alsteele28's Profile
Stat Summary
- Average Rating:3.2
- Helpful Votes:1,950
- Reviews Submitted:209
- First Review:August 5, 2012
- Most Recent Review:April 22, 2021
- Featured reviews0
Status:
Follow a professional spy couple, help them uncover clues and solve the mystery in this fun, spy-themed solitaire challenge!
Overall rating
2
/
5
8 of 10 found this review helpful
Finally lost my 'patience'!
PostedApril 22, 2021
Fun Factor
1
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
2
/
5
Level of Challenge
2
/
5
Review based on demo (though didn't really need the demo). Ever since the first and the 'grand-daddy' of this type of solitaire (fairway), every other solitaire game is the same. Yes, this is an easy game of solitaire to pick-up, but there are hundreds of different variants of solitaire in the world, surely it is time we had a new version, as probably 99% of the Card-games section is this exact type. Some may complain that the Time-management games are all the same (yes you follow a path by collecting resources and building, but the themes and storylines make them engaging to want to play), this, no. The 15 minutes I played was enough (tedious doesn't really cover it), it was painful and the storyline was not that engaging.
No, until they bring a new solitaire I think I have finally lost my patience!
Help Rangers run Pinecreek Hills Park and National Academy!
Overall rating
4
/
5
3 of 4 found this review helpful
Finally got a job as an American Park Ranger
PostedApril 22, 2021
Fun Factor
4
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
3
/
5
Level of Challenge
3
/
5
These games are very very American orientated. I mean the ‘bold eagle’ and the flag references, couldn’t be more American oriented (unless they played the Stars and Stripes as a soundtrack). This is fine, I don’t mind that (to me it just a game, I don’t have to live), no it is the items to ‘forage’ that sometimes ‘flummox’ me, for instance ‘the Purple Heart’ was one of the find objects, I was spending ages looking for a purple-coloured heart, that I had to use a ‘hint’ to help, it turns out it was a badge of honour. There were others that had different words in the US that were uncommon in this country such as ‘birdie’, which to us is a ‘shuttlecock’. No, I am not ‘knocking the game’ as it is a nice ‘gentle game’ and as my first ‘foray’ into this series I will enjoy playing the others, it is just sometimes the game does feel that it is for an American only audience.
As to the mechanics of the game, as with other Casual art games, it follows similar paths, HOG scenes, litter and this (which again highlighted how American the ‘bold Eagle’, jigsaws etc. I again found this element a little ‘off-putting’, in that all the pieces are on the board at once, it would be nice to have an option to have the edges and middle separate to make the board ‘less busy’.
I overall liked the game and recommend it to anyone else who hasn’t ‘become a Ranger’, I realise that I am around 10 seasons behind and for that I am sorry!
As to the mechanics of the game, as with other Casual art games, it follows similar paths, HOG scenes, litter and this (which again highlighted how American the ‘bold Eagle’, jigsaws etc. I again found this element a little ‘off-putting’, in that all the pieces are on the board at once, it would be nice to have an option to have the edges and middle separate to make the board ‘less busy’.
I overall liked the game and recommend it to anyone else who hasn’t ‘become a Ranger’, I realise that I am around 10 seasons behind and for that I am sorry!
I recommend this game!
Reprise your role as Cruise Director and enjoy the cruise of a lifetime aboard the fleet’s superb flagship, USS Liberty of the Waves!
Overall rating
4
/
5
1 of 1 found this review helpful
Maiden Voyage
PostedApril 19, 2021
Fun Factor
4
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
3
/
5
Level of Challenge
4
/
5
Storyline
3
/
5
I have only recently got ‘onboard’ (pun intended) with this series, and I am enjoying my voyage so far. I have to say however, that, even in ‘casual’ mode the time-limits for the jigsaws and other puzzles are ‘way too tight’ (especially for the new traveller). With regards to the jigsaw puzzles, I enjoy completing jigsaws, but to me (certainly the one that I have completed) it was to ‘busy’ in that all the pieces were on, it would have been nice to have an option to have edges then the middle, not necessarily making it easier (though I appreciate this does, but then so does ‘option A’), but to make the screen less busy and easier to ‘fathom’.
This is a HO game ‘scene by scene’ I understand that, but I wish that the music would be one continuous soundtrack, not one that keeps looping (I appreciate I am slow), but for it to keep ‘looping’ after only around 3 minutes, was a bit ‘jarring’ and kind of put me of my (very slow, admittedly) stride.
I know that as a ‘pure’ HO game the essence is to find things, but I sometimes wish the words were less ‘American’. For example, a ‘birdie’ is what in this country is a ‘shuttlecock’, now I am aware that the term may not be known in America, or around the world, thus it may have been better to have objects where the word is understood in all of English, not just in one translation of English.
I also felt that some ‘tile-turning’ puzzles were a little ‘tricky’ as it was not always easy to ascertain which tile had not to be ‘turned correctly’, but these puzzles were easy compared to the others (except the Word Search) that I have encountered thus far.
I will complete my voyage and will then join the previous cruises to see what countries and experiences I have been missing out on.
This is a HO game ‘scene by scene’ I understand that, but I wish that the music would be one continuous soundtrack, not one that keeps looping (I appreciate I am slow), but for it to keep ‘looping’ after only around 3 minutes, was a bit ‘jarring’ and kind of put me of my (very slow, admittedly) stride.
I know that as a ‘pure’ HO game the essence is to find things, but I sometimes wish the words were less ‘American’. For example, a ‘birdie’ is what in this country is a ‘shuttlecock’, now I am aware that the term may not be known in America, or around the world, thus it may have been better to have objects where the word is understood in all of English, not just in one translation of English.
I also felt that some ‘tile-turning’ puzzles were a little ‘tricky’ as it was not always easy to ascertain which tile had not to be ‘turned correctly’, but these puzzles were easy compared to the others (except the Word Search) that I have encountered thus far.
I will complete my voyage and will then join the previous cruises to see what countries and experiences I have been missing out on.
I would recommend this game for old and new passengers and Bon Voyage to all!
A frantic distress signal uncovers a mysterious disappearance at Misthill!
Overall rating
3
/
5
4 of 4 found this review helpful
Way too short!
PostedApril 14, 2021
alsteele28
fromYorkshire England
Skill Level:Intermediate
Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Hidden Object, Puzzle, Time Management, Word
Fun Factor
3
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
4
/
5
Level of Challenge
4
/
5
Storyline
5
/
5
I don't know whether it was because it was an engaging storyline or whether it was how easy (and logically) the game flowed or whether it was I have a 'love' for Mystery Tracker games, but I felt that this instalment was way way too short.
The game itself was and had an engaging storyline, I only skipped on puzzle (which is very low for me) and that was because it was a 'mouse skill' game and for some reason the cursor and the mouse never seem to be in 'total sync' on these type of puzzles, but apart from that the overall game was engaging and the HO were the usual array of 'riddles', 'joining together' and regular.
No, I the game was fun, but I think I would have felt 'cheated' if I had to pay regular full price for the game. Take my advice, buy it but only in a sale!
I recommend this game!
Discover a new cooking game from the creators of the award-winning Delicious series
Overall rating
4
/
5
Good foody game
PostedApril 29, 2017
Fun Factor
5
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
5
/
5
Level of Challenge
3
/
5
Storyline
5
/
5
Wow, this game is ‘totally awesome’ (to use an American parlance). I thought that this game was just going to be another ‘cook and serve’ type of game (in the Emily vain, which whilst good I personally think have ‘gone stale), this game though had an excellent story-line that you wanted to follow through and the change of music between the two environments (upbeat for the restaurant and melancholy for the law firm, was a nice touch)
The game itself was very fast-paced and even on the Beginner lever I was struggling (and I have played these games for a good while). I also liked how the storyline drew you in and was not childish in anyway, the slight problem was that if you are going to do a game which is heavily story-led (and one of the main draws of the game), it is a good idea to check and double-check grammar and wordings (one of the earlier cut-screens said 5 A.M in the ‘bubble’ and I wasn’t sure given that this kind of followed what was being said meant to be or not) and there was another in another cut-screen that I couldn’t follow at all (cut-screen with regards to the opening of the restaurant (this review is based solely on the trial version), so whilst this didn’t detract me from wanting to purchase the game, it did give me slight ‘pause for thought’ as I have noticed this happen before in some of the Emily games. It is good to have a story that draws one in, but the flipside to that is to make sure that the story flows and is worded correctly (I am not talking about English language differences (American – England English), these I am used to, I am talking about the general flow of the story.
I am not a ‘stickler’, but if I am not understanding something then it spoils the overall experience which is that of a great game.
I am not a ‘stickler’, but if I am not understanding something then it spoils the overall experience which is that of a great game.
I recommend this game!
When your father is arrested, it's up to you to save him and the city of Prague from sinister forces.
Overall rating
4
/
5
8 of 10 found this review helpful
Good but with flaws
PostedMarch 11, 2016
Fun Factor
3
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
5
/
5
Level of Challenge
4
/
5
Storyline
5
/
5
I have thoroughly enjoyed previous instalments of this series, but this one baffled me.
The graphics, music and voice-overs were up to the usual high standards associated with this game developer. However, in my mind there was one great flaw and that was in the puzzles.
The graphics, music and voice-overs were up to the usual high standards associated with this game developer. However, in my mind there was one great flaw and that was in the puzzles.
I know a game developer wants to try as many ‘fiendishly’ difficult puzzles as possible, this is all well and good but it should not be to the detriment of the person playing the game. I have been playing these games for a good few years now and have managed to fathom out what needs to be done and why because most games are logical. This though in parts (bearing in mind this review is based on the demo only) and there was a point in the game where I had to keep looking at the strategy guide (something I don’t normally do), just to try and understand the instructions for the puzzle, following on from this particular puzzle you had to open a gate with a piece of paper, but there was no (in my opinion), logical sense in what to do with the combination of paper and door mechanism. Once I had looked at the strategy guide it again made sense, my point however is a game should not make the player look too much in the strategy guide at the beginning of the game.
At this point I quit the game, as to me there is no point in playing a game if all you are doing is following ‘step-by-step’ instructions.
I would recommend to download, especially if you have played others in the series as the storyline is compelling and the rest is up to the usual standard, but I wouldn’t ‘buy it blind’ as you may get as frustrated as I was, which would therefore mean that you have effectively ‘lost your money’ if you are just going to use the strategy guide to play the game.
I may purchase this as a SE and just use a free token, just because as I say I have had others in the series and thoroughly enjoyed them, I personally however would not pay any money for this game.
I don't recommend this game.
Travel around the world and get acquainted with the world's most famous masterpieces. Collect evidence and help police catch a criminal.
Overall rating
3
/
5
5 of 5 found this review helpful
Who has destroyed the masterpieces
PostedMarch 2, 2016
Fun Factor
3
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
3
/
5
Level of Challenge
3
/
5
This is more of a ‘purist’ HO game rather than a game that has HO elements to it but is mainly story driven. It is however a quirky game and one which I have not really seen before. Yes there has been other games that have been pure HO, but this is based around the art-world. There is a slight ‘back-story’ in the form of a comic strip at the beginning of the game, but that just sets the scene for the program it does not really develop.in to a full-blown story like most others in this genre. That said I don’t want people to dismiss the game, as it is a quirky game.
The basis of the game is that different art ‘master-pieces’ have been ‘re-worked’ by the ‘evil’ protagonist, that is basically the main story. The pictures therefore have things in them that have things in them that weren’t of that era. For example, headphones in a picture that was painted in the 17th century. It is therefore a little bit of thought as to what wasn’t and was around of the different era’s thus in my opinion giving another dimension to the game.
The controls are accurate and there are trainer levels indicating what each of the different controls do. There is also a ‘blot you can swot’ for extra coins (though this does get irritating after about the 4th or 5th time on the same screen. There is no VO but then it is not a game where this is warranted or needed.
This game is fun and I enjoyed the free trial and the different photographs etc. and the comic strip story, but as to whether I would pay cold hard cash for the game I don’t think I would, I would though recommend it if you had a free token or ‘punch code’ knocking about, or if it was on a BOGOF offer, but whilst the game is fairly innovative it is more of a novelty game.
The controls are accurate and there are trainer levels indicating what each of the different controls do. There is also a ‘blot you can swot’ for extra coins (though this does get irritating after about the 4th or 5th time on the same screen. There is no VO but then it is not a game where this is warranted or needed.
This game is fun and I enjoyed the free trial and the different photographs etc. and the comic strip story, but as to whether I would pay cold hard cash for the game I don’t think I would, I would though recommend it if you had a free token or ‘punch code’ knocking about, or if it was on a BOGOF offer, but whilst the game is fairly innovative it is more of a novelty game.
I don't recommend this game.
Play as Incendio, armed with your wits & a keg of gunpowder to liberate the gold from Boss Grimshaw in this explosive game!
Overall rating
1
/
5
9 of 18 found this review helpful
This game certainly doesn't bang!
PostedFebruary 29, 2016
Fun Factor
1
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
1
/
5
Level of Challenge
1
/
5
Storyline
1
/
5
Fun for about 5 minutes (though I played for less than that). The aim was to draw a line of gunpowder (hence the game title), from one end of the screen to another. There were ‘lines in the sand’ to follow and passing through pigs and kegs gave you more points. There was a cartoonesque strip story as a backdrop (this neither enhanced or detracted from the overall gameplay). The problem I had was that on the second (yes I got that far!) puzzle screen even though I tried to avoid the safe (this then ended the level), to try and pick up all the pigs and kegs, it was too sensitive.
As you go through the game levels there is more in-depth puzzles to solve and at the beginning of the levels there is pictorial information detailing what you need to do to complete each of the puzzles. The puzzles did change and you had to think a bit more to complete them. At the end of the day though it was the same thing that needed to be done on each puzzle. Ignite and blast, Ignite and blast. Yes, there were variations on the theme but it was still the same theme time and time again. I lasted around 7 levels and whilst there was a little bit of thought etc, there was no way I wanted to continue the free trial let alone contemplate using any kind of codes to purchase the game.
As you go through the game levels there is more in-depth puzzles to solve and at the beginning of the levels there is pictorial information detailing what you need to do to complete each of the puzzles. The puzzles did change and you had to think a bit more to complete them. At the end of the day though it was the same thing that needed to be done on each puzzle. Ignite and blast, Ignite and blast. Yes, there were variations on the theme but it was still the same theme time and time again. I lasted around 7 levels and whilst there was a little bit of thought etc, there was no way I wanted to continue the free trial let alone contemplate using any kind of codes to purchase the game.
If you need practise in controlling a mouse for accuracy and you have a passing interest in blowing things up, then this may be worth a download. I would however not recommend using any form of payment (free or otherwise) to purchase the game.
I don't recommend this game.
Help Goldilocks's son protect his village from invading bears!
Overall rating
4
/
5
3 of 3 found this review helpful
Good for a fantasy HO game
PostedFebruary 25, 2016
Fun Factor
3
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
5
/
5
Level of Challenge
4
/
5
Storyline
4
/
5
I am usually not that bothered with regards to ‘fantasy’ Hidden Object games, as I tend to find them ‘samey’ in the fact that there is usually some creature (in this case a bear) as the ‘alter ego’ of the main protagonist. The problem also for me is that there is in the game dialogue a ‘flirt’ with the ‘other side’ in the form of ghosts or other mythical ‘other-world’ creatures. I am not really fond of this type of scenario and it does I admit kind of unnerve me a touch. I however decided to persevere with this game as it was a DD and for the price I thought I would take a punt.
Considering it was a SE game, the VO and Voice acting was excellent and the dialogue whilst occasionally may have been a touch long, because it was spoken (rather than just being read) it didn’t really matter because as I stated the voice acting was good.
The game was intuitive and did seem to have a ‘natural flow’, and the ‘junk scenes’ were a variety of ‘find the junk’ mixed with finding pairs and ‘solving the scene’ as it were by this I mean one action followed another action until all the objectives for that scene had been completed. The variety therefore and not know what you would be tasked with on each of the ‘junk scenes’ further enhanced the gameplay for me.
The soundtrack for a SE or even for a CE in general was excellent and really representative of the overall game-play. Normally (even in CE the sound can sometimes be a bit of let down and just be ‘soundbytes’ rather than full on music, I was pleasantly surprised that this soundtrack not only captured the overall mood of the game but also went one stage further and was a real asset to the overall game.
The only negatives I had was that it was a bit difficult to navigate round the game-world and I had to use the map (which I don’t tend to), the problem with this was that on this game on the ‘advanced’ mode (mode I usually play in), it not only should your location but it also showed which locations had tasks yet to be completed. Some games don’t do this on the ‘advanced’ setting, this was though counter-acted by allowing me to make custom changes so that this would no longer be a problem. I don’t like to know the ‘tasks’ as for me it just then becomes akin to a ‘paint by numbers’ exercise in that you are just following the map to the next task completing it and then moving on, not a ‘flow of story for me’. There were also towards the end of the game a couple of puzzles that I had to skip one because it made absolutely no sense to me at all and other because it didn’t seem possible to complete (I had been trying for around 20 minutes before I completely gave up).
The game was intuitive and did seem to have a ‘natural flow’, and the ‘junk scenes’ were a variety of ‘find the junk’ mixed with finding pairs and ‘solving the scene’ as it were by this I mean one action followed another action until all the objectives for that scene had been completed. The variety therefore and not know what you would be tasked with on each of the ‘junk scenes’ further enhanced the gameplay for me.
The soundtrack for a SE or even for a CE in general was excellent and really representative of the overall game-play. Normally (even in CE the sound can sometimes be a bit of let down and just be ‘soundbytes’ rather than full on music, I was pleasantly surprised that this soundtrack not only captured the overall mood of the game but also went one stage further and was a real asset to the overall game.
The only negatives I had was that it was a bit difficult to navigate round the game-world and I had to use the map (which I don’t tend to), the problem with this was that on this game on the ‘advanced’ mode (mode I usually play in), it not only should your location but it also showed which locations had tasks yet to be completed. Some games don’t do this on the ‘advanced’ setting, this was though counter-acted by allowing me to make custom changes so that this would no longer be a problem. I don’t like to know the ‘tasks’ as for me it just then becomes akin to a ‘paint by numbers’ exercise in that you are just following the map to the next task completing it and then moving on, not a ‘flow of story for me’. There were also towards the end of the game a couple of puzzles that I had to skip one because it made absolutely no sense to me at all and other because it didn’t seem possible to complete (I had been trying for around 20 minutes before I completely gave up).
Apart from the above 2 slight niggles I would heartedly recommend the game especially if you have a free token. I know it is a slightly older game, but don’t let that put you off, it is a game that can still ‘old its own’ today. If like me, you are not really a fan of ‘fantasy HO’ games I would still recommend to download the free trial as the story and music alone are well worth the ‘price of entry’ in my opinion.
I recommend this game!
Venture beyond time and space in this classic adventure game that will take you out of this world!
Overall rating
2
/
5
1 of 3 found this review helpful
The time is going to remain stranded
PostedFebruary 22, 2016
Fun Factor
2
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
2
/
5
Level of Challenge
1
/
5
Storyline
1
/
5
This is what I would class as a ‘b’ game in that whilst it is a solid game of its type there are too many ‘little niggles’ to warrant the game to be in the same league as the ‘big hitters’ of Big Fish.
The main problems were that because it was that there was a lot of reading to do and there was a lot of dialogue to read which sometimes felt unnecessary. Also because I have a feeling it was translated from another language (and not very well) some words that were there meant the opposite to what they actually wanted to say (because of a missing suffix), this meant that it was even more confusing with regards to trying to follow the story.
The main problems were that because it was that there was a lot of reading to do and there was a lot of dialogue to read which sometimes felt unnecessary. Also because I have a feeling it was translated from another language (and not very well) some words that were there meant the opposite to what they actually wanted to say (because of a missing suffix), this meant that it was even more confusing with regards to trying to follow the story.
Even with the dialogue problems the overall gameplay was not brilliant, there wasn’t really any clear direction as what to do and when. The story whilst long and rambling didn’t really move the game on as such so in my opinion there was no real cohesion between the dialogue and the actual gameplay, had this been a TM game it wouldn’t really have made that much difference, but because this was in the Adventure genre then there should have been a lot more cohesion.
In the 20 minutes I played (that is all I could cope with), there was one mini-game, which was slow and not very imaginative. The rest of the time was just spent wandering aimlessly between room to room trying to figure out what to do. The controls whilst not poor didn’t really do anything to enhance the overall gameplay.
I can’t recommend the game, even though I downloaded the trail when it was the ‘deal of the day’, because of the cheap price (because it was the ‘deal of the day’), I would have given the game a lot of slack as it were and accepted one or two ‘errors’, but because of the fundamentals of the dialogue being very poor along with the inadequacies in the gameplay, this is one game that I am not going to solve.
I can’t recommend this game at all.