sereneorchid's Profile
Stat Summary
- Average Rating:3.6
- Helpful Votes:6,145
- Reviews Submitted:156
- First Review:November 13, 2011
- Most Recent Review:March 4, 2021
- Featured reviews1
Status:
Explore an amazing amusement park and discover incredible mosaic puzzles along with a variety of fun mini games!
Overall rating
5
/
5
4 of 9 found this review helpful
Fantastic, as always
PostedMarch 4, 2021
Fun Factor
5
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
5
/
5
Level of Challenge
4
/
5
Storyline
3
/
5
I've been buying this series since number 11, I believe, when they added lots of beautiful colors to the game. Through all those 100s of puzzles, I don't know how they keep coming up with fresh ideas, but they do. If you love tile mosaic puzzles, this is one of the top series to buy. If you are wondering if it's hard, no. The basics of the game are simple, and then it's a logical process of filling in the colored tiles.
I find these puzzles challenging, but restful, the colors are bright and happy, and the puzzles move fast, generally 5 minutes or so for me. If you like putting things together, figuring out recipes, sewing, or putting furniture together, this is the kind of logical thinking I'm talking about. A perfect kind of puzzle to play while watching TV or winding down at the end of the day.
I recommend this game!
Mosaics Galore is back with new brain teaser puzzles set in a fairytale world!
Overall rating
2
/
5
Misleading game
PostedMarch 4, 2021
Fun Factor
2
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
2
/
5
Level of Challenge
2
/
5
The game title and picture lead you to believe that you'll be led into a puzzle world of fantasy characters and locations. But after playing through two "worlds," there are only mundane pictures, of an artistic quality that wasn't to my taste, and sometimes blurry. Most annoying were the photos of real people. I'm not interested in doing puzzles of someone's vacation photos, or whatever they were. The mosaic puzzles on the first two worlds were pretty simple, which is as far as I got in the trial. I hate to say it, but there are better options for puzzle fans.
I don't recommend this game.
Your favorite ghosts are back with a challenging new set of puzzles set in the ancient world!
Overall rating
3
/
5
2 of 2 found this review helpful
Same old thing & still no help to play the game
PostedDecember 15, 2019
Fun Factor
3
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
5
/
5
Level of Challenge
5
/
5
Storyline
1
/
5
Up front I’ll say that when I discovered this series, I was intrigued and bought games 1 through 4, which was the most recent at the time. And I haven’t bought another since.
The good: the games are visually beautiful, including the large, colorful, and unique matching icons. There are creative power-ups and tasks to complete to aquire gold coins to build a town, which unfortunately, has no customization.
Once you figure out what to do, the levels are entertaining and different, so you don’t feel you are playing the same level over and over, as in many match 3 games.
Once you figure out what to do, the levels are entertaining and different, so you don’t feel you are playing the same level over and over, as in many match 3 games.
The disappointing: It seems inconceivable that a company will invest thousands of hours and millions of dollars to develop a game, and not provide a tutorial. The game is frankly confusing. When you launch the first level, there’s a lot of things going on on the game board, and no idea of what to do.
So you go to the Help manual to find far too many bombs, obstructions, and tasks to remember. And since you can’t see the game board while perusing the manual, you don’t know which of the instructions to memorize to get you started.
Also, the Help is just a listing of bombs, obstructions, and such, with no suggestion of how to overcome them, or how play the game successfully.
Also, the Help is just a listing of bombs, obstructions, and such, with no suggestion of how to overcome them, or how play the game successfully.
Another major flaw is that when you get stuck not knowing how to proceed, there is no Hint or Help to tell you what to do. Some people may find it enjoyable struggling to figure it out, but if you want to sell games, you do your best to reach out to all potential customers, including those that need Hints and Help.
I do love the mini-games, in particular the hidden object pictures, which look simple but can be fiendishly clever, and the “Spot the Differences” between two pictures. I’d enjoy an entire game of just these two challenges.
The take-away: this could easily be a 5-star game with the addition of a step-by-step tutorial, along with a hint option. Because this game is confusing right from the first level, as are all Laruaville games, I would not recommend it for a novice game player.
I don't recommend this game.
Lapland Solitaire
Can you help the elves through all 200 levels? Collect enough chocolate coins to build Lapland in time for Christmas!
Overall rating
5
/
5
Don't miss this one
PostedDecember 15, 2019
Fun Factor
5
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
5
/
5
Level of Challenge
4
/
5
Storyline
4
/
5
A lovely, relaxing solitaire game for Christmas and the winter season. Big, easy-to-read cards, beautiful artwork, and typical solitaire challenges that are introduced one at a time so the novice player isn’t overwhelmed. Experienced solitaire players will recognize typical challenges such as frozen, chained, and snowed-over cards.
The cards have somewhat of an old-fashioned art style which apparently changes in certain levels. Otherwise, there are no options to customize the deck of cards, and the card back is reminiscent of a Native American pattern, which is a little unexpected in a Christmas game where you’d expect holiday patterns.
Although the game is built around 25 days on an advent calendar, each day is comprised of 8 levels, giving you 200 solitaire levels.
A very nice feature is that you are never stuck on a level. Even with half of the cards left over, you still get to proceed to the next level. It would be nice to have an option to replay a level to get it “perfect,” in order to earn more chocolate coins, but that’s a small thing. It’s much better not to get stuck on a level because you couldn't play out all of the cards.
Coins are used to purchase buildings and decorations in Santa’s village. But wait: the buildings also award power-ups, so begin designing your village based upon the power-ups that you want first, such as access to jokers.
A perfect game for all ages, preschool to seniors. Having had a mom with Alzheimer’s, she would have been able to play, and enjoy, this game in the earlier stages of dementia. Power players may want to slow down and enjoy this lovely, low-stress, peaceful game for a change of pace.
I recommend this game!
The murders are rampant in Miami! Follow the clues to crack the cases and arrest the killers!
Overall rating
5
/
5
1 of 1 found this review helpful
Mystery mosaics for armchair detectives
PostedJuly 30, 2017
Fun Factor
5
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
4
/
5
Level of Challenge
5
/
5
Storyline
5
/
5
I've played just about every mosaic/griddler game out there. The Hidden Clues series is one of the best. This game has 10 mysteries to solve, and 12 puzzles in each mystery (120 levels). Solving each mosaic puzzle leads you to clues about the victim, the cause of death, the weapon, the killer, and the motive. As you discover each clue, a detective or coroner confirms your findings with written dialogue. Besides the intriguing mystery aspect, the mosaic puzzle is designed well visually so as not to be confusing. If you've played other mosaic puzzles, you'll know how important that is. I've bought the entire Hidden Clues series and have played each more than once. I only have two quibbles with the games: the purple push pins to mark unused squares (I find the purple color distracting), and the mosaic patterns themselves are sometimes vague, making it hard to figure out what the design actually is. Fortunately, one of the detectives steps in to clue you in. Well worth trying.
I recommend this game!
The ghosts are back for a pirate treasure adventure in Laruaville 6! Puzzle your way through 140 match-3 levels and find the treasure!
Overall rating
2
/
5
1 of 1 found this review helpful
Adding more bombs doesn't make for a new game
PostedJuly 30, 2017
Fun Factor
2
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
5
/
5
Level of Challenge
5
/
5
Storyline
3
/
5
I fell in love with Laruaville, and quickly bought Games 1 - 4. The graphics and animations are bold, bright, and cheerful. No tiny, dark objects here. The various power-ups and levels are clever, creative, and entertaining...actually addictive. And the notion of friendly ghosts was a relief from vengeful spirits in so many games. Now, come Games 5 and 6. Way too many obstructions and power-ups on a single level. It is confusing and annoying. The game also doesn't do a good job of introducing and explaining the various power-ups, and it got so I couldn't remember what the various bombs did or why they popped up in the first place. I'm disappointed not to have loved Game 6. I absolutely encourage you to visit Laruaville, but if Game 6 doesn't suit, give Laruaville 1, 2, 3, or 4 a try before deciding this series isn't for you. I liked the mini-games in the earlier versions, especially the what's-the-difference between these two pictures: devilishly clever and cute!
Gemsweeper
Embark on a thrilling puzzle expedition to restore an ancient Mayan temple city and solve over 200 unique puzzles!
Overall rating
5
/
5
10 of 10 found this review helpful
So addictive I had to buy it
PostedJuly 26, 2013
Fun Factor
5
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
4
/
5
Level of Challenge
4
/
5
Storyline
3
/
5
This is a minesweeper-type of puzzle (AKA a picross), which have always confounded me because I couldn’t figure out the strategy. This, though, is a heck of a lot of fun, and previous experience with logic puzzles isn’t necessary, thanks to good game design. Be sure to choose the tutorial approach, which explains simple strategies for solving the puzzles, and spaces the instructions out one at a time so you don’t feel overwhelmed. (However, the instructions don’t explain the “magic glue,” and there doesn’t seem to be a way to use it yourself. It seems to be a random event during game play.)
A surprise in solving the puzzles is that you end up revealing pictures made out of colorful blocks, and the designs are pretty clever, considering they are made of blocks. This game is too mature for preschool, but excellent for everyone else. If you have a brain of a particular era, like mine, consider this game mental exercise, but a lot more fun. There is a timer in this game, but the fact that I don’t grumble about it as I usually do in game reviews, tells you just how much I enjoyed playing. The timer only ran out on me a couple of times in 6+ hours of playing, so I think you’ll be fine, too.
TIP: In Options, click on using the right mouse button to destroy tiles. Otherwise, you have to shift between using a hand or a hammer during game play, which will slow you down, and the timer is running.
I recommend this game!
The Fairy Godmother, Gwendolyn, needs you to repair and upgrade Albian Castle for the Convention of Magic Masters!
Overall rating
2
/
5
2 of 2 found this review helpful
Itsy-bitsy hidden objects
PostedJuly 22, 2013
Fun Factor
2
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
3
/
5
Level of Challenge
5
/
5
Storyline
4
/
5
I love games where you get to design gardens, houses, etc., so why not a castle? But try as I might, it was very, very hard to see the teeny hidden objects, the tiny blobs that represented jewels, and miniscule fairies that didn't really look like fairies -- if you could even see them. The hints are replenished by finding very, very small magic wands. The scenes are nicely drawn, but the objects in them are small, not proportional to the other objects, and sometimes difficult to recognize. After just three scenes, I had a headache, and gave up. Other reviews make this sound like a wonderful game. I wish that had been my experience. (This was played on a 17-inch laptop.)
I don't recommend this game.
Tri-Peaks 2: Quest for the Ruby Ring
Complete hands and collect artifacts for the Museum in this globe-trotting solitaire adventure.
Overall rating
4
/
5
19 of 20 found this review helpful
Visually appealing
PostedJanuary 5, 2013
Fun Factor
4
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
4
/
5
Level of Challenge
5
/
5
Storyline
3
/
5
Congratulations to the designers for trying to do something original with a tri-peaks game. There's a little man at the top of the screen that gets to advance on his adventure, or not, depending upon how well you play. (Think mini Indiana Jones movie with all the misadventures.) Graphics could be a little sharper, especially for the card faces. If you clear a peak, something interesting happens as you are rewarded with gold coins. It's entertaining, and definitely not too easy. I'd say it's worth a try.
I recommend this game!
Choose your hero and match your tribe to glory in the lands of Kalevala. Build your own villages and unlock beautiful worlds!
Overall rating
5
/
5
2 of 3 found this review helpful
Lots of interesting things going on
PostedJanuary 5, 2013
Fun Factor
4
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
5
/
5
Level of Challenge
5
/
5
Storyline
4
/
5
Top marks to the designers for trying to add originality to the standard match 3 format. The iced tiles drip water like melting ice cubes. The matching icons are sharp, brilliantly colored, and have fun animations, like the oyster flipping open its shell to reveal a pearl. The timer, (which really isn't a problem), is represented by a crow flying around the puzzle and leaving a trail of fire. The power-ups are interesting and based upon superpowers of heroes, such as a hammer thrown by the game that smashes multiple tiles, or a flood of water by an ocean god that washes away tiles. But you only get one superhero per level, so you've got to decide which one will help the most based upon the layout of the tiles and the blocks, like chains.
Creating the village didn't seem to be a big thing. It goes slowly, but the graphics and animations are nice. I'm not a city-builder type of player, so it's nice that you can come back to the game now and again without feeling you have to play through to the end. I'd give it a try. Oh wait, I already did!
I recommend this game!