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:
You were just about to relax with a good book when a stranger leaves a baby on your doorstep.
Overall rating
5
/
5
45 of 50 found this review helpful
SIMPLY WONDERFUL
PostedNovember 22, 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
Intriguing story: baby is left on your doorsteps with a note to take the baby home. But how she gets the baby home is really a guess because there' s nothing to say where home is. I thought it funny when the baby was added to inventory. Sounds were realistic. No sync with voice overs, but then that doesn't matter to me since the game is likely produced in various languages and the lip movement would differ for each.
You get listed objectives. I found them to be more challenging than many of the games out there, even though you knew what you had to do. Hint system was no always on-the-spot, but adequate. Still had to use the brains to figure out how to do something. Music was appropriate to the scene - from a sense of urgency to calm and relaxing.
You get a helper owl named Gears (another bit of humor) to help with high places. 4 levels of difficulty (one is customizable).
You get a helper owl named Gears (another bit of humor) to help with high places. 4 levels of difficulty (one is customizable).
HOS were lovely. After finding an object, there is a piece of a puzzle under it on some HOS. Other HOS were finding silhouettes, which were well blended. Puzzles were especially satisfying - new, unusual and difficulty varied. Really done well.
Really beautiful production values. Lots of fun and thing to do. I decided to get the CE because it has 3 bonus games.
I recommend this game!
Go on board the infamous Titanic! Explore the ship as it begins its doomed descent in Hidden Mysteries: The Fateful Voyage – Titanic.
Overall rating
4
/
5
9 of 9 found this review helpful
AT LEAST THE CAD WILL BE GONE
PostedNovember 21, 2013
rosekaufmann
fromLos Angeles
Skill Level:Expert
Favorite Genre(s):Hidden Object
Fun Factor
5
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
4
/
5
Level of Challenge
4
/
5
Storyline
3
/
5
SUMMARY: About 5 ½ hours long. You’ve just married a condescending cad (think of what he’d be in a few years) who is way above your station in life. Others have told the details of the story, so won’t repeat. Just a few highlights: Instructions to puzzles are sometimes vague. Everything can be skipped. The monologue is quite nice, as are the voice overs. You can sometimes take charge of the direction of the conversations. Good cutscenes. Entertaining characters. You travel to most locations through the interactive map only. Average graphics. There are other Titanic games out there. I like this one because of the main character – she’s practical, pleasant and smart.
I recommend this game!
Discover the secrets behind a magical deck of cards in Haunted Legends: Queen of Spades! Find The Countess and stop her curse!
Overall rating
4
/
5
2 of 2 found this review helpful
UNREMARKABLE BUT VERY PLEASANT GAME
PostedNovember 21, 2013
rosekaufmann
fromLos Angeles
Skill Level:Expert
Favorite Genre(s):Hidden Object
Fun Factor
5
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
4
/
5
Level of Challenge
4
/
5
Storyline
3
/
5
SUMMARY: Game took 4 hours to complete. You’re investigating a series of murders and missing people in a castle owned by a countess with magic cards. You must deal with her traps and funny little assistant (just looking at him makes me laugh). Find the deck of magic cards, one by one, which are used in the finale. Easy to forget why you’re there or what the goal is except for finding the magic cards and following the imp (or is he following you) because the story doesn’t seem to have a continuing connection. In fact I forgot the storyline about half-way through, so just contented myself with continuing playing just for the pleasure of it. It’s a pleasant enough game to play if you like lots of HOS and puzzles. Somewhat surprising ending – guess some people are easily fooled.
Just a couple details:
HOS – list based; hand-drawn with one predominant color, so objects are blended and more challenging to find
PUZZLES - mildly to moderately challenging (sliding blocks, gears, wires).
GRAPHICS – spooky and clear-cut. Some 3-D.
HOS – list based; hand-drawn with one predominant color, so objects are blended and more challenging to find
PUZZLES - mildly to moderately challenging (sliding blocks, gears, wires).
GRAPHICS – spooky and clear-cut. Some 3-D.
I recommend this game!
Discover the secrets behind a magical deck of cards in Haunted Legends: Queen of Spades! Find The Countess and stop her curse!
Overall rating
4
/
5
5 of 5 found this review helpful
UNREMARKABLE BUT VERY PLEASANT GAME
PostedNovember 21, 2013
rosekaufmann
fromLos Angeles
Skill Level:Expert
Favorite Genre(s):Hidden Object
Fun Factor
5
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
4
/
5
Level of Challenge
4
/
5
Storyline
3
/
5
SUMMARY: Game took 4 hours to complete. You’re investigating a series of murders and missing people in a castle owned by a countess with magic cards. You must deal with her traps and funny little assistant (just looking at him makes me laugh). Find the deck of magic cards, one by one, which are used in the finale. Easy to forget why you’re there or what the goal is except for finding the magic cards and following the imp (or is he following you) because the story doesn’t seem to have a continuing connection. In fact I forgot the storyline about half-way through, so just contented myself with continuing playing just for the pleasure of it. It’s a pleasant enough game to play if you like lots of HOS and puzzles. Somewhat surprising ending – guess some people are easily fooled.
Just a couple details:
HOS – list based; hand-drawn with one predominant color, so objects are blended and more challenging to find
PUZZLES - mildly to moderately challenging (sliding blocks, gears, wires).
GRAPHICS – spooky and clear-cut. Some 3-D.
HOS – list based; hand-drawn with one predominant color, so objects are blended and more challenging to find
PUZZLES - mildly to moderately challenging (sliding blocks, gears, wires).
GRAPHICS – spooky and clear-cut. Some 3-D.
I recommend this game!
Track down the terrifying and menacing Phantom of the Renaissance Faire in this exciting Hidden Object Adventure
Overall rating
4
/
5
7 of 7 found this review helpful
FUN AT THE FAIRE - FAIRIES AND PANARAMIC
PostedNovember 21, 2013
rosekaufmann
fromLos Angeles
Skill Level:Expert
Favorite Genre(s):Hidden Object
Fun Factor
5
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
4
/
5
Level of Challenge
4
/
5
Storyline
5
/
5
SUMMARY: Story is to investigate the ghostly haunting at the Spears Renaissance Faire. The third time I played the game, it took about 4 ½ hours. During setup in the Options popup, you can choose to ask for hints or figure it out yourself (you can change during the play). Panaramic view with a “back” button in scenes to return to the main causeways. You can scroll or use the map to new locations. You will visit every location at the Renaissance Faire at least once. Lots of HOS and 68 fairies to find. Graphics are quite reminiscent of countless renaissance faires throughout the country.
TIPS:
PUZZLES: You get a magnifying glass to help you see what an object should look like, so run the magnifying glass over the area first to see if you get images of object changes. There’s most frequently one or two such changes in a scene; sometimes none. You will usually use the inventory items after you complete the HOS, to find another item which isn’t in the HOS list.
PUZZLES: You get a magnifying glass to help you see what an object should look like, so run the magnifying glass over the area first to see if you get images of object changes. There’s most frequently one or two such changes in a scene; sometimes none. You will usually use the inventory items after you complete the HOS, to find another item which isn’t in the HOS list.
MAGIC EYE: Located at bottom left. Will help you find items hidden behind others.
HOS: Almost all scenes have HOS. The location and list of objects never change. Some of the objects are very thin or small, so it can be quite difficult to find them all without help from the fairy helpers. The HOS scenes seem natural in the settings.
FAIRIES: Before searching the scenes for objects, first check for fairies. Some can be quite large while others are quite small. They have different looks, but always having wings. Unless you are sent back to a location, you cannot return there to search for missed fairies (ex: wishing well). In the end game, you will revisit several locations to find parts of a will and new fairies will appear. There is no way to determine how many fairies are in a scene – it’s usually two, but might be 3 or only 1. Some scenes have none.
HINTS: Fairies will help you find objects in the HOS. There is a question mark in the lower right that will advise you on how to proceed if you are stuck.
I recommend this game!
Appraise Malgrey Castle, learn about it’s enigmatic inhabitants, save your boss, and learn what drove your co-worker mad!
Overall rating
5
/
5
1 of 1 found this review helpful
QUIRKY AND FUN CHARACTERS WITH A FLARE FOR FASHION
PostedNovember 19, 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
CHAPTERS: There are 24 chapters, most ranging from 10-15 minutes in length – my favorite chapters were Rover’s Savings and a later chapter where Rover writes his will to dispense his accumulated wealth. [Rover was the head of the castle’s security and was apparently paid handsomely.]
SAVING: The game is saved only at the end of each chapter. If you leave before finishing it, you will need to replay the chapter from the beginning. But recall that the chapters are fairly short. The total game took about 6 hours (I couldn’t figure out how to skip a puzzle so had to use the W/T for a couple of them when I knew I was never completing it in less than an hour).
HOS and PUZZLES: HOS and puzzle pieces are spread over 2 screens. Everything in the landscapes open up or moves, so don’t be afraid to explore. You don’t get a traditional HOS; instead you find objects in the scenes, whether out in the open, in cupboards or behind pillows. It is somewhat difficult to find small objects, especially when the screen is on the dark side. I really liked the puzzles and mini-games – there were a wide variety and the complexity ranged from standard fare (only a few) to rather complex (most of them). I think my favorites were constructing a ladder (in an innovative manner) and playing golf (which seemed to take forever to get the golf balls in the holes).
CHARACTERS: All characters except the investigator inspecting the castle and his boss are vampires. Don’t know who the quirkiest character is – I guess I lean toward the butler who is so “peculiar and droll and dry and straight.” But the maid with her nose and brow rings and constant earphones and the gardener’s daughter with her sideways baseball cap and large hoop earrings are close seconds. All characters are humorous (and it seems to come so naturally).
ENDING: The ending gave closure to all characters, one of which was rather surprising.
I recommend this game!
Defeat the giant to save the world from destruction!
Overall rating
5
/
5
60 of 64 found this review helpful
WHAT A COOL WAY OF TELLING A FAIRY TALE TWIST
PostedNovember 17, 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
I really like this game. Besides Jack, he now has a hero (you). And there's a twist in how the story unfolds. The graphics are brilliant, the scenes/locations fantastic, and the qualify is first rate.
You are constantly in a HO mode - you click on things and find that outlines of objects appear in your inventory tray for you to find. When you complete the objects for your tray, you get a complete "kit" to use for something, such as to heal, to fertilize, et al. It was a bit confusing at first, but I quickly got the hang of it. In addition, you have regular HOS with easily identified objects - i.e., no tiny objects, stuff hidden in dark places or just a corner of an object sticking out behind something. They are a relief to play.
Puzzles are easy enough for novices, but are very innovative. They are a lot of fun and I hope to see more like that. They seem to have a purpose rather than the developers saying "okay, it's time to stick in a puzzle of some sort - how about here and how about this type." It's nice that they took care to tie them into the game.
I like that you can customize the settings to determine the time for the hint and skip buttons to recharge, as well as how long the glint lasts. Voice overs are well done. Upon reflection, the narrator sounds like how an adult would read a tale to a child. A winner.
I recommend this game!
The family saga continues when your nephew Brandon encounters the mysterious Stone Queen in a lonely mountain town.
Overall rating
4
/
5
2 of 2 found this review helpful
WHY PUNISH EVERYONE FOR THE DEEDS OF ONE?
PostedNovember 17, 2013
rosekaufmann
fromLos Angeles
Skill Level:Expert
Favorite Genre(s):Hidden Object
Fun Factor
4
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
4
/
5
Level of Challenge
5
/
5
Storyline
3
/
5
Completed game in a little over 4 ½ hours. Contrast between the town’s world and the Stone Queen’s magical world is awesome. Her world is all glittery. Graphics are lovely. But why is she punishing everyone for the misdeeds of one? You get a goblin helper early in the game because you saved him. Even the Stone Queen has problems and you end up helping her to gain the freedom of the town inhabitants. Voice overs are outstanding.
HOS are standard interactive. PUZZLES are of varying degrees of difficulty, ranging from mildly to very challenging. Some are not seen elsewhere. I had to skip a couple because I just couldn’t figure them out, no matter how much time I spent on it. Trying to complete them added to the time spent playing, but they were brilliant and fun. Didn’t think I’d need an interactive map until I was half through with the game, then I’m glad there was one. There’s a lot of traveling between the two worlds in the second half and it is easy to get lost.
This is a very good looking game with terrific production values and a lot of adventure. And I like happy endings.
I recommend this game!
The family saga continues when your nephew Brandon encounters the mysterious Stone Queen in a lonely mountain town.
Overall rating
4
/
5
2 of 2 found this review helpful
WHY PUNISH EVERYONE FOR THE DEEDS OF ONE?
PostedNovember 17, 2013
rosekaufmann
fromLos Angeles
Skill Level:Expert
Favorite Genre(s):Hidden Object
Fun Factor
4
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
4
/
5
Level of Challenge
5
/
5
Storyline
3
/
5
Completed game in a little over 4 ½ hours. Contrast between the town’s world and the Stone Queen’s magical world is awesome. Her world is all glittery. Graphics are lovely. But why is she punishing everyone for the misdeeds of one? You get a goblin helper early in the game because you saved him. Even the Stone Queen has problems and you end up helping her to gain the freedom of the town inhabitants. Voice overs are outstanding.
HOS are standard interactive. PUZZLES are of varying degrees of difficulty, ranging from mildly to very challenging. Some are not seen elsewhere. I had to skip a couple because I just couldn’t figure them out, no matter how much time I spent on it. Trying to complete them added to the time spent playing, but they were brilliant and fun. Didn’t think I’d need an interactive map until I was half through with the game, then I’m glad there was one. There’s a lot of traveling between the two worlds in the second half and it is easy to get lost.
This is a very good looking game with terrific production values and a lot of adventure. And I like happy endings.
I recommend this game!
Life imitates art with deadly results in this thrilling whodunit!
Overall rating
4
/
5
54 of 69 found this review helpful
CHOPPY
PostedNovember 16, 2013
rosekaufmann
fromLos Angeles
Skill Level:Expert
Favorite Genre(s):Hidden Object
Fun Factor
3
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
4
/
5
Level of Challenge
4
/
5
Storyline
5
/
5
Extremely interesting story - the murder with the rigged gun in the piano is very creative I hate to be negative, but the gameplay seems to be a chore. There is a long load time between scene changes, including getting out of close-ups. You have to click "Continue" instead of just pressing the mouse when having conversations, Makes the play choppy and slow and not much fun.
Some of the good stuff:
^ Voice overs are very good and sound professional.
^ Artwork appears to be hand rendered drawings - lovely to look at.
^ Interactive map, showing where activities must be done.
^ Collect 25 teapots.
^ Ingenious story can only get more interesting as you progress.
^ Voice overs are very good and sound professional.
^ Artwork appears to be hand rendered drawings - lovely to look at.
^ Interactive map, showing where activities must be done.
^ Collect 25 teapots.
^ Ingenious story can only get more interesting as you progress.
SUMMARY: Look in the white area at the top of the typewriter during the intro as it will tell you part of the story. If the developer fixes the long load problem and having to physically close all pop-ups and click continue for all conversations, I would like this game a lot more. They are the things that would keep me from buying the game. Perhaps the SE will correct some of these deficiencies.
I recommend this game!