Game review: Mystery Stories: Island of Hope

Mystery Stories: Island of Hope is a hidden object game based on a Caribbean vacation. Natives claim a missing casket is from a curse while you, Michelle, think otherwise. You set out to prove your claim. For the most part, this is a typical hidden object game. However, there are a few things to change it up. In some levels, only one object will be shown to you. You have 30 seconds to find this object before the list moves onto the next object. I think this is the best way to challenge someone who plays a lot of hidden object games.

Another change is that some levels have audio clues. While I can understand why someone would want to make an audio hidden object game, I prefer to play games without their sounds as I listen to my own songs. So, in order to play these levels, I need to shut off my audio and turn the sounds back on in the game. It's not a ton of work but it would have been nice to have been warned of this beforehand.

As much as the audio level annoyed me, I found the rest of the game to be quite enjoyable. This is a wonderful game for the more experienced hidden object player. Unfortunately, this means that someone who doesn't play these games a lot may find this too difficult. Play at your own risk.

Game review: Laura Jones and the Gates of Good and Evil

I find that I am growing tired of games with extremely long names. Laura Jones and the Gates of Good and Evil is an example of this trend. And I'm sure there will be many more Laura Jones games in the future. Anyway, you play Laura Jones, the daughter of an adventuring duo. You need to track down the six keys in order to open the Portal to the Gates. While it is still a hidden object game, there are some small changes in it. Instead of trying to find a huge list of items, there are levels where you are just tracking down a certain number of paw prints or jewels or something. They've also added a variety of mini-games where you need to do things like catching certain fish for a cat. I don't know if these make the game any more enjoyable. It ended up as an OK game but nothing I'd want to spend a ton of time on.

Game review: The Secret of Margrave Manor

The Secret of Margrave Manor is a rather uninspired hidden object game. You play Edwina Margrave, a woman searching for her lost grandfather. The only thing that makes the game different is that the objects move every time you enter the room. So it isn't possible for you to memorize where something is located. However, that doesn't make the game particularly interesting. Maybe if they threw in some extra puzzles, this would be a slightly more than a typical hidden object game.

Game review: The Sultan's Labyrinth

The Sultan's Labyrinth is a hidden object game where the goal is to find an appropriate suitor for the Sultan's daughter. Each prince must solve a number of puzzles in order to prove his worthiness. To be completely honest, I didn't play this game. My daughter did. I watched. However, she had no problems with any of the puzzles. The hidden object pieces were mostly based on matching the shadows with the objects and there were puzzles where you had to put shaped pieces together to make a larger shape. None of the puzzles were very difficult but they were still interesting and fun. All in all, a good game.

Game review: Camp Funshine: Carrie the Caregiver 3

Ah, Carrie. How she has grown. First she was a babysitter. Then she was a preschool teacher. Now she is a camp counselor. The gameplay is the same as the other two. Drop the waiting kids to their seats, bring them the things they need, hang their finished project (in this case, tie-dyed shirts) to dry. The most complicated part of the game is trying to get everything done before the kids get angry.

I found this version to be more enjoyable than the preschool version. The things you were asked to deliver to the children made sense. You weren't asked to do things that they could do themselves. There are also some slight additions to the game. Some of the tables have two seats. Those tables require two people to be seated before they will start the project. If you don't have two children available, you can pull another counselor in to help the child. I didn't find it particularly necessary though. You know that those tables need two children so you just try to wait until you have two children. Otherwise, sit them at the one-person tables. Not a difficult task.

This series isn't my favorite time management game but this particular one isn't terrible. I wouldn't plan on wasting a lot of time on it though.

Game review: James Patterson's Women's Murder Club: Death in Scarlet

There are quite a few murder mystery games out there. And there are a lot of hidden object games as well. James Patterson's Women's Murder Club: Death in Scarlet combines the two. You play a trio of women who work together to solve some of the city's murders. You'll do detective world, forensic work and a bit of research as well. While I knew this would be a hidden object game, I didn't expect the puzzles from the forensic and research sections. Luckily, these additions are extremely fun. They aren't difficult, like other games try to make their additions. Instead, you look forward to each section of the entire game. I can't wait for the next chapter in this game!

Game review: The Clumsys

My daughter asked to play a hidden object game with me. I picked The Clumsys based solely on the fact that it looked like The Scruffs, which she enjoyed. I am sad to say that the two games aren't alike at all, except for the fact that they are both hidden object games. In The Clumsys, you travel through time trying to find and clean up after some wayward children. However, the first puzzles in each era are "Find what doesn't belong" games. That means you have to have enough knowledge to know that there weren't motor vehicles in ancient Greece or that man hadn't walked on the Moon during Charles Lindbergh's time. It really requires too much historical knowledge for the average person to really enjoy playing this. It is an interesting idea - it just doesn't work very well.

Game Review: Virtual Villagers: The Secret City

I absolutely love the Virtual Villagers series. The Sims has always been a guilty pleasure of mine and, just the previous two, the third game in the series plays a lot like it. Instead of playing one or two characters, you control approximately six characters in the beginning. These people are stranded on a deserted island and it is your job to get them the things they need to live - food, water, shelter, etc. In each version of the game, there is a secondary goal beyond just keeping everyone alive. This one has you uncovering a lost city. The villagers are surrounded by ruins and you need to get them leveled up to the point where they can start rebuilding it. I haven't gotten very far in the game. Mostly because I keep forgetting that this is a real time game that keeps running even after you quit. So if you don't pause the game before quitting, it is pretty likely that all of your villagers will be dead when you return. I will beat the game though! This is my favorite downloadable game ever!

Game review: Hide & Secret 2: Cliffhanger Castle

Hide & Secret 2: Cliffhanger Castle is a mediocre hidden object game. You play a couple of archaeologists trying to find items for a museum. With some help from Merlin. Yes, this is the actual premise. I actually stopped playing this game for about a month before picking it back up. This is another game that tried to make the genre more difficult by hiding items in shadows. I didn't like it when I played it originally and I didn't like it when I gave it a second chance. Walk right past this one.

Game review: Money Tree

Money Tree is a weird time management-sort of game. You are a gardener trying to win the love of a girl. In order to do this, you need to raise trees that will bear fruit that will make you money to win the girl. Yeah, it's a little confusing. I didn't like the gameplay in this very much. You start out collecting falling leaves that somehow makes the tree mature. Then the tree starts to bear fruit and you need to pick/catch the fruit before it falls on the ground. If it falls on the ground, you don't get as much money for it. You also need to keep an eye on the water and sun levels your tree is getting otherwise it will die. Playing it isn't difficult - it's just annoying.

I can't really say I'd recommend this game. It's interesting for the first few minutes but then the tedium sets in. There are a ton of other time management games that are a lot more interesting.