stretchmymind's Profile
Stat Summary
- Average Rating:4.2
- Helpful Votes:233
- Reviews Submitted:41
- First Review:January 12, 2012
- Most Recent Review:March 1, 2015
- Featured reviews0
Awakening Kingdoms
You are chosen by Queen Sophia to restore her kingdom back to its former glory through fun mini-games and beautiful hidden object scenes.
Overall rating
5
/
5
1 of 1 found this review helpful
Addictive and on-going game!
PostedMarch 1, 2015
stretchmymind
fromrainy NW
Skill Level:Intermediate
Favorite Genre(s):Hidden Object, Large File, Strategy, Time Management, Marble Popper, Puzzle
Fun Factor
5
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
5
/
5
Level of Challenge
4
/
5
Storyline
5
/
5
I love all the Awakening games and this one is addictive on top of it all. It is a game for many ages and you are tasked with getting rid of the effects of dark magic so it is a positive, bright game.
The graphics are lovely, full of detail and depth with lovely colors and lots of interesting detail. The character interaction is fun as the citizens of the kingdom ask you for help in rebuilding their lives and interacting with them.
Basically you go on quests, expend energy, play games and help restore the kingdom. I'm dying to find out what happens next. The fun of the game is that you get to pick and choose the quests you want and when you want to do them. You are asked to do things for the people of the kingdom which can involve playing some of the games or going to HO scenes to gather supplies. Sometimes you don't get what you want immediately and must go back but you get other things that can be used in other ways (to play a game, get coins, or get more energy). As you advance you expend more energy to visit the higher skill levels of the HO scenes, you get more coins (you can actually buy them but it isn't necessary) and it takes more experience points to level up.
You can make friends and bid or sell items that you need or don't need. There have been a glitch or two along the way. I'm playing the game with two characters that are on different levels (but close to each other) using the same computer. When I used a different computer (after getting the latest update) one of the quests from both got "blended" for want of a better work. It was to restore relic pieces to one of the levels. The quest column shows that I need two more pieces but when you go to look at the relic it is complete. In the other game the quest shows it as almost complete but when you look at the shrine, it is quite obvious that I am missing almost half of the pieces. I am also at a point of waiting for the next installment because I've done every quest. So hurry up!
It is really a fun game and I highly recommend. My grandsons love to play it with me!
The graphics are lovely, full of detail and depth with lovely colors and lots of interesting detail. The character interaction is fun as the citizens of the kingdom ask you for help in rebuilding their lives and interacting with them.
Basically you go on quests, expend energy, play games and help restore the kingdom. I'm dying to find out what happens next. The fun of the game is that you get to pick and choose the quests you want and when you want to do them. You are asked to do things for the people of the kingdom which can involve playing some of the games or going to HO scenes to gather supplies. Sometimes you don't get what you want immediately and must go back but you get other things that can be used in other ways (to play a game, get coins, or get more energy). As you advance you expend more energy to visit the higher skill levels of the HO scenes, you get more coins (you can actually buy them but it isn't necessary) and it takes more experience points to level up.
You can make friends and bid or sell items that you need or don't need. There have been a glitch or two along the way. I'm playing the game with two characters that are on different levels (but close to each other) using the same computer. When I used a different computer (after getting the latest update) one of the quests from both got "blended" for want of a better work. It was to restore relic pieces to one of the levels. The quest column shows that I need two more pieces but when you go to look at the relic it is complete. In the other game the quest shows it as almost complete but when you look at the shrine, it is quite obvious that I am missing almost half of the pieces. I am also at a point of waiting for the next installment because I've done every quest. So hurry up!
It is really a fun game and I highly recommend. My grandsons love to play it with me!
I recommend this game!
The rat catcher's after more than rats this time. He's kidnapping fairy folk!
Overall rating
3
/
5
Had potential but flopped overall
PostedMarch 1, 2015
stretchmymind
fromrainy NW
Skill Level:Intermediate
Favorite Genre(s):Hidden Object, Large File, Time Management, Marble Popper, Puzzle
Fun Factor
3
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
2
/
5
Level of Challenge
3
/
5
Storyline
3
/
5
Thought this was going to be lots of fun and the story line had potential but overall the story was choppy. The graphics were good in some party but pathetic in others - rather liked they got into a time crunch or desperate and used the storyboard to complete certain scenes.
I bought the collectors edition and found that the manual and the extra ending were probably not worth it. I thought that the manual was vague in parts.
The puzzles were a mix of god and dismal. The HO scenes were a little different and you had the option of playing a game to get around finding objects.
The graphics were OK but nothing outstanding and the robotic chickens were obnoxious!
I bought the collectors edition and found that the manual and the extra ending were probably not worth it. I thought that the manual was vague in parts.
The puzzles were a mix of god and dismal. The HO scenes were a little different and you had the option of playing a game to get around finding objects.
The graphics were OK but nothing outstanding and the robotic chickens were obnoxious!
I don't recommend this game.
Get tips and hints from our handy Strategy Guide! Follow our crystal clear instructions and helpful tricks to succeed!
Overall rating
3
/
5
1 of 2 found this review helpful
One direction OK game
PostedAugust 1, 2014
stretchmymind
fromrainy NW
Skill Level:Intermediate
Favorite Genre(s):Arcade & Action, Adventure, Hidden Object, Large File, Time Management, Puzzle
Fun Factor
3
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
3
/
5
Level of Challenge
3
/
5
Storyline
3
/
5
I played the plain Jane game. No strategy guide or CE game. Don't know what the "extra" scenes might be but it was not necessary to work your way through the game. I found this game to be just OK. Must have been one of Elephant's early games because it wasn't particularly sophisticated and very lineal. You are left wondering what happened to Void's creatures when the cops came (maybe that was part of the "extras" in the CE game - but not worth the extra $$).
The music was repetitive but not particularly annoying. The graphics were OK, nothing outstanding or special. The story line was a bit unbelievable but OK.
The were a plethora of HO scenes. I mean a lot! These were reasonable and solvable. The puzzles were nothing strenuous but enjoyable.
I don't recommend this game.
Break a dangerous curse that is engulfing an ancient tower in A Gypsy’s Tale, an entertaining Hidden Object game!
Overall rating
4
/
5
1 of 1 found this review helpful
Break the curse!
PostedMay 16, 2014
stretchmymind
fromrainy NW
Skill Level:Intermediate
Favorite Genre(s):Hidden Object, Large File, Match 3, Time Management
Fun Factor
4
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
4
/
5
Level of Challenge
4
/
5
Storyline
4
/
5
This game is a fun variation of an HO game. You are a gypsy who is supposed to break the curse and save everyone, etc. Not an unknown story line just different characters.
There aren't levels of play. There is a map but you have to find crystals in each scene in order to get that portion of the map. The map allows you to jump from place to place which is a time saver. The crystals aren't terrible hard to find and if you get stumped, they sparkle eventually. The bottom right of the screen gives you list of tasks that you must accomplish which is helpful.
There is a hint button and you can skip the mini games if you wish but they are fun and quite doable. The HO variation is that in when you click on something that has gears up pops a wheel like object and you have to find all the objects pictured there. The things are sometimes very obvious and sometimes well hidden (including inside things) but never covered up by the graphics.
The graphics are simple and nice and clean. There isn't any background music to annoy but there are some sound effects that add to the game.
An annoying thing is that when "dialogue" appears on the screen, you have to click on it to make it disappear and then you have to click on the object you want to manipulate. Doesn't help my carpel tunnel.
Enjoyable.
I recommend this game!
Called into a small city from the capitol, you have been put in charge of solving a string of mysterious murders!
Overall rating
4
/
5
4 of 4 found this review helpful
Bit of a Howl!
PostedMay 15, 2014
stretchmymind
fromrainy NW
Skill Level:Intermediate
Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Hidden Object, Large File, Match 3
Fun Factor
4
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
3
/
5
Level of Challenge
3
/
5
Storyline
3
/
5
The story line is OK. A European looking town is terrorized by something, several deaths and there are a lot of wolves roaming around so the locals are afraid of werewolves. A friendly seeming wolf leads you around the story and you discover the solution to the problem.
The graphics are just OK because they are "fuzzy". It darkly lit to go along with the story line, I guess. I had a huge problem with the sparrow that kept popping around in what seems nighttime. Also the "policeman" that is asking for your help has a Aussie accent. The animation is pretty amateurish. The music is nothing special and totally ignorable.
The HOs are totally do-able but watch out because the ones in yellow are hidden but they don't change to white when you find their "hidden" location so you sometimes don't know if there are more hidden locations to look for things.
The games are about average and fun.
It's a fun game but not outstanding.
I recommend this game!
Several young women have gone missing in Paris. Now only you can stop a maniac’s murderous trail of fragrance and deception!
Overall rating
5
/
5
3 of 3 found this review helpful
Visually beautiful and fun to play
PostedMay 10, 2014
stretchmymind
fromrainy NW
Skill Level:Intermediate
Favorite Genre(s):Hidden Object, Large File, Time Management, Puzzle
Fun Factor
5
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
5
/
5
Level of Challenge
4
/
5
Storyline
5
/
5
Had a great time with this game (I got the CE edition)! The storyline is a grabber - stop an epidemic started by a maniac. You get to mix fragrances and travel around a lot of beautifully designed scenes.
The animation was fairly well done by game standards of this ilk. I enjoyed the fact that the game lasted and yet moved along at a decent pace. The HOs were well done and the games/puzzles were fun and doable. The music is unobtrusive and soothing.
There are various "achievements" you get in the CE version which are always fun as well as the bonus chapters.
It was good to find another company that can design a fun game beside the usual standards. You'll like the game!
I recommend this game!
Delve deeper into the secret world of a time traveling family trying to fulfill the prophecies in the Book of Oracles.
Overall rating
4
/
5
1 of 1 found this review helpful
Don't start with this one of the series!
PostedMay 5, 2014
stretchmymind
fromrainy NW
Skill Level:Intermediate
Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Hidden Object, Large File, Strategy, Time Management, Marble Popper, Puzzle
Fun Factor
5
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
4
/
5
Level of Challenge
4
/
5
Storyline
4
/
5
I did start with this game which is one of a series. It threw me off until I let go and just played. You can get confused enough with the time and place jumps.
The story line is that you are trying to rectify a time mess you've created in the past. You run in to relatives who have been out to get you in the past but are helping you now but they've been warped by the need to get everything aligned to "save the family". Bad family dynamics!
There are time portals and again you help famous people from the past.
The art work it good but the characters are cartoony and conflict with the scenes. You have to find HOs everywhere you go - some are hidden inside things. You can also click on them and the "hint" button shows you the shape you should be looking for. Then you put things together and gain a tool to use in another scene. The animation is negligible and the dialogue isn't terrible inspired but does add minimally to the game.
All in all a good game.
I recommend this game!
Someone in the Order has turned traitor, murdering one of the Secret Five! Only Sarah can prevent the Order’s destruction!
Overall rating
4
/
5
2 of 2 found this review helpful
Enjoyable game
PostedMay 5, 2014
stretchmymind
fromrainy NW
Skill Level:Intermediate
Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Hidden Object, Time Management, Puzzle
Fun Factor
5
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
4
/
5
Level of Challenge
4
/
5
Storyline
4
/
5
I haven't been playing games in a bit and this was the first one I came back to. It's good - not great but good.
The backgrounds is very nice. The animation and lip synching is really low quality. The dialogue translation is pretty good but there are some instances of awkward grammar (for the English speaker).
The HOs are hard but not impossible "garbage dumps" (where there are tons of things to hunt through). You have the option to play a game of Maj Jong to uncover tiles that when matched will give you one of the missing items in the HO.
You are supposed to save your father and his secret order friends from a embittered infiltrator. OK storyline. I'll admit to being thrown by having the bonus content inserted into the middle of the game (if you bought the CE version) but eventually it all worked out.
The puzzles/games were fairly easy but interesting.
All in all a solid B+
I recommend this game!
Push your detective skills to the limit in a fantastical faraway land and find a prince's lost love.
Overall rating
3
/
5
1 of 1 found this review helpful
Beware of artificial sweeteners.
PostedAugust 25, 2013
stretchmymind
fromrainy NW
Favorite Genre(s):Hidden Object, Large File, Puzzle
Fun Factor
3
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
2
/
5
Level of Challenge
3
/
5
Storyline
2
/
5
This game lumped a lot of fairy tales together to reunite the prince and his new found love. They look like they are 15, made of saccharine.
There is a map that helps you jump around and shows objectives. Sometimes there is no logic to what you should do next. The puzzles weren't very hard and the annimation was rudimentary. The depiction of the characters was OK, the scenery was also OK and the story line was so-so.
Hidden Object scenes were a bit different - you place objects into the scene where they belonged. Interesting and all doable. Music was not note worthy.
All in all it was a very low average game.
I don't recommend this game.
The residents of Bitterford, Maine have fallen prey to a terrible curse. It’s up to you to unravel the series of mysterious events that led to the town’s downfall and uncover the evil that was responsible.
Overall rating
3
/
5
2 of 2 found this review helpful
Not another demon destruction?!
PostedAugust 3, 2013
stretchmymind
fromrainy NW
Skill Level:Intermediate
Fun Factor
3
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
3
/
5
Level of Challenge
3
/
5
Storyline
2
/
5
I was disappointed by this MCF game. I guess I'd have to say that it was almost boring. I was anxious to finish it because it wasn't fun.
The story line was to find out what happened to a town that had been destroyed by a mysterious earthquake. There is a demon involved and some extinct Indian tribe. Though the graphics were pretty good they tended to look more like background and didn't have the depth. There weren't a lot of puzzles and the ones that the "psychic" read triggered just made me mad because they were frustrating. Anyone could do them but they weren't challenging or particularly fun.
I bought the CE version and should have saved my money. The strategy guide was DUMB, fairly useless and confusing at times. It only showed pictures of what you should do and you can't go back to see the previous hints. It didn't have a list of the morphing items at the end to see what I'd missed and believe me I wasn't going back to look for anything. The map allowing you to bounce around was nice but in some cases you'd still have to go in 3 or more scenes to get somewhere.
The case file was useless too. You couldn't check back on something and this would have been especially useful for the last puzzle.
The ending fizzled #like "Woops, we need to wrap this us fast, guys!"# and raises the possibility that there may be a sequel and then you get stuck in the credits for 2 minutes. Gag.
I loved Dire Grove but would not recommend this one.
I don't recommend this game.