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:
Dark Parables: The Red Riding Hood Sisters Collector's Edition
Discover the Red Riding Hood Sisters and defeat the nefarious Wolf Queen!
Overall rating
5
/
5
5 of 11 found this review helpful
Dark Parables: The Red Riding Hood Sisters CE
PostedJuly 2, 2014
pennmom36
fromNo big bad wolves allowed in this neighborhood!
Skill Level:Expert
Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Hidden Object, Match 3, Time Management, Puzzle
Current Favorite:
Dark Parables: Ballad of Rapunzel Collector's Edition
(120)Fun Factor
5
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
5
/
5
Level of Challenge
5
/
5
Storyline
5
/
5
Wearing her favorite red riding hood, Isabella was on her way to see her grandmother, but fate wouldn't be kind to Isabella, a wolf with glowing red eyes and snarling teeth had just taken her grandmother's life and would have killed her as well if a hunter hadn't saved her life! This same hunter adopted Isabella now that her family was gone, and taught her how to hunt these vicious wolves led by the evil Wolf Queen. Eventually, the hunter himself was killed by a wolf, and once again Isabella was alone.She vowed to protect the weak and innocent, forming the Red Riding Hood Sisters Order. This brave group of women, Theresa, Eldra, Ruth, Jessica and Rose, were mentored by Isabella and became skillful warriors. The Queen has evil plans in the making, and has ransacked their order, imprisoning all of the sisters but one, and she has a dire warning for you Detective, when the full moon rises, her legion of mist wolves will rise to attack and consume everything that stands in their way!
Dark Parables is famous for the unique Hidden Object Scenes that are in the form of fragmented pieces. Most of the fragments are very well hidden or blended into the scenes and when you find all of the fragments for three different sections, the fragments will combine together to make a single inventory item. The mini games are unique as well, most are interactive scenes requiring you to interact with buttons and gadgets in order to complete the puzzle such as positioning three different wolves correctly so that when the sisters shoot their arrows, the arrow will directly hit the wolf.
This Collectors Edition has the usual extras, Music, Concept art, Wallpapers, Puzzles a built in Strategy Guide, and a bonus chapter, The Boy Who Cried Wolf. As with all the Dark Parables games you collect parables throughout the game which will unlock a short parable story, and there are usually 4 or 5 collectibles for each story. The feature I love in the Dark Parable games are the morphing objects, and they are so well done. There are 20 different morphing objects, so that means that not every scene will have a morph. Not all objects will be activated when you first see them, some objects don't morph until a certain action has been done, some items won't morph until you reach a certain chapter, so you will need to return to previous scenes and search for the morphing objects from time to time. All of the games in this series are top notch and I highly recommend the Collectors Edition because of the morphing objects, enjoy!
I recommend this game!
Chronicle Keepers: The Dreaming Garden
As the daughter of a legendary chronicle keeper, powerful foes are working against you!
Overall rating
4
/
5
130 of 196 found this review helpful
Petrified Mom
PostedJuly 2, 2014
pennmom36
fromThere has to be a better amulet manufacturer, none of them seem to hold up through portals!
Skill Level:Expert
Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Hidden Object, Match 3, Time Management, Puzzle
Current Favorite:
Fright Collector's Edition
(128)Fun Factor
3
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
3
/
5
Level of Challenge
3
/
5
Storyline
4
/
5
Kinnat was just a young girl when she witnessed her mother turning into stone. A stranger rescued Kinnat but she was too young to remember who that stranger was, and the only possession she has linking her to the past is a broken amulet medallion and vivid dreams of that fateful day. Several years later, Kinnat notices a strange book in a book stores window that seems to be connected to her medallion, but when approached by the books owner, she is abruptly told that the book is not for sale! That doesn't stop her of course and the next thing she knows is that she is inside the books magic realm. It is in this strange world that she learns of her mother's fate by a leprechaun (yep a little green leprechaun) "she's petrified" nope she's not terrified, she's been turned to stone! To save her mother she must find the elixir of life to revive her soul, and the other fragments of the broken medallion amulet to resurrect her body.
You will use your medallion throughout the game for various reasons. Some items cannot be seen with the naked eye and the medallion will reveal 200 magic symbols, the symbols will show up in your magic book as groups, that will reveal a background story when a set is found. The medallion will also reveal some transparent animals and when you click on those animals, they will give you a magic coin. The medallion will also be used for finding items marked in green in the Hidden Object Scenes, there are only 16 HOS, so they are few and far between, they are slightly interactive list finds and if you are playing casual or normal difficulty, the items that require the medallion will be green. The mini games weren't bad, but most were super easy such as putting torn book page pieces together, or watching a dragon emit steam in a sequence of colors that you replicate by clicking on bells in that same color sequence. I liked the game with the statue heads where you had to put all blue marbles around the statues right eye and all the red marbles around the left eye with the dual colored marble directly in the center where the two circles intersect, but again super easy.
Personally, I was on the fence with this game between a three star and a four, at times I found the game's pace too slow, there were game glitches, (in all fairness could have been my computer), and it just wasn't visually appealing, but the game does pick up the pace a bit in wonderland, and I found myself curious about the mother's plight. The broken medallion was a nice touch because it reveals things you cannot otherwise see, and after all it is a Standard Edition only. Don't get me wrong, the game has entertainment value, even though the story is similar to several others, it does seem to be going in a different direction than I expected, enjoy!
I recommend this game!
Dark Parables: The Red Riding Hood Sisters
Discover the Red Riding Hood Sisters and defeat the nefarious Wolf Queen!
Overall rating
5
/
5
7 of 10 found this review helpful
Dark Parables: The Red Riding Hood Sisters SE
PostedJuly 1, 2014
pennmom36
fromWhat big eyes you have!
Skill Level:Expert
Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Hidden Object, Match 3, Time Management, Puzzle
Current Favorite:
Dark Parables: Ballad of Rapunzel Collector's Edition
(120)Fun Factor
5
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
5
/
5
Level of Challenge
5
/
5
Storyline
5
/
5
Isabella was strolling through the woods in her favorite red riding hood, just as happy as she could be because she couldn't wait to see her grandmothers warm and gentle face. Fate would not be kind to Isabella, a mist wolf had just taken her grandmother's life and would have killed her as well if a hunter hadn't killed the wolf just as he was about to attack! This same hunter adopted Isabella now that her family was gone, and taught her how to hunt these vicious wolves led by the evil Wolf Queen. Nothing ever lasts forever and the hunter himself was killed by a wolf, once again Isabella was alone. Isabella vowed to protect the weak and innocent and formed The Red Riding Hood Sisters Order. This brave group of women, Theresa, Eldra, Ruth, Jessica and Rose, were mentored by Isabella and became skillful warriors, but the Queen has ransacked their order and has taken all of the sisters but one, prisoner. the Queen has a dire warning for you Detective, when the full moon rises, her legion of mist wolves will rise to attack and consume everything that stands in their way!
Dark Parables is famous for the unique Hidden Object Scenes that are in the form of fragmented pieces. Most of the fragments are very well hidden or blended into the scenes and when you find all of the fragments for three different sections, the fragments will combine together to make a single inventory item. The mini games are unique as well, most are interactive scenes requiring you to interact with buttons and gadgets in order to complete the puzzle such as positioning three different wolves correctly so that when the sisters shoot their arrows, the arrow will directly hit the wolf.
Personally I prefer the Collectors Edition over the Standard Edition because I am a huge fan of morphing objects, and no other game does morphs so well. Objects require a specific action or chapter before they are activated and not every scene has a morph so it can be quite challenging. All of the Dark Parables have awesome twisted fairy tale stories and beautiful graphics, and Red Riding Hood Sisters is no exception, enjoy!
I recommend this game!
Pirates of Black Cove: Sink 'Em All!
Sink 'Em All in this action packed top down seadog shooter. Shoot your way through waves of enemy ships with weapons such as the Balls of Steal, Fart Bombs and Homing Missiles!
Overall rating
5
/
5
81 of 94 found this review helpful
A Sinking Pirate Ship Game
PostedJuly 1, 2014
pennmom36
fromArrr, ye sank ye pirate battleship!
Skill Level:Expert
Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Hidden Object, Match 3, Time Management, Puzzle
Current Favorite:
Fright Collector's Edition
(128)Fun Factor
5
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
5
/
5
Level of Challenge
5
/
5
Storyline
5
/
5
It takes a while to get the hang of controlling ye pirate ship with ye keyboard keys, but once ye do, ye will rule the sea (and ye gold!) The objective is clear, protect ye gold by sinking everything else including that ship sinking slimy tentacled Kraken! You will have to use your keyboard controls, the up arrow moves your pirate ship forward and of course the right and left arrows change the direction. The space bar will deploy your weapons so wear it out. There are two modes of difficulty, normal and hard and there are 4 chapters, Runway of the Caribbean, Gold Gold Mountain, 727 Degrees, and Sweet and Sour, there are 6 levels in each chapter plus a Treasure Chest chapter bonus. You can buy weapon kits with ye plundered gold which have mortars, nets, honing missiles, catapults, mine barrels, cluster bombs, floating turrets, vortex mines, fartbombs, and harpoons, so this game can only get more interesting as ye progress, enjoy!
I recommend this game!
Toy Defense 3 - Fantasy
Perfect the skills of warriors, build defensive fortresses, and devise strategy to dominate the enemy’s army. Rid your lands of evil once and for all!
Overall rating
5
/
5
108 of 116 found this review helpful
What happened To The Little Green Plastic Soldiers?
PostedJuly 1, 2014
pennmom36
fromI'd feel better if the archers were green!
Skill Level:Expert
Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Hidden Object, Match 3, Time Management, Puzzle
Current Favorite:
Toy Defense 2
(27)Fun Factor
5
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
5
/
5
Level of Challenge
5
/
5
Storyline
5
/
5
I was disappointed when I realized that those little toy soldiers that made the previous two games epic, weren't involved. With that being said, this is still a good TD game, but pales in comparison to the original Toy Defense games. The goals are the same as most Tower Defense games, protect the castle at all costs. To protect the castle you need to strategically place the correct weapons onto the correct towers. There are archers, flame throwers (Greek Fire) ballistics, and even a Mage which is able to attack the enemy by ground or air! After each level you earn up to 3 gold stars and you use your points to buy upgrades. You have to first upgrade the weapon of choice which then allows you to continue purchasing upgrades in different areas such as a stronger defense or wider range and each category can be upgraded several tiers. The weapons can still be upgraded by rank, strength and range during the game, and you will also need to repair towers as they get damaged, but if you upgrade the weapon you don't have to worry about the towers health, new tower, renewed health. Every battle comes in waves of usually 7 different troops and if you click the wave button before the countdown of the next wave, you receive extra points. There are two available modes of difficulty, casual and hard and there is a somewhat vague tutorial which simply tells you to click here and build this weapon here, everytime a new weapon is available. There are 69 achievements or trophies to earn as well. If you forget about the toy soldiers (I know, what were they thinking!) I think you will find this game entertaining, but in my opinion, if it ain't broke don't fix it, should have been applied, enjoy!
I recommend this game!
Jigsaw World Tour 2
Choosing where to go on vacation? This new puzzle game can help you take a virtual tour around the most famous tourist cities of the world!
Overall rating
4
/
5
87 of 99 found this review helpful
A Puzzling World
PostedJune 30, 2014
pennmom36
fromThat Chicago Hot dog looks good!
Skill Level:Expert
Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Hidden Object, Match 3, Time Management, Puzzle
Current Favorite:
Fright Collector's Edition
(128)Fun Factor
4
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
4
/
5
Level of Challenge
4
/
5
Storyline
4
/
5
I wasn't as thrilled with the 700 puzzle pictures available in World Tour 2. This edition has puzzles available for Chicago, Venice, Amsterdam, Athens, Beijing, Barcelona and Munich. There are 7 different trophies to earn, each with several categories. You can customize any of the puzzles by choosing how many pieces, the shape of the puzzle pieces and whether you want the pieces to rotate or not. You can choose to show an image picture in the top left corner in three different sizes, you can ghost the image on the background and you can choose from 4 different background colors. You can choose border only, there is a sort option and hints are available as well as a magnifying glass and a box to store excess pieces, enjoy!
I recommend this game!
Awakening: The Redleaf Forest
After a long journey, Queen Sophia faces her enemy for the last time - but will she succeed in saving her parents?
Overall rating
5
/
5
187 of 237 found this review helpful
A Journey's End
PostedJune 29, 2014
pennmom36
fromIf she's able to wake her parents, do you think they'll ever sleep again?
Skill Level:Expert
Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Hidden Object, Match 3, Time Management, Puzzle
Current Favorite:
Fright Collector's Edition
(128)Fun Factor
5
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
5
/
5
Level of Challenge
5
/
5
Storyline
5
/
5
We have watched Princess Sophia grow up on her magical journey, this child was born without magic yet has the drive and endurance to overcome obstacles and rule her people as their beloved Queen! Sophia awoke from a dreamless slumber only to find that her parents are under a powerful curse, a restless slumber for eternity! Her journey has taken us from The Dreamless Castle to the beautiful Moonfell Woods, The Goblin Kingdom, The Skyward Castle (where she takes the throne) The Sunhook Spire and now the final leg of her journey, The Redleaf Forest. She has been told that the Centaurs are capable of forging The Blade of Courage, the only weapon that can destroy the evil Dreadmyer responsible for her parents curse. Will Queen Sophia defeat Dreadmyer, will she be able to lift the curse and finally be reunited with her parents?
This is indeed one of the best fairy tale themed series out there, although it is necessary to play this series in order, I highly recommend that you start at the beginning because the story really is good. I loved the newer format of the Hidden Object Scenes, they are very interactive. You may have to find and place a knight's breastplate which will cause the mace to fall, you then must place the mace on the rack with the other weapons and swap the weapons until they are in the correct sequence which will then show you the correct code to unlock a treasure chest and so forth. The mini games are simple puzzles as with all of the Awakening games, not too easy not too hard, and almost always entertaining. You may have to swap two sections on 4 different bars until the two sections line up and match a totem key when you pull the lever. Ran the owl is still by our side as our hint icon, which will tell you there's nothing to do here or ask if you want to teleport to an area with an active task. That hungry, mossflower eating pocket dragon has returned as well to help us with anything that requires extreme heat!
In my opinion, this Standard Edition is the better value unless you really want a built in strategy guide. I'm sad that this magical journey had to end, but all good things must come to an end, right? Enjoy!
I recommend this game!
Fright Collector's Edition
After a suspicious accident, you find yourself stranded at a run-down motel. But you soon realize the area hides a terrifying secret...
Overall rating
5
/
5
276 of 504 found this review helpful
Nothing Good Ever Happens In A Cornfield!
PostedJune 28, 2014
pennmom36
fromI just wasted a perfectly good rootbeer on the bus driver and now he's possessed!
Skill Level:Expert
Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Hidden Object, Match 3, Time Management, Puzzle
Current Favorite:
Fright Collector's Edition
(128)Fun Factor
5
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
5
/
5
Level of Challenge
5
/
5
Storyline
5
/
5
Genius! I bow to you, developers of this creepy thriller, genius! That's thinking outside of the box, this is how a game should be! You awaken from a frightful dream just before the the bus you are traveling on gets attacked by a flock of crows causing the bus to crash into a ravine in the middle of nowhere! The only thing out there is a cornfield and an old Motel, clearly outdated, clearly unwelcoming. Like a scene out of a Hitchcock movie this is the place of no return, trapped in an old motel with a few unlucky tourists and visions that seem so real. All you know for sure is that people have been vanishing from this place for over 10 years. It feels as if the cornfield is alive, watching you, and waiting, waiting for what?
I have never felt so connected to a game before, it's like being the main character in a creepy thriller! Throughout the game you will find a total of 34 bucks which can be used to purchase things in the motel gift shop. There are postcard jigsaws to buy (how cool is that) and you can decorate a scarecrow. There are music tracks on a jukebox, concept art in a scrapbook, wallpapers, games to re-play, movies on an old tv and a bonus chapter.
The Hidden Object Scenes are the most unique and interactive games I have EVER seen. Each HOS requires you to interact with the scene, finding codes, keys etc. My favorite part was having to match fingerprints of missing persons with samples. You had to place three partial fingerprints over the original until you had the correct combination. The mini games weren't as unique but still entertaining such as turning off an electrical panel with just partial clues or connecting two different colored lead wires to the correct numbers as shown.
This is exactly the kind of game I crave. Glittering fairy tales and mystical creatures are good, but this is soooo much better. Creepy and mysterious, with a twist of demented, and the game takes place in broad daylight! If you are like me and love this genre and can embrace new concepts, then work your way into the cornfield and join us, if you dare!
I recommend this game!
Dark Parables: The Exiled Prince
Investigate the disappearance of the chancellor's daughter and uncover the long lost kingdom of the exiled Frog Prince!
Overall rating
5
/
5
15 of 20 found this review helpful
Dark Parables: The Exiled Prince SE
PostedJune 27, 2014
pennmom36
fromIs he a frog or a man or a fran?
Skill Level:Expert
Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Hidden Object, Match 3, Time Management, Puzzle
Current Favorite:
Dark Parables: Ballad of Rapunzel Collector's Edition
(120)Fun Factor
5
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
5
/
5
Level of Challenge
5
/
5
Storyline
5
/
5
Legend goes that when a fog rolls in, The Frog Prince appears, searching for his beloved Princess, but no one who has laid eyes on him ever returns to tell the tale. You are a detective investigating the disappearance of the Chancellor's daughter after she went for a stroll on the Exiled Prince Path in Black Forest Germany. Could the legends be true?
Dark Parables are one of my favorite series of Hidden Object games and the Exiled Prince tops the list in my book. This series is famous for their Fragmented Object scenes where you are tasked with finding fragmented pieces of three different sections of an item that when all sections are found the sections combine to form a single inventory item such as a gate key. Every scene is packed full of items to find as well as place. There are very interesting mini games such as adjusting the numbers on 3 different dice so that the adjoining pairs of dice add up to the correct number shown.
I favor the Collectors Edition because there are 20 morphing objects, wallpapers, concept art, movies, a built in strategy guide and a bonus chapter. You cannot go wrong with any of the Dark Parables games which has a unique way of taking a fairy tale and giving it a bit of a twist, enjoy!
I recommend this game!
Cradle of Persia
Build up the heart of Ancient Persia in this engaging sequel to the hit game Cradle of Rome! Unlock a never before seen secret!
Overall rating
4
/
5
8 of 8 found this review helpful
Cradle of Persia
PostedJune 27, 2014
pennmom36
fromJust building Persia one match at a time!
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
This is a fantastic Match 3 game but I love the Cradle of Rome games so much that in my opinion, this one falls a wee bit short because the mechanics of the game were changed too drastically. This game is a click and drag Match 3 where you click and hold, dragging as large of a chain as possible. If you make a large chain of matches you receive a little robot or even several robots on the board which makes the game on the easy side because you can manipulate the robots to end up right where you need them to clear the board. Bonuses can be earned such as dynamite, a wand, lightning, clover hourglass, and a shield and at first you get a small amount of these bonuses and if you don't use them they will accumulate up to 4 times the power. You can play a bonus game which gives you all of the bonuses on the board and you get 10 chances to try and fill up the bonus panel to full capacity. Even though this is an easier game than the Cradle of Rome series, and it is a bit different than the usual, it's still a fun and relaxing game, enjoy!
I recommend this game!