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:
A vengeful monster has found a way to stop Christmas!
Overall rating
4
/
5
25 of 30 found this review helpful
Nice addition to this series
PostedNovember 19, 2021
dancemom1
fromYakima, WA
Skill Level:Expert
Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Family, Hidden Object, Strategy, Word
Fun Factor
4
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
5
/
5
Level of Challenge
4
/
5
Storyline
4
/
5
Hello friends! As always, I review mostly on the game play and leave the story to others who do a much better job than I. We have another addition to this wonderful game. The graphics are excellent, very clear and clean, with an occasional slight blurring when going in and out of close up scenes. Game play was excellent, no problems at all during the demo and the scenes fit my large screen quite well. Colors were bright, and beautiful throughout the game, but not overpowering. Animation is very smooth. Voices are age and character appropriate, with emotion. We have different voices for a change. Some games seem like only one or two people are reading the script. This one is varied and well done. We have at lot more character interaction in this one, which makes a game far more interesting and fun. You can click through dialog if you read faster than they speak, without missing any of the story line. Sound FX are very nice, but not many. Music nice and unobtrusive. We do have a little helper in this addition, but he is quite and useful when needed.
HOGs are varied and very well done. We have interactive lists, place items in scene, silhouettes, and pairs. The scenes are fairly clean and items are not difficult to find. I did not see that you could switch to another game if you do not care for the HOPs. Puzzles were not really challenging, but some did make you stop and think. Hint system is very helpful and we do have the transport feature, which saves a lot of travel time. You do quite a lot of backtracking, so the transport is very helpful. We also have the jump map shows where you may have missed a collectible.
Collectibles weren't bad, but this addition did not have morphing items, which can often be challenging. We need to find 48 puzzle pieces. These pieces are fairly large, but easy to miss, as the colors blend into the background and there can be multiple pieces in a scene. We also have 13 cards that are large enough not to miss.
This story is interesting and easy to follow, but nothing really new. Bad guy is messing with Christmas and we trying to fix it...the usual. Even though there isn't a lot of challenge, you are constantly on the move in this game, so you don't get bored. I found this one to be fun and interesting enough to add it to my CE collection. I think most players will find it fun. I gave it a 4.5.
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. Play on!
I recommend this game!
A strange board game makes a Halloween party go very wrong!
Overall rating
4
/
5
14 of 18 found this review helpful
Don't even think about rolling those dice!
PostedOctober 14, 2021
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
4
/
5
Hello friends! As usual, I review mostly on the game play and leave the story to others who can do a much better job than I. Halloween is right around the corner and we have #4 in this series. The graphics in this game are very clear and nice. I didn't notice the usual blurring. Excellent colors, very bright but not over powering. Game play was excellent, with no problems during the demo. Voices are well done and are age and character appropriate. The "evil" one actually sounds evil for a change. Animation well done and very smooth mouth and eye movements. Sound FX are very well done when we have them, but could have been a bit more background sounds to give us that spooky feel. The music wasn't even spooky.
HOPs are very well done and varied, with interactive lists, riddles and silhouettes. Scenes are fairly clear and items are not difficult to find. If you don't care for the HOP, switch to the match 3 game. I always play the first round in easy mode to get a feel for the game. Even in easy mode, some of the puzzles take time and thought to complete, but are not overly difficult. We can switch to hard mode for more challenge. Excellent map set up. Rather than a transport, the map opens and shows you where you need to go. Areas are identified by name and picture. The map also shows you where you have missed a collectible. For more challenge, you can turn this feature off.
Collectibles are well done. We have 15 monster figurines, which are small but not difficult to find. We also have 15 morphing Kriben things to find, which are not as easy to spot as you may think. Then we have 66 stone coins to find to equip the armory. These are found in close up scenes. They are large enough to see, but easy to over look.
I found myself drawn into this story very quickly. It is a combination of Ouija, Jumanji and a number of other horror movies rolled into one. It is actually well done. You are constantly on the move, with a fair amount of backtracking. Even on easy mode, there was enough action to keep me interested and wanting more when the demo ended. When I beta tested this one, I gave it a 4.75. I'm sticking to that number for this one. I think all levels of players will find this one well worth the price of a CE. Yes, I am adding this one to my extremely long 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. Play on!
I recommend this game!
The secret of the fairies lies deep in the English countryside.
Overall rating
4
/
5
17 of 18 found this review helpful
The Fairies deserve better...
PostedOctober 1, 2021
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
Hello friends! As always, I review mostly on the game play and leave the story line to other who do a much better job than I. We have a very nice game today. Beautiful, bright colors, but not overpowering at all. Clear graphics, very nice animation for the most part. Voices are age and character appropriate. Nice to see that we have a lot more character interaction in this game. Game play was very good, no glitches or problems during the demo. SFX could have been a bit more...could have used outdoor sounds for background. Music was okay, but got a bit annoying.
HOP's are not too bad. So far, all I have found are silhouettes, match items and search in the dark. Items are not difficult to find and scenes are quite interactive. If you do not care for the HOP's, you can switch to a match 3. The map is quite helpful and clearly identifies the locations and whether or not you have missed a collectible. Didn't see the transport feature, but you don't need it with this map. There is a lot of backtracking in this one, so you will use it frequently.
Collectibles aren't bad. None of the items are difficult to spot. We have 15 fairly figurines; 15 magic items that also morph and 70 leaves that we use to furnish our home. You just have to remember to look for the leaves.
This story is nothing new, but it was interesting. You are constantly on the move and with the amount of character interaction we have, you don't get bored. I was pleasantly surprised at this game. At first, I figured it would be too "cartoony," but it certainly was not. I was drawn into the game, almost from the beginning and left wanting more when the demo ended. I believe this game will appeal to all levels of players for one reason or another. Yes, I am adding it to my ever growing collection of CE games. Gave this one a 4.75.
As always, try it for yourself and see what you think. We all have different tastes in games and you may find that this one is not what you are looking for. Play on!
I recommend this game!
Help Rangers run Pinecreek Hills Park and National Academy!
Overall rating
5
/
5
7 of 7 found this review helpful
The Vacation Continues...
PostedApril 6, 2021
dancemom1
fromYakima, WA
Skill Level:Expert
Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Card & Board, Family, Hidden Object, Puzzle, Strategy
Fun Factor
5
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
5
/
5
Level of Challenge
4
/
5
Storyline
4
/
5
Hello friends! This addition makes #11 in this series. Yes, I'm still addicted to these silly adventure games. They are straight HOGs, nothing more, nothing less. Graphics are quite nice in this addition, very clear. Colors are bright, but not overpowering. The Rangers are still the same, with a couple new ones now and then. Game play is very good. Animation is well done, not a lot, but enough. Same location, naturally...the huge park. I love the challenge of finding everything, and I keep looking until I do. As always with this series, we have a lot of dialogue, but no voices. You can click through it and not miss any hints or clues. The music is the same and can easily become monotonous.
We still have to find the extras, e.g. wildlife animals and garbage. Scenes are fairly clean and some items blend into the background, so you really need to look carefully at everything. The challenge to this one is to find all the garbage. The animals seem to be quite easy to spot. My goal is to find everything without using a hint, which I have managed to do so far. We have the same puzzles. None are really difficult, but some take some time to complete. I always demo on easy mode to get a feel for a game. Don't know why I do with this one, pretty straight forward.
Sometimes, you just need a nice simple game to pass the time with. Again, this one is a CE. Not sure what makes it a CE, since everything is the same and there is never anything extra at the end, e.g. extra game play like other CE games. It's the same as any standard game. I think most will find a bit of challenge in this one, and the scenery is very nice. Yep, added it to my collection without even trying it out first. I like this series and have them all. I would give this straight HOG a 5.0, if there was something extra to actually make it CE worthy. Right now, it gets a 4.75. If you like HOGs, this game is for you.
Give it a try and see what you think. We all have different tastes in games and you may not care for this one at all. Play on!
I recommend this game!
Can you stop a dangerous order from abusing time for their nefarious plans?
Overall rating
2
/
5
3 of 5 found this review helpful
Zzzzz....
PostedMarch 28, 2021
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
1
/
5
Storyline
1
/
5
Hello friends! As always, I review on the game play and not the story line, as others do a much better job than I can. Another one in this very, very long series.The graphics in this addition are very well done, very clear, with no blurring when going in and out of close ups. Colors are not bright, but are really nicely done. Game play was excellent, with no problems during the demo. Animation was very well done, very smooth and realistic. Almost no character interaction during the demo, until the end. Very quiet. You can click through the dialog if you read read faster than they speak, without missing any hints or needed information to continue through the game. Music was throughout and quite nice. It did move with whatever was happening at the time. Didn't see Dad during this demo at all, disappointing. Sound FX were almost non-existent as well.
HOGs are somewhat varied. We have interactive lists, place picture piece and silhouettes. The scenes are very clean and clear and items are not difficult to find. I did not see that you could switch to a different game. Not too many puzzles during the demo, but none were difficult or time consuming. Hint system is very helpful and it does transport you to longer locations. You do a lot of back tracking long distances in this addition, so this is very helpful. As usual, this map is very bland, but with the transport, who needs it?
Not much in the way of collectible either. A puzzle piece in each scene and an additional collectible of some sort. The collectibles are not difficult to find. Very disappointing.
I like this series, but this one seems to just be thrown together. We start out weird as well...having lunch, get poisoned, in a hospital bed, then up and going like nothing happened. We had a number of flashbacks during the demo. Not sure what the story is, too confusing and jumbled. Very quiet, no action until the end of the demo, which was quite short, and no challenge. I've demoed a number of others in this series that have not come out yet. All of which were considerably better games. Personally, I'm not even sure a beginner would find this one fun. Not the usual story line in this series. I rarely cannot find something good about a game, in order to recommend it, but this one was extremely disappointing. Gave this one a 2.5. Definitely not a 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. Play on!
I don't recommend this game.
Rescue your sister and uncover the truth behind the Queen's trial!
Overall rating
5
/
5
7 of 8 found this review helpful
Brrr....
PostedJanuary 29, 2021
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
Hello friends! And the hits just keep on coming! As always, I review mostly on the game play and not the story, as others do a better job of that than I. This game has nice graphics, I didn't notice much blurring at all. Colors are quite bright, but not over powering. There wasn't a lot of animation during the demo, but enough to keep you from falling asleep. Game play was excellent, with no problems during the demo and the scene fit my large screen very well. Voice overs are nice and are age and character appropriate, with some emotion, fear, urgency and not just someone reading a script, but not a lot of character interaction yet. Didn't really notice a lot in the way of sound FX, but we did have some, other than some wind noise for background. It was almost too quiet. Music was okay.
HOGs are nothing new and I didn't see that you could switch to something else. We only have interactive lists and silhouettes. Scenes are fairly clear and items are not difficult to spot. Could have been a bit more for variety. Puzzles were not difficult at all, but a couple did take a little time and thought to complete. The hint system is very helpful, but it did not transport you to longer locations during the demo. We do have the jump map and areas are clearly identified by name and picture. The map shows you where you have missed a collectible.
Collectibles are not bad. We need to find coins to buy an animal, who is also a helper, and upgrade their home. The number of coins you need to find varies for each scene. Look carefully for these. This sounds simple, but it is not. You also collect 1-2 morphing objects in each scene, which are also not easy to spot. This is the challenge in this game.
This is an interesting take on an old fairy tale, and is quite well done. The game was easy to follow and flowed quite well. There is enough challenge to keep you interested and I found that the further I got in this very long demo, the more I wanted to keep playing. I think this will appeal to all levels of players. Yes, it grabbed my attention and I am adding this addition to my CE collection. I have the need to see how it plays out. Gave this one a 4.75.
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. Play on!
I recommend this game!
A detective meets a mysterious stranger in her first case!
Overall rating
4
/
5
2 of 4 found this review helpful
Not too cold yet...
PostedJanuary 29, 2021
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
4
/
5
Hello friends! As always, I review mostly on the game play and leave the story to others. I've lost count on which number this addition is for this series. I just know it's a lot. Graphics in this addition are very nice, except when going in and of closeups, then it becomes a little blurry, but this is the norm for this developer and this series. Colors are very bright, but not over powering. Animation is well done, and realistic. Game play was excellent, with no problems during the demo. Voices are nicely done and are age and character appropriate for the type of setting. We have a fair amount of character interaction. There can never be enough for me. You can click through the dialog if you read faster than they speak, without missing any of the story line or clues. Music is okay, but I turn it down so I can hear the background sounds. The sound FX are really well done and pretty much throughout the game. This is supposed to be winter, but I didn't notice much in the way of storm or winter sounds. Please be aware that occasionally we have very bright lights when traveling, but you can click through those as well.
HOGs are very well done, with a combination of interactive lists, highlighted words and silhouettes. Scenes are clear and items were not difficult to find. We do have a match 3 if you prefer that over the HOGs. I always demo on easy mode to get a feel for the game and the puzzles were even too simple for easy. As usual, we do have the option of choosing hard for a lot more challenge. Hint system is very helpful. Rather than a transport feature, we have the excellent map that opens and shows us where we need to go next, and clearly identifies the location. As usual, you have the option of not having the hint that you have missed one of the collectibles in a particular location. Something I like, because I have the need to find them all, without using the Strategy Guide. However, the SG does come in handy now and then, especially when I just can't seem to find what I'm looking for.
Collectibles were fairly well done and none of the items were too small to see easily. We have to find 15 morphing dragons; 70 gems. There are a number of gems just laying around, so look carefully. We also have to find 15 constellations. No real challenge, but enough.
The story moved a bit slowly, but as with others in this series, I expect it to pick up as we go along. Still, a bit difficult to comment on the story line. Even at that, you are constantly on the move and we do backtrack some. I gave it a 4.0, only because of the story didn't grab me from the beginning and make me want more when the demo ended. That said, I like this series and I will add this one to my very long list of CE games. I think most players will find this one worth the price of the CE.
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. Play on!
I recommend this game!
Can you save him and the Secret City from destruction in time?
Overall rating
4
/
5
76 of 87 found this review helpful
What are we collecting?
PostedDecember 26, 2020
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
5
/
5
Storyline
4
/
5
Hello friends! As always, I review mostly on the game play and leave the story to others. Lost count with this series, but we've had quite a few. The graphics in this addition are beautiful, but we still have blurring when going in and out of close up scenes. Since this has become the norm these days, I don't even downgrade for it anymore. Excellent game play, no problems during the demo. Beautiful colors, bright, but not over powering. Excellent animation, very realistic facial movements, even the eyes move when they speak and their mouth move perfectly. Still a bit put off by the constant body movements in some cases, but not a game changer. Voices are age and character appropriate with realistic emotions. You can click through dialog without missing any hints or earned objects to help throughout the game. You don't have music unless something is about to happen, then can be the sound of "edge of your seat." Very nice sfx, except the odd sound when you find an object.
HOGs are varied and fairly well done, with interactive HOGs, find and place a picture piece, match color patches. Scenes are fairly clear and items are not difficult to find. If we didn't care for the HOGs, we could switch to a March 3 game. Puzzles are not as easy as you might think, even on easy mode. Most took time and thought to complete. The hint system is very helpful, no transport feature, but the map opens to show you where you need to go next. Very nice, clear map! Areas are identified by name and picture, and if you choose, it also indicates where we may have missed a collectible. Remove the check mark if you want a lot more challenge finding the collectibles.
Collectibles are very well done and varied. We have 70 coins to buy items for a run down plane. We have 15 various morphing artifacts. There are also 15 pictures that are fairly large, but still easy to miss.
Other than the pictures, none of the collectibles are all that easy to spot. Some are quite small and the morphing items morph quickly.
Other than the pictures, none of the collectibles are all that easy to spot. Some are quite small and the morphing items morph quickly.
The story line in this one doesn't seem like anything new and I wasn't quite sure what we are doing or why, but I do find that I need to play it out and find out. Even at that, it flowed very well. We are constantly on the move in this addition and there is some challenge. I like this series and this addition is no exception. I think this will appeal to most all levels of players. Yes, I am adding this one to my CE collection. Gave this one a 4.75 because of the collectibles and the challenging games. I think the story line will become much clearer very shortly.
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. Play on!
I recommend this game!
Something is terribly wrong in the toy world, and only you can help!
Overall rating
4
/
5
8 of 12 found this review helpful
Toys, toys and more toys...
PostedDecember 17, 2020
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
Hello friends! As usual, I review mostly on the game play and not so much on the story line. Graphics were excellent in this addition, fairly clear. The colors were a little muted, which made the graphics look a little fuzzy, but not bad at all. Animation was very well done. Game play was good, no problems at all during the demo. Music was rather soothing and unobtrusive. Voices were age and character appropriate and had emotion and that feel of urgency when needed. We do have a little helper mouse who only comes out to help when you "feed" his sweet tooth. Otherwise, he minds his own business.
HOGs were well done and a little different, in this one as well. We have interactive lists and highlighted words with a twist. They are very clean and items are not difficult to find. Did not see that you could switch to anything else if you did not care for the HOGS. Puzzles were not difficult at all, even in hard mode. Some took a few minutes to think through, but otherwise fairly simple. The hint system is quite helpful, but you do not have a transport feature in this series. There is a jump map, if you need it. You don't do that much running back and forth, but it does save a little time.
Collectibles weren't too bad. There are two fairly large and easy to see snow globes in each scene. You also have two morphing items to find. These aren't easy, as they are a bit small and morph quickly.
The story is interesting and the game flowed very well. You are constantly on the move in this addition, so you don't really have time to get bored. There is more character interaction in this one than in most of the games we have seen lately. There wasn't much challenge in the demo, but I like the story and the game play and have the need to play it out and see where it goes. I think most will find this one worth the price of a CE. Gave this one a 4.75. 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 this one at all. Play on!
I recommend this game!
Can you reach your new family in time for Christmas?
Overall rating
4
/
5
6 of 8 found this review helpful
Poor dolly...
PostedDecember 15, 2020
dancemom1
fromYakima, WA
Skill Level:Expert
Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Card & Board, Family, Hidden Object, Strategy, Word
Fun Factor
4
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
5
/
5
Level of Challenge
4
/
5
Storyline
4
/
5
Hello friends! As usual, I review mostly on the game play and leave the story line to others who do a much better job than I. I believe this is #4 in this series. The colors are bright, but not over powering, beautiful and true. Graphics are very good, except for the usual blurring when going in and out of scenes and close ups. Game play was excellent, with no problems during the demo. Haven't seen much character animation, but what we have is very well done. Voices are well done, age and character appropriate. You can click through dialog if you read faster than they speak, and not miss any of the story line or clues. Music is soothing, but not constant. This would have been nice, since there is very little character interaction in the demo. Sound FX aren't bad when we have them. However, the thumping sound every time we find an item is very annoying.
HOPs are extremely well done, and are a combination of interactive silhouettes; place item in scene and matching. They are fairly clean and items are not hard to find. If you don't wish to play the HOP, you can switch to a match 3. Puzzles have the option of easy or hard. In easy mode, the puzzles are way too easy. I always demo in easy mode to get a feel for the game. We don't have a transport feature in this game, but we have a jump map. It's set up a bit messy, but is very helpful. Areas are clearly marked, in color and also tell us if we missed a collectible, if you choose that option. You can go back and collect them if you missed any. Hint system is very helpful.
Collectibles are somewhat challenging. We need to find 70 coins to upgrade our mock town; 15 morphing Christmas gifts and 15 Christmas treats. Some are a bit small and not easy to spot either. Very well done.
As quiet and slow as this addition was, I find the need to play it out and see where it is going. Hopefully it picks up as the game progresses. Besides, I like this series. There isn't a great deal of back tracking, but enough. Even though I felt this addition could have used more character interaction, or at least more sound FX, I loved this game. So far, there isn't much challenge, but for those of us who like Christmas stories, this could be the one. I think most players will find this one worth the CE price. Gave this one a 4.5. 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 and you may not care for this one at all. Play on!
I recommend this game!