...and I'm so glad I didn't. The preview shots don't do the game justice at all. The graphics are just beautiful and not at all creepy, which was my original concern from the title and screenshots.
Consider this a modern fairytale, like "The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe," and being transported to a fantastic land. The adventure includes hidden object scenes, seek-and-find objects used in completing various stages of the quest, and interesting mini-puzzles like drawing constellations from among a field of stars. I also appreciated the pop-up that said "nothing left to do here,” so I didn’t waste any more time hunting in a scene. I found the game delightful because I “got it,” and the quest sequences made sense. Gamers who do a lot of these HO/adventure games may find it on the easy side, but for me it was just right. And sometimes you just want to relax and play, not give yourself a migraine. I really enjoyed playing this.
Marvelous graphics and a really entertaining crime mystery under the sea. You and the sheriff find clues while searching for hidden objects in different locales in town. Mini-puzzles pop up as part of each HO scene, and are fun to complete, but it's nice that you can skip them, too. In order to acquire more hints, you have to find the sheriff's cigar in each scene. A clever twist! In between HO games are "find the differences between two scenes," where clues are also to be found. A wonderful game that truly deserves its 5 stars.
A fabulous game that combines adventure, matching, and hidden object with wonderful graphics and an interesting storyline. The adventure part is a discovery of various quest items that are then returned to various people and locations in the village and mountains. I usually find such games to be convoluted and confusing, but this storyline made sense and was doable without resorting to numerous hints.
But the real treat is the matching part. I think a matching game should have beautiful icons and an attractive board -- or why bother? This game is over the top in that respect, with a lot of creativity and unique challenges, such as matching to fight an evil vapor. In another game, you play against an evil mountain spirit. Each matching game is a little bit different. But I really enjoyed the "tunnel" matching games. You match and explode icons so two hats with beacons can move from the tunnel entrance to the end, avoiding obstacles and collecting helpful items. Unique, creative, and a lot of fun! Cave Quest is my new favorite matching/hidden object game!
I recommend this game!
+53points
58of63voted this as helpful.
Dora Saves the Snow Princess
The Snow Princess was trapped in a tower by a mean witch, and it's up to you to help Dora get her back!
This is not really a hidden objects game. It's more of a puzzle game.
Dora's adventure takes her through four, short, simple scenarios with a task in each one. The last task, which will lead to saving the princess, is to click on Dora to change her t-shirt and shorts to a princess dress and crown. (I think I mentioned simple, right?) The graphics are decent but not anything special, especially the snow crystals, which the players win for completing the tasks.
The first time through might be fun for preschoolers. But the story and puzzles are the same each time you play, so I don't know how much replay interest there will be.
Definitely take advantage of the free trial to see what your preschooler thinks.
I'm not much of a bat-and-ball gamer, but Fairy Treasure surprised me with its excellent graphics and animations: the moody scenery, flaring torches, mystical symbols, magical creatures, treasures, charms, and captured fairies in orbs that all created a playing "experience."
The ball bounces around moss-covered castle stones, cauldrons, gargoyles, and other animated artifacts, while power-ups, coins, and jewels rain to the ground. Small glowing fairies flit in and out near the end of each level, that sometimes seemed to help, sometimes seemed to get in the way.
I usually get uptight about losing my lives in these games, but I got so involved in all the visual elements that I forgot to worry and actually played well. But it was still good to know that I didn't have to start all the way back at the beginning when I did lose my lives. A wonderful game.
Not a game for someone new to matching games. There's no storyline, no instructions, and no help menu. So there's no way to know what's supposed to be going on in the game. After each matching game, some VERY small action takes place in a scene. The first scene is a room full of archeological artifacts or junk. Who's to know without any explanation? It took the first 8 matching levels just to open a door.
The matching game is not a match 3, but clicking on groups of matching icons, which can be fun, as is the bomb effect. But it's the same game level after level. With the lack of story information provided, and the monotonous game play, this game succumbed to the delete key.
You play enough matching games, you think you've seen it all. Season Match is just an incredibly beautiful game, from the glittering blue jewels on the welcome page to the characters, scenery, and most importantly, the matching boards. The preview pictures in no way do the game justice. The icons are much more attractive and three-dimensional looking, with some really creative animated power-ups.
Along with completing tasks like collecting a certain number of jewels, coins, four-leaf clovers, and other power-ups, you are also looking for pieces of a shattered mirror as well as talismans to complete a quest. I should say that this is group matching, not a match 3, and it is very satisfying to click on a single jewel and watch and hear a rat-tat-tat as a large group of jewels showers down, while others take their place. This version does not have mini-games as Season Match 2, but I love the beautiful graphics and animations of the matching games all on their own.
Fishdom games allow you to design a virtual aquarium with fish, plants, various kinds of decor, food, and other essentials. In this version, you get to create your own Christmas-themed underwater world. That's the fun part.
To earn the money, you play lots of match 3 games. I love aquariums, but here's where Fishdom always loses me. Their matching icons are on the small side, which is less visually appealing and is just not as relaxing to play. Smaller icons are also more difficult for children to match. Also, the game gets repetitious after awhile because the matching icons don't change from level to level, and have little animation or character. With all the beautiful sea creatures, they come up with a blue crab on a blue background. Really?
The reward, if you stick it out, is an option to turn your beautiful virtual aquarium into a screensaver, which can make all the matching worthwhile.
The first Christmas Wonderland was a nice HO game. The second is even better. Santa has a ranch at the North Pole, and the storyline takes you to colorful HO scenes in the mail room, stables, toy workshop, and Santa's front yard, among other places. What's fun (and new in this version) is that the scenes all have animations. In the opening HO scene, Santa is rocking on the porch, a few snowflakes are flying, Christmas lights are twinkling, the TV satellite dish is blinking, and the reindeer is eating. It definitely sets the mood. (Game designers: offer the option to make these scenes screensavers next time around.)
There are only 12 items to find in the HO scenes at a time, but they are surprisingly well-hidden and make a good challenge. The objects are a decent size, and you can actually recognize them in most cases, thanks to the fabulous artwork.
The mini-puzzles can be skipped, but I found them pretty simple and still fun to do. I even enjoyed clicking and building a wooden toy airplane. Great holiday fun for everyone who still believes in Santa, or wishes that they did.
A feisty princess, a devil-may-care prince, and a desire to escape from being held prisoner. Great artwork and storyline. The hidden objects are really puzzles to help the bickering duo escape from various rooms and situations. I appreciated the hints in the diary, which started off vague and got more and more explicit as I needed them. Lighthearted, entertaining, and good fun.