rosekaufmann's Profile
Stat Summary
- Average Rating:4.2
- Helpful Votes:18,036
- Reviews Submitted:831
- First Review:April 2, 2012
- Most Recent Review:July 27, 2014
- Featured reviews0
Status:
Black Isle was supposedly abandoned after an earthquake but the truth is much more sinister! Join the Mystery Trackers and learn the truth!
Overall rating
5
/
5
4 of 5 found this review helpful
LOVELY PREQUEL TO SOMETHING
PostedDecember 13, 2013
rosekaufmann
fromLos Angeles
Skill Level:Expert
Favorite Genre(s):Hidden Object
Fun Factor
5
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
5
/
5
Level of Challenge
5
/
5
Storyline
5
/
5
Main game took almost 7 hours to complete. Bonus about 20% of that. Game is mostly adventure with a lot of locks and doors to unlock. So you have to find a lot of puzzle pieces involving locks and keys to move forward into the next area. Moderate number of interactive HOS, in which you frequently use an item that is already included in your inventory from prior acquisitions. Not many HOS are blessedly very crowded, but some items are very well concealed. As the story progressed, I found myself feeling sorry for the protagonist; there are hints about how he and others in his predicament as a paranormal were previously mistreated by a doctor. We don’t find out in this story about what that entailed. I didn’t find a journal, only notes.
NOTE RE: MAP: At first I thought it was useless. Then I realized it is multi-layered and is indeed interactive. On the main map, click on any of the main parts of the island and you’ll get a more detailed map, with pending activities and somewhat detailed tasks to be performed noted. The HINT system is extremely helpful. It will tell you what to do, where, with what and why. I like how it’s worded – like a friend giving advice without pointing fingers at how unwise you sometimes can be.
Moderate number of locations which are very nicely drawn and colored. So even if you chose not to use the map, you won’t get lost. Graphics are crisp and lovely; animation is terrific. There are a lot of activities to do. Puzzles not connected with doors and locks are refreshing and a pleasure to play.
I recommend this game!
This was supposed to be the happiest day of your life. But instead of walking down the aisle, you're in another dimension, battling a mad inventor to save your family!
Overall rating
5
/
5
46 of 53 found this review helpful
PARALLEL WORLDS - HIGHLY RECOMMENDED
PostedDecember 11, 2013
rosekaufmann
fromLos Angeles
Skill Level:Expert
Favorite Genre(s):Hidden Object
Fun Factor
5
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
5
/
5
Level of Challenge
4
/
5
Storyline
5
/
5
Story is of parallel worlds. There are 164 observers scattered around the environments to capture - once you see their roving eye and click on them, they look like spiders which you can then capture. Since they move around, it's quite a bit of extra fun.
You can choose HOS or match 3. The HOS are moderately crowded and everything is richly detailed and easily recognizable. Loved how the bed opens up to a storage space under the mattress - way to create extra out-of-sight hiding places. Didn't try the match 3 because I like the HOS so much. They are hand-painted and there is some interaction. Puzzles vary in complexity, but are easily solvable.
Graphics are hand-drawn and marvelously detailed. Music is unobtrusive. Voice overs are pleasant enough. Lips don't sync, but I don't really care as the games seem to be translated into several languages, so there will always be sync problems - if not in English, then in Spanish or whatever. Dialogue is also written.
Good production values and fun to play. Hint is very helpful. Since I really enjoyed finding the observers, I'm opting for the CE. Can't wait to see where they come from and why they are observing the particular family starring in this game. Highly recommended.
I recommend this game!
Murder, She Wrote
Help the world-renowned author, Jessica Fletcher, solve murders! Piece together the clues to crack cases in Murder, She Wrote!
Overall rating
4
/
5
1 of 1 found this review helpful
AS GOOD AS THE TV SHOW
PostedDecember 10, 2013
rosekaufmann
fromLos Angeles
Skill Level:Expert
Favorite Genre(s):Hidden Object
Fun Factor
5
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
5
/
5
Level of Challenge
4
/
5
Storyline
4
/
5
Completed in 4 hours. 5 cases to solve. Very replayable – each time you revisit a scene, most objects have been moved, so you have to search even if the search should be for the same objects. HOS are list based with the vowels missing. Find the typewriter keys with the vowels to fill in the spaces. Many objects are quite small, but the layout of the scenes are such that it is still easy to find them. There is a typewriter ribbon hidden in each scene. If you use a hint to find an item and immediately find the typewriter ribbon, the hint instantly recharges. There are also a few silhouette HOS and quite a few (especially in the last case) are finding X number of a specific item.
Puzzles are interesting and do repeat. Some call for logic. The puzzles appear after the HOS searches, in which you find something to analyze or use in the puzzle. Puzzles can be skipped, but add 30 minutes to your playing time. Music is the theme from the TV show. Sound effects are not very realistic – the water fountain sounds were annoying but tolerable. Two cases were outside of Cabot Cove and it was funny when one of the officers was arresting everyone because of evidence found. Of course, Mrs. F’s logic prevailed, much as it did in the series.
I recommend this game!
These nursery rhymes are cursed, and your sister’s been taken by the Crooked Man!
Overall rating
5
/
5
45 of 57 found this review helpful
INCREDIBLY ADVENTUROUS AND CHALLENGING
PostedDecember 8, 2013
rosekaufmann
fromLos Angeles
Skill Level:Expert
Favorite Genre(s):Hidden Object
Fun Factor
5
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
5
/
5
Level of Challenge
5
/
5
Storyline
5
/
5
Incredibly beautiful landscapes and creative, unique and very challenging puzzles and mini-games. Instructions are generally in the form of riddles and require thought on how to interpret the instructions. The many, many puzzles are a lot of fun even though, as a very experienced gamer, I had to play around with them quite a bit through trial and error. Not that easy to solve.
Very light on the HOS, which are very detailed and lovely FRAGs. Music is lively and apropros to the scenes, but I think they could have played "The Crooked Little Man and his Crooked Little Cat" song somewhere. Voice overs are extremely pleasant to listen to.
Scenes are very busy with a lot of activity to do. Map helps and the hint button works well, though I didn't use them much. Instead, I clicked on everything and read the descriptions and comments at the top of the screen because your clues will be from those descriptions (unless you want to use the SG).
Game is very well-thought out and gameplay can become quite complicated. Should be several hours of play for most people. I can't even imagine the fast clickers playing it in a very short time. An enchanting game and a must-buy within 5 minutes.
I recommend this game!
Journey: The Heart of Gaia
After being kidnapped, Liz must free the Underworld from the tyranny of Scartaris Umbra.
Overall rating
5
/
5
1 of 1 found this review helpful
LIKE A DISNEY FANTASY
PostedDecember 7, 2013
rosekaufmann
fromLos Angeles
Skill Level:Expert
Favorite Genre(s):Hidden Object
Fun Factor
5
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
5
/
5
Level of Challenge
5
/
5
Storyline
5
/
5
Probably no one will read this because there are so many reviews already. I don't know why I had this on my computer without playing it.
Love the graphics - hand drawn fantasy world in the Disney fashion. So that won't appeal to everyone - just us kids big and small, old and young. Like that if you need 6 objects to complete a puzzle, you can start inputting them without waiting to collect all 6. The environments are beautiful - the plants, the creatures - and the special effects are outstanding.
Like the fact that the puzzles and mini-games allow you to show off your skillsets, without being mind-blowing. There's a wide variety, many unique with twists on old stand-bys. I don't mind difficult puzzles, as long as they are solvable and I can figure them out (eventually). If an occasional puzzle really stumps me, I can always skip (though I hate to do that).
Great production values and good map. I like the location complete markers so that, if I decide to take the long-way to travel, I don't spend time looking at a scene where everything has already been done. Now to get the under 5 hours (or is it 6 hours) playing time to complete.
I recommend this game!
You thought this would be just like any other investigation. But now you find yourself lost in a mysterious mansion brimming with strange creatures, comatose colleagues, and mysterious tentacles around every corner…
Overall rating
5
/
5
11 of 11 found this review helpful
NIGHTMARES AND SENSE OF HUMOR - WHAT A COMBINATION
PostedDecember 7, 2013
rosekaufmann
fromLos Angeles
Skill Level:Expert
Favorite Genre(s):Hidden Object
Fun Factor
5
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
5
/
5
Level of Challenge
5
/
5
Storyline
5
/
5
I'm a little late to the show so won't bother with the story, except that it is really interesting (especially since we all have had nightmares). The HOS are very nicely done indeed - not junk piles like many - and very colorful, bright, and detailed. The puzzles, especially the one with the goggles which is played many times, are unique and refreshing. There is a real sense of humor, like the pepper-eating frog and the fancy flight of the flamingos when they hear bagpipes (guess they're not Scottish). Lovely graphics and artistry. Exceptional production values, as are all the Haunted Halls games. A nice addition to my gamelist.
I recommend this game!
Journey down a magical road to save two worlds!
Overall rating
5
/
5
4 of 4 found this review helpful
CHALLENGING ADVENTURE HOG
PostedDecember 7, 2013
rosekaufmann
fromLos Angeles
Skill Level:Expert
Favorite Genre(s):Hidden Object
Fun Factor
5
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
5
/
5
Level of Challenge
5
/
5
Storyline
5
/
5
Very colorful and challenging adventure HOG. Artistry is well-honed to the locations. Great animation. Puzzles are moderately challenging; HOGs are slightly crowded but well defined objects. Adventure story is well thought out and quite different from the usual. The 2 pets are very helpful once you figure out what they do. Hint system not the most helpful but adequate (it just shows where you have an action available, but doesn't tell you how to do what you know you have to do - such as how to light the torch). A pleasure to play.
I recommend this game!
Help Ashley Ford find her father and solve the mystery of the Three Oak Mansion.
Overall rating
4
/
5
3 of 4 found this review helpful
UNFAIR COMPLAINTS
PostedDecember 7, 2013
rosekaufmann
fromLos Angeles
Skill Level:Expert
Favorite Genre(s):Hidden Object
Fun Factor
4
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
4
/
5
Level of Challenge
4
/
5
Storyline
4
/
5
Intro gives a little history about the characters, but it is onscreen for too short a time. Although it is recycled, it is a little hard to just pick up where you left off reading the first time.
You play Ashley, a thief who learned the craft at her father's knees. She's searching for her father at Three Oak Mansion, from which people have disappeared, strange appearances and weird noises occur - in other words, it's haunted.
HOS are crisp and clear, list-based, and not too crowded. Puzzles and mini-games are easy for a seasoned player. The environments are bright and colorful; and I like that you can use inventory as you come across an object where you can use it (some games, if you need 4 missing pieces of a puzzle, you need to have all 4 pieces before you can use them - which I hate). It makes me feel like I've accomplished something, no matter how small.
Hint system is good - shows a picture of where you should go next. There weren't that many locations that you needed a transport map when it was just as easy traveling by clicking. Sometimes, you lose cohesiveness by fast travel and this seems to be such a story.
COMPLAINTS: Some people seemed to have problems finding the locations - the directional arrows are quite large and point the way to additional scenes, so I don't know how they were playing that they completely missing a scene change. The changes don't always appear to be doorways and hallways like we are frequently exposed to. You do have to explore the environment; perhaps that should have been somehow advised in the beginning.
MISNAMED OBJECTS, ETC.: It's also a bit "American self-importance" that people think that games are made specifically for the English-speaking audience. Well, there are several English-speaking countries and definitions are not always the same. And whose to say it wasn't developed for, say a Turkish audience, and translated into English. We aren't the only people on earth. I do agree that the developers should at least hire a native English speaker to be sure their translations are correct or have English-speaking players beta-test the game (the last being free), since the American audience is so large.
I recommend this game!
You're called to a health spa in the Alps, where an evil professor has something terrible in mind for his unwitting patients.
Overall rating
5
/
5
15 of 21 found this review helpful
ANOTHER WINNER WITH A LITTLE SPICE
PostedDecember 7, 2013
rosekaufmann
fromLos Angeles
Skill Level:Expert
Favorite Genre(s):Hidden Object
Fun Factor
5
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
5
/
5
Level of Challenge
5
/
5
Storyline
5
/
5
If you've liked any of the other Agency of Anomalies, you'll like this one. Other reviewers have told the story and sang its praises. I'll just reiterate that the HOS are great and I like that they've put just about every type of HOS into the game - good variety adds a little spice. The puzzles are mildly to intermediately challenging - all doable. Artistry is outstanding and I love the little mind reader (another piece of spice) which lets you into the patient's "revised" mind and see things through his eyes - it's almost similar to those games where you change illumination and find new items and uses. Fantastic production values and a good addition to your game platforms.
I recommend this game!
With your carriage broken, and a wolf nearby, you must find shelter. What awaits you in the village just ahead?
Overall rating
4
/
5
1 of 2 found this review helpful
GREAT FOLLOWUP IN THE SERIES
PostedDecember 7, 2013
rosekaufmann
fromLos Angeles
Skill Level:Expert
Favorite Genre(s):Hidden Object
Fun Factor
5
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
5
/
5
Level of Challenge
4
/
5
Storyline
4
/
5
Extras include videos, concept art, wallpaper and ability to replay HOS. 3 difficulty levels. You can choose either a large cursor or a slow motion (I opted for cursor). Your diary has the story and a list of tasks.
STORY: You are engaged by the town in which you grew up to be the town doctor since your foster dad (who was the doctor) disappeared. You're traveling by buggy and your horse is scared by a wolf, crashing your carriage. So you'll be looking for dad in addition to being the doctor.
GAMEPLAY: More of an adventure game with HOS. Nonlinear, but what needs to be done and where actions are required is logical. Some back and forth with quite a few locations. Nice HOS - clear objects although the scenes are a bit crowded. Graphics are very good and support the spooky and mysterious atmosphere the game starts with. Puzzles are not mind-boggling (caveat: I play an awful lot of HOGs, so I don't find that many puzzles very difficult anymore). Definitely worth a try.
STORY: You are engaged by the town in which you grew up to be the town doctor since your foster dad (who was the doctor) disappeared. You're traveling by buggy and your horse is scared by a wolf, crashing your carriage. So you'll be looking for dad in addition to being the doctor.
GAMEPLAY: More of an adventure game with HOS. Nonlinear, but what needs to be done and where actions are required is logical. Some back and forth with quite a few locations. Nice HOS - clear objects although the scenes are a bit crowded. Graphics are very good and support the spooky and mysterious atmosphere the game starts with. Puzzles are not mind-boggling (caveat: I play an awful lot of HOGs, so I don't find that many puzzles very difficult anymore). Definitely worth a try.
I recommend this game!