This contributor's Profile
Stat Summary
- Average Rating:3.7
- Helpful Votes:358,445
- Reviews Submitted:4730
- First Review:December 10, 2012
- Most Recent Review:August 3, 2025
- Featured reviews1
Status:
Are you up for a new challenge? Join Emily and Patrick as the moms put the dads through their paces!
Overall rating
4
/
5
63 of 79 found this review helpful
WHAT HAPPENED TO MY BELOVED DELICIOUS SERIES?
PostedFebruary 13, 2018
Anonymous
fromThis one wasn't love at first sight for me
Skill Level:Expert
Current Favorite:
Phantasmat Collector's Edition
(101)Fun Factor
4
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
4
/
5
Level of Challenge
4
/
5
Storyline
4
/
5
The baby's have arrived! The O'Malley's certainly have their hands full now, so Patrick has taken some time off to help Emily, and it's a good thing, because she has a lot of work to catch up on! Her number one fan has just added Little Luna's Products, featuring Emily's recipes, so Emily dives right in to endorse her products! Times have changed, and it's no longer an era of mom's the only one who can handle childcare, and Patrick's got this, right? It's moms vs dads, and my moneys bettin' that Patrick just needs a little nudging in the right direction!
I've always said that the Delicious series is one of the most entertaining TM game series out there. With that being said, I must admit, I didn't like Moms vs Dads right from the get go. I played the first 3 levels and quit, utterly disappointed! Determined to be open minded and less judgemental, I revisited this game, to finish the demo. Everything seemed different, it wasn't my usual Delicious, and Luna seemed to be stealing the show. Emily was stuffed in a corner booth, barely noticeable, quietly restocking fruits, and grilling an occasional carrot or two. After each level, the only shop upgrades available were a few decorations, and the only menu items offered were similar products IF I had sold a specific quantity of the old product, which were boring, olive oil, a single olive a plastic bag, and cannelloni. This is a good TM game, not great, and after completing the demo, my opinion changed slightly. If I compare this to the previous Delicious games, it doesn't hold a candle to them, but if I pretend it's just another TM game, it's a decent game, hopefully that makes sense.
I've always said that the Delicious series is one of the most entertaining TM game series out there. With that being said, I must admit, I didn't like Moms vs Dads right from the get go. I played the first 3 levels and quit, utterly disappointed! Determined to be open minded and less judgemental, I revisited this game, to finish the demo. Everything seemed different, it wasn't my usual Delicious, and Luna seemed to be stealing the show. Emily was stuffed in a corner booth, barely noticeable, quietly restocking fruits, and grilling an occasional carrot or two. After each level, the only shop upgrades available were a few decorations, and the only menu items offered were similar products IF I had sold a specific quantity of the old product, which were boring, olive oil, a single olive a plastic bag, and cannelloni. This is a good TM game, not great, and after completing the demo, my opinion changed slightly. If I compare this to the previous Delicious games, it doesn't hold a candle to them, but if I pretend it's just another TM game, it's a decent game, hopefully that makes sense.
Time Management games of this type are fairly easy to figure out, but not necessarily easy to master within the allotted time frame. The customers will have a thought bubble showing the items they want to eat, as well as their hearts indicating their level of happiness and patients. The goal is to serve them as quickly as possible to get the largest tip possible. The longer you take to serve them, the more hearts they will lose, which means a lower tip, or they might even leave without paying! Some items require a single click to add to your tray, some items require multiple steps, and some food item require you to restock when supplies diminish.
When Carl the mouse pops up, you will receive 100 points if you click on him. You can earn extra points by serving customers super fast, checking out several customers at the same time or serving multiple people consecutively. You can earn Trophy achievements that are actually Postcards that allow you to write personal messages and send them to friends. Some levels have Challenge levels that allow you to earn Diamonds which can be used to decorate the O'Malley's front porch and yard.
Here's a list of the Delicious Series in order of release:
(games with dates are BF release dates)
Here's a list of the Delicious Series in order of release:
(games with dates are BF release dates)
1-Delicious
2-Delicious 2
3-Emily's Tea Garden
4-Emily's Taste of Fame
5-Emily's Holiday Season
6-Emily's Childhood Memories (June 23-2015) 4.1
7-Emily's True Love ((July 22-2015) 4.6
8-Emily's Wonder Wedding (March 11-2015) 4.9
9-Emily's Honeymoon Cruise (March 18-2015) 4.5
10-Emily's New Beginning (December 20-2014) 4.7
11-Emily's Home Sweet Home CE (June 27-2015) 4.9
12-Emily's Hopes and Fears CE (January 2-2016) 4.7
13-Emily's Message in a Bottle CE (September 6-2016) 4.6
14-Emily's Christmas Carol CE (December 13-2016) 4.2
15-Emily's Miracle of Life (November 7-2017) 3.5
16-Emily's Moms vs Dads (February 13-2018) n/a
2-Delicious 2
3-Emily's Tea Garden
4-Emily's Taste of Fame
5-Emily's Holiday Season
6-Emily's Childhood Memories (June 23-2015) 4.1
7-Emily's True Love ((July 22-2015) 4.6
8-Emily's Wonder Wedding (March 11-2015) 4.9
9-Emily's Honeymoon Cruise (March 18-2015) 4.5
10-Emily's New Beginning (December 20-2014) 4.7
11-Emily's Home Sweet Home CE (June 27-2015) 4.9
12-Emily's Hopes and Fears CE (January 2-2016) 4.7
13-Emily's Message in a Bottle CE (September 6-2016) 4.6
14-Emily's Christmas Carol CE (December 13-2016) 4.2
15-Emily's Miracle of Life (November 7-2017) 3.5
16-Emily's Moms vs Dads (February 13-2018) n/a
I recommend this game!
Legends of India
Experience the atmosphere of ancient India while enjoying colorful and brilliantly designed match-3 puzzles.
Overall rating
1
/
5
28 of 32 found this review helpful
I'LL SEARCH FOR THE LOST CITY TREASURE ELSEWHERE'S
PostedFebruary 12, 2018
Anonymous
fromHope that poor little monkey gets those bananas!
Skill Level:Expert
Current Favorite:
Phantasmat Collector's Edition
(101)Fun Factor
1
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
1
/
5
Level of Challenge
1
/
5
Storyline
1
/
5
This is certainly a colorful game, but compared to the other amazing Match 3 game released today...well there isn't any comparison, this game is awful! I had to force myself to make it to level 10, and that's only because I was curious as to why there was a magnifying glass on top of the level icon. Turns out, it was to alert me that there was a horrible HO coming up, involving searching for missing bananas!
Legends of India is by Playzzy Games, the same devs who offer the Secret Investigation games and The Spell, which are also horrible games. The graphics are bright and colorful, but the characters are cartoonish animated in nature, with talking monkeys and an elephant tutorial guide. I suppose this would be a good game for kids, especially given the fact that they don't need to read instructions which are simply shown before each level. This is a Limited Moves type Match 3 game that can be played in an Expert or Relaxed mode of difficulty. The Relaxed mode is untimed and offers more coins in each level, Expert mode is timed with less coins available.
The Level Goals are shown to the left of the board, which usually involves removing a specified amount of a specified tile or tiles, as well as removing Silver Cells by making matches on them. Coins can be collected with a single click, but I have no idea what the coins are for, I found no shop, no upgrades or building to construct to use in exchange for them.
After a couple of levels, the tutorial explained that a Match 4 would award me with a Bomb on the board, but just a couple of levels ahead, the tutorial says that a Match 4 would give me a Cross on the board to use, so that's confusing???
There are the usual obstacles such as crates to bust by making matches next to them, and the sound effects certainly get loud when they burst, the music also gets extremely loud during the pop up score board, which was really annoying, and seemed to take forever because of it. Apparently, I found missing artifacts during the levels, because the game would take me to a dark room, where an object would magically appear, and when I exited the game, the dark cellar room was tucked neatly into a treasure chest at the bottom of my screen. I wasn't aware I had found these items, what am I supposed to do with them? Should I store my useless coins in the treasure chest too?
I just can't see the value in this Match 3 game. It's boring, it doesn't make sense, there's no exciting features, it's basic bare boned, it's just no fun, I wouldn't even use a PCC to buy this game.
I don't recommend this game.
Be the hero Olympus needs and save the city from new threats in this match-three puzzler!
Overall rating
5
/
5
149 of 165 found this review helpful
A MATCH 3 LEGEND HAS BEEN BORN!
PostedFebruary 12, 2018
Anonymous
fromYou even get to assemble puzzles!
Skill Level:Expert
Current Favorite:
Phantasmat Collector's Edition
(101)Fun Factor
5
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
5
/
5
Level of Challenge
5
/
5
Storyline
5
/
5
Heroes of Hellas fans have been waiting a long time for this amazing Match 3 game to be released, and this game was well worth the wait! This is a Chain type M3 game, that can be played in a Timed or UnTimed mode of difficulty. There are 12 Rewards or Achievements to earn, and 15 Bonus Chapters to unlock, as you team up with Hermes to rebuild the Pantheon of Heroes.
It took me a few levels to really get into the game, but once I got the hang of it, and figured out the mechanics and features of the game, it quickly became addictive. When you make long chain matches, Coins will appear on the board. Coins can be used as a Wildcard so to speak, because they can be included in a match with any tile, as long as there are 3 or more tles total in the chain. Resources and Gems can be collected by dropping them off of the honeycomb shaped board, and Weapon Pieces are hidden underneath the Brown celled tiles, which require a match made on top of the brown cells. Gold Tiles can also be collected by making matches on them.
Power-ups will appear on the board such as Bombs and directional Lightning Bolts, which are activated when you include them within a Chain Match. Other power-ups such as Hermes, will shuffle the tiles, once you select the Icon. This type of power-up, must be recharged by matching the green tiles, or whichever color tile is associated with the the power-up. Winged Tiles will reveal hidden sections of the board, once they are activated by including in a chain. Storm Clouds partially cover the board, and require matches made next to them, to make the clouds dissipate. Ropes require a being included in a chain match with whichever tiles are covered by the ropes. Stone Monoliths can only be removed when you include the tile with the same symbol on each monolith, has been matched.
Even though I'm not a fan of Chain type Match 3 games, there are a few select games, that just somehow works for me, such as Cradle of Persia, and of course Heroes of Hellas. If you don't like this type of M3, I urge you to at least try the demo, I think this game may change your mind about it, enjoy!
HEROES OF HELLAS GAMES AVAILABLE
Title***Release Date***Average Rating
Title***Release Date***Average Rating
Heroes of Hellas 1 (April 15-2009) 4.2
Heroes of Hellas 2: Olympia (January 13-2010) 4.5
Heroes of Hellas 3: Athens (October 26-2011) 4.7
Heroes of Hellas 4: Birth of Legend (February 12-2018) n/a
Heroes of Hellas 2: Olympia (January 13-2010) 4.5
Heroes of Hellas 3: Athens (October 26-2011) 4.7
Heroes of Hellas 4: Birth of Legend (February 12-2018) n/a
by: Alawar Entertainment
by: Jaibo Games
by: Jaibo Games
I recommend this game!
Trial of the Gods: Ariadne’s Journey
Prince Theseus has been captured by cruel Amazons and it’s up to you to help Ariadne on her dangerous and exciting journey!
Overall rating
4
/
5
7 of 7 found this review helpful
ADDICTIVE GEM MATCH 3
PostedFebruary 11, 2018
Anonymous
fromI still get amazed when I discover an older game that has better features than some of the newer games!
Skill Level:Expert
Current Favorite:
Cradle of Rome
(35)Fun Factor
4
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
4
/
5
Level of Challenge
4
/
5
Storyline
4
/
5
I came across this Match 3 game by accident, and it turned out to be a decent Match 3 game. After playing the demo, I realized that this is the second game of a sequel, the first one is, Trial of the Gods: Ariadne's Fate. I haven't played the first one yet, but it didn't receive very good ratings, so I'm not super eager to check that one out.
You can play two different modes, Ariadne's Adventure, which follows a storyline and can be played in a Timed or Untimed mode. Level goals are shown at the bottom, and when the level goals have been completed, you receive a new item to restore the goddess's temple. You must figure out where to place the items in the temple, (highlighted) When several items have been placed, you will earn an Artifact to help you progress.
In Ariadne's Loom, your goal is to move the spool of thread down to the bottom of the board. The spools will eventually weave the tapestry, and the game has no time limits to accomplish the goals.
When you make large matches, you will earn Bonuses on the board. A match 4 earns you an Emerald gem which removes all tiles in a horizontal line. A match 5 earns you an Onyx gem which removes all tiles in a vertical row. Making two matches within one move earns you a Topaz gem, which will remove all tiles in a diagonal line. Making consecutive matches quickly will earn you either a Quartz gem that removes all tiles of the same color matched, a Purple Celestial Sphere that removes a small group of adjacent tiles, or a Brown Celestial Sphere that removes a large group of adjacent tiles, when you collect Coins with a single click before they disappear.
Magic Artifacts given to you by the gods, such as a Hammer to remove any vertical line of tiles you choose, or a Caduceus' which shuffles all the tiles, can be recharged by making matches over all brown cells.
There are Obstacles such as Purses of gems, that require a match of whichever gem is shown on the purse, or a power-up to remove, or Grids that must either be dropped off of the board, or destroyed with a power-up. The grid allows you to make matches with the gems inside, but the grid will remain on the board until destroyed or dropped off. The purses cannot be moved even if you are swapping with a different useable tile, until it is matched with 2 others of the same gem as shown inside the purse.
There are also Hidden Object Scenes to break up the monotony, and I enjoyed some of the level goals of making matches with all gems that have pearls on them, or collecting all Playing Cards for example. It's an older Match 3 game, and the graphics aren't all that great, but it's still a fun and addictive game, enjoy!
I recommend this game!
Can you stop an old evil from wreaking its vengeance?
Overall rating
3
/
5
27 of 35 found this review helpful
I DON'T THINK THIS GAME IS HORRIBLE, IT'S JUST NOT GREAT
PostedFebruary 11, 2018
Anonymous
from"All your descendants will suffer" why? They didn't do anything!
Skill Level:Expert
Current Favorite:
Phantasmat Collector's Edition
(101)Fun Factor
3
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
3
/
5
Level of Challenge
3
/
5
Storyline
3
/
5
I actually believe that this game has potential as a new series. It's not a fantastic game, it's just an okay game, but I think Deep Shadows can take some constructive criticism, and mold this game into a fantastic detective series.
This is one of those games that was stretched with unnecessary filler tasks to make it appear to be a longer game, it has 5 Chapters and a Bonus Chapter. I found myself getting bored towards the end of each chapter, but only because of said filler tasks, that really added nothing to the story. Each chapter is basically about thwarting Malefic's evil agenda, and trying to save a different victim.
Fortunately, there isn't a lot of back and forthing, because most items are found and used within that scene, or the previous scene. I did find too many of the puzzles to be the frustrating kind, throughout the game, the kind where clicking on one, affects several others. To me, those types of puzzles don't require as much skill as they do patience, therefore, they are just frustrating, aggravating and not that fun, and a little goes a long way, but that's just my personal preference.
As I said earlier, I don't think this is a horrible game, but there's nothing special about it, which makes it average. However, I do think Deep Shadows should continue with this series, because I love a good detective game, I would especially love a detective game that takes place in modern times. Here's a recap of my review to help you decide which version, if either, is right for you:
Burned at the stake, purified by fire (nope, its not a marshmallow) accused of atrocious, unspeakable crimes and witchcraft. Such a savage punishment, yet, before the flames engulfed his entire body, Malefic vowed to return. "You and all your descendants will suffer" That was two hundred and fifty years ago, but Detective Pike fears the "Man of Shadows" has returned to enact his revenge upon the distant relatives who so barbarically ended his life.
Detective Pike seems to be the only one who believes that Katherine Garrison-Oaks was murdered, much less at the hands of a city legend superstition. He has asked Claire Arlington to join his investigation, and help him get proof that the Man of Shadows has once again returned. Claire has a supernatural gift, one that allows her to see past events with the help of an all seeing Amulet. I know, I know, another amulet, another psychic medium that sees into the past while in a trance, been there done that, but the "Eye Amulet" isn't used that often, and there's not really any repetitive puzzle involved. The graphics are well done, and I thought the Hidden Object Scenes and Mini Games were very well constructed, although I do think they went overboard with the puzzles where, moving one affects others, which to me are frustrating. I want to see more from Deep Shadow Games, I think they're on to something here!
In the Collector's Edition version, each scene has a Hidden Symbol, and most of the Hidden Object Scenes have a Morphing Object, as indicated by a drop down icon that appears and disappears once found. The Eye Amulet is used about 3 or 4 times within the demo, but you don't have to scan the room or complete a mini game to use it, the only thing the amulet is actually used for, is to show a brief movie clip of a past event. Evidence is gathered in groups of usually 3 items, and will automatically go into the Evidence icon.
One of the Hidden Object Scenes I'm happy to report, was actually cleverly constructed. (unfortunately this game is a bit lite in the HOP department) I don't usually find HOP's all that impressive nowadays, because in most games they are just random items thrown into a pile of junk. I particularly enjoyed the HOP where you had to find listed objects in pairs, such as 2 arrows or 2 ink impressions. Another one I liked, was a simple Interactive List that opens up once you find the silhouetted shapes and placed them into the matching sections. There are a total of 20 Hidden Object Scenes total in this game.
The Mini Games are decent, but tend to lean towards the easy side of the scale.Several of the puzzles are categorized as super puzzles, which simply means puzzles that are back to back in a 3 pack. There are a total of 18 Super Puzzles available in this game. Below are brief descriptions of some of the games you'll encounter during the demo:
1) Click on puzzle sections until the box image matches te pictured clue.
2) Move color coded tiles to their matching colored slots, by clicking tiles in that will move 1 space at a time in an indicated direction. The direction will change when the tile passes over a directional arrow, and tiles can push each other as well. (challenging and somewhat lengthy but I really liked this one)
3) Swap tiles to complete the pattern.
4) Restore the image by rotating discs, rotating one disc may affect others. (look for the pattern)
5) Move the colored chains to their matching colored cells. (medium challenge but doable and enjoyable)
6) Swap labels to match the symbols shown on the label and the bottles. (part 1/3)
7) Recreate the photo by finding matching symbols flipping 2 tiles at a time (part 2/3
8) Use directional arrows to scroll through the pictures to find a matching hair sample (part 3/3)
DEEP SHADOWS GAMES AVAILABLE
Medium Detective*Tales of Terror*Haunted Train*Family Tales*Exorcist*Whispered Stories*Sandra Fleming Chronicles
Medium Detective*Tales of Terror*Haunted Train*Family Tales*Exorcist*Whispered Stories*Sandra Fleming Chronicles
The Collector's Edition has 8 Wallpapers, 8 Concept Art pictures, 6 Music Soundtracks, 15 Achievements to earn, 10 Morphing Objects within the HOP's, 32 Hidden Symbol Signs, a built in Strategy Guide and a Bonus Chapter, enjoy!
Jigsaws Galore
Put together the beautiful jigsaws included, or make your own new puzzles from photos or screen captures in Jigsaws Galore!
Overall rating
5
/
5
26 of 28 found this review helpful
THIS JIGSAW IS NOW OVER 20 YEARS OLD BUT HAS BETTER GRAPHICS AND MORE FEATURES THAN JIGSAWS IN 2018!???!!
PostedFebruary 11, 2018
Anonymous
fromand to think, I've been complaining about puzzles not having these options, and it was here all along!
Skill Level:Expert
Current Favorite:
Jigsaws Galore
(121)Fun Factor
5
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
5
/
5
Level of Challenge
5
/
5
Storyline
5
/
5
I'm a jigsaw geek and have put together thousands of physical jigsaws, I even completed the world's largest jigsaw, which comes in 4 sections, each section contains 6000 pieces. (I had to tape 4 six foot tables together just to hold one section, and had to place the puzzle pieces on several paper plates!) I started transitioning over to virtual puzzles, which are a whole lot cheaper and I never lose pieces lol. But something was just "missing" it wasn't the same. To make matters worse, most of the puzzles offered by BF are from the same dev, and they offer the same cookie cutter versions, all of which are lacking customizable features, with not so thrilling pictures offered.
Well folks, all that has changed, because I finally discovered this game, Jigsaws Galore! Apparently this game was released in 1996, but I can assure you, this game is still ALIVE AND KICKING! There are 200 puzzles included in this version, but Gray Design Associates still offers upgrades, the game version is currently on version 7 as of 2017, and you can also get more puzzle packages, hundred of more puzzles, and you can capture any picture from your desktop to use as a puzzle, OR use the completed puzzles as a screensaver that puts the puzzle together, piece by piece!
Most puzzle games have the same boring features, and most allow you to modify the shape and amount of pieces, usually up to 300 pieces, boring huh? How would you like to assemble a puzzle with up to 64,000 pieces? Yep, you guessed it, Puzzles Galore has that option! There's so many options, there's probably an option for the options! Here's some bullet point features I have discovered so far, that I think are just amazing!
*Each category is kept in folders, the pictures inside each folder is shown as thumbnails, choose the size of each thumbnail, create and label as many new folders as you want.
*Capture your own images, or import photos, you can even crop specific sections, you can also share pictures with others who have Jigsaws Galore.
*Change the size, shape or number of pieces, you can even change these features midway through a puzzle without having to restart the puzzle.
*Choose the shape of the pieces, you can even add "fun" or "mystery shaped" pieces to the mixture by %, for example, add 5% of fish shaped pieces randomly into the puzzle, or 0 if you just want normal shaped pieces.
*Ghost the image, choose the brightness of the ghosted picture, hang a picture for reference, choose the background color or type of material.
*Open up trays to hold puzzle pieces, choose the color of each tray and label the trays, right click each tray and fetch the pieces you want in each tray, such as blue pieces, or fun shaped pieces, you can choose how to arrange the pieces within each tray, line the trays along the sides, top or bottom.
*Select how you want to sort the puzzle pieces, along the edges, in grid formation, random, you can ever de-arrange pieces, and this option is available inside each tray. They will even arrange by grouping the same shaped puzzle pieces together.
*The toolbar can be on the top, bottom or side, and you can hide the toolbar to give you more room.
*There is a zoom feature, a magnifying glass which can be set at different strengths.
*Choose how thick or thin the pieces are, add shadows, turn on/off anti-aliasing (graphics realism) whether you want the outlines to disappear once the pieces snap together to show a smooth image. You can even choose the snap distance of the pieces, choose puzzle piece rotation, clockwise or counterclockwise.
*Auto save the puzzle at specific intervals, such as every 5 minutes, never loose your progress.
*Use tools such as undo, demo, next piece finds, hints, mystery mode, auto solve, overlay pictures, zoom, or even timers. It even shows you the number of pieces in the puzzle, and how many pieces you have placed.
If you don't like complicated features, and you just want to do a puzzle the way it is, that's okay too, just double click on any picture and voila! But if your like me, and need to be able to customize each and every aspect, this puzzle will make you jump for joy, look no further than Jigsaws Galore, enjoy!
I recommend this game!
Recover the artifact that contains the secrets of H.E.L.P.'s past.
Overall rating
4
/
5
89 of 126 found this review helpful
THE LEGACY MUST BE PRESERVED, THE SECRET MUST REMAIN HIDDEN!
PostedFebruary 10, 2018
Anonymous
fromThe fact card factoids aren't that interesting this go round??
Skill Level:Expert
Current Favorite:
Phantasmat Collector's Edition
(101)Fun Factor
4
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
4
/
5
Level of Challenge
4
/
5
Storyline
4
/
5
Your mission Agent, should you choose to except it, involves buying an artifact at the Geneva Auction House. The artifact, known as the Golden Wheel, contains vital information pertaining to when H.E.L.P was founded. This should be an open and shut case, and you should be able to return to return to the slopes, and enjoy the remainder of your vacation, quickly......yeah, right!
Since The Golden Secret is on the topic of H.E.L.P's origins I thought I'd add a little of my own research that I included on one of my earlier HE reviews. I researched some fun facts, because I wanted to find out what H.E.L.P stood for, the P was stumping me. It turns out that this league has had a few name changes over the years, that I didn't even realize! In Hidden Expedition: Titanic, the league went by the name of H.E.A.L, which was the Hidden Expedition Adventure League. In Hidden Expedition: Everest, the league was simply the Hidden Expedition Club, and in Hidden Expedition: Devil's Triangle, it was referred to as H.E.A.T which stood for Hidden Expedition Adventure Team. The newer games have transitioned into the name H.E.L.P which stands for Hidden Expedition League of Preservation. Pretty cool useless information right?
I'll admit, when I saw today's Hidden Expedition game, I got kind of bummed out. Let's face it, the games in this series, lately have been less than stellar. I was pleasantly surprised! This game actually has a very interesting plot, but there are still some major epic fails as far as logic goes. The features are everything I expected, but it's because Eipix never "thinks outside the box" is it because of laziness, or because they are on the top of the HOPA pile and they don't think they need to? I would really love to see the famous H.E.L.P box upgraded to reflect technology of the first century of the 3rd millennium, the century of the Anno Domini era, better know as the 21st century! It's the equivalence of carrying around a large boom box instead of a cell phone or mp3 device! The "artifact" in question has more technology than my help box, and to make matters worse, the surveillance video was recorded on a VHS tape! (are those still available?)
SPOILER ALERT:
Funny Logic Fails (or things that just don't make sense)
Funny Logic Fails (or things that just don't make sense)
*why did I help myself to the receptionist's printer ink cartridge? Those are expensive, couldn't I ask first?
*after the robbery, my partner says "I'll make sure the police don't get involved" really?
*Sam has set me up with a rental car, when I open the trunk, I discover not only a whole slew of miscellaneous items, including, old shoes, baseballs, and leftover chinese?
*the rent-a-cop asks me to stop the bleeding (don't worry there's no blood) before he can access the before mentioned VHS tape, yet the second I bandage him (which btw, that loose safety pinned cloth does wonders) he immediately hands me the tape?
*Thank goodness the perp took off his mask and looked straight into the camera?
*why does H.E.L.P have so many employees going rogue, don't they do backgrounds checks, they are a spy organization after all?
* why do I try to disguise my appearance, then pick up a large fish net to carry, won't that draw unwanted attention?
END SPOILER ALERT
The Hidden Object Scenes are varied, and they have done a nice job of incorporating the HOP's relevant to the story, such as while searching for files in a filing cabinet. There are List finds, Keywords in Sentence finds, Multiple finds, and the typical HE, find items that fit the descriptions of two pictures added together as combo items, such as a quill & ink equals a pen. There are also a few zoom zone HOP's where you are tasked with finding a handful of items within a small zoomed in window. Most of the main HOP's have a Morphing Object, that is indicated with an icon on the right of the inventory bar.
The Mini Games are not bad, and range from easy to medium difficulty, without too much frustration. Below are brief descriptions of some of the games you'll encounter during the demo:
1) Select 3 different numbers whose sum equals the number the auctioneer calls out. This is required a total of 4 times.
2) Drag the signs (<,>, =) to the correct boxes to compare facial features between 2 photographs.
3) Drag all directional fragments to form a path for the claw to take.
4) Rearrange the tiles to form multiple patterns on a 3 tiered corner puzzle.
HIDDEN EXPEDITION GAMES AVAILABLE
Title***Collector's Edition Release Date***Average Rating
Title***Collector's Edition Release Date***Average Rating
1-Titanic (Standard Edition only) (July 22-2006) 3.6
2-Everest (Standard Edition only) (June 1-2007) 3.3
3-Amazon (Standard Edition only) (June 20-2008) 3.7
4-Devil's Triangle (Standard Edition only)(October 24-2009) 3.6
5-The Uncharted Islands (August 14-2011) 3.2
6-Smithsonian Hope Diamond (December 20-2013) n/a
7-The Crown of Solomon (July 3-2014) 4.1
8-Smithsonian Castle (December 24-2014) n/a
9-Dawn of Prosperity (August 27-2015) 3.7
10-The Fountain of Youth (January 7-2016) 4.3
11-Midgard's End (June 2-2016) 4.1
12-The Eternal Emperor (September 1-2016) 3.5
13-The Lost Paradise (December 22-2016) 3.7
14-The Pearl of Discord (April 8-2017) 3.8
15-The Curse of Mithridates (October 28-2017) 3.9
16-The Golden Secret (February 10-2018) n/a
2-Everest (Standard Edition only) (June 1-2007) 3.3
3-Amazon (Standard Edition only) (June 20-2008) 3.7
4-Devil's Triangle (Standard Edition only)(October 24-2009) 3.6
5-The Uncharted Islands (August 14-2011) 3.2
6-Smithsonian Hope Diamond (December 20-2013) n/a
7-The Crown of Solomon (July 3-2014) 4.1
8-Smithsonian Castle (December 24-2014) n/a
9-Dawn of Prosperity (August 27-2015) 3.7
10-The Fountain of Youth (January 7-2016) 4.3
11-Midgard's End (June 2-2016) 4.1
12-The Eternal Emperor (September 1-2016) 3.5
13-The Lost Paradise (December 22-2016) 3.7
14-The Pearl of Discord (April 8-2017) 3.8
15-The Curse of Mithridates (October 28-2017) 3.9
16-The Golden Secret (February 10-2018) n/a
BY: EIPIX ENTERTAINMENT
OTHER GAMES BY EIPIX ENTERTAINMENT:
Danse Macabre*Saga of the Nine Worlds*Mystery Case Files*Dead Reckoning*Hidden Expedition*Phantasmat*Vermillion Watch*Amaranthine Voyage*Dark Parables*Sea of Lies*Final Cut*Off The Record*Fearful Tales*Myths of the World
Danse Macabre*Saga of the Nine Worlds*Mystery Case Files*Dead Reckoning*Hidden Expedition*Phantasmat*Vermillion Watch*Amaranthine Voyage*Dark Parables*Sea of Lies*Final Cut*Off The Record*Fearful Tales*Myths of the World
This Collector's Edition version has 8 Wallpapers, 8 Concept Art pictures, 9 Movie Videos, 9 Music Soundtracks, 14 re-playable Hidden Object Scenes, 12 Morphing Objects within the HOP's, a Souvenir Room, 17 re-playable Mini Game Puzzles, 13 Achievements to earn, collectible Fact Cards, 36 Hidden Signs, a built in Strategy Guide and a Bonus Chapter, enjoy!
I recommend this game!
The contract must be fulfilled, but your girlfriend will pay the price!
Overall rating
3
/
5
57 of 66 found this review helpful
THE MUSIC IN YOUR HEART HAS THE POWER TO FREE EVERYONE
PostedFebruary 9, 2018
Anonymous
fromWhy is Michael's violin in pieces, isn't he attending a University devoted to music?
Skill Level:Expert
Current Favorite:
Phantasmat Collector's Edition
(101)Fun Factor
3
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
3
/
5
Level of Challenge
3
/
5
Storyline
3
/
5
After completing the entire game, I have bumped my rating up a star from my review of the Collector's Edition demo. I thought that the game improved after the demo, not by leaps and bounds, but it was less boring. The game is fairly easy, and there isn't a lot of back-and-forthing, most items you find are used in the same scene or one previous. It is on the short side, with just 4 chapters, but I think it seemed shorter because it was an easy game to play. There were two features that rather annoyed me, the first, was having to place each item exactly where the gears were, not just "near" the general area. The second seems kind of petty, but when an inventory item had multiples, such as 6 berries, you have to click 6 different times to place all 6 items not just a group placement and they all go to the same place. Here's a recap of my review to help you decide which version, if either, is right for you:
The Eternal Dance is just another story about someone who makes the devil a deal, but refuses to honor the contract when payment is due. Although there is a slight twist to Theo's motive for making the deal in the first place, there's nothing new, nothing exciting about it, and it certainly doesn't hold a candle to the original Cadenza, Music, Betrayal and Death.
One thing I loved about the Cadenza series was that it was realistic and believable, so I was really disappointed that not only did the story seem far fetched, but when they introduced a gadget, I knew it was game over. The Cryptex is used to activate various musical machines, which as far as gadgets go, isn't on the upper scale of Ripley's believe it or not, but still......? In the Collector's Edition version, there are 33 Dancing Pair Collectibles, and 33 Treasure Hunt Collectibles (Bonus section) and 14 Hidden Object Scene Morphing Items to find. I missed a couple of Morph's, and was happy that I was able to replay those HO's to collect the morphs I missed. I didn't bother with the BC, because it was a story that takes place on the "honeymoon" and I really had no interest to play this particular scenario, so I don't know if there's an opportunity to go back and search for any missing Dancing Couple's collectibles.
The Hidden Object Scenes are basically all the same, but they are multi-layered, some have a small Mini Game, and the CE version has a Morphing Object to find in each one. There are Interactive List finds, Silhouetted Shape finds and items to place into the scene where they logically belong.
The Mini Games aren't that fun, and most are far to easy to solve. I don't expect games to be so challenging they're frustrating, and I don't mind easy puzzles, as long as they are fun, but for me personally, these were not that fun. Below are brief descriptions of some of the games you'll encounter during the demo:
1-Rearrange the numbers to match the sequence on the clue, by moving chips to available highlighted slots.
2-Arrange the 4 lyre symbols around the center using rotational arrows.
3-Cryptex puzzle requiring you to swap jewels to make matches of 3 identical jewels until all have disappeared.
4-Set the pressure gauge to zero by adjusting valves of different numbered values (+ or-)
5-Find and place the missing pieces of the image correctly.
6-Play the bells in the correct order as shown on the clue.
7-Place puzzle pieces correctly by clicking and dragging pieces to their correct highlighted slots.
CADENZA GAMES AVAILABLE
Title***Collector's Edition Release Date***Average Rating
Title***Collector's Edition Release Date***Average Rating
1-Music, Betrayal and Death (April 12-2014) 4.8
2-The Kiss of Death (April 4-2015) 4.1
3-Havana Nights (March 19-2016) 4.0
4-Fame, Theft and Murder (March 4-2017) 3.8
5-The Eternal Dance (January 11-2018) 3.7
2-The Kiss of Death (April 4-2015) 4.1
3-Havana Nights (March 19-2016) 4.0
4-Fame, Theft and Murder (March 4-2017) 3.8
5-The Eternal Dance (January 11-2018) 3.7
by: Mad Head Games
MAD HEAD GAMES AVAILABLE:
Cadenza*Shadowplay*Donna Brave*Fright Chasers*Rite of Passage*Dawn of Hope*Maze*Dark Realm*Nevertales*Beyond*Adam Wolfe
Cadenza*Shadowplay*Donna Brave*Fright Chasers*Rite of Passage*Dawn of Hope*Maze*Dark Realm*Nevertales*Beyond*Adam Wolfe
This Collector's Edition has 4 Wallpapers, Concept Art pictures, 8 Music Soundtracks, 10 Achievements to earn, 14 Hidden Object Scenes, 14 HOS Morphing Objects, 33 Dancing Pair Collectibles, 33 Treasure Hunt Collectibles, a built in Strategy Guide and a Bonus Chapter.
Save the town and free your husband from a witch's vengeance.
Overall rating
3
/
5
180 of 254 found this review helpful
HOW FAR WOULD YOU BE WILLING TO GO FOR THE ONES YOU LOVE?
PostedFebruary 8, 2018
Anonymous
fromWhy am I always the last to know?
Skill Level:Expert
Current Favorite:
Phantasmat Collector's Edition
(101)Fun Factor
3
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
3
/
5
Level of Challenge
3
/
5
Storyline
3
/
5
It's a beautiful day for a romantic rendezvous with your husband Theodore, that is, until a beautiful, much younger, blonde woman swoops in to woo your man, that witch! No seriously, she's a witch, and she's got some serious issues going on. Turns out, this isn't going to be the perfect place to settle down after retirement, well, it could be, but you'll just have to do it solo, cause apparently everyone in town, knows about this home-wrecking witch but you of course, and everyone knows that once she steals your man, he ain't never coming home. I say it's probably for the best, but the show must go on!
I had a really hard time connecting to the story line on this game, or perhaps I should say lack thereof? I felt like I had to connect a lot of dots and fill in the gaps, especially during the Blonde/Theodore incident, but maybe it was just me. The graphics are decent, but they usually are by this dev. I must admit, I about fell out of my computer chair when I discovered that this Collector's Edition version had Morphing Objects, and they are in the scenes themselves, NOT the HOP's whoo hoo! Once I up righted myself, however, I was zapped back to reality when I discovered that the Eipix staple Hidden Signs had not been altered, baby steps right?
The Hidden Object Scenes are varied, but predictable, with Interactive List finds, Silhouetted Shape finds and those famous HOP's where you find 2 sets of multiple items that gives you a tool to use once found, and that tool opens up the remaining object list. You can play a Skipping Stones alternative game instead of the HOP if you're not into the HOP's.
The Mini Games are way too basic, and quite simply are boring, with the exception of the Frog puzzle. Below are brief descriptions of some of the games you'll encounter during the demo:
1) Arrange the wooden boards to cover all gaps, you must use all boards.
2) Click on two clouds at a time to make matches of two identical symbols.
3) Climb up to the window using directional arrows to avoid obstacles (the grunts and groans drove me nutz)
4) Click on 5 semi hidden berries to move the foliage (that's a toughie!)
5) Drag the tokens from the water onto the orange spots, by planning the frog's path so it reaches the lotus flower and avoids snakes.
This Collector's Edition has 8 Wallpapers, 6 Concept Art pictures, 7 Movie Videos, 9 Music Soundtracks, re-playable Skipping Stones games, 25 re-playable Mini Games, 13 re-playable Hidden Object Scenes, a Souvenir Room, 13 Achievements to earn, 34 Hidden Signs (Blue Hearts) 17 Morphing Objects, a built in Strategy Guide and a Bonus Chapter.
MYTHS OF THE WORLD GAMES AVAILABLE
Title***Collector's Edition Release Date***Average Rating
Title***Collector's Edition Release Date***Average Rating
1-Chinese Healer (January 29-2013) 4.3
2-Stolen Spring (November 6-2013) 3.6
3-Spirit Wolf (January 23-2014) 4.2
4-Of Friends and Fairies (June 7-2014) 4.1
5-Black Rose (October 25-2014) 4.3
6-The Heart of Desolation (April 11-2015) 4.2
7-The Whispering Marsh (September 3-2015) 4.1
8-Born of Clay and Fire (March 10-2016) 4.0
9-Island of Forgotten Evil (August 18-2016) 3.3
10-Bound by the Stone (December 17-2016) 3.0
11-The Black Sun (March 18-2017) 3.3
12-Fire of Olympus (July 6-2017) 2.9
13-Behind the Veil (November 11-2017) 3.0
14-Love Beyond (February 8-2018) n/a
2-Stolen Spring (November 6-2013) 3.6
3-Spirit Wolf (January 23-2014) 4.2
4-Of Friends and Fairies (June 7-2014) 4.1
5-Black Rose (October 25-2014) 4.3
6-The Heart of Desolation (April 11-2015) 4.2
7-The Whispering Marsh (September 3-2015) 4.1
8-Born of Clay and Fire (March 10-2016) 4.0
9-Island of Forgotten Evil (August 18-2016) 3.3
10-Bound by the Stone (December 17-2016) 3.0
11-The Black Sun (March 18-2017) 3.3
12-Fire of Olympus (July 6-2017) 2.9
13-Behind the Veil (November 11-2017) 3.0
14-Love Beyond (February 8-2018) n/a
by: Eipix Entertainment
Other Games by Eipix:
Danse Macabre/Saga of the Nine Worlds/Mystery Case Files/Dead Reckoning/Hidden Expedition/Phantasmat/Vermillion Watch/Amaranthine Voyage/Dark Parables/Sea of Lies/Final Cut/Off The Record/Fearful Tales
Danse Macabre/Saga of the Nine Worlds/Mystery Case Files/Dead Reckoning/Hidden Expedition/Phantasmat/Vermillion Watch/Amaranthine Voyage/Dark Parables/Sea of Lies/Final Cut/Off The Record/Fearful Tales
I don't recommend this game.
Wake up your sleeping brain with this unique mix of puzzle games and trivia questions.
Overall rating
5
/
5
56 of 66 found this review helpful
IT'S BEEN A LONG TIME SINCE WE'VE BEEN TREATED TO A BRAIN TEASER
PostedFebruary 7, 2018
Anonymous
fromLook at the bright side, it's a fifty-fifty shot!
Skill Level:Expert
Current Favorite:
Phantasmat Collector's Edition
(101)Fun Factor
5
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
5
/
5
Level of Challenge
5
/
5
Storyline
5
/
5
I was super excited to see a Brain Teaser game today, and I had a blast playing it. With that being said, I do wish they had included a "freeplay" section option, that would allow you to select specific categories to play, not just Wheel of Fortune, luck of the draw feature. I also wish that the categories increased in difficulty levels as you progressed. I have a game I purchased several years ago, in this same wheelhouse, that did just that, each category progressed in levels, and each level became increasingly more difficult. You could also choose the exact brain teaser you wanted to master, and I gotta tell you, some of the simplest sounding games were the hardest. (since I can't mention the name, you're welcome to PM me :)
You start out with 5 Lives and you can either spin the Wheel of Fortune wheel or click the "I'm Feeling Lucky" icon, to randomly select the next Game Category. The wheel of fortune also has extra lives you can win if the arrow lands on a heart, and then you'll receive an extra spin, so you'll probably want to opt for TWoF over the feeling lucky icon.
Each game category begins with a simple set of instructions, and each game category will cost you one of your Heart Lives to play, Then you simply choose the Right or Left picture (either by clicking the arrows or by clicking the picture itself) to answer the question or select the correct answer. If you select the correct answers for an entire category, you will earn an extra life, but if you select the incorrect answer, you won't lose a Life, but the game category ends at that point.
After completing the game category, you continue by answering Trivia Questions in the same manner, (right or left) until the Time Remaining from the game category runs out. After each question don't forget to click "next" for the next question, because the more questions you can fit in, the more chances you'll get at earning more lives. There are also Extra Lives available, by clicking on Hearts that randomly appear on the game pages, but if you don't click them quickly, they'll disappear.
I played this game for the entire demo, but was never given the opportunity to play all of the game categories, which I assume was their way of getting you to purchase the game, so you could finally access the other categories. The categories I was able to access, aren't really that difficult, which is why it would have been nice if the games in each category, would progress in difficulty each time. If they were more difficult each time, I didn't notice it. Here's a list of brief descriptions of each of the game categories I was able to play:
1-Word Search: choose the side that contains the words (shown 1 at a time) in word search samples.
2-Stacked Discs: choose the side that contains the exact shapes that are shown stacked in the example and not stacked in the picture choices.
3-Hidden Objects: choose the side that contains the hidden object shown as either a picture, or word for the example.
4-Mystic Symbols: choose the side that has the exact Symbol shown.
5-Memory Game: you are shown cards to memorize on each side briefly, once they flip over, a card is shown at the top, choose which side contains that card by memory.
6-Pattern Finders: choose the side that contains the exact pattern shown.
7-Bigger/Smaller: choose the side that contains the biggest value.
8-Color Blocks: choose which side shows the same number of blocks as shown.
9-Missing Numbers: choose the side where the given number is missing in a series of numbered tiles.
There are 7 Trophies to earn, and if you run out of Heart Lives, the game simply starts over. The Trivia questions range in questions about Movie Stars, Animal facts, famous Landmarks, Countries Currency, Colors, Fruits, Flags, Population, and even Inventions and Which came First questions. Although it's a Timed game, there is usually plenty of time to finish the games themselves but is designed to prompt you to make split second decisions on Trivia questions. It's not as "Brain Challenging" as the game I mentioned in the beginning of this review, but it is fun, and worthy of a PCC, enjoy!
I recommend this game!