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:
Chill out with this winter-themed puzzle game as you line up shapes and work your way up the decorated tree.
Overall rating
5
/
5
95 of 103 found this review helpful
As tasty as a Christmas cookie
PostedNovember 18, 2011
Fun Factor
5
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
5
/
5
Level of Challenge
4
/
5
A fun, fresh take on a match 3 game. The matching tiles are large and colorful, with holiday-themed (but not necessarily Christmas-y) icons that animate when you mouse over them. It's the creative power-ups, like exploding pudding and throwing snowballs, that add a funny and clever twist to a standard format. Fortunately, the power-ups are introduced one by one to make them easier to remember. But you still need to pay attention because the power-ups aren't listed in the Help section. You'll have to go back to previous levels to refresh your memory. A true family-friendly game for everyone from young kids to seniors that will easily entertain for an hour's diversion or a 10-minute coffee break. All that was missing when I played was my cup of cocoa.
I recommend this game!
Slingo Quest Hawaii
Pack the suntan and Slingo for a Hawaiian exclursion. Experience cool new modes, Slingo Stars, new power-ups and more.
Overall rating
4
/
5
165 of 198 found this review helpful
Love the Bingo - slots combination
PostedNovember 14, 2011
Fun Factor
4
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
4
/
5
Level of Challenge
3
/
5
This was my first experience with Slingo, a combination of Bingo and a slot machine. It's a surprisingly entertaining game, and I enjoyed the tropical ambiance. Unfortunately the tutorial didn't go far enough in explaining everything going on, such as the power-ups, but keep playing and things start to click into place.
This is a very visual, dynamic game that is easy to play and kids would enjoy. But I'd also share it with the grandparents, who would enjoy the slots and/or Bingo action, while doing something proactive to protect their memories.
There is one annoying thing about the game: these devils and cherubs that pop up unexpectedly to either steal or save your points. That gimmick doesn't add anything to the game, or really make sense, but there's plenty to like about the game so that this is a minor nuisance.
I recommend this game!
Create the perfect garden! Comb the rooms of a mansion for hidden items and restore a once stunning garden to its former glory!
Overall rating
5
/
5
151 of 277 found this review helpful
The garden design is what makes this rock
PostedNovember 14, 2011
Fun Factor
5
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
4
/
5
Level of Challenge
4
/
5
The mansion is having a "jumble" sale in 15 different rooms/areas, and you are looking for objects requested by customers. The graphics are good, but still you'll probably need to use hints to find some objects. I had fun using two novel tools -- hidden cameras and thermometers --, and in most scenes, they are really hidden. If you can find either, the camera flash provides a very quick glance at where some of the hidden objects are located. The thermometer clue will heat up by various degrees as you approach a HO. But you've got to be quick because both tools only last seconds.
The real standout of this game is the part where you design a fabulous garden from one in shambles, encouraged by a helpful butler. You get to play with designing an animated fountain, pond, bridge, putting green, flower beds, shrubs, fruit trees, gazebo, walkway pavers, fencing, porch upgrades, and more. There's so much to do...and not one weed to pull.
I recommend this game!
Help Santa deliver presents! Can you help Santa find all the toys scattered around Wonderland? Deliver his presents in time!
Overall rating
4
/
5
139 of 153 found this review helpful
Gets you in a Christmas mood
PostedNovember 14, 2011
Fun Factor
5
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
4
/
5
Level of Challenge
3
/
5
A fun hidden object game based upon the 12 Days of Christmas, Santa's workshop, and other holiday settings. The HO scenes are well done, brightly colored, with good graphics and decently-sized objects that are, for the most part, easy to identify but not necessarily easy to find. You have to look closely: some HOs may be a silhouette on a wall, or other surface, rather than the actual object.
Hidden among a single HO scene will be a few representatives from the 12 Days of Christmas song, for example a Lord-a-Leaping or a swan-a-swimming. A drop-down chart automatically keeps a tally as you find the entire complement of the song. The mini-games are fairly easy and can be skipped pretty quickly. Hints fill quickly, and you'll need them for some really hidden objects. Kids especially will enjoy watching the elves making toys in Santa's workshop. I did too.
An enjoyable Christmas diversion for everyone, except maybe Scrooge.
I recommend this game!
Play through awesome levels, collect Santa’s coins and prepare your house for Christmas with beautiful ornaments and illuminations!
Overall rating
5
/
5
118 of 131 found this review helpful
Perfect holiday distraction
PostedNovember 13, 2011
Fun Factor
5
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
4
/
5
Level of Challenge
3
/
5
A lovely match 3 game for the winter holiday season, with season-themed icons. Animations and special effects are entertaining. The puzzles are relaxing, not mentally taxing, although chained tiles and other challenges are added. Coins you win by playing are used to purchase outdoor decor for a snow-covered house and yard, allowing you to design your own animated holiday "scene." A simple, but enjoyable chance to be creative. This is a holiday treat for everyone, from kids to seniors. And a quick play at lunch or whenever you need a few minutes to relax.
I recommend this game!
Slip on your overalls and bring in a harvest of fun in Crop Busters, a rousing Match 3 adventure for the farmer in everyone!
Overall rating
5
/
5
104 of 113 found this review helpful
Hard to go wrong with this game
PostedNovember 13, 2011
Fun Factor
5
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
5
/
5
Level of Challenge
4
/
5
A top-of-the-line match 3 game, with stunning graphics and animations. In many match 3 games, the matching icons are flat looking. These icons are nicely-sized, three-dimensional, brightly-colored, and animated. The screenshots simply don't do it justice.
Too often in match 3 games, you get the same icons game after game. But in Crop Busters, as you buy fantasy buildings for your farm, like a sweets factory, related icons (a piece of candy) are added to the matching games, which keeps the play fresh and interesting.
Each level is different, adding chained tiles and altering the shape of the game board in unique patterns. And sometimes those patterns can be tricky to finish. But each level offers one of four animated "helpers" (earned as you play along) to bail you out of a jam. They include a bear that pulls nine tiles off the board, a hen that pecks away and breaks a stuck tile, a bee that causes the tiles to fly around like a swarm of bees and resettle on the board, and a farm cat that removes all of the fish icons off the board. The helpers refill during the game and can be used more than once.
Game levels also include mini-challenges, such as dropping farm trucks off the board, which you then fill with the requested products. Add in bombs, lighting bolts, and other special effects, and the game is simply a lot of fun: challenging, but not frustratingly hard.
Crop Busters is a great game to relax with. Perfect for all ages. Kids especially will appreciate the graphic appeal and special effects. Let the grandparents play, too. It's a great game to introduce them to using a mouse, and this is exactly the kind of activity recommended to help with retaining memory.
My only negative comment about the game is that there is no customization in designing the farm: you have to add all of the buildings, and they only come in one architectural style, so it's a little ho-hum on replay. But that's just a minor quibble, and the match 3 part of the game is just as good the second time through.
I recommend this game!