laurakay76's Profile
Stat Summary
- Average Rating:3.6
- Helpful Votes:723
- Reviews Submitted:161
- First Review:November 16, 2011
- Most Recent Review:October 14, 2025
- Featured reviews0
Status:
The tenacious trio takes on a master of the occult!
Overall rating
4
/
5
25 of 29 found this review helpful
Detectives United is always a must-buy for me.
PostedJanuary 20, 2022
laurakay76
fromLehigh Valley, PA
Skill Level:Expert
Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Brain Teaser, Hidden Object, Puzzle, Strategy, Time Management, Word
Fun Factor
4
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
5
/
5
Level of Challenge
5
/
5
Storyline
4
/
5
I've been waiting rather impatiently for this to be released, so you can believe I bought it without hesitation. This is one of my favorite series, and Agent Brown is one of my favorite BFG characters ever. I love the whole team, as far as that goes, and I was eager to see them together again.
In largest part, I was not disappointed. The thing I love most about these games is the increasing bond between the DU members, and that was very clear here. I love that James and Anna call their partner by his first name now. The puzzles were sometimes tricky but interesting. I also appreciated that at one point where I screwed up and missed a step, the game didn't force me to restart and fix my mistake; it just plowed ahead as if I hadn't done anything wrong.
I did find the ending a little confusing. I'm not sure why the people responsible for Henry's predicament decided to do what they did; it wasn't explained very well, or at least not as clearly as I would have wanted. I may need to play it a second time in order to be sure that I understand what happened. But on the whole it was a good installment and I'm hopeful for a #6 on the horizon.
I recommend this game!
Travel around the world alongside Jill and Mike and help them become international TV superstars!
Overall rating
4
/
5
Huge improvement!
PostedJanuary 14, 2022
laurakay76
fromLehigh Valley, PA
Skill Level:Expert
Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Brain Teaser, Hidden Object, Puzzle, Strategy, Time Management, Word
Fun Factor
5
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
5
/
5
Level of Challenge
5
/
5
Storyline
5
/
5
Gardens Inc. 4 has everything I liked about the previous installment - an interesting storyline, likable characters, pleasing visuals, and lots of achievements to unlock. It also has a relaxed mode, which is much kinder to my anxiety, and adds some new small challenges that are engaging without being frustrating.
I'm about halfway through the main game as I write this review, and the mystery is continuing to build. I really like the storytelling here and I'm looking forward to finding out just what happened!
I recommend this game!
Help Jill & Mike to save their wedding and uncover Jill's heritage!
Overall rating
3
/
5
Most frustrating TM game I've ever played
PostedJanuary 12, 2022
laurakay76
fromLehigh Valley, PA
Skill Level:Expert
Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Brain Teaser, Hidden Object, Puzzle, Strategy, Time Management, Word
Fun Factor
3
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
5
/
5
Level of Challenge
5
/
5
Storyline
4
/
5
This game is extremely pretty and has an interesting story. I liked visiting different countries in Europe and was particularly excited that the final levels were set in my own ancestral homeland of Wales. Designing the house and wedding was fun. There was a lot about it that I truly enjoyed.
But it's HARD. The time limits seem almost impossible, especially on the later levels where you're dodging wasps, hornets, and burglars, while also trying to dive for resources and set off explosives and plant and water seedlings. There is just way, way too much going on in some of these levels, even without factoring in the bonus goals which are described in riddle form. And the stealth mission near the very end was so difficult that it made me unreasonably angry!
I never played either of the previous two installments in this series; this one was offered as a daily deal and I had a punch card to fill so I bought it. I'm not sorry, since like I said it has a lot of good things about it. But don't expect to beat the goals easily.
An investigation into a disappearance reveals ghostly secrets in a mountaintop hotel!
Overall rating
2
/
5
2 of 2 found this review helpful
It would have been better if it had been shorter.
PostedDecember 12, 2021
laurakay76
fromLehigh Valley, PA
Skill Level:Expert
Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Brain Teaser, Hidden Object, Puzzle, Strategy, Time Management, Word
Fun Factor
3
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
4
/
5
Level of Challenge
3
/
5
Storyline
2
/
5
Normally I love a good long game. But this one just... dragged. I bought it because the demo was decent enough and there was a sale, but it dragged on and on and on. Nothing felt like it was explained very well or had any kind of real resolution. We have another tedious supernatural mystery with a love triangle as part of the backstory. The characters were largely bland and uninteresting, and I found Kate in particular to be pretty useless. I felt like there were too many collectibles, including some that were very hard to see, and I had to hear an annoying sound effect every time I found one. By the time I finally got to confront the real villain I was just tired of the whole story. I uninstalled it without even bothering with the bonus chapter.
The voice acting was fine and the graphics were very good, but that's about it. I play these games for the stories and the characters, and this game was lackluster in both categories.
I don't recommend this game.
A vengeful monster has found a way to stop Christmas!
Overall rating
4
/
5
30 of 33 found this review helpful
Seems like a fun time
PostedNovember 19, 2021
laurakay76
fromLehigh Valley, PA
Skill Level:Expert
Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Brain Teaser, Hidden Object, Puzzle, Strategy, Time Management, Word
Fun Factor
4
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
5
/
5
Level of Challenge
4
/
5
Storyline
4
/
5
I've only played the demo, and this is my first time playing one of the Christmas Stories games, but on the whole I found it impressive. The mythology of the game is very inventive - I don't know how much is rooted in actual Icelandic tradition but I enjoyed it. The graphics are bright and colorful. I know a lot of others are complaining about the continuously moving helper, but I was largely able to ignore him. There are lots of collectibles to find, which is great, although I was a bit frustrated by Elephant's usual puzzle piece collection - some of them blended in with the scenery so well that they were very difficult to spot.
My only complaint would be that some of the puzzles *had no instructions*. The one that frustrated me most was the unskippable hidden object scene where you had to not only find the objects, but then put them in their correct positions... based on their reflections in three mirrors. That was tricky enough once I understood what I was supposed to do, but there was nothing to indicate that I was supposed to do it. I also don't care for the creepy laugh which plays any time you click the hint button.
Otherwise, it's fine, and I'm sure fans of this series will be delighted with it.
I recommend this game!
In this hotly anticipated sequel, join Sharon Holmes once again to help her crack a tricky case while solving brain-teasing nonogram puzzles!
Overall rating
5
/
5
1 of 2 found this review helpful
Excellent sequel
PostedNovember 16, 2021
laurakay76
fromLehigh Valley, PA
Skill Level:Expert
Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Brain Teaser, Hidden Object, Puzzle, Strategy, Time Management, Word
Fun Factor
5
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
5
/
5
Level of Challenge
5
/
5
Storyline
5
/
5
I enjoyed the first Detective Agency Mosaics very much, and I'm very satisfied with this one as well. It changed a few things from the first, but I consider them to be improvements - in particular, I'm very happy with the addition of an "undo" button as one of the optional hints to be employed. I'm a little disappointed that the achievements were removed, but that would be my only quibble. Otherwise, this is a marvelous followup to the first game and I hope that someday we might get a third.
I recommend this game!
Help Robin Hood pursue and defeat the villainous Gisbourne!
Overall rating
3
/
5
10 of 11 found this review helpful
The glitchiest one yet.
PostedNovember 11, 2021
laurakay76
fromLehigh Valley, PA
Skill Level:Expert
Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Brain Teaser, Hidden Object, Puzzle, Strategy, Time Management, Word
Fun Factor
3
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
5
/
5
Level of Challenge
4
/
5
Storyline
4
/
5
I like this series, so seeing a new one meant an automatic buy for me. But I encountered the same glitch that many other reviewers are stating - not being able to pick up food - and the only way I could get around it was to close and reload the game. So far that seems to have helped, but it's ridiculous that I'm forced to do that.
I'm also encountering another glitch - at the start of every level, the game tries to replay the interaction where "Mary" (what happened to Marian?) tells Robin to behave himself because he's visiting the king. I had to manually open the next few storyboard interactions because they won't run on their own and I had no idea what was going on.
The game itself is okay. Honestly, it's a little tedious, more than what you expect from a TM game. I'm annoyed by several levels which involve traveling through paths carved in tree trunks, as it's not always apparent where you're supposed to go or which areas are immediately accessible. I'm playing with the timer turned off because otherwise I will get way too frustrated, that's how difficult it is to see where to go. The plotline is interesting, and the graphics are adorable and colorful as usual.
It's a good game on the whole, but clearly it needed to spend a little more time in QA before it was released and that's not fair to the players. I hope they release some patches soon.
Join Sharon Holmes in her investigation and track down the criminal while solving unique mosaic puzzles!
Overall rating
5
/
5
An absolute delight
PostedNovember 3, 2021
laurakay76
fromLehigh Valley, PA
Skill Level:Expert
Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Brain Teaser, Card & Board, Hidden Object, Puzzle, Strategy, Time Management, Word
Fun Factor
5
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
5
/
5
Level of Challenge
5
/
5
Storyline
5
/
5
After my disappointment with Arizona Rose and the Pharaohs' Riddles (especially its cliffhanger ending that will apparently never be resolved), I was hesitant to try another nonogram. But the premise of this one convinced me to do the demo, and by the second puzzle I knew I wanted the whole game. It's got everything Arizona Rose lacked for me - the heroine is likable, the graphics are big and clear and colorful, the puzzles are challenging but not too frustrating, and the storyline is coherent and interesting. I love switching between the colors to try to puzzle out the correct placements, and the mini-games in each level are a nice little break. Definitely going to be trying the sequel once I'm finished here.
I recommend this game!
Arizona Rose and the Pharaohs' Riddles
A new mystery leads Arizona Rose to a hidden temple and her greatest adventure yet! Solve the riddles to unravel an ancient mystery!
Overall rating
3
/
5
1 of 1 found this review helpful
How am I supposed to see these things?
PostedOctober 21, 2021
laurakay76
fromLehigh Valley, PA
Skill Level:Expert
Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Brain Teaser, Hidden Object, Puzzle, Strategy, Time Management, Word
Fun Factor
3
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
5
/
5
Level of Challenge
5
/
5
Storyline
3
/
5
I'm coming into this game quite some time after its release, and I'm not the biggest fan of "griddlers." But I had a coupon to burn and thought the reviews sounded promising.
It's not a bad game. I'm certainly finding it a challenge. The biggest problem for me is that once you get to the point where the grid is 25 x 25, the boxes are WAY TOO SMALL. I am visually impaired and I'm struggling to get through this round of puzzles because everything is just so tiny, even with fullscreen and widescreen options enabled. I just smashed the treasure chest again because I clicked on the wrong box by accident for what feels like the millionth time.
Other than that, it's fine. The puzzles are well made and the storyline is interesting. I just wish there was a way for me to make the actual puzzle larger.
Can you solve a ghostly mystery to escape a film?
Overall rating
2
/
5
1 of 1 found this review helpful
Unclear story and an even worse ending.
PostedOctober 16, 2021
laurakay76
fromLehigh Valley, PA
Skill Level:Expert
Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Brain Teaser, Hidden Object, Puzzle, Strategy, Time Management, Word
Fun Factor
2
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
4
/
5
Level of Challenge
3
/
5
Storyline
2
/
5
The main problem I have with this game, which I got free in a recent promotion, is that the story isn't explained very well. We have a bunch of murders, an alleged ghost, and a nasty piece of work who is apparently behind it all. But what happened to the water? Who is Ruth, who suddenly appears in the game as Wild Jack's ally with no further explanation? Who is the kid and why is Wild Jack the only one who knows how to cure his sick grandma, even though she herself has instructions and ingredients for the medicine *right there in her house*? Characters are introduced and there's no reason given for their involvement in the story. And the ending is just... baffling. What was that... thing... and how did Wild Jack end up involved with it? What agreement did it terminate? The story doesn't make any sense at all!
My secondary problem with the game is the puzzles. The last puzzle in the main game is probably the worst, as the instructions are unclear and nothing I tried seemed to be the right answer (I ultimately skipped it). There were a few others I also had to skip because I really had no idea what I was being asked to do. I didn't even bother with the bonus chapter because I wasn't interested.
The visuals were well done, the music was nice, and the voice acting was decent. But if you're like me and you get into these games for the story, this is one to skip.
I don't recommend this game.