mharrsch's Profile
Stat Summary
- Average Rating:3.5
- Helpful Votes:49
- Reviews Submitted:17
- First Review:July 19, 2014
- Most Recent Review:October 4, 2017
- Featured reviews0
Restore the paintings of great artists that have been spoiled by mysterious thieves! Expose their plans and free the world of art!
Overall rating
4
/
5
Removing hidden objects from works of art made me appreciate the paintings even more
PostedOctober 4, 2017
mharrsch
fromSpringfield, OR
Skill Level:Intermediate
Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Brain Teaser, Hidden Object, Large File, Puzzle
Fun Factor
4
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
3
/
5
Level of Challenge
4
/
5
Storyline
3
/
5
Although I usually prefer adventure games rather than pure HOPs, I do love classical art and discovered this game brought many 17th and 18th century masterpieces to my attention that I had never seen before. Most of the game revolves around removing objects that have been added to paintings by apparently rather talented vandals.
The paintings were worked into a story about Lana, an art restorer, who is asked by local collectors and gallery owners to repair their damaged acquisitions. The police also become involved when some of the paintings are found to be forgeries. The police ask Lana to help with the investigation.
This is an older game so there are no character voiceovers, just textual dialogue and you don't really learn much about the various characters so when the master thief is finally revealed, you have not accumulated any clues or evidence to really indicate them. It would have been more fun if you had been provided with dossiers on each suspect and found related clues as you worked on the paintings.
The hidden objects were definitely challenging! Some, like a crow or a spider, were already very dark then hidden in dark areas of the painting, making them very difficult to see. I could have turned up the brightness of my computer screen but I'm a photographer and have my monitor calibrated so colors are accurately reproduced and I didn't want to mess up my settings.
Some hidden objects were positioned behind objects in the painting so you might see only part of the body of a dog or a cat showing through the spokes of a wheel or something so you really had to scrutinize the picture to find them. The objects were also painted in muted colors to blend into the color palette of the painting so they definitely did not leap out at you.
Some objects triggered a bonus menu of additional objects that you had to find in sequence if you wanted to collect the maximum points. I thought this increased the difficulty significantly.
Another aspect of this game included several exercises where you use money you have earned repairing paintings to buy furnishings for your rooms and, eventually, your beach resort veranda while you are on vacation. There are more furnishings than you actually need so I accumulated quite a bit of extra money that I could then use to buy a hint if I needed one.
A chance discovery sends Arizona Rose on a new life of adventure and it’s up to you to help her decipher Blackbeard's treasure maps!
Overall rating
4
/
5
2 of 2 found this review helpful
Beautiful mosaic puzzles that became more challenging as the game progressed.
PostedOctober 3, 2017
mharrsch
fromSpringfield, OR
Skill Level:Intermediate
Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Brain Teaser, Hidden Object, Large File, Puzzle
Fun Factor
5
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
4
/
5
Level of Challenge
5
/
5
Storyline
3
/
5
This is the first mosaic tile game I had ever played but quickly caught on to techniques to confidently reveal or clip each tile. I enjoy Sudoku puzzles and the mathematical aspect of these mosaic grid puzzles seemed similar in that I had to think about the number and location of filled tiles in relation to the number of tiles in each row or column. Then I had to clip tiles that I knew could not possibly contain a tile and use the resulting empty areas to define beginning and end points. The mosaics became quite complex before the end of the game and I found it fun to try to figure out what the picture was while I was solving the puzzle.
There were a few HOPs in the game too that were a bit dark but the objects were nicely related to the storyline. The story about Blackbeard really was just a shell, though, to house dozens and dozens of mosaic puzzle grids. Successfully completing a grid did not result in clues to the treasure's location or anything like that. I think that would have made the game stronger. But I think this game provides hours of entertainment for mosaic puzzle lovers.
I personally prefer more variety in my gaming so I ended up working a couple of grids at the end of the day after I had played an adventure game with a variety of different minipuzzles. Since this game had so many grid puzzles, though, it ended up taking me over two weeks playing just a couple of puzzles a day before I finally completed this game.
I recommend this game!
Travel to a Klondike Gold Rush town to solve a murder!
Overall rating
3
/
5
1 of 3 found this review helpful
Enjoyed Alaska setting but wish there had been wildlife encounters
PostedOctober 2, 2017
mharrsch
fromSpringfield, OR
Skill Level:Intermediate
Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Brain Teaser, Hidden Object, Large File, Puzzle
Fun Factor
3
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
4
/
5
Level of Challenge
3
/
5
Storyline
3
/
5
I really liked playing a game set in a real place for a change, in this case, Alaska. I played using the custom mode because I prefer no sparkles in HOPs and minimal instructions. Some of the inventory items were used in unusual ways but I was able to figure out what was needed even though some of the usage was not particularly logical or realistic.
I liked investigating the crime scene with the detector that changed color to let you know you were getting close to a clue although it might have been more challenging if it told you how many clues there were and left you to figure out which objects were clues.
One of the better sequences was finding your way through the woods based on a coded clue that you found. You had to search for the symbols, though, which involved different tasks like searching the foliage or matching objects you found in a particular scene. I would like to see a sequence like that combined with a riddle you had to consider that if solved would indicate a type of plant or animal that you needed to find and the plant or animal would be found in the appropriate habitat. Perhaps the devs could consider that for a future Dead Reckoning title.
I must admit I found the story a bit confusing and got to the point where I couldn't remember who was who after a while. I did enjoy exploring the mine, though, but I wish the defusing explosives sequence had required more thought. The minigames were varied in difficulty although I had seen most before in other games. I had just played another EIPIX game where I had to assemble pieces of a drive shaft to rotate gears so I didn't find that particular puzzle as interesting as I did the first time I encountered it. I only skipped one minigame because its random aspect became tedious to me.
Being set in Alaska, I would have liked encounters with wildlife in the game and a more realistic soundscape. But the game kept me interested enough to complete it.
I recommend this game!
Can you escape from the grasp of a lovestruck ghost?
Overall rating
3
/
5
4 of 5 found this review helpful
Good graphics and lots of locations but unpredictable Hints and Map made game play frustrating
PostedAugust 13, 2017
mharrsch
fromSpringfield, OR
Skill Level:Intermediate
Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Hidden Object, Large File, Puzzle
Fun Factor
3
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
3
/
5
Level of Challenge
3
/
5
Storyline
3
/
5
This is the first Dana Nightstone game I have played and was a bit troubled by the inconsistent nature of its map, the almost incomprehensible instructions given for its more advanced minigames towards the end of this adventure, and the overly melodramatic story and music. I did enjoy the graphics, though, especially the palace rooms later in the story and there were a lot of locations to explore.
I particularly enjoyed one of the minipuzzles that involved trying to play a piano based on a sheet of music represented by symbols instead of musical notes. Each key would display a symbol on a sheet of paper and you had to press each key to figure out all the symbols produced by the keys so you could then select the appropriate keys to play the sheet music.
In another interesting minipuzzle, you are presented with a banquet table and asked to arrange the plates and goblets based on clues you perceive from other items on the table. The clues include shapes and color combinations but some are quite subtle.
I did skip two minipuzzles that made absolutely no sense to me whatsoever. One involved four smaller rotating disks sitting on a large rotating disk. You are told to rotate the disks, both large and small, to align objects based on clues sketched on the left side of the puzzle. Most of the smaller disks had only three objects on them while others had four. I understood the clues but trying to get all of the objects in approximately the same configuration became tedious. When I clicked the Hint button one of the smaller disks would simply spin and leave objects not even centered under the openings so was essentially worthless.
Another irritating minipuzzle was the final one which resembled a match 3 type game. The instructions said to slide like tiles so at least five could be adjacent to clear them from the grid and reveal silhouettes of weapons or people that could then be used to clear the number of silhouettes of each item listed on the right. I finally figured out that you could swipe across tiles both left and right, up and down and even at a diagonal to clear them from the board and allow new tiles to fall into the grid. But despite clicking on a large number of revealed silhouettes, they didn't seem to reduce the number of silhouettes listed on the right. To me, since I could not perceive making any progress whatsoever, it was just frustrating and not at all intriguing so I skipped it to finish the game.
The map and hint system were also frustrating at times. There were instances where I checked every single map and no locations showed anything to do so I just checked some other locations that I remembered had unfinished tasks to see if I could do something further.
Other times the Hint button would highlight a "hot spot" but when you clicked on it and found nothing to do then clicked the Hint button again it would just indicate to close the interactive window as there was nothing to do there. One interactive window displayed a door that needed something like six lion heads to open it. I had placed five lion heads in the door and needed to find the sixth one and knew I didn't have it but the Hint button kept indicating I should go there anyway. In another instance, I had to rearrange armor items on knight figures based on a sketch. I arranged the armor, was shown the rushing air graphic to indicate I had done it correctly and the window closed but immediately displayed another inspection icon. When I clicked on the magnifying glass, the armor was all jumbled up again but I could no longer interact with the armor either. Eventually, I noticed a small inventory item that I then collected. But, the sequence of the minipuzzle and immediate modification to add an inventory item was very confusing in my opinion.
Although I was worried that eventually the Hint button and/or map would totally fail leaving me stranded and unable to complete the game, I finished after nine hours of gameplay.
A mountain observatory is hiding a big secret!
Overall rating
4
/
5
2 of 3 found this review helpful
Clear graphics, Excellent minipuzzles and good story
PostedJuly 28, 2017
mharrsch
fromSpringfield, OR
Skill Level:Intermediate
Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Hidden Object, Large File, Puzzle
Fun Factor
4
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
5
/
5
Level of Challenge
5
/
5
Storyline
4
/
5
This Hidden Expedition includes an adventure in a secret lab with a gifted genius gone mad. The graphics were clear, voiceovers believable, and minipuzzles particularly interesting.
One of the more challenging puzzles was a grid of tiles with a strip in the middle with symbols on it. The goal was to move tiles with symbols on them placed randomly around the grid to the matching tile with symbol on the center strip. However, some tiles you encounter will rotate the symbol on the tile you are working with by 90 degrees and others will change its background color. There are also some stationary obstacles to contend with as well. To make matters even more complex, some of the columns of the grid have both up and down arrows to use to move the tiles while others may have only a down arrow or an up arrow. The rows of the grid are likewise with some having both a left and right arrow while others have only a left arrow or right arrow. Some rows and/or columns have no arrows at all so you must plan your tile movements accordingly. The exercise is not complete until all tiles with the appropriate blue background color and in the proper orientation are sitting atop their matching counterpart on the center strip.
Another puzzle I enjoyed was a mechanical system where you are given a collection of different lengths of augers and toothed-gears and must assemble them to transfer movement from a gear rotating an auger down in the lower right-hand corner to a motionless gear in the upper left-hand corner. It was quite gratifying to get each successive piece of auger rotating!
There was also a fun little activity where you compared forged signatures with an original signature and had to point out the differences on the forgeries. Since I studied forensics I enjoyed that, too.
Overall, a well thought out game!
I recommend this game!
Join in the race as teams battle to be the first to reach the summit of Mount Everest. Explore the mysteries of the world and find clues to support your journey.
Overall rating
3
/
5
1 of 2 found this review helpful
Challenging HO scenes and interesting videos of real Everest climb
PostedJuly 24, 2017
mharrsch
fromSpringfield, OR
Skill Level:Intermediate
Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Hidden Object, Large File, Puzzle
Fun Factor
3
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
3
/
5
Level of Challenge
4
/
5
Like one of the other reviewers here I bought Hidden Expedition Everest because I liked Hidden Expedition Smithsonian not realizing the Everest game had no story and was a straightforward HO game with intermittent timed assembly puzzles. Based on the graphics it appears to be an older game but the scenes were interesting and finding the well-hidden objects was challenging.There are also five jewels in each scene. If you find all five of them you collect an additional hint. If you also see an hour glass and click on it you are given a few minutes extra as each scene is timed.
The mini-puzzles are also timed so if you can't complete the puzzle in the time allotted you will be told time's up and you can not finish that particular puzzle. Towards the end of the game, I could not complete a minipuzzle of a skeleton that has been shot with arrows and speared because the skull piece would not drop into place because my cursor could not go that far to the left. I play with a 29-inch wide screen so I went into options and unchecked the full-screen option but I still could not get the skull far enough to the left. However, I was able to continue on to the summit without completing that puzzle.
At one point I was told I was too slow and would have to go back and climb with another group (Even though I was in first place). I was then bounced back to the main menu. I thought this meant I had to start the entire game over again. I read some of the reviews and nobody mentioned this type of thing but they did remark that you are penalized for any extra clicks and that incorrect clicks advance your opposing teams. So I went back and found I could just continue on where I left off. From then on, though, I found as many items as quickly as I could then used whatever hints were available to complete the scene as fast as I could.
A nice educational feature at the end of the game was a collection of videos and photographs from a real ascent of Everest narrated by one of the climbers.
I recommend this game!
It is your job to explore the wreckage of this once-majestic ship and collect antique artifacts for the Titanic Museum.
Overall rating
2
/
5
2 of 2 found this review helpful
Just same HO scenes over and over again
PostedJuly 22, 2017
mharrsch
fromSpringfield, OR
Skill Level:Intermediate
Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Hidden Object, Large File, Puzzle
Fun Factor
2
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
3
/
5
Level of Challenge
2
/
5
Storyline
1
/
5
I'm a bit confused. The Hidden Expedition Titanic I downloaded and played had only two scenes, the dining room and the deck and none of the objects except the jewels changed within a scene. Believe me, after finding the objects over and over again I got really fast and made sure I found all the jewels first to get that out of the way each time. I kept thinking there would be something more but I played the same scenes again and again and again and nothing different ever happened. One of the other reviewers mentioned a minigame but I never saw anything like that. It was so repetitive I saw the same Titanic facts over and over again too. I felt like I was on an unending treadmill so I finally just stopped and uninstalled the game. Maybe I downloaded an older version than the one available now???
I don't recommend this game.
Enjoy this beautiful adventure set in a unique interactive 3D Thailand! Complete mysterious puzzles and find hidden objects. Prepare for an unforgettable experience!
Overall rating
2
/
5
6 of 6 found this review helpful
Confusing story, poor navigation and vague instructions
PostedJuly 21, 2017
mharrsch
fromSpringfield, OR
Skill Level:Intermediate
Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Hidden Object, Large File, Puzzle
Fun Factor
2
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
3
/
5
Level of Challenge
4
/
5
Storyline
2
/
5
I enjoy learning about other cultures so I thought this game would be really interesting. Unfortunately, although some of the graphics were interesting and some of the minigames a challenge, I ended up feeling slightly nauseous from the 3D aspects of this game and frustrated by the fact that the cursor never changed to help indicate an area that needed to be explored for an inventory object or other interactive content. Most of the time I was totally reliant on the Help button to see where to go next. The story was so vague that I soon forgot any kind of coherent objective and just wandered around with no goal in mind at all.
The character graphics were little better than slow moving Poser models from the 1990s and the rambling dialogue was almost nonsensical, especially the musings of the old monk as well as the painfully drawn out moanings of the ghost figures. You could skip these over-long cut scenes but if you did you would miss a clue that the characters finally gave you at the end of their droning dialogue.
Dragging objects from your inventory to the point on the screen where they were needed was irritating, too, especially since the designated point was so small sometimes you could miss it entirely. Several times the hint button would point to a location but if you clicked on it nothing would happen. It might tell you Mr. Wiggles would be helpful but when you clicked on Mr. Wiggles and tried to drag him to the right spot he would just fall back to his original location. If you then clicked on the Help button it would just direct you somewhere else.
I did enjoy some of the minigames, particularly the game with the gecko where he was gobbling up first caterpillars and then crickets in a maze. I also liked deciphering the music score with the bells although the advanced music score was very misleading with its redirecting arrows and note groupings. It finally degrades into an exercise in trial and error before you complete it. I only skipped one minigame where you had to click on interlocking stones to remove them from a closing temple doorway. After a number of tries it became obvious to me that with my eye-hand coordination diminished by age I could never click on all the stones fast enough to clear the doorway and enter the temple chamber.
Sadly, I must say I do not recommend this game in its current state if you want to keep some shred of your sanity! Although I toughed it out and played this game all the way to the end, this is the first game I have ever played on Big Fish that I finally reached such a level of frustration I shouted out "Finally!!" when the end credits started to roll.
Solve the mystery of a seaside town as you uncover your lost memories!
Overall rating
4
/
5
Nice graphics, interesting story but minipuzzles require experimentation as instructions are vague
PostedJuly 14, 2017
mharrsch
fromSpringfield, OR
Skill Level:Intermediate
Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Hidden Object, Large File, Puzzle
Fun Factor
4
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
4
/
5
Level of Challenge
5
/
5
Storyline
4
/
5
I liked the story and the scenery in this game, especially the undersea locations. The interactive HOPs were more interesting than straightforward searches as well. The map was very helpful and indicated areas where tasks still needed to be completed. At one point the map showed no available tasks at all, though, so I chose to return to the other island and found more to do there.
I enjoyed most of the minipuzzles although the minipuzzle instructions were never comprehensive so you had to experiment for a few minutes to find out what they weren't telling you. One puzzle resembled a billiards table with green and red oval beads. You were instructed to clear the table. I was only allowed to click on the red beads but at first couldn't figure out how to aim them. After a number of resets I tried dragging the bead in the direction I wanted to go and noticed a white arrow appeared that I could then rotate and use to aim toward the green beads I wanted to hit. The farther you draw back on the bead the longer the arrow gets as an indicator of the strength of your hit.I was then able to complete the task.
I ended up having to skip the most difficult minipuzzle at the end of the game, though. It resembled a Match 3 game which is a type of game I don't particularly enjoy but I tried my best for over an hour before I finally surrendered. I was presented with a grid of colored gemstones and told to use the exploding pink gemstones to clear the grid. The instructions don't tell you that you must clear the grid using only 4 clicks. In addition to the pink gemstones, there are purple, yellow and green gemstones. The purple gemstones must morph into yellow then green and finally pink gemstones before you can eliminate them. So, they must be struck at least four times to get rid of them. Likewise, the yellow gemstones require three hits and the green gemstones require two hits. You can intentionally morph a gemstone into another color by clicking on it but each click is counted against your 4-click limit. Obviously, the solution is to figure out how to set up a cascading effect with the pink gemstones and possibly some converted gemstones. But, I'd had a stressful week and this puzzle at the end of a rather trying day required too much calculation for my exhausted brain! Perhaps you Match 3 enthusiasts out there would have better luck!
Anyway, I enjoyed most of this game and definitely recommend it.
I recommend this game!
Do you have the courage to stop the inquisitor?
Overall rating
5
/
5
2 of 2 found this review helpful
Beautiful graphics, logical use of inventory items, interesting story and even a few arcade style minigames!
PostedJuly 8, 2017
mharrsch
fromSpringfield, OR
Skill Level:Intermediate
Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Hidden Object, Large File, Puzzle
Fun Factor
5
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
5
/
5
Level of Challenge
5
/
5
Storyline
5
/
5
As a history enthusiast, I really enjoyed the story in this game and appreciated the beautiful scenery, quality voiceovers, and period-appropriate music. I liked that fact that the inventory items were used logically so I was able to play the entire game without using the Hint button.
I particularly liked the arcade-style minigames where your eye-hand coordination skills were needed to fight the villain with a sword, win an archery contest, and dodge broken trees in the swamp.while paddling a boat (That one was so hard I ended up having to skip it because I tried dozens of times and the suspenseful music got me so wound up I finally couldn't take it anymore!)
The HO scenes were bright and clear. I would have preferred them to be more thematically appropriate and a little more interactive, though, like finding one thing to use to find something else. At least the objects were of decent size and not inordinately obscured so I didn't think this should diminish my overall rating of the game. I found the logic puzzles challenging, too, without being overly frustrating. Several of them were in groups of three with each instance more difficult than the one before.
I will definitely add this game to my favorites list!
I recommend this game!