moving on to something new.
I love mysteries and hunting for clues and this one has it all. I especially liked the ability to choose your game play, e.g. bright and airy or true dark and scary. Of course, I chose the dark and scary. Be aware that in this mode, there are things that jump out at you, so if you don't care for that, don't choose that one. The one thing I did not care for was that once you have completed an area, you cannot return to pick up any collectibles you may have missed. Hopefully you can do this in the extras. The story line is a little different, and keeps you moving and interested. I think most all levels of players will find this one fun, interesting and a bit challenging. Yes, I am going to add it to my ever growing list 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 stop a stone-cold monster before it's too late?
Overall rating
2
/
5
13 of 24 found this review helpful
Boring, no challenge, not CE worthy!
PostedMarch 18, 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
2
/
5
Level of Challenge
2
/
5
Storyline
2
/
5
Hi all! Another Myths of the World, #11 in this series. I do not have all the others, I only have 8 and not all of those 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. The graphics in this addition aren't as well done as previous games. We have some very nice scenes and others that are a bit blurry. Some graphics are more cartoon like as well. I did notice that when the lady was mixing the potion, when she finished and stepped away from the cauldron, her head seemed to have copied itself, and was just floating where she was standing when she moved away from the pot. Then the head stayed floating there when she left the scene. Weird. Colors are bright and true for the most part. Game play was excellent, with no problems during the demo. The voices aren't too bad, but seem somewhat silly on some of the characters. The sound FX are pretty nicely done and can be hear throughout the demo. Music just doesn't seem to fit this game and what is happening.
HOPs are a combination of interactive lists, pairs and silhouettes. They are fairly clear and items are not difficult to find. We do have morphing items in 13 of the HOPs, so be on the lookout for them. Puzzles are not too bad, but mostly quite simple and took no time or brain power to complete. I just do not care for the "tracing" puzzle at all. There is a lot of running back and forth, but eventually we do have a transport feature show up. Didn't even bother with the map. Hint system is quite helpful as well.
Collectibles are only lizards of various colors. Most are fairly large, but are well blended into the background and not all that easy to see. I was disappointed in the lack of nice collectibles. This game could certainly have used them.
I did like this series, but this one was just very slow, to the point of me getting bored. Not much character interaction either, and no real challenge other than to try to spot the lizards. It is a pretty simple and easy to follow game. I just don't feel it is CE worthy. I often feel that the SE makes a much better game, so I will put it in my puddle and give it another shot, but I seriously doubt that I will purchase the game. Personally, I think this one is geared more toward the extreme beginner.
The devs just didn't give this one the attention it needed. I see that some have given this 5 stars, even though their review wasn't on the plus side. Sorry, I can't do that. I will only recommend this game for new beginners who just want to get a feel for this type of game, but not for anyone else. I gave this one a 2.
The devs just didn't give this one the attention it needed. I see that some have given this 5 stars, even though their review wasn't on the plus side. Sorry, I can't do that. I will only recommend this game for new beginners who just want to get a feel for this type of game, but not for anyone else. I gave this one a 2.
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!
The citizens of Bordeaux are outraged after eight monks are murdered.
Overall rating
3
/
5
25 of 78 found this review helpful
Same old, same old...
PostedMarch 9, 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
4
/
5
Level of Challenge
3
/
5
Storyline
2
/
5
Hello friends! I believe this is #10 in this series. I have a number of these, but not the last few. If you have played any of the others in this series, then this one will be no surprise to you. Graphics are far better than the last game. Colors are very clear and true. 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, but are few and far between, and there seems to be a little more character interaction in this one, but not a whole lot. There doesn't seem to be a lot of emotion in the voices either, but it is a little better than the last game in the series. As usual, sound FX are okay when we have them, but mostly we have music. The music is soothing, but gets monotonous very quickly. Oh yes, we have the creepy dwarf as usual. The dwarf does nothing for the story line and I got real tired of listening to him grunt...definitely not needed and to me, he takes away from the game.
HOPs are a combination of interactive silhouettes and interactive lists. There isn't anything else you can switch to when you get bored with the same old HOP. The HOP scenes have been a little cleaned up in this addition, but still somewhat cluttered. Puzzles are not bad, but are very simple and take no brain power to complete. I do not care for the "follow the line" puzzles at all. I got bored with those very quickly. I found nothing really challenging. Hint system is quite helpful, but it does not transport to longer locations. This would have been helpful, as you do a lot of back tracking to the same locations. Yes, there is a jump map that you can use and it does identify locations of interest. The map scenes are very small.
Collectibles weren't bad. We need to find 35 tokens, which are large and colorful and easy to spot. You need to these to build the family castle. I assume this happens at the end of the game. We also have 34 morphing items to find in each scene. These are subtle morphs, mostly in color or shape, but not in what the item is. These are easy to miss. I also ran across two eyeballs during the demo. Not sure what they are for, but I see that we need to find 12. They are very large as well.
I will admit that this addition is a little better than the last one, but it still has the same old story line, with no real challenge. Maybe I'm just tired of this series, but it just didn't excite me that much. The demo was quite short, which doesn't help either. I think they need to give this one a rest. That said, I'm actually on the fence about this one, so I will put it in my puddle and think about it a bit. As I said above, there are things I do like about the game. If a really good sale comes along, I may get it. I will recommend this for beginners, or for those of us who just want a lazy day kind of game. I have many like that.
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 beat the clock and get your life back?
Overall rating
4
/
5
7 of 13 found this review helpful
Yikes, body snatchers!
PostedMarch 4, 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
5
/
5
Level of Challenge
4
/
5
Storyline
5
/
5
Hi all! Well, we have #4 in this series...yes, I have them. As always, I review mostly on the game play and not the story line, as others do a much better job on that than I. As usual, the graphics in this addition are exceptional, very clear, very well done. Colors are very bright, but not over powering, true and very clear. Game play was excellent, no problems during the demo and the scene fit my large screen very nicely. The voice overs are extremely well done, with emotion, and they are age and character appropriate. Animation is superb, and facial features and movements are also very well done and fit what is being said or done at the time. Sound FX are perfect for the setting and background sounds, and are constant, no dead air at all. Music also fit the setting and time period, and was quite nice.
HOPs are a wonderful variation of lists, find this, place that there, etc. We even have a combination of HOPs with the HOP. Scenes are clean and clear, no junk piles, and items are not difficult to find. Be on the lookout for the morphing items in the HOPs. As in the other in this series, they aren't that easy to spot. No, I didn't see that you could switch to a match 3 or jigsaw puzzle if you didn't want to do the HOPs. Would be surprised if you wanted to, they are very well done. I did not see a transport feature in this one either, but I hadn't had to back track all that far in order to complete an objective. The jump map is very useful. It seems to be set up a little differently, but areas are clearly identified when you hover your mouse over it. Hint system is very helpful when needed. Puzzles were different in some cases and quite challenging in others. These are also well done. Either the demo was short, or I got so involved in the play that time just went too fast. SG is the standard as in all other games.
Collectibles are 38 records. They are fairly large and easy to see. Other than the morphing objects in the HOPs, I didn't see anything else during the demo. According to the SG, there is something else, but I didn't run across it yet.
Collectibles are 38 records. They are fairly large and easy to see. Other than the morphing objects in the HOPs, I didn't see anything else during the demo. According to the SG, there is something else, but I didn't run across it yet.
I really like this series and when I beta tested this one back in June, yes I said June, I made a note to give it a 5.0. I don't give 5 stars easily, as a game has to be exceptional in all areas. This one was exceptional, except for the popping up of the achievement bar with 3 or 4 completed achievements. If I want to know what I have, I look at the end of the game and find out. That was annoying. For that reason, and that reason only, I down-graded this one to 4.75, but every other part of the game gets a 5.0. The story line was new and exciting and drew me in from the very beginning. This one has just the right amount of challenge to keep you interested and wanting more. I think all levels of players will find this one enjoyable. Every game in this series is exceptional and all have very nice story lines. Yes, definite buy for me.
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!
A locked room murder awaits you! Was the killer human or something else?
Overall rating
4
/
5
31 of 41 found this review helpful
Oh, a little tree helper!
PostedMarch 2, 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
4
/
5
Level of Challenge
3
/
5
Storyline
4
/
5
Hi all! Well, looks like this is #6 in this series. As usual, I review mostly on the game play and leave the rest to others. Graphics in this addition as done very nicely and are very clear when moving in and out of close ups. Animation is well done with smooth movements, and are quite realistic. Game play was very good, with no problems during the demo and the scenes fit my large screen quite nicely. Although not many, I did like the voices. They are age and character appropriate, and did show some emotion. Other than the detective, you don't really have much character interaction during the demo. Music was unobtrusive and moved depending on what was happening at the time. The colors were still the blue and pinks. Some scenes had a lot more than others...this is a minus for me, as it is very tiring on the eyes. Yes, we have a little tree helper, who is quite helpful for higher places, or when you need a third hand. He is quiet and yep, he does the moonwalk. If you don't care to have this little guy, you can turn him off. It does not affect the game play.
HOPs are all interactive silhouettes. Some scenes are a bit cluttered, but items are not difficult to find. Personally, I find HOPs more fun if they are varied. There is not a match 3 or jigsaw puzzle to switch to if you get bored. Too bad. Puzzles were fairly simple and nothing new. I did like that if you get stuck on a puzzle, you can skip to the next piece without skipping the entire puzzle. The hint system is very helpful and it does transport to longer locations. It was nice to not only transport, but to also be shown exactly where you needed to go next once you got there. That was different. Having the transport is a good thing, since you are constantly backtracking for one item. This got very old, very quickly, but then seemed to pick up a little with finding two items before heading back to the same location again. I did not use the map, since we have the transport. The one thing I did not care for was the need to open a window in order to find the map and guide. Personal preference, just put the icon on the screen. Saves "clicking" time, but not a deal breaker.
Collectibles were not many either. We have 6 character statuettes that are large and easy to spot. We also have 25 clover shapes. Again, these are large enough to see, but can be solid, colored, silhouettes and well blended. I didn't really have any difficulty finding them in each scene.
I liked this game much better as a beta for some reason. It seemed to move slower during the demo, maybe because you can't click through the dialog if you read faster than they speak. The purpose of the game hadn't really been explained very well in the beginning either. Maybe I missed something. There is not much challenge, but for some reason, I need to see how it plays out. For the above reasons, I downgraded to a 4.0 on my 0-5 scale. I have beta tested a number of really nice games the past few months, so hopefully they come out soon. This one is not a bad game, just too quiet. I think if you have played any of the others, you would understand this one a little better. Most players would find this one interesting enough to purchase. Yes, I will 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!