knucklebones's Profile
Stat Summary
- Average Rating:3.3
- Helpful Votes:144
- Reviews Submitted:29
- First Review:May 17, 2013
- Most Recent Review:March 4, 2018
- Featured reviews0
Famed writer Nathaniel Hawthorne has died during a freak storm, and his spirit comes to you for help!
Overall rating
4
/
5
5 of 5 found this review helpful
Spooks galore in Salem, Massachusetts
PostedSeptember 30, 2013
knucklebones
fromLondon
Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Large File, Strategy
Fun Factor
5
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
5
/
5
Level of Challenge
5
/
5
Storyline
5
/
5
This is the 2nd of the 'Midnight Mysteries' and it's where the devs really found their feet and this spooky historical adventure series took off. The hint system leaves much to be desired but the ghostly atmosphere and haunted real-life characters are here in bucketloads. And it has the great sense of time and place which characterise all the games in this series. The devs did their homework on this one and it shows.
The story concerns the supernatural and historical links between Nathaniel Hawthorne the 19th century American author, the Salem Witch Trials of the 1690s, and a fictional Salem family featured in Hawthorne's novel 'The House of the Seven Gables'. I spent some time mid-game reading up on the web about these three strands and this helped enormously to understand what was going on, since I hadn't previously known anything about Hawthorne or that one of his ancestors was involved in the witch trials. There's quite a bit of time-travelling to meet all the different ghosts, but the game manages to tie up the story strands pretty nicely by the end so it has a very satisying conclusion.
Classic HO scenes are relatively few & far between and they're well-drawn, bright and uncluttered; individual items can be quite small but they're not a pain to find. One of the best things is that there are tons of objects to be discovered and used, some needing to be joined together to make a useful tool for your ghost hunt - really fun and a nice creative challenge.
The many puzzles are very varied and entertaining; some easy & others more challenging. There's a bit of narrative help to get you started on each, but basically it's up to you. Very few have a reset button but you can skip all of them. General gameplay is highly atmospheric and intriguing, with just the right amount of challenge. No voice-overs so you need to read the numerous short conversations with all the ghosts you meet, but I found this adds to the creepy atmosphere. The graphics, music and sound effects are excellent. I had a display problem on my Windows 8 widescreen as the game launched in a small central window, but doing Alt+Tab out of the game and back again solved this.
The hint system's pretty lousy as it only lets you select an inventory item & it'll show you where you can use it. #Thankfully the devs changed this in subsequent games in the series.# I do love collecting the beautiful ravens which top up your hints. The Journal records what's happened so far but doesn't give explicit pointers to what you should do next, and the map's just a simple drawing of Salem village with no jump function. There's no other in-game help, so I confess I had to crib a couple of times from the BFG walkthrough when I got stuck.
I think the game deserves 4 stars #that bad hint system lets it down#. It's entertaining, intriguing and involving, and the use of real-life historical characters gives the game a gravitas and substance that I haven't come across elsewhere. I found I cared for the characters and their plight. I'll definitely be playing this one again to understand all the various strands and enjoy the spectral flavour of the game some more.
I recommend this game!
Down by the deep and muddy Mississippi, something’s not right. A ghostly riverboat brings to light a new conspiracy!
Overall rating
5
/
5
5 of 5 found this review helpful
Not a HOG but an eerie adventure
PostedSeptember 24, 2013
knucklebones
fromLondon
Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Large File, Strategy
Fun Factor
5
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
5
/
5
Level of Challenge
4
/
5
Storyline
4
/
5
'Midnight Mysteries' have become must-have games for me. Spectral adventures combining real-life historical characters with a dash of hokum; very few classic HOGs but masses of items to be found & used; and inventive and amusing puzzles. It's also got great graphics, music and sound effects. Very few voice-overs, though, so conversations with the numerous ghosts have to be read. All in all a highly atmospheric & entertaining game with a great sense of time and place. However if you don't fancy the idea of journeying underground through crypts, digging up graves, and encountering Mephistopheles, you might want to avoid this one!
This adventure centres around the American author Mark Twain, who was a Mississippi river boat pilot in the 1850s. His brother Henry also worked on the steamboats and died in an explosion, for which Twain felt guilty for the rest of his life. The game draws on this real-life tragedy and also on one of Twain's later novels about the authorship of the Shakespearian canon, so there's some time-travelling back to Elizabethan England. I agree with Laflamme's review, that the game will make much more sense if you can spare 10 minutes to read Wikipedia's article about Twain's life.
I thoroughly enjoyed this adventure, though perhaps not quite as much as their 'Houdini' game which has a gripping storyline and features characters whom I'm more informed about. Also there's a deal more hokum in this one - particularly in the Elizabethan segments - which is why it didn't grab me as much. The mini-puzzles were all amusing, but since there's no info about how each one works I sometimes had to crib from the in-built Strategy Guide to get me started. And there's one puzzle which didn't make sense using my laptop's keyboard and the SG solution didn't work for me either!
Worth the CE price? I'm not sure, though the additional gameplay does tie up the loose ends, and there's a very tricky HOG where you need to find 80 bones. But given my total enjoyment of this spooky and atmospheric series I couldn't have settled for less.
I recommend this game!
Travel to Hodgepodge Hollow and learn the time-honored profession of magical potion creation in this fun Hidden Object game!
Overall rating
5
/
5
2 of 2 found this review helpful
Charming picturebook HOG
PostedSeptember 23, 2013
knucklebones
fromLondon
Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Large File, Strategy
Fun Factor
4
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
5
/
5
Level of Challenge
3
/
5
Storyline
5
/
5
This is a charming game, where every Hidden Object scene looks like it was lifted straight out of a child's beautiful picture book. You also get to help a friendly gnome gather ingredients to make magic potions that you use on characters in the next scene.
The HOGs aren't too difficult (no endless peering at the screen!) and every single picture is simply lovely to look at. A fun, relaxing and non-threatening game to play - it made a lovely change from the usual dark & dreary stuff. Very simple but not too childish. I enjoyed it very much, just wallowing in such gorgeous picturebook images.
I recommend this game!
Sherlock Holmes VS Arsene Lupin
Embark on an investigation as Sherlock Holmes! Stop the legendary thief, Arsene Lupin, before he steals objects from England!
Overall rating
3
/
5
4 of 4 found this review helpful
An exceedingly linear stroll around London
PostedSeptember 23, 2013
knucklebones
fromLondon
Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Large File, Strategy
Fun Factor
3
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
3
/
5
Level of Challenge
4
/
5
Storyline
4
/
5
A potentially good game let down by the excrutiatingly linear gameplay. I know where I need to go and what I need to do, but the game won't let me do it until I've completed some trivial task first! It left me tired and frustrated.
On the plus side, the game has convincing characters and really top-notch voice work, particularly that of Holmes. The storyline's interesting enough, with master criminal Arsene Lupin stealing England's national treasures and leaving a series of clues at each location for Holmes to decipher. The devs have used a great choice of top tourist locations to visit during the game: the British Museum, Buckingham Palace, The Tower of London etc - though I was a bit surprised that 221b Baker Street is located in the middle of a very short road!
There's an excellent jump-map which builds as you explore each new location - but since there's no tutorial I only realised I could use it to jump around after spending ages plodding endlessly back and forth through the National Gallery's rooms. You control Holmes and Watson in turn. Moving around is clunky and awkward until you get used to it but you can double-click to get them to run. It's possible to switch to first-person viewpoint to have a look around, but as it's '360 degrees' you might feel a bit seasick while doing so (I know I did).
The hint system's excellent as it's comprised of layered clues, so if you get stuck you can choose exactly how much info you want revealed about your current task. Pressing the spacebar brings up all the action you can perform in the scene (viewing or interacting with an object) which I really appreciated as it saves so much aimless wandering about and examining! The inventory's well laid-out, with conversations and documents available for viewing in addition to standard inventory items.
On the negative side - and it's a big negative - you MUST perform actions in a particular sequence in order to progress in the game. Three times now (and I'm only into the 3rd location) I've spent 20 minutes or more examining and re-examining items I know I need with nothing happening. It's only after I've performed some other pre-determined action, such as showing an inventory item to one of the characters and sparking a conversation, that I can try again and the game moves on. It's wretchedly annoying.
Now that I understand both its mechanics and shortcomings I'll probably try and finish this game, as I enoyed the characterisation and voice work. But it would have been good to have had access to a tutorial so that I could understand what was holding me up. I recommend this game with reservations.
I recommend this game!
Rob from the rich and give to the poor! When an evil ruler taxes his people to near starvation, it's up to Robin to save the day!
Overall rating
4
/
5
1 of 1 found this review helpful
Fun adventuring in Nottingham
PostedSeptember 22, 2013
knucklebones
fromLondon
Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Large File, Strategy
Fun Factor
5
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
4
/
5
Level of Challenge
3
/
5
Storyline
5
/
5
I enjoyed this HOG adventure game a lot. Bright and innocent fun, without any doom, gloom, monsters or ghoulies! You play Robin, the heroine, who helps out the local people by righting wrongs done to them. Some of the people she helps (Friar Tuck, Little John etc) join her merry band, and as she gets more expert at solving problems she becomes the town's champion.
It's very well done, the cartoony graphics are large and bright, and the HO items are generally true to the period which is always a big plus for me. The HO scenes are deliberately fuzzy but not too hard, and the challenges are suitable for the style of the game: easy but enough to make you think. The music and sound effects are fine and appropriate. I enjoyed the archery challenges too! The game's a little childish when compared to others, but I found it a nice, light change from the usual gloomy games out there.
A lot of thought's been put into this game to make it a fun historical romp. I found the accents of the local characters hilarious, as they're more Irish-American than Nottinghamshire, but it all adds to the fun of the game.
I recommend this game!
A UFO is rumored to have landed in the small town of Tundel and the mayor is trying to conceal it. Run your own journalistic investigation and learn the truth behind the event!
Overall rating
4
/
5
2 of 2 found this review helpful
Very enjoyable despite the juvenile running gag
PostedSeptember 22, 2013
knucklebones
fromLondon
Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Large File, Strategy
Fun Factor
5
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
5
/
5
Level of Challenge
5
/
5
Storyline
4
/
5
An amusing, enjoyable meander through the streets of the City of Fools. Visit each weird citizen in their home and fetch/buy a peculiar set of items for them so that you can earn enough to aid the next person, and so on. The ultimate aim of all your do-gooding is to earn enough money to buy a plane ticket to meet a mysterious man who lives on some island.
Quite demanding on my map-reading skills, and also in trying to remember where each person lived! I found the game very amusing, diverting and enjoyable although I quickly tired of the two running jokes: an obnoxious policeman, and a juvenile and very tiresome gag about excrement in the streets. I had to crib occasionally from an online walkthrough (particularly after the first dung incident) since there's no help or hint function in the game. You're only supplied with a list of all the deeds you have to perform and whether you've completed them. Plus that map, which sometimes drove me round the bend but was helpful nonetheless.
Like others I found the game's ending to be a let-down and unsatisfying. Almost as if the devs had run out of ideas for a grand climax. Or perhaps that was their intention? After all, only a fool would visit the City of Fools.
I recommend this game!
Sort through suspects, weapons, motives, and evidence as you aide Inspector Parker in solving the mystery of Misanthrope Manor.
Overall rating
5
/
5
4 of 6 found this review helpful
Excellent logic-tester
PostedSeptember 21, 2013
knucklebones
fromLondon
Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Large File, Strategy
Fun Factor
5
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
4
/
5
Level of Challenge
5
/
5
Storyline
5
/
5
Superb logic-testing puzzler where you accompany Inspector Parker on his investigation into murders at a large house (which gets larger and more densely occupied as the game progresses). You have to compare the statements made by an array of weird and wonderful characters, in order to place them in their correct room along with a possible murder weapon and motive, and eliminate those who you think are innocent. Wonderfully engaging, with the statements getting more and more complex as the game progresses and you work your way up the ranks of the police force.
Quite an old-fashioned look and feel, but nothing wrong with that. It suits the game down to the ground (or, in this case, from the attic to the cellars!).
I recommend this game!
Become an Art Mogul by bidding at exciting auctions, completing lucrative requests, exposing fakes, and much more!
Overall rating
3
/
5
6 of 6 found this review helpful
Art-based Tycoon/HOG game
PostedSeptember 21, 2013
knucklebones
fromLondon
Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Large File, Strategy
Fun Factor
4
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
4
/
5
Level of Challenge
4
/
5
Storyline
4
/
5
This was the first 'tycoon' game I played, and I enjoyed the novelty of buying and selling art in galleries and art cafes around the world. Many of the artworks featured in the game are famous masterpieces, so it was a thrill to pick them up for a song and carry them around in my 'portfolio' for a while. In fact my finances got into trouble because I didn't want to trade away my favourites! The paintings featured in the game are well-rendered and there was a wide range of styles, themes and artists, though it would have been nice to have had more info on each painting and its artist.
There's a lot of Spot-the-Difference and Hidden Object-type gameplay, as you have to spot small details in each canvas to prove to others what an expert you are. My eyesight's none too hot but generally I didn't mind this aspect except where the detail was very small and dark. I've a good-sized screen but sometimes I was peering til my eyes hurt. That aspect downgraded the game from a 4 to a 3.5 stars for me.
The Hint button's very helpful if you can't spot the detail you're searching for. There's no timer (though you have to be quick with both your eyes and your mouse during the Auctions) so it's a relaxing game where you can take as long as you want, fly where you want, and trade what you want.
My two main gripes are the same as other reviewers'. Late on in the game you're forced to buy existing galleries to build your own collections. Since there are only seven galleries worldwide, this reduces your trading options considerably and also limits the fun. The other problem is that the game suddenly runs out of steam - I was on the hunt for a missing masterpiece when my 'mentor' suddenly popped up to announce that the game was complete. I could carry on trading but there were no further missions. I'd have liked a bit more proper closure than that.
I recommend this game!
Become a movie mogul as you build and manage your very own Hollywood studio. Go behind the scenes and become a star!
Overall rating
1
/
5
6 of 6 found this review helpful
Approach with caution
PostedSeptember 21, 2013
knucklebones
fromLondon
Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Large File, Strategy
Fun Factor
1
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
2
/
5
Level of Challenge
2
/
5
Storyline
3
/
5
I was on the hunt for some Tycoon games and bought this after trialling it, assuming the 5-star review was right & thinking it would improve. But it just seemed to get more complex and harder to achieve anything.
Although the game ran on my Windows Vista pc, it simply wouldn't allow me to buy film stock. There I was rolling in money and unable to make a new film unless I cadged a reel of celluloid off some passing pedestrian! I've tried 'rolling forward to a new year' as advised but still no film stock available.... Also the method by which you pick and pair actors, scripts and sets is long-winded and slow.
So approach this game with caution. Make sure you trial it first and check that you can change the year and pick up new film stock as a result. Otherwise, like me, you'll be a potential Hollywood Tycoon checking into the local job centre...
I don't recommend this game.
Unfinished Tales: Illicit Love Collector's Edition
After the Raven Queen crashes her wedding, Thumbelina must save her prince to reclaim her happy ending!
Overall rating
3
/
5
0 of 1 found this review helpful
For adolescents only
PostedSeptember 21, 2013
knucklebones
fromLondon
Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Large File, Strategy
Fun Factor
2
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
5
/
5
Level of Challenge
4
/
5
Storyline
3
/
5
One of those games that seems aimed squarely at girls who haven't yet dipped their toe into the murky real-life world but who think about it a good deal... An adult game title and a wicked female opponent who threatens your handsome princely fiance. But unfortunately you get to play the toe-curlingly sweet heroine Thumbelina, who "tee hee"s a good deal and whose favourite curse when frustrated is "Tumbling Teapots!"
Graphics are well done, the challenges are interesting, but the heroine is just too cutesy for my taste. A disappointment from Elephant Games and as a result I'll approach their future issues with caution. Luckily I bought this in a half-price deal so I'm not too aggrieved that I don't have the patience to finish it.
I don't recommend this game.