arnold1049's Profile
Stat Summary
- Average Rating:3.8
- Helpful Votes:4,545
- Reviews Submitted:555
- First Review:February 24, 2012
- Most Recent Review:December 24, 2024
- Featured reviews0
Status:
This new collection of mosaics puzzles will lead you to discover the workshop of a mysterious inventor.
Overall rating
5
/
5
17 of 22 found this review helpful
FANTASY MOSAICS 33 CONTAINS GREAT SURPRISES
PostedFebruary 25, 2019
arnold1049
fromApache Junction, AZ
Skill Level:Expert
Favorite Genre(s):Card & Board, Hidden Object, Mahjong, Match 3, Puzzle
Fun Factor
5
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
5
/
5
Level of Challenge
5
/
5
Storyline
5
/
5
I never miss purchasing the Fantasy Mosaics games; I purchase them as soon as they're released; I never waste time playing the free demo. I was expecting pretty much the same gameplay as all the other games in this series, but I was just astounded at the changes made to previous games.
The first thing I noticed was the much improved graphics. They are much brighter and the scenes are more detailed and colorful. So relaxing on the eyes and more interesting to explore.
But the biggest surprises were the additional mini-games within the main game. In addition, there are more scenes to complete instead of just the one garden, etc. I have played two sets of 6 puzzles and so far there are 2 rooms in the house to populate with items won by playing the main game. Moving into a different room also set off another puzzle. This puzzle was to remove sets of 1 to 3 books off a shelf without removing the last one. I tried twice and was unable to complete it correctly. Sure adds to the challenge of the main game.
This game has all the other great mosaics as the previous games. There is a choice of difficulty, several choices of tiles to use, and many-colored scenes to solve. But this game goes so much farther than any of the other games in this series. It is much more interesting and challenging, I didn't want to stop playing. How wonderful to find one of my favorite series expand into new areas. Way to go!
Don't miss this game even if you have or haven't played the others in the series.
The first thing I noticed was the much improved graphics. They are much brighter and the scenes are more detailed and colorful. So relaxing on the eyes and more interesting to explore.
But the biggest surprises were the additional mini-games within the main game. In addition, there are more scenes to complete instead of just the one garden, etc. I have played two sets of 6 puzzles and so far there are 2 rooms in the house to populate with items won by playing the main game. Moving into a different room also set off another puzzle. This puzzle was to remove sets of 1 to 3 books off a shelf without removing the last one. I tried twice and was unable to complete it correctly. Sure adds to the challenge of the main game.
This game has all the other great mosaics as the previous games. There is a choice of difficulty, several choices of tiles to use, and many-colored scenes to solve. But this game goes so much farther than any of the other games in this series. It is much more interesting and challenging, I didn't want to stop playing. How wonderful to find one of my favorite series expand into new areas. Way to go!
Don't miss this game even if you have or haven't played the others in the series.
I recommend this game!
Your favorite puzzle-solving ghosts are learning about the ancient art of Alchemy in this match 3 adventure!
Overall rating
2
/
5
24 of 41 found this review helpful
THE LARUAVILLE CHARACTERS HAVE BEEN CORRUPTED
PostedFebruary 20, 2019
arnold1049
fromApache Junction, AZ
Skill Level:Expert
Favorite Genre(s):Card & Board, Hidden Object, Mahjong, Match 3, Word
Fun Factor
3
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
3
/
5
Level of Challenge
3
/
5
Storyline
1
/
5
I have every Laruaville game and was really happy to see another one. Based on the demo, this is another good game in the series. The match three games are the same as in the other games, but the graphics seem more bright. The in-game tutorial is an interesting way to provide guidance. If you have played other Laruaville games, you won't need it. I'm undecided if I like this pop-up type of tutorial.
The game includes solitaire, find-the-differences, mahjong, and hidden object games to break up the match 3 scenes.
I usually just buy the Laruaville games and never use the free minutes of play. However, because of the sale going on today, (65% off retail), I used the free trial so that Laruaville 8 would be in the Game Manager to include with other games I want to purchase. Funny how things seem meant to be.
My first reaction to the game was that the nice characters have become a greedy bunch interested only in making gold. That put me off right away.
But the thing that totally turned me off, and resulted in the low rating I am giving this game, was the wizard character calling the female character an "ignoramus" in the very first exchange. Again, no more nice characters.
For the first time in my history with the Laruaville games, I'm not sure I'm going to buy this one.
The game includes solitaire, find-the-differences, mahjong, and hidden object games to break up the match 3 scenes.
I usually just buy the Laruaville games and never use the free minutes of play. However, because of the sale going on today, (65% off retail), I used the free trial so that Laruaville 8 would be in the Game Manager to include with other games I want to purchase. Funny how things seem meant to be.
My first reaction to the game was that the nice characters have become a greedy bunch interested only in making gold. That put me off right away.
But the thing that totally turned me off, and resulted in the low rating I am giving this game, was the wizard character calling the female character an "ignoramus" in the very first exchange. Again, no more nice characters.
For the first time in my history with the Laruaville games, I'm not sure I'm going to buy this one.
Start solving mysteries with this thrilling detective hidden object adventure.
Overall rating
4
/
5
19 of 24 found this review helpful
SEVERAL CHANGES MAKE THIS THE BEST IN THE SERIES
PostedJanuary 30, 2019
arnold1049
fromApache Junction, AZ
Skill Level:Expert
Favorite Genre(s):Card & Board, Hidden Object, Mahjong, Match 3
Fun Factor
4
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
5
/
5
Level of Challenge
4
/
5
Storyline
4
/
5
My review is based on playing the trial and having purchased and played the previous games. This is the 3rd, I believe, game in this series and there have been lots of improvements. The beginning instructions are short and simple, and right on target, which is good, because I didn't see any option to skip it, The storyline is more logical and can actually be understood, to a point. This area can still be improved, as there are jumps that can't be explained. The other improvement is in the presentation of the storyline; you are given plenty of time to listen/read them and can actually control when to move on. This is a big help and contributes to being able to understand what is happening. Another change, which I like, is that the different tools, like hints, the bomb to remove items from the HO lists, the flashlight for blacked out scenes, etc., all have the available number of these shown at the beginning of each investigation, instead of having to wait for them to refill. The total number of power ups are available for each investigation. I'm not sure what happens if you run out of them before you end the investigation, so you would need to watch how you use them. A big issue, still, is the in-you-face reminders to use a hint. They don't seem as frequent as in the other games, but they are totally unnecessary and use up time you need to get the three stars. It is very annoying and gives the impression that players are so stupid, they need to be reminded about hints. This should be completely removed. This is a great HOG, with lots of scenes. Some items are easy to find, while others are harder; a good mix. If you really want 3 stars for each scene, and don't get them, you can play the scene over immediately. This is a hard-core HOG lover's game.
I recommend this game!
Visit a world where legends are true and magic is real in this enchanting Hidden Object game.
Overall rating
4
/
5
1 of 1 found this review helpful
Challenging
PostedJanuary 12, 2019
arnold1049
fromApache Junction, AZ
Skill Level:Expert
Favorite Genre(s):Card & Board, Hidden Object, Mahjong, Match 3
Fun Factor
4
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
3
/
5
Level of Challenge
5
/
5
This is a game that only die-hard HO fans will enjoy. Lots of HOS, with some objects so tiny and well hidden, you might need a magnifying glass to find them. Some mosaic and find-the-difference games breakup the HOS. Give it a trial run to see if this is for you.
I recommend this game!
Travel to the edge of time and back! Follow John Swift and Jane Graham as they travel through the past to keep history intact.
Overall rating
2
/
5
2 of 2 found this review helpful
Marble popper games are not for me.
PostedJanuary 3, 2019
arnold1049
fromApache Junction, AZ
Skill Level:Beginner
Favorite Genre(s):Hidden Object, Mahjong, Match 3
Fun Factor
2
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
4
/
5
Level of Challenge
3
/
5
When I purchased this game, which also included Luxor 3, I did not realize that these were marble popper games. Didn't do my research. I was enjoying the Adventure game until I ran into a marble popper that I couldn't finish. I'm just not fast enough. I wish I could have skipped the mini game and continued playing the Adventure version, but that option was not available. So marble popper players will probably really like these games.
I don't recommend this game.
Help the Walker family search through the clutter to find everything they need to create a festive atmosphere in a Christmas square!
Overall rating
4
/
5
6 of 7 found this review helpful
VERY FEW SCENES HAVE THE 10 SECOND RESHUFFLE
PostedDecember 14, 2018
arnold1049
fromApache Junction, AZ
Skill Level:Expert
Favorite Genre(s):Hidden Object, Mahjong, Match 3
Fun Factor
4
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
4
/
5
Level of Challenge
4
/
5
I played the whole 60 minutes of the free trial, expecting to hate the game, based on all the other reviews. Perhaps I got further through the game than some of the other reviewers. I made it to the puzzle at the end of round 2 before my time ran out. The 10 second reshuffle scenes seemed to be more prevalent in the first set of scenes. When I got into the second level, I only encountered two or three 10 second reshuffles out of a total of 10 scenes. The other scenes were basic find-the-objects, based on certain criteria (same size, different size, same color, different color, etc. etc.) and a puzzle.
And I didn't find the 10 second reshuffle that annoying, although if it was a tad longer, maybe 20 seconds, it would be better. If I had something clicked but didn't have time to click on the match, the reshuffle remembered the item I had clicked and all I had to do was watch the matching item during the reshuffle and I had a match within a second. It's not much different from the scenes where the items move around and you may have one clicked and the match shoots across the screen so you have to chase it. The multitude of stars is annoying, but no different from the previous games. I found I was often able to complete a scene without ever having to click on a star. In my opinion, the developer has just added another twist to keep the game interesting and challenging. This is a buy for me and I highly recommend it. Please give it a try.
And I didn't find the 10 second reshuffle that annoying, although if it was a tad longer, maybe 20 seconds, it would be better. If I had something clicked but didn't have time to click on the match, the reshuffle remembered the item I had clicked and all I had to do was watch the matching item during the reshuffle and I had a match within a second. It's not much different from the scenes where the items move around and you may have one clicked and the match shoots across the screen so you have to chase it. The multitude of stars is annoying, but no different from the previous games. I found I was often able to complete a scene without ever having to click on a star. In my opinion, the developer has just added another twist to keep the game interesting and challenging. This is a buy for me and I highly recommend it. Please give it a try.
I recommend this game!
You've come upon a land of such beauty, but the surrounding areas are barren. Match your way through nature and restore this beautiful kingdom!
Overall rating
3
/
5
4 of 6 found this review helpful
COMPLICATED
PostedDecember 4, 2018
arnold1049
fromApache Junction, AZ
Skill Level:Intermediate
Favorite Genre(s):Hidden Object
Fun Factor
3
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
5
/
5
Level of Challenge
5
/
5
This review is based on the one-hour trial, a lot of which I spent on reading the "help" instructions. This is a very complicated game with a lot of things going on. I felt myself wanting to go back to the help area to figure out what to do and what I was missing, but didn't want to waste my one hour time. Not sure I will buy it unless I can get it on sale or with a coupon. Perhaps if I was a follower of the Jewel Match series, I would better understand all the different tiles and would not be so lost. The in-screen tutorials were a big help, but were hard to remember from screen to screen. So the decision is out on this game, as far as I'm concerned, You will need to decide for yourself
Help the Walker family clear through the clutter and find the necessary equipment to create the perfect children’s playground.
Overall rating
3
/
5
17 of 18 found this review helpful
NEEDS AN UN-TIMED VERSION
PostedNovember 19, 2018
Fun Factor
3
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
4
/
5
Level of Challenge
4
/
5
Storyline
3
/
5
This game needs an option to play without being timed. I cannot move the cursor fast enough on some of the levels. Or the time allowed should be increased. I would have rated it higher, except for this.
Go head-to-head with the Lord of the Underworld himself in this clever match-3!
Overall rating
2
/
5
3 of 5 found this review helpful
NEEDS AN INSTRUCTION MANUAL
PostedNovember 6, 2018
arnold1049
fromApache Junction, AZ
Skill Level:Expert
Favorite Genre(s):Card & Board, Hidden Object, Mahjong, Match 3, Puzzle
Fun Factor
3
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
3
/
5
Level of Challenge
1
/
5
Storyline
3
/
5
This is a match three game and I played the whole free trial. With all the different kinds of tiles, all the special action tiles, all the specific ways that tiles need to be combined, this game needs an instruction manual, not just a few tutorial hints. Having to figure out this information on the fly is frustrating, plus works against you as you are trying to beat the clock. How do you get the bombs to go off? What about the directional "arrows"? The answer is they are color coded and must be combined with tiles of the same color in order to activate them. But how would you know that a brownish roundy thing needs to be combined with wooden brown pencils? What about the bats? Ok, I sort of get how to activate the brown and grey ones, but not sure of what exactly they do once they are activated. But what about the pink and blue ones? What's with the dynamite stick (I think that is what it is)? And why is using the hammer so complicated? I used two of them and still don't know why I couldn't get it to work on the tile I needed it to. Way too frustrating to be enjoyable.
Join a cute robot on his multi-colored mosaic assignment to clean up the garden!
Overall rating
5
/
5
4 of 4 found this review helpful
DON'T NEED TO BE PERFECT
PostedNovember 1, 2018
arnold1049
fromApache Junction, AZ
Skill Level:Expert
Favorite Genre(s):Card & Board, Hidden Object, Mahjong, Match 3, Puzzle
Fun Factor
5
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
5
/
5
Level of Challenge
5
/
5
The best thing I found about this game is that it allows you to make ONE mistake without losing a star. That is wonderful, as sometimes my hand jerks and marks something I did not intend to do.
This is a great series; colorful graphics, interesting pictures, challenging play. I have all the games and this one is the best so far.
This is a great series; colorful graphics, interesting pictures, challenging play. I have all the games and this one is the best so far.
I recommend this game!