pennmom36's Profile
Stat Summary
- Average Rating:3.7
- Helpful Votes:358,445
- Reviews Submitted:4724
- First Review:December 10, 2012
- Most Recent Review:July 6, 2025
- Featured reviews0
Status:
Nancy Drew: The Silent Spy
Defuse a toxic plot and reveal the truth behind Kate Drew's death!
Overall rating
5
/
5
131 of 139 found this review helpful
What Really Happened To Nancy Drew's Momma?
PostedOctober 29, 2014
pennmom36
fromSleuthing runs in the family!
Skill Level:Expert
Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Hidden Object, Match 3, Time Management, Puzzle
Current Favorite:
Phantasmat Collector's Edition
(101)Fun Factor
5
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
5
/
5
Level of Challenge
5
/
5
Storyline
5
/
5
First of all this is NOT an Hidden Object Adventure, if you haven't played any of the Nancy Drew series this may disappoint you. I know it's difficult to purchase a game sight unseen (no available demo) but you should give it a try. I would recommend to select Amateur Sleuth mode which has regular puzzles, a detailed task list and available hints, if you are a beginner.
Nancy has been invited to Glasgow by MI5 because of who she is not what she is. Certain events have forced MI5 to reopen Kate Drew's accident investigation which is now considered to be a case of murder, a case that has been unsolved for years. Evidence suggests that Kate was killed in a single car accident on the outskirts of Glasgow, by the group she was investigating. When Nancy arrives in Glasgow things become even more confusing when she reads a letter that states the MI5 has lied to her and that they would be keeping an eye on her but they won't protect her! How's that for a murder mystery?
This game is different than any other game out there, you will be given tasks to complete in the form of a checklist and you can keep track of your observations and suspects in the journal (a must for your investigation) If you have opted for the Amatuer Slueth mode, you can click on the question mark next to the task to receive additional "advice" but there isn't much hand holding or directional arrows to lead you along. There is an inventory bar that holds items you occasionally pick up and you have a smartphone that can be used to make calls or receive calls, get e-mails or take pictures of evidence when necessary. You can also go into the phone's settings to change wallpapers or ring tones but this has no effect on the game. When you meet characters along the way you can talk to them to get answers, you will be given several questions to choose from until you receive the useful information you need.
There are mini games to play such as making cookies correctly at the deli to match the picture shown which take several steps to make and the faster you make them, the larger your tip will be, which is the goal because you need money to buy train tickets etc. This ND has awards, credits, outtakes and teasers available which is awesome when you are a Nancy Drew addict like so many of us, enjoy!
I recommend this game!
Amanda's Sticker Book
Help Amanda make her dreams come true in this exciting match-3 puzzle game!
Overall rating
3
/
5
44 of 51 found this review helpful
Little Brother Did Her A Favor
PostedOctober 29, 2014
pennmom36
fromI don't want to get stuck with this game!
Skill Level:Expert
Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Hidden Object, Match 3, Time Management, Puzzle
Current Favorite:
Phantasmat Collector's Edition
(101)Fun Factor
3
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
3
/
5
Level of Challenge
3
/
5
Storyline
3
/
5
Amanda was preparing to enter her sticker book into a contest when little brother decided to lend a hand. Problem was little brother smeared catsup and pizza, glue and fingerprints all over her prized possession so you must play a Match 3 game to collect resources needed to remove all the damage done by little brother. Here's the problem, unless you're a teenage girl interested in stickers, (not saying it's bad, just not a broad enough genre interest) you probably won't find this game that interesting.
The goals are given at the beginning of each level such as, clearing all brown tiles, collecting a certain amount of specific resources, or releasing diamond hearts by dropping them to the bottom of the board. You will earn bonuses as you progress, same old same old such as a hammer to clear a single tile, a bomb to clear groups and even a resource collector to clear all tiles of the same type of your choice. These goals must be completed within the metered time allotted. After each level you will use the resources collected to purchase upgrades to you sticker book such as removing catsup and pizza, cleaning up glue, erasing drawings and wiping off fingerprints, you must purchase all upgrades to progress to the next level by collecting more elements.
Some tiles are in a bubble which can be clicked to collect, the resource inside the bubble changes constantly. Matching groups of elements will fill the manna meter and 5 elements are needed to buy upgrades. Elements are anything except the candy tiles such as diamonds, animals, brown tiles and spiders. Some of the tiles have ropes or several ropes requiring you to make matches to free the tile and some of the brown tiles are doubled up requiring two matches to clear. This game isn't horrible, it just doesn't have anything that interests me personally, perhaps it will for you.
I recommend this game!
Rescue Team 4
Mother Nature is no match for the courageous men and women of the Rescue Team!
Overall rating
5
/
5
124 of 143 found this review helpful
To The Rescue!
PostedOctober 29, 2014
pennmom36
fromDo I save the damsel in distress first or that cute puppy?
Skill Level:Expert
Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Hidden Object, Match 3, Time Management, Puzzle
Current Favorite:
Phantasmat Collector's Edition
(101)Fun Factor
5
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
5
/
5
Level of Challenge
5
/
5
Storyline
5
/
5
Another exciting Rescue Team adventure where your main goal is to rescue people and animals from various disasters. In order to save these people you will need to clear paths, fix roads and bridges and collect the resources needed such as food, money, wood and gasoline. It's not easy to figure out exactly which buildings need to be constructed when you are racing against the clock to earn 3 stars (there is a relaxed mode option with no timer) Houses give you money, burger shops give you food, woodmills produce wood and you need to consider gas stations to get fuel for boats, vehicles and generators. There are gas pumps to get to, generators to fix to rid the path of swamps and people in the water that need a boat to be rescued. Don't forget to click on the dogs and cats so that they can be rescued as well. This isn't a difficult Time Management game, but it is difficult to earn 3 stars unless you build the exact buildings needed to win so figure out what the requirements are to complete the tasks at hand by clicking on the different tasks to see what resources are needed for each task, enjoy!
I recommend this game!
Big City Adventure: Istanbul
Visit the ancient and powerful city of Istanbul, ever-steeped in history, in the latest chapter of the hit classic hidden object series.
Overall rating
5
/
5
206 of 244 found this review helpful
This Family Must Have A Lot Of Money!
PostedOctober 29, 2014
pennmom36
fromThey just left Rio, do they ever work?
Skill Level:Expert
Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Hidden Object, Match 3, Time Management, Puzzle
Current Favorite:
Phantasmat Collector's Edition
(101)Fun Factor
5
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
5
/
5
Level of Challenge
5
/
5
Storyline
5
/
5
Join this ever vacationing family in their adventure to Istanbul where you will visit landmarks such as the Yedikule Fortress, Basilica Cistern, Bosphorus, a Bath House and even the Istanbul Military Museum. You begin your adventure with a postcard that tells you facts about your destination and then visit that location in the form of a seek and find game. Each scene has one of sixty hidden camels to collect as well as hidden coins which will give you extra hints, extra time, extra points, a fast forward hint and even a skip coin to allow you to skip a mini game. Each scene has a zoomed in area with two additional items listed in blue, one of which is in riddle form such as a wrench is a plumbers helper. There is a mini game after each seek and find such as placing several gears so they will allow all the gears to move freely, jigsaw puzzles, creating a complete path from left to right by flipping path section tiles to the correct position and even a matching tile game where you must click two or more tiles of the same kind until all wooden cells have been matched upon. The score is tallied up with the points you earned for item finds, quick finds, time bonus, unused coins and the time remaining. If you don't like the pressure of the timer you can choose a relaxing mode with no timer, enjoy!
I recommend this game!
Evil Pumpkin: The Lost Halloween
Seek the help of Lemuel Barnabas and unravel the mystery of what happened to Halloween in this ludicrous and imaginative hidden object adventure.
Overall rating
5
/
5
152 of 166 found this review helpful
NOT An Easy Game!
PostedOctober 28, 2014
pennmom36
fromThose poor kids!
Skill Level:Expert
Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Hidden Object, Match 3, Time Management, Puzzle
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 wasn't thrilled with this game at first, no map, weird and somewhat confusing story, with little bitty pieces of candy to collect, not to mention the fact that this game is somewhat difficult to figure out. So I put on my thinking cap and donned a pair of glasses and the next thing I knew I was engrossed in the game! The story itself seems odd, something to the effect that Halloween was an ominous day that children feared, not because of ghosts and goblins, but this was a day when children were destined to suffer hard labor. This story is about a curious and somewhat defiant little boy who has "borrowed" his father's special Halloween book and consequently has absorbed it's magical energy. Because he has been enchanted by dad's book, he is able to hear and understand a wise owl named Who, who will confuse anyone who listens to his anecdotes as he tries to explain just what this enchanted book means, IF you can hear Who!
After searching the house quietly so as not to alert dad that you aren't in bed, you will come across a Gizbelt. A new tab will then appear next to the inventory tab and this is where all of the giztruments will be stored, these are the tools you will use throughout the adventure and you must use your two inventories interchangeably. As I mentioned before, you will find several different candy pieces scattered about, and trust me the candy is so small that many pieces are unrecognizable so click on anything that might be candy. This candy can be used as currency at the local commodities shop to purchase Halloween decorations, skeletons, ravens, jack o lanterns and even grave markers, each item has a different price tag of 3-4 different candy types. Once you have found enough candy to make a purchase, you can use the tab to enter the Van Hallows' backyard which is pretty spooky to begin with. You will select the tab on the left of the screen labeled items, and then choose the purchased decorations and place them where they belong as indicated by their matching silhouetted shape and voila! There are also achievements to earn as well as an achievement icon next to the hint button to visit the trophy room. I did get a bit confused about the hint button, you could use the hint button without needing to recharge for directional guidance but actual hints are limited because if you click on hidden bats, the hint icon will display an extra hint number, however I was able to use the hint several times even without any extra numbers shown.
There are mini games and puzzles, but I never ran across any hidden object scenes during my one hour demo. I'm not positive that they don't exists, perhaps I just didn't progress fast enough to get to them. Most of the mini games were the sliding tiles with one empty space or aligning tiles to complete a picture. Much of the games logistics defies logic but it really is a fun game, enjoy!
I recommend this game!
Gizmos: Spooky Adventures
The citizens of Gizmo Land find themselves in great danger after an attempt to celebrate Halloween goes very wrong.
Overall rating
5
/
5
62 of 69 found this review helpful
Spooky Good Nonograms
PostedOctober 28, 2014
pennmom36
fromCome fly with me
Skill Level:Expert
Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Hidden Object, Match 3, Time Management, Puzzle
Current Favorite:
Phantasmat Collector's Edition
(101)Fun Factor
5
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
5
/
5
Level of Challenge
5
/
5
Storyline
5
/
5
The citizens of Gizmo Land are really starting to grow on me. I love the Halloween themes such as Zombies, Jack's Lantern and Mummies that are created by filling in tiles on a grid. The first Gizmos game took me a while to get used to the constant encouragements such as "nice job" and "bullseye" but now I find it comical and actually look forward to the pat on the back I get or an "ouch" if I make a mistake! You have several options to choose full screen or widescreen, auto fill blanks, and you can disable the background images as well as disable the voices. Before each puzzle you will get a brief nanogram TIP, but this can be disabled if they are bothersome.
The object of Nonogram puzzles are to correctly fill in the number of tiles as indicated on each row and column, separating each group of filled in tiles with a blank tile. To fill in a tile or cell you use the left click on your mouse and the right click will be used as a blank cell or x. You can click and drag both for filling in large amounts. Every time you correctly fill a tile you will earn energy that will eventually fill in one of four vessels that can be used as hints, filling in several random cells for you. You will receive awards for using no hints, no misclicks (mistakes) solving the puzzle, and solving the puzzle within the perfect time slot.
If you haven't played a nonogram, mosaic or picross game, this game is perfect for learning because it has an excellent tutorial and the grids start out with 10 x 10's with easier puzzles to get you started, enjoy!
I recommend this game!
Grim Legends 2: Song of the Dark Swan
Prove the innocence of a young queen before she is put to death for a crime she didn't commit!
Overall rating
4
/
5
99 of 108 found this review helpful
Grim Graphics
PostedOctober 26, 2014
pennmom36
fromI helped mama swallow rescue her "child?" Newsflash it's a baby chick!
Skill Level:Expert
Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Hidden Object, Match 3, Time Management, Puzzle
Current Favorite:
Phantasmat Collector's Edition
(101)Fun Factor
4
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
4
/
5
Level of Challenge
4
/
5
Storyline
4
/
5
Why on Earth did they use such cartoonish graphics on this game? The first Grim Legends had more realistic graphics, not spectacular but certainly not this basic. Some games can pull off this whimsical style, but this game didn't, in my opinion, better graphics would have made this game so much more enjoyable. Your skills as a Healer are required in the Eagle Kingdom to cure the Queen who has been unable to speak since the King rescued her from a burning building several years ago. No sooner than you arrive to examine the Queen, a magical dark figure appears in the Royal bedroom and kidnaps the Royal baby from the Queens loving grasp! Dark magic was strictly forbidden several years ago by the King's mother know as the Peacock Lady. The ruler of the nearby Swan Kingdom became obsessed with dark magic, turning the once vibrant realm into a land covered with thorny vines, and gnarled trees, the sky gave way to dark clouds that shrouded the Kingdom. A group of survivors escaped to the Eagle Kingdom where the ruling family respected the old alliance with their neighbors and took the refugees in, and this law has been enforced for everyones safety. Dark magic has now entered the Eagle Kingdom centered around the Queen herself, she cannot speak for herself leaving the King no choice but have his Queen arrested. Can you find a potion to give the Queen a voice before she's to be executed?
Other than the graphics, this game isn't that bad, it has an interesting story and entertaining games. The Hidden Object Scenes are mostly fragmented finds where you locate several fragments in three different sections that form together to make a single inventory item such as a magnifying glass. There are also "find" several of the same item as well as interactive progressive silhouettes where you find the first item and use that item in the scene to reveal the next item and so forth. The mini games were similar to the first Grim Legends such as connecting two alike tiles with a chain, without crossing any other chain paths.
The Collectors Edition has Achievements, replayable mini games and HOP, Cutscenes, Wallpapers, Soundtracks, Concept Art, Collectibles, a built in Strategy Guide, and a Bonus Chapter: A Princess and a Dream, enjoy!
I recommend this game!
Myths of the World: Black Rose Collector's Edition
Track down a vampire hiding on a Mississippi riverboat cruise.
Overall rating
5
/
5
185 of 209 found this review helpful
Quest For Blood
PostedOctober 26, 2014
pennmom36
fromHey let's take this rowboat and chase after the vampire!
Skill Level:Expert
Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Hidden Object, Match 3, Time Management, Puzzle
Current Favorite:
Phantasmat Collector's Edition
(101)Fun Factor
5
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
5
/
5
Level of Challenge
5
/
5
Storyline
5
/
5
Garlic powder, check. Wooden Stakes, check. Silver bullets...oops wrong monster. Vampire Hunters don your vampire kits and climb aboard Louisiana's Mississippi River Cruise in search of Benjamin Brooks. Our dynamic duo vamp hunters find this wicked fast blood sucker, nestled within his cozy coffin, his fingers tightly clutching a vial filled with pure light. The first thing I thought was that Ben was afraid of the dark but it turns out that this vial was vital to his survival and he warned the brave hunters, " I don't want to hurt you, give me the vial and I'll let you go!" The Vial of pure light is in your hand now, what does it do, and why is this light so important to a night dwelling predator like Benjamin Brooks?
Yet another thrilling, heart pounding, Myths Around The World adventure crammed full of achievements for using the map to travel quickly or finding several items quickly in a HO. There are 10 collectible pumpkins that turn into Jack-O-Lanterns and 43 collectible roses, black roses of course. Don't forget your Vampire Hunting Kit and the Vial of Light, which can be used against unnatural phenomena that the vampires use such as magical for. After completing a short game of clicking the symbols in the correct order, your light vial will dispel the barrier.
The Hidden Object Scenes are a hodgepodge mixture of pure entertainment, and don't forget to search for the morphing objects in each scene. Most scenes are lengthy requiring several steps such as finding several symbols that will uncover a duster to to sweep away cobwebs on the first list and a hammer to break the glass on the second list of items. There is an alternate bubble shoot game to play if you're not a HOS fan. The mini games were awesome! I loved the game with several puzzles that required you to put on your thinking cap, first turning several discs to complete a picture, then untangling chains, turning several tile's until the symbols matched on all sides of the tiles, then matching up symbols by following attached wires. You will get gears for each of those puzzles which goes into a mechanical spider and you will need to place the gears in a specific order to allow the gears to move the mechanical spider.
This Collectors Edition has Wallpapers, Pictures, Music, replayable Puzzles and HOP's, Movies, the Making Of, Bubble Shoot, Morphs, Collectibles, Screensavers, Concept Art, Souvenir box, Achievements, a Bonus Chapter, and a built in Strategy Guide, enjoy!
I recommend this game!
Danse Macabre: Crimson Cabaret
Tragedy strikes a popular Parisian cabaret when their star dancer is murdered! Gather the suspects and unmask the killer.
Overall rating
4
/
5
66 of 76 found this review helpful
A Rose By Any Other Name Is A Poisonous Rose
PostedOctober 24, 2014
pennmom36
fromInspector LeBlanc caught the Janitor red handed, but if he was the murderer wouldn't his hands be green?
Skill Level:Expert
Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Hidden Object, Match 3, Time Management, Puzzle
Current Favorite:
Phantasmat Collector's Edition
(101)Fun Factor
4
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
4
/
5
Level of Challenge
4
/
5
Storyline
4
/
5
Sophie Dubois was the shining star of the Moulin Rouge, loved and admired by everyone she inspired, with the exception of one, her murderer! Evidence shows that a single rose given to Sophie after a brilliant performance would be her demise, this rose had been tainted with Paris Green, a pigment that is deadly in large doses. Madame Roche has been hired to investigate Sophies murder by a close friend and fellow artist, Henry de Toulouse, but did his admiration for Sophie cross the line? Perhaps Odette a supporting dancer and former friend of Sophie's could no longer bear to be hidden by Sophie's shadow. Maybe Ivan the stagehand who secretly admired Odette, is guilty of murdering the star to allow the women he loves to shine. One things for sure, the Janitor is not the murderer even though inspector LeBlanc feels confident that he has the right man!
Grab your forensics kit Madame Roche and start this investigation by examining the victim, 25 year old Sophie Dubois. The forensic kit has all the tools you need, cotton swabs to take samples of the killer pigment, pincers for prying the deadly rose from her rigamortis clenched fingers, gloves to eliminate contamination, and a magnifying glass to search for evidence in the form of a small hidden object game. Yep those are all the tools you'll need and I hope you can handle not only looking at a dead body but you're going to move her lifeless head to the opposite side for a better perspective, after you pry apart her cold stiff fingers of course. (don't worry folks she's not really dead, it's fake) This game has somewhat of a unique feature where you click on the map and select the coachman who is eagerly awaiting for your destination. Once you hand him the new desired location, he will hasten his trusty steed and have you delivered safe and sound to your desired location, that location will then be added to the map for future travel as well. There is also an available journal which is actually a mechanical tablet that doesn't even require an internet connection. All the information is stored for each character or suspect with personal information as well as any evidence you collect connected with that individual.
The Hidden Object Scenes are mostly interactive, progressive silhouette shapes where you find the first item that matches the shape and use that item back into the scene to expose the next item and so forth. Most of the HOS have zoomed in areas with even more objects to find as well as finding clues or codes to open compartments. There are also the standard list finds and you have an option to play a Match 3 game instead of the Hidden Object game. I did enjoy the mini games although most are on the easy breezy side, such as guiding a chain latch around a maze, you stop at different set points in order to open up gateways to allow the chain to reach the end slot. The game I liked required you to select three different animals on a painting that when combined matched the diagram shown for each of the selected gargoyles
The Collectors Edition has 41 Collectible Windmills, Achievements, a Souvenir Room, Codex, Match 3, replayable HOP's and mini games, the Making of, Pictures, Movies, Music, a built in Strategy Guide and a Bonus Chapter, enjoy!
I recommend this game!
Fear for Sale: The 13 Keys Collector's Edition
You are the key to solving a chilling supernatural mystery!
Overall rating
5
/
5
208 of 232 found this review helpful
A Deal's A Deal No Matter What The Price!
PostedOctober 23, 2014
pennmom36
fromGET OUT!
Skill Level:Expert
Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Hidden Object, Match 3, Time Management, Puzzle
Current Favorite:
Phantasmat Collector's Edition
(101)Fun Factor
5
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
5
/
5
Level of Challenge
5
/
5
Storyline
5
/
5
Staying in room 13 is never a good idea, especially at the Hotel Berkley, where something very paranormal seems to have taken up residence and has no plans to vacate! Out of frustration the Hotel's current owner, Caroline has asked Emma Roberts an investigative journalist to spend the night in room 13 to discover who or what has been haunting this room! Emma is much braver than I am, she turns out the lights (can we at least leave the door open?) and prepares to meet her maker. This is going to be a long night so pack your bags and check into the Hotel Berkley, destination....ROOM THIRTEEN...dun dun dun.
Just when you think Fear For Sale couldn't possible get any better, they release The 13 Keys...with even better graphics than the last (still think the water manipulations were top notch) and where do they get the music soundtracks from, is there an orchestra corporation out there that specializes in creepy haunted themes with a touch of demented? Trust me folks there aren't any fuzzy teddy bears or firebreathing dragons along for the ride in this game (well actually there is a fuzzy kitten but she doesn't get a free ride) nope the only thing you get here is Fear, this Fear is for Sale, and this ghost want's paid, "a deals a deal no matter what the price!"
I must admit, I'm over the top excited with all the extras this game has crammed into this Collectors Edition. There are plus sign indicators on some of the inventory items that indicate that you will need to interact with that item before using such as opening the package or combining that item with another inventory item. There are lot's of very interesting achievements to earn such as the Exorcist, Ghost Buster, # 1 Fan and the Keymaster, I always recommend reading through the achievements before starting the game, you may want to change the way you play the game in order to earn all available achievements. As I mentioned before, this game is crammed full of extras and they didn't skimp on the Collectibles either, every scene (except HOS) have collectibles. There are 6 Venetian masks to collect, 6 Gamer collectibles, 6 Attraction, 6 Sweet Tooth and 6 Headwear collectibles as well. My favorite feature however, is the Morphing Objects, there are 33 morphing objects to find in every scene except for in the Hidden Object Scenes. You can customize the mode of difficulty and you can choose not to have a tutorial and you can choose to just be shown the special features which I for one really appreciate.
The Hidden Object Scenes are well done, some are interactive list finds, and some require you to find several fragmented pieces, however most of the HOS are interactive progressive silhouettes where you find the first object and use that object back into the scene to uncover the next item. If you aren't a fan of HOS you can choose the optional jigsaw puzzle offered. I was really impressed with the mini games which were clever and entertaining but certainly not frustrating. There is a lockpick puzzle where you use directional arrows, up, down, left and right to guide a ball from the left side to the right without hitting the column obstacles. Some columns are stationary, others move either up or down as indicated, but if the ball hits one of these columns it's game over and you have to start over from the beginning (suggest to write down the correct direction as you make it through each column)
This Collectors Edition has Wallpapers, Concept Art, Screensavers, Music, 30 Collectibles, 10 different Achievements, a Bonus Chapter, a built in Strategy Guide and a unique point system. You will earn points in several different categories, 250 points for each morph and achievement and 500 points for each Hidden Object Game and Mini Game solved, enjoy your stay, if you dare!
I recommend this game!