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:
Dream Catchers: The Beginning
When entering another's dreams, you'll have to play by a different set of rules.
Overall rating
3
/
5
71 of 84 found this review helpful
Am I Dreaming?
PostedSeptember 10, 2014
pennmom36
fromEnter their dreams and set an alarm clock, that'll work right?
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
Put on your thinking cap because this story is all over the place, I'm not even sure I'm awake! When your sister Mia suddenly stops writing you letters about her teaching position at a private boarding school, you pack your bags and fire up the ole Studebaker and head for the Boarding school. Personally I would have called her first, anyway as you reach the summit near the school, a dark apparition with glowing red eyes causes you to swerve, slow down is my advice. You wake up at the bottom of a ravine and the first thing you notice is the Studebaker (I really have no idea what kind of car she actually had) mangled and car parts everywhere, the good news? There isn't a scratch on you, this must be your lucky day! As you make your way through the briars and thickets, you come across a hut in the middle of nowhere, this certainly is your lucky day! Tah dah...there's your sister standing all warm and cozy in the living room, but wait, she tells you that you're only dreaming and that it's not easy to escape the dream world, but she's going to help you do just that. (does she really want to wake up, that car accident looked painful) Next thing you know she's at the boarding school listening to the head mistress sob pathetically about an epidemic (epidemic!! it's a little late now don't you think) Turns out Mia and her students fell asleep last week and never woke up, nobody knows how to wake them up. Once you find the master key you open Mia's door, yep she's asleep and bam! you're asleep too, nite nite. You wake up and you're right back where you started from next to the ole Studebaker which somehow ended up at the bottom of a teeny tiny puddle of water? So at this point, I have no idea whether I'm awake or asleep, I thought I was awake the first time but Mia tells me I wasn't, so am I dreaming?
The demo stops abruptly after you fix two broken statues who invite you to join them with a promise that the evil entity cannot enter this realm. Eventually you will enter the dreams of the students and try to defeat the entity responsible, and if all goes well, save your sister Mia, or at the very least wake her up. The story is a good story, it's just not very focused. The introductory video was very well done, leading me to believe the graphics would be decent, I was disappointed to find this wasn't the case. The graphics aren't horrible, but they certainly can't compare to an exclusive, original BF game. There isn't much to do in each scene, you will be lucky to pick up one inventory item and either a puzzle to eventually solve or a hidden object scene. There aren't any voiceovers just dialog boxes to read but the soundtracks aren't bad. The inventory bar is pretty basic, the icons aren't even labeled, gears are for the main menu, an amulet for the hint button, the compass simply shows you directional arrows of the available paths you can take.
The Hidden Object Scenes are pretty basic with no frills attached, no interactions, just listed items to find or pictures of items to find. Some of the scenes are repeated which is something I hate because it's boring a second time around, especially when it was less than 5 minutes ago. The mini games were really just variations of puzzles, sliding tiles around by using an empty space as you complete a picture, or placing stained glass puzzle pieces together in the form of an owl. This game isn't a total waste of time, it has it's entertainment value, but BF has certainly got us all spoiled, enjoy!
I recommend this game!
Ominous Objects: Family Portrait
A father returns home to find his children missing - all but one, who refuses to say a word...
Overall rating
5
/
5
22 of 30 found this review helpful
The Family Portrait Might Have A Few Less Family Members Now
PostedSeptember 9, 2014
pennmom36
fromRelax, I'm sure the ghosts are taking care of the children
Skill Level:Expert
Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Hidden Object, Match 3, Time Management, Puzzle
Fun Factor
5
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
5
/
5
Level of Challenge
5
/
5
Storyline
5
/
5
You have finally arrived at your new castle, the Grofford Estate, it's been a long business trip and you are certainly looking forward to a relaxing evening with Elizabeth and the kids. Unfortunately that's not happening tonight, you probably should have investigated the castle before buying it because there is a restless spirit roaming the castle, and the portraits seem to be coming to life! The children were deciding which book to read in the vast library when they discovered a hidden passage just behind the bookshelves, naturally they explored and found a portrait that began glowing, which unleashed an evil entity. Brandon, William and Anna are missing, Leia however managed to grab the book that opened the hidden passage and she ran for her life! (each man/woman for himself is my motto in any ghostly situation!)
As mom tries to comforts Leia, you quickly scoop up the family cat, Mr. Jenkins and the two of you set off to rescue the missing children from the man who painted these cursed portraits that have a mind of their own. The Collector's Edition has hidden coins throughout the game which can be used to buy and decorate Mr. Jenkins humble kitty abode, and achievements to earn as well, but neither are available in this Standard Edition. This is a game that has a ton of gadgets and locks to tinker with, and a lot of inventory items to pick up and repair, which is a feature I love, some games have very little to do in each scene which can become boring after a while, but not this game! You will also notice that all kinds of items can be interacted with, it has nothing to do with the game just kind of fun, I actually kept petting the horse just to see him spook!
There weren't too many hidden object scenes, but they are very well done and every HOS has a somewhat lengthy puzzle to complete such as a triangle puzzle where you switch tiles that are next to each other until the triangle piece is in the correct place. The puzzles were so engrossing that I forgot it was an HOS! There are list finds and Fragmented finds in the same HOS and one HOS required you to find the clothes to a doll and dress her in a specific order. There are very entertaining mini games and puzzles, some with newer concepts that include, pendants to drag until each one is on a separate square horizontally and vertically, and cube puzzles to rotate to complete a picture but when you rotate one cube, others move as well, just to name a few.
The graphics are simply gorgeous, the characters are very realistic, and even the animals are lifelike which usually isn't the case in most games. The game itself is well produced and obvious that the devs spent a lot of time on the production of this game. The Collectors Edition comes with a Bonus game, bonus match 3, developers diary, concept art, a kitty playroom, achievements, wallpapers, music and of course a built in strategy guide, I think you will be happy with either edition, enjoy!
I recommend this game!
The Far Kingdoms: Winter Solitaire
Control the power of magical cards and defeat the Ice Queen before the land is sealed in eternal winter.
Overall rating
5
/
5
124 of 142 found this review helpful
Solitaire Worthy Of 5 Stars (Maybe Even 6)
PostedSeptember 9, 2014
pennmom36
fromIce spiders give a whole new meaning to arachnophobia!
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 love solitaire games where the goal is to play a card either higher or lower than the face card shown and I even enjoyed the change of locations with a storyline. The Ice Queen has awoken from a 1000 year slumber and apparently she woke up on the wrong side of the bed because she is angry and vengeful and has turned the entire Kingdom into an icy eternal winter. Once again the Princess must save the Kingdom by defeating the Ice Queen before everything and everyone freezes eternally!
Corvus the beautiful white raven is back and serves as your Chronicler once again, as well as the Frog who lounges quietly upon a wild card until you require his services. You will eventually add 4 more people on your team such as Tommen who is a thief that collects the clubs, when you click on his portrait, he will remove any face up card. The Fortune Teller will start the journey by giving you a deck of magical cards, some contain Gold to use in the shop, some contain Rubies that are used to activate your Royal Amulet to thaw out frozen cards.
Once you collect enough Gold you can buy bonus cards such as The Sword of Glory which removes any face up card, the Spear of Destiny which randomly opens two face down cards, the Wheel of Time which gives you one more undo (you automatically get one undo per game) the Book of Knowledge which allows you to see the top card in the deck, the Ruby Key which unlocks a card on the board, and the Runes of Wealth which is a medallion that will set the initial multiplier to 1.2. When you make combos of 5 cards, the multiplier will be activated, the longer the combo the higher the multiplier goes which means more Gold earned. If you are a fan of this type of solitaire, you really need to check this game out, it'll have you hooked in no time at all, enjoy!
I recommend this game!
Secrets of Olympus 2: Gods among Us
Discover the secrets of Olympus in this match-3 adventure!
Overall rating
5
/
5
86 of 97 found this review helpful
It's Not A Secret Anymore, It's Fantastic!
PostedSeptember 9, 2014
pennmom36
fromI think the gods favor 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
5
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
5
/
5
Level of Challenge
5
/
5
Storyline
5
/
5
Some Match 3 games have no wow factor, but this game has all kinds of WOW factors. Each level gives you a different task such as clearing all background cells within a specific amount of moves, achieving a specific amount of points before the time runs out, or dropping a key to the bottom of the board so the key can unlock the rest of the board. If you make matches larger than 3, a bonus tile of that match will appear on the board and when matched will wipe out an entire column or row. Really large matches give you a fireball of exploding arrows which explodes all over the board. Certain matches fill up a bonus meter that can be used as well once filled up. My favorite feature is the columns that go from the top to the bottom and can only be destroyed by making matches beside the column. All leftover moves will explode fireworks that remove more tiles and gives you more points toward earning 3 gold stars per level, enjoy!
I recommend this game!
Loot Hunter: The Most Unbelievable Pirate Story
Loot Hunter is a fun role-play game based in a world full of old ships, pirates and adventures.
Overall rating
4
/
5
47 of 50 found this review helpful
Aaarrr....I Just Like Saying Aaarrr!!
PostedSeptember 8, 2014
pennmom36
fromAaarr tis a battle of wits mates!
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
In order to enjoy this unusual game you will need to be open minded, it's not going to be the best game you ever played, but it is different and quite unique. You sail your ship around the open seas, stopping at different ports along the way to buy and sell goods such as cotton, sugar, clothing, iron, silver and food. There will be ships from England, France and Spain sailing those seas as well. you can choose to battle them but you will become their enemy and they won't allow you to visit their ports to buy or sell goods unless you receive a pardon or bribe them with gold. Pirate ships are a different story, you want to attack them and then you're in for a treat. The pirate ship is displayed next to your ship and you battle for points as you make match 3's. If you make more that 3 matches you get an extra turn. There are extra cannons, salvo to double the damage to the pirate ship, ship repairs, special skills plundered gold and more as you watch the ships battle it out. If you lose the battle, you lose half of your gold and half of your cargo so choose the matches wisely. Every time you progress to a new level you can choose one of three bonuses such as land, gold or amnesty. I must admit that I zoomed around the sea searching for the elusive pirate ships because I had so much fun watching the ships battle it out and it takes strategy to win the match 3 battles too, enjoy!
I recommend this game!
Ghosts of the Past: Bones of Meadows Town Collector's Edition
There's a new sheriff in Meadows Town – and it's you! Can you stop a vengeful Viking spirit before she strikes again?
Overall rating
4
/
5
13 of 14 found this review helpful
Viking Curse or Cruel Vendetta?
PostedSeptember 8, 2014
pennmom36
fromWilson's house looked way smaller on the outside!
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
You have been sent to Meadows Town to replace Sheriff Anthony Dugan who mysteriously disappeared shortly after turning in his resignation, but nobody told you the town was plagued with ghostly apparitions, a masked murderer, a Viking curse and a turmoilous storm that has prompted an emergency evacuation! Now that you have arrived, there seems to be a trail of dead bodies, first Harry Adams the teacher who was granted permission to excavate Viking tombs, next is Mike Wilson the town coroner who had been examining the teachers unusual cause of death, and even the local bartender. There is a connection, they were all friends, but when you meet an angry ghost who threatens that you're next, you realize that your only theory was wrong, now what?
Seems Sheriff Dugan knew about the Viking curse that would throw the town into devastating turmoil if the spirit guarding the Viking treasure was disturbed, he even had a Spirit Detector which allows you to find and collect the energy from ghostly energy and banish that energy from our world and unblock the cursed items. You will also collect 40 different Viking Ruins which will reveal prophecies as you place each of the 5 ruins upon 8 different scrolls. Your Sheriff's badge allows you to go directly to the Evidence board where you will hang up pictures and descriptions of the people you are investigating, and then you need to place items of evidence under the corresponding person.
I was a bit disappointed in the fact that there aren't enough Hidden Object Scenes, however they are well done with a new concept. The HO are list finds and you must click on pairs of items such as 2 hats, 2 masks or 2 calculators. There is a really fun game of dominos as an alternative where you use left and right arrows to to place dominos as they are falling down one at a time, the goal is to match at least 3 domino pictures and each match counts as an inventory item found. There aren't too many mini games either but they all seem fairly easy such as placing single fingerprints one at a time onto the matching originals.
This Collectors Edition comes with Wallpapers, Concept Art, Screensavers, Movies, Music, a Workshop (pics of devs) Hidden Object Games (you can still switch to alternate domino game) Mini Games, a built in strategy Guide and a Bonus game titled Land of the Gods. In my opinion, this is an entertaining game but the Standard Edition appeals to me more, I just don't think the CE has enough substance to woo me, enjoy!
I recommend this game!
Kingdom Tales 2
Help young Finn and princess Dalla reunite in love! Explore, gather, produce, trade, build, repair and work for the wellbeing of the Kingdom.
Overall rating
5
/
5
90 of 106 found this review helpful
A Great Sequel
PostedSeptember 8, 2014
pennmom36
fromHaven't I heard this story before?
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
Dalha and Finn are in love, but Finn must join the King's architects and builders to prove he's worthy of Dalhas love who just happens to be the King's daughter. There are three modes of difficulty, Relaxed with no timer (some achievements aren't available) Normal which is timed and you earn between 1-3 stars on each level (some achievements aren't available) and Extreme which is super hard but you can earn a Platinum Award for completing the game in this mode)
The graphics are very well done and the characters are well done as well. You get an unlimited amount of workers, at least in Normal mode, each worker is responsible for different tasks. You have to clear roads, build housing, workshops and farms to support the community. Once you build a farm you will need to click and order production of food so that each resident can feed their household and remain happy. Sawmills will require you to order the production of building materials needed to construct housing. Each house pays taxes that you collect, upgrading the houses will net higher rent, enjoy!
I recommend this game!
Sylia - Act 2
Help cute pets save the world from nasty aliens in this exciting and innovative role playing game.
Overall rating
2
/
5
4 of 15 found this review helpful
What do Aliens, Queen's, Puppies, Kittens, And Farm Animals Have In Common?
PostedSeptember 7, 2014
pennmom36
fromWhy doesn't the Queen of the aliens look anything like the aliens?
Skill Level:Expert
Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Hidden Object, Match 3, Time Management, Puzzle
Current Favorite:
Phantasmat Collector's Edition
(101)Fun Factor
2
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
2
/
5
Level of Challenge
2
/
5
Storyline
2
/
5
Your guess is as good as mine, but obviously somebody figured out how to play this archaic style game, and liked it, why else would they make a sequel? In all fairness I gave this game two stars instead of one simply because I couldn't figure out how to play the game, this could be my lack of knowledge so I will give the game the benefit of the doubt and say I dislike this game. What I do know about the game is that the Queen of Aliens has ordered her minions to blow up planet Earth with bombs because her plans were thwarted several times before presumably from the first episode. Humans have been turned to stone temporarily, therefore it's up to Nestor the puppy, Katie the cat, Hans the rooster, James the sheep, and other random farm animals to save the world. To stop the bombs, the furry heroes must stop 3 alien cubes at the same time so they break into 3 teams. You can access the menu at any time via the esc button which allows you to call the remote controlled balloon to travel to another location, switch team members and equip team members as well. All of the stats are displayed for each animal such as health, points and skills. There are several rest areas within the game that will allow you to rest any time to recover your life and skill points, these rest areas also allow you to auto save the game up to that point so you want to take advantage of that if you decide to exit the game or if you lose your lives. You are given different quests from time to time and this will be displayed on the menu also. Then there's the fights, that's right, battles will be fought between the furries and the alien monks and I can tell you that I have absolutely no idea what you are supposed to do, in fact I just sat back and watched because no matter what buttons I selected there seemed to be no effect upon the outcome so you're on your own to figure that one out. Hopefully Nestor the puppy can lead his team to victory, find the three keys to those deadly alien bomb cubes and send the aliens back to their own planet so that I don't have to worry about trying to figure out Sylia-Act 3.
I don't recommend this game.
Ghosts of the Past: Bones of Meadows Town
There's a new sheriff in Meadows Town – and it's you! Can you stop a vengeful Viking spirit before she strikes again?
Overall rating
4
/
5
108 of 117 found this review helpful
There's A New Sheriff In Town
PostedSeptember 7, 2014
pennmom36
fromWho examines the Coroners body?
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
You have been sent to Meadows Town to replace Sheriff Dugan who has been missing for several days, but nobody told you the town was haunted and cursed! The town has been evacuated because of a violent storm by the time you arrive, most of the townsfolk believe a Viking curse is the reason behind all this madness and you are beginning to believe them, after all an angry ghost has threatened your life several times now! The Sheriff is missing, a school teacher dead, the coroner, dead, the bartender, dead, you're next!
The former Sheriff must have feared the paranormal because he was in possession of a Spirit Detector that locates ghostly energy and sends the spirits packing to wherever spirits belong, this device will surely come in handy in this town. You will also borrow Sheriff Dugans evidence board that can be accessed anytime by clicking on the Sheriff's Badge to the left of the inventory bar. The evidence board is actually a mini game where you post files, pictures, background information and any evidence you find. Once you hang up the main character files, you hang other information directly below the character for which the evidence applies to, and green lines will automatically make the connections between the evidence and explain the connections.
Surprisingly, there aren't a lot of Hidden Object Scenes in this game which is unusual for this developer, but they are nicely done with a newer concept. You will need to find two items at a time, such as 2 hats, 2 cards or two dryers, in other words if you click on the first hat, you will have to find and click on the second hat to create that pair even though they aren't identical items. You can opt for an alternative puzzle where you guide dominos with two symbols by using left and right arrows as they drop automatically. When at least 3 of the same image are joined, those matched will be eliminated which counts as an item found on the Hidden Object Scene. There really aren't many puzzles or mini games either, but there are lot's of items to pick up and use in each scene. The mini games I liked the best were clicking on the teeth of a skeleton to make them all recede, when you click on one tooth, other teeth were affected as well. There was a phone with 12 blank buttons that you had to first figure out which buttons represented which numbers or symbols and then click on the correct buttons that matched the code you had written down.
I haven't yet played the Collectors Edition for this game so I can't honestly suggest one over the other, but this Standard Edition doesn't seem to be lacking anything that I noticed, I enjoyed playing the game, it has a good entertainment value and a good storyline, although I would have been happier with a few more HOS and more mini games, enjoy!
I recommend this game!
Discover the story of Jean Valjean, the hero of the novel "Les Misérables"!
Overall rating
2
/
5
12 of 15 found this review helpful
Miserable Game (Fantastic Story)
PostedSeptember 6, 2014
pennmom36
fromWhy did Jean oil the door so it wouldn't wake up the Monsignor then used a hammer to nail in a ladder rung?
Skill Level:Expert
Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Hidden Object, Match 3, Time Management, Puzzle
Current Favorite:
Phantasmat Collector's Edition
(101)Fun Factor
2
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
2
/
5
Level of Challenge
2
/
5
Storyline
2
/
5
I was on the fence with this game, the graphics are simple, there isn't enough activities to do in any of the scenes, in fact some scenes were void of any activities other than dialog (no voiceovers, just dialog boxes to read) There were only a scant amount of mini games and every time you exit the current location even the next room, you had to look at an image of a book for several seconds while the game caught up..way to sloooow. However I found myself continuing to play this painfully slow and uninteresting game because I wanted to know how the story goes, that's right, I haven't read the story before and I haven't even seen any movie renditions either because at the time, the story didn't appeal to me. Unfortunately this game may have ruined the appeal to read the novel.
Jean Valjean has been released from prison and hard labor after several years only to find that this stigmatism would forever haunt him and that he would never truly be "free" that is until he meets Monsignor Bienvenu who teaches him an invaluable life lesson that would be his guiding light to the future.
This is a very easy game to play, you can use the mouse to zoom into each scene, but it serves no purpose that I could see. The graphics are very basic with little attention paid to detail, there are no voiceovers, just soft background music that's virtually unnoticed. There are no options available for difficulty and you are forced to experience a full tutorial on the mechanics of the game. Another feature I thought was annoying was that the inventory bar will not lock, you must click on the bar to access it every time, and when you need to use an item from the inventory, you have to click the item AND drag the item to the desired location. There are several opaque butterflies throughout (most in HOS but not all) that when clicked on will give you a small factoid such as the population of Paris in 1846 was over 1 million and was the world's largest industrial city with over 400,000 laborers.
The Hidden Object Scenes are basic list finds with no interactions. Most of the items involved finding multiples such as 3 clovers, 3 shells, or 3 keys. The scenes are basically piles of junk heaped together or spewn about a larger area and all of the scenes are repeated in the same location at least once if not twice. There are very few mini games, not bad but nothing to write home about such as using partial clues given to line up several discs with the correct combination. Not a horrible game just not a game that will excite many HOS lovers.
I don't recommend this game.