Looks like an interesting variation of match 3 but the curser speed was set so much faster than usual I couldn't control it at all, and the Options menu doesn't give a chance to change it.
As this is by the same studio as one of my all time favourite games Lost In Reefs I expected to like it, but it's not for me. Some of the tiles are the same as Lost in Reefs but because of the forest setting of the game there are too many beetle and bug tiles - (OK, I'm a girl!). The forest background is nice and the houses to build are cute but the bonus mini game is betting on a snail race - Yuk.
I've always found collapse block games, rather than swap or chain match, pretty boring, but had to buy this one. The artwork and animation are just lovely, in the minigames as well as the main levels, and the bonus power ups are fun and original. The fairytale storyline is also a plus if you feel like a bit of escapism. Not a challenging game, but with winter coming on, and a persistent virus depressing me, it's a real tonic! Having now tried Season Match 1 and 2 I still prefer Curse of The Witch Crow.
I recommend this game!
+10points
13of16voted this as helpful.
Mahjong Roadshow
Mahjong Roadshow will take you on a 50 day antique adventure in search of the hidden treasure tiles.
This is the first Mahjong game I bought (back in October 2010). I'd always wondered how Mahjong worked and loved the TV show Antiques Roadshow. Having played quite a few other mahjong games since then I can now appreciate what a sophisticated kind of Mahjong this is. Not a game you go to when you just need to chill out, but something to keep on a back burner.
After reading such varying reviews I had to try this for myself. Firstly I can see why one reviewer got travel sick - when you make a match there is a pause then a jerk as the tiles fall. Also: no choice of what to buy or where to put it and the only power up is the basic hammer. (My brother happened to be passing as I was playing and was very impressed with the way the snowflakes in the background move - the best thing about the game in my opinion). If some people can enjoy it, good luck to them, but there are so many much better games out there!
Based on the 1 hour trial I found this much more difficult than Faerie Solitaire - I rarely managed to accumulate enough money to buy a wild card, and as money doesn't seem to accumulate from one level to another I don't see how you're supposed to buy the expensive jewellery in the shop. I never managed to gain enough "heart points" to get a "companion" - perhaps I would have got further in the game if I had. The occasional "Find 10 of a kind" hidden object levels, and the "competing wizards" storyline are good, and the artwork is lovely, but I doubt I'll be buying this.
+2points
9of16voted this as helpful.
Hidden Identity: Chicago Blackout
You awake with amnesia and will need to track down clues to discover your lost identity in this riveting Hidden Object game!
Maybe I wasn't at my brightest when I tried this but it was too difficult for me. I like the slightly tricky clues but got stuck at about level five. The clue says "place the cigarette". I found the cigarette all right but could't find any where to place it and the hint doesn't help - just keeps indicating the cigarette. I have plenty of hidden object/puzzle games which I enjoy much more than this!
The instructions are a bit sloppy - several typos such as pazzle for puzzle and ??????? for Hint Button, but it is possible to work them out. The main puzzle are jigsaws of a kind i've not seen: swap small hexagons to remake a jumbled picture and the main one which is to fit coloured hexagons over a back and white picture. uite tricky ans most of the pieces need to be rotated and one of the pictures is particularly difficult - a rather featureless seascape and sky. (They get easier after this one, and they are very pretty when completed). The minigames consist of two word games I've not seen before and a "turn over two tiles at a tlme and remeber the matches" level.
Can't really review this as I couldn't play it - got into the game but when I clicked on the flower indicated by the tutorial the game kept going into pause mode. Maybe someone else can get it going??
I really like this kind of match 3 now, but it does take some getting used to if you've only played the more usual swap, chain or collapse kind. (Oriental Dreams, and Hexus are the best I've found). Based on just the 1 hour demo there seems to be a good variety of game board shapes and layouts, but it would be better if there was some choice of items to buy. I'm not sure what an earlier reviewer means by power ups - all I've had is a small bomb which appears in the same way as the fruit.