Recently in the Tales from the Dragon Mountain thread, we have been talking about what casual game(s) we are playing. I thought it would be nice to start up a separate thread so that we could keep one another informed as to what we are playing. I find it interesting to hear what others are playing and have gotten some good gaming suggestions this way.

Of course let's not forget the reviews and recommendations thread as well - reserved for those games that we find truly exceptional and feel compelled to write about as being outstanding.

Anyway, I will start:

I saw Big Fish's sale today for games that were released in 2013, and that's what got me started on the game I am currently playing, which is Phenomenon: Meteorite Collector's Edition. I saw it on the list, knew I had it in my Purchase History (for seven years, no less), and had never played it. I decided to download it and dive in. So far I am finding this game to be very enjoyable. It's more of an adventure lite than a HOG. There aren't that many hidden object scenes and the ones that there are have an interesting twist. Can't find an item? Click on the name of the item on the list and up will come a picture clue and some letters to arrange into a word. If you figure out the word, the item is removed from your list. It starts out rather simple but gets more challenging as the game progresses. I haven't seen this kind of alternate game during a HOG before (maybe it is in one or both of the other two Phenomenon games? I don't know.). The puzzles so far have been fun - not horribly difficult and quite enjoyable. There is to-ing and fro-ing in this game but the areas are not confusingly large, and as I progressed I found myself unable to go back to the initial area. I prefer this because it eliminates a lot of unnecessary wandering.

So, this game is proving to be a very pleasant surprise. And, being as it is from 2013, there are no constant announcements and pop-ups. I don't mind those but also don't miss them when they are not present.

I don't have those games Marian but they look good.

As mentioned in the other thread, I'm playing Sacra Terra 2: Kiss of Death. It's not a bad game but I did like the first game better.

Thanks for starting this thread. I like to know what others are playing also.

Thanks for the feedback about Sacra Terra 2. Let us know how it goes.

I just took a look at the credits for the Phenomenon Meteorite CE and one of the names involved (listed under a special thank-you) is Dimmie Azu, who is also one of the designers of the two True Fear games. I find that interesting.

I've started replaying my HOPA games roughly in alphabetical order. I'm not including the games that aren't stored on my USB external hard drive of Big Fish games. I'm also not including Big Fish games I've played recently or those that aren't HOPA's. So these tend to be the also-rans because my favorites are on my computer's hard drive and not relegated to the external drive.

I'm in the D, E, and F part of the alphabet.

Recently I played these:

Fallen: The Flowers of Evil,
Dreamscapes: The Sandman
Fiction Fixers: The Curse of OZ
Family Tales: The Sisters
Fairly Twisted Tales: The Price of a Rose

Fairly Twisted Tales is a Beauty and the Beast variant. It had some interesting puzzles and some of the environments were interesting. The first time you see the Beast's castle is a surprise considering how muted the colors are in most of the game.

Fallen: The Flowers of Evil isn't sure what it wants to be. Some combination of vampire with other horror story stuff.

Fiction Fixers: The Curse of OZ is very poor. Not like OZ at all, and considerably worse than the first Fiction Fixers game. Fiction Fixers: Adventures in Wonderland only took a handful of vignettes from the story, but at least the Wonderland in the game was recognizable. Not so this mess claiming to be about OZ.

In Family Tales: The Sisters your character goes off to rescue her sister Anna, who had a history of claiming she could go to another world as a child. The "other world" you go to in the game is sort of empty and disappointing though.

In Dreamscapes: The Sandman your character volunteers to go into a woman's head to wake her out of her coma. The "Dreamscapes" are small areas. You are supposed to find little eye-on-a-stalk things called "Beholders" throughout the game. There are 102 of them. I did not find them all.

I started Exorcist 2 but didn't finish because I ran into a gamebreaking bug. You're supposed to get a milk bottle out of a trunk in one of the Hidden object scenes. Unfortunately the trunk wouldn't open. Other people at Big Fish forum reported the same problem. It wasn't a good enough game to start the game over, even though I was only in the 2nd chapter.

Of the above games, I'd say Fairly Twisted Tales was the best one, despite that I'm kind of tired of Beauty and the Beast variants.

I have only two of the games you mention Jenny and you're not making them sound appealing .

They are the Fiction Fixers games (I have both) and the Exorcist games (I have all 3).

Jenny, I have Fallen, Dreamscapes, Fairly Twisted Tales, and Exorcist II (hope I don't come across that bug!) and do plan to play them all. I am so glad I started this thread because I love hearing about what others are playing. I was rather looking forward to Fallen as it's from the same developer as Calavera: Day of the Dead and Secrets of the Seas: Flying Dutchman, both of which I enjoyed. You've got quite an ambitious project going there. If you are willing, I would enjoy hearing more as you make your way through the alphabet.

I've had a good bit of time on my hands what with being shut in so much, and since the end of March have completed the following:

Hidden Expedition: Fountain of Youth CE
Edge of Reality: Mask of Fate CE
Fatal Evidence: The Missing CE
Shadowplay: Harrowstead Mystery CE
Haunted Hotel: Beyond the Page CE
Dark Tales: Edgar Allan Poe's Ligeia CE
Twilight Phenomena: Strange Menagerie CE
Labyrinths of the World: The Wild Side CE
Mystery Tales: Art and Souls CE
Nightmares From the Deep: The Siren's Call CE
Mystika
Happy Clinic CE
Cruel Games: Red Riding Hood
Dark Cases: The Blood Ruby CE
Ominous Objects Family Portrait CE
Legends of the East: The Cobra's Eye CE
Malice: Two Sisters
Tales From the Dragon Mountain: The Strix
Whispered Secrets Into the Beyond CE
Haunted Manor: Queen of Death CE
Infected: The Twin Vaccine CE
Left in the Dark: No One on Board
Shtriga: Summer Camp
Where Angels Cry
Sable Maze: Sullivan's River CE
Dracula's Legacy
Whispered Secrets: Golden Silence CE
Living Legends Remastered: Ice Rose CE
Reflections of Life: Slipping Hope CE

It's been quite a journey so far and if it were not for the quarantine, it's entirely possible that I would never have gotten around to some of these. I probably should have chosen to go in alphabetical order too as it would be easier to remember what I've played, but instead I have been keeping this list on my desktop.

I have a bunch on my laptop but playing, Whispered Secrets: Golden Silence CE now.

I enjoyed that game, TLC; it's on my list above so I played it very recently.

Marian, Would you happen to know if, Twilight Phenomena: Strange Menagerie CE, plays on the current OS? Thanks.

I don't know for sure because I played it on my Windows 7 computer, but you can download the demo and give it a try.

Good Gracious Marian !!

I must be the slowest player in existence

I'm still playing the second "Tales from the Dragon Mountain" game

I've never played that many games in such a short space of time before, Mad. I think I am trying to make up for lost time because in the last 20 years or so I was rarely able to play more than 30 minutes at a stretch and most of that time it was when I was too tired to focus. Therefore I am trying to make the most of it now.

As long as you are having fun, that's all that matters!

I though Calavera was better than Fallen, though Fallen wasn't terrible and I kind of liked the graphics, which were sort of storybooklike, at least in the beginning areas. I have Flying Dutchman but it's going to be on the to-replay list when I get to the "S for Secret of" because I haven't played it for many years (probably not since 2012 when I bought it).


I'll let you know if I find (or rediscover) any really good ones.


Of those you list, I have the following:
Twilight Phenomena: Strange Menagerie CE
Nightmares From the Deep: The Siren's Call CE
Cruel Games: Red Riding Hood
Dark Cases: The Blood Ruby CE
Ominous Objects Family Portrait CE
Legends of the East: The Cobra's Eye CE
Malice: Two Sisters
Tales From the Dragon Mountain: The Strix
Whispered Secrets Into the Beyond CE
Haunted Manor: Queen of Death CE
Infected: The Twin Vaccine CE
Left in the Dark: No One on Board
Where Angels Cry
Sable Maze: Sullivan's River CE

Malice: Two Sisters gets the booby prize for worst ending short of a cliffhanger.
Do you remember that one, with two mannequins stiffly embracing, and a moment of horror when you think, "Is that my character? Was I playing as a dressmakers dummy?"


Actually I didn't start by going in alphabetical order. I started by oldest game purchase order. But then I decided I wanted more variety in game style. The oldest ones tend to have really long Hint recharge -- some as much as 2 or 3 minutes on Casual, if they have difficulty choices at all, and if they have Hints outside of HOP scenes at all. Some of the oldest games (pre-2010) have very strange gameplay, with features that were not continued in newer games, probably because they weren't popular.

I've been writing sort of reviews for myself while I replay these games so I remember what the games were about and what they were like. If a game annoys me with something I write it down. For example pouring acid on a piece of metal so you can break it off and then put it in your pocket without wiping it off. This is something you do in the current game I'm playing, Dark Heritage: Guardians of Hope. In real life the acid would eat through your pants and dissolve your skin. And then I don't like it when your character goes around smashing things needlessly. If there's a key in a jug, would you turn the jug over and dump out the key? or would you smash it, scattering glass shards all over the place to cut yourself on, not to mention any that might have flown up and hit you in the eye. It's just annoying to see that sort of stupidity.

Jenny, great to know that you will keep us posted if you find (or rediscover) some really good games.

As for Malice: Two Sisters, ugh. That so-called "ending" was the worst. I just kind of sat there when it finished, dumbfounded, and then went to read the game reviews on Big Fish just in case someone had even so much as an inkling of what the ending meant and had commented upon it. I don't know if the developers ran out of money or ideas or both, but that ending was abysmal. It reeked.

I just finished the Phenomenon: Meteorite CE. Now to decide what's next.

I'm interested in hearing more about your gaming also Jenny!

Well, good thing I don't have Malice: Two Sisters in my library!

Yes, oldbroad, you aren't missing anything not having Malice: Two Sisters in your game library. It started out not half bad and I was moderately interested in seeing how events unfolded, so I persisted with the game despite the fact that I also had trouble seeing some of the items in the hidden object scenes and this usually annoys me. But because I was somewhat interested in what the story line would reveal, I continued on with the game and this made it all the more irritating when the game ended the way that it did.

Even though, technically I'm not playing it yet after playing the two "Tales from the Dragon Mountain" Cateia games, and thoroughly enjoying them, I'm going to start another Cateia game in a few minutes .... "Where Angels Cry"

I hope you enjoy it, Mad - I certainly did.

Have fun Mad. I enjoyed both Where Angels Cry games though it was long ago and both are far away out of my mind now

Well, I'm certainly liking the first one, so I'm sure I'll like the second also

I am now playing Ghost Towns: The Cats of Ulthar Collector's Edition, which is based upon an H.P. Lovecraft story. The developer is Taba Games, who also did Fallen: Flowers of Evil, Secrets of the Seas: Flying Dutchman CE, and Calavera: Day of the Dead CE. I was feeling a bit lukewarm about it initially but it's growing on me.

I finished Sacra Terra 2 last night. The story and puzzles were fine but I really liked the first game better. This second game had a lot of (for me) not know what I was supposed to be doing and going back and forth over and over. I usually don't use maps but eventually broke down and used this one which aided not just in the moving itself, but in telling me where I needed to go to do something.

Next up: Redrum 2 - Time Lies

I hope Ghost Towns hold up for you Marian. I do have that one in my library.

Good to hear you like Where Angels Cry Mad.

Let us know what you think of Redrum 2. I don't have that one.

I know what you mean about breaking down and using the map. I don't use maps either as a rule and when I break down and start using one a lot it can really take the fun out of it.

I'm halfway through Paranormal: Trials of Worth. I've played three other games in this series, and they tend to be easy on the whole, but with a couple of very difficult puzzles in the mix. I recently played Fatal Evidence: The Missing (long and with great puzzles), and Lost Lands: Mistakes of the Past as well as Lost Lands: Redemption (both not quite as good as others in the series, but still better than most HOAs these days).

Thanks so much for joining in on the discussion, Reenie. I love to read about what everyone is playing.

I liked Fatal Evidence: The Missing as well.

There's a beta on YouTube now called Legendary Tales: Stolen Life which is from 5 BN and is the start of a new series. Looking forward to that one!

The last casual game I played was Mortimer Beckett and the Secrets of Spooky Manor (2007), which I played last month, and it's an oldie but goodie. It used to be exclusively sold at GameHouse, BFG's rival site.

I just finished playing the last three games in the Maze Series. Not sure why, but, I did not enjoy the last game as much as the first three in the series.
Maybe I just had enough of some monster jumping out at me.

I see there's another Maze 5: Sinister Play in Beta. Not sure what I'll play next.

I haven't played all the Maze games, just a couple of them - the first two in the series. I enjoyed both of those. Thanks for letting us know what you have been playing, smitty.

GamingPhreak, I haven't played all of the Mortimer Beckett games but the ones I have played I have enjoyed. Thanks for reminding me that they are all on Big Fish now, too.

Marian, have you played the first game? These games are very hard to describe. I don't think a lot of people would like them though I may be wrong. I just started the second game tonight. So far I like it. I like that they are so weird and different, though I already used the hint system 2 or 3 times in the one hour I played. Some of the HO scenes are pretty hard!

I don't have either one, but I do have at least one game by the same developer, Anarchy Enterprises - I have their game Ghost Encounters: Deadwood (which I haven't played yet). They also did the Hide and Secret games of which there are three on Big Fish. I looked at a few minutes of the demo of the first Redrum years ago and never got any further than that.

I have now finished Ghost Towns: The Cats of Ulthar CE and Silent Nights: The Pianist CE. I haven't decided yet what's next.

I'm glad you're liking the second Redrum so far.

Marian -

I read your post the other day that started this thread, and was going to reply, but somehow got distracted

But now the story is - I looked up Phenomenon: Meteorite CE, tried the demo, and wound up buying it. It's really different, and the HOG feature you mention is unique as far as I know, and a big help with hidden objects that elude discovery. And it's a lot more fun than bailing out and using a hint or playing Match Three (which I hate.) I am probably about half-way through, and confess to using the map more than I should. Still - a nice change from the supernatural monster crowd. Good puzzles; and I have only had to consult the guide for one of them; where you need to place 15 lanterns correctly. Couldn't figure that one out without some help.

Back to the reason I was going to post in the first place - I also found a game I have owned and never played - as you did. That's what motivated me to reply. Ravenhearst Unlocked! Can you imagine? No idea why it sat on my computer for so long, but I'm glad I got into it. Whoo! It's a biggie. I was in the middle of it when this thread started; but have finished and gotten into Meteorite. Anyway, it feels like I'm rambling. Bye!

Tally Ho, that is great to hear that you are enjoying the Phenomenon: Meteorite CE. This kind of discussion thread has gotten me started on some pretty good games that I otherwise probably never would have played.

I too enjoyed the puzzles in the game.

And how nice to discover Ravenhearst: Unlocked! Happy gaming!

Darkness and Flame: Enemy in Reflection CE.

This is an excellent game in every respect. Graphics, especially the characters, are superb. A complex story, lots of sites to travel to, and a nice long game. I especially like the fact that there’s a diary that helps me keep track of the story. The map is a must for me since there are so many sites involved and a bit of backtracking. Puzzles are doable foe those of us who tend to skip puzzles if they take long or are too difficult. I Highly recommend this game.

I haven't played that Darkness and Flame game yet, Sparkle, but I am really looking forward to it. Another winner from 5 BN, for sure.

Thanks Sparkle. This game is still on my "to buy" list.

Are you still enjoying Redrum: Time Lies, oldbroad?

Haven't been back to it yet. Hopefully, in a little while.

Okay, sounds good.

Well, I played about another 2 hours now and I am still enjoying it! While I do remember the first game for the most part, I can't give specific information about it but it was very similar to this one so I'll explain this one a little.

The object is to free souls. I think there are 10 and I have freed 4 so far. It could be described as gruesome. For example, a former tv chef whose audience thought they were eating sauteed tofu salads were really eating sauteed brain salads, the brains coming from other VIP audience members.

There are some jigsaw puzzles, tile swap to create a picture puzzles, and drag columns and rows to complete a picture. There are various HO scenes, some by list and some by shape. The shapes are not necessarily of items. They might be some portion of the environment. There are some pictures comprised of hexagon shapes and you have to match the hexagons at the bottom of the screen to those in the picture. This puzzle was in the first game also, but in this game the color changes between 2 different hues and in one of them so far, when the color changed the detail of the hexagon changed also. For instance, if in blue hue there was an eye in the hexagon, when it changed to red hue, the eye was not in it. I hope that makes sense.

Anyway, I like the games but as I stated prior, I'm sure they would not appeal to all!

Now I know why there is that warning message on the Big Fish download page for the game. That does indeed sound rather gruesome and something that could bother some players. Thanks very much for the description of the puzzle types, too. The game certainly sounds different from the norm. There are so many titles on Big Fish and it's great to learn more about them.

I finished Redrum 2: Time Lies tonight. I knew I was near the end so decided to finish it but wished I had waited as there were several challenging puzzles in a row and I was getting tired but couldn't see how to exit out of them. I finally decided that I could probably exit out of the game (didn't notice that in the one puzzle but did in the next one) but kept going. The game did get repetitive but I still enjoyed it! Apparently there was supposed to be another one but I guess it got scrapped .

Next up: Mystery Case Files 15: The Black Veil since I started it to see if it worked because Mad is having problems with it, so I might as well continue playing it and next in line from the series I had started earlier this year is Small Town Terrors 3: Galdor's Bluff.

Good to know that overall you enjoyed Redrum 2. I guess the game had an ending that suggested they were thinking about a sequel?

I hope you enjoy Black Veil; I have played about a half an hour of it in the past and also had no technical problems. I will be interested to hear your thoughts about it. I have Galdor's Bluff but haven't played it yet.

I just finished the Dark Dimensions: Wax Beauty CE and enjoyed that one quite a lot. I thought it was very well done. I have now started the League of Light: The Gatherer CE; I was reminded of it due to it being one of Big Fish's free games on offer right now. I thought I had played at least the main game before, but I am about halfway through the main game and nothing about it now seems familiar, so perhaps I had abandoned it at some point. It's a good game, so I'm glad I got back to it now.

I started Ms. Holmes: The Five Orange Pips yesterday, and am enjoying playing a game set in a real world rather than some magical place full of purple smoke. I wish there were more games like that!

The game has its silliness, but overall holds together well. There is the usual endless search for inventory, but some of it is assembled and used in novel ways. There isn't much to the characters; they all have been caricatures, so far. All the HOA components are in place: Morphing Objects, Collectibles, etc. The map is good for finding your way back to previous scenes. The mini-games/puzzles cover all the usual variations plus a couple of original ideas, but have been too easy; I would have welcomed more of a challenge. A lot of attention has been paid to artwork in each scene, most of it for appearance sake only (not a bad thing, as accuracy fosters a sense of realism). I have a feeling that this game might be longer than others I have played, and I appreciate that. I always buy the CE version because I want a longer story and play.

I have Mindframe: The Secret Design in the wings, to play after Ms. Holmes. I suspect I'll be back to fantasy and purple smoke with that one. ha ha We'll see.

Thanks so much for your thoughts on Ms. Holmes: Five Orange Pips, Reenie. Let us know what you think overall when you are done with the game. And also let us know about Mindframe. I hope you will continue contributing to this thread.

Having had to abandon the Mystery Case Files game "The Black Veil" I'm going to install "Ms. Holmes: Five Orange Pips" myself - and hope for better things !!

I certainly hope that Five Orange Pips will suit you and also run without problems.

Thank you, Marian

I too, will be starting the Five Orange Pips - probably tomorrow. Thanks Reenie for the quick review.

Let us know how it goes, Tally Ho.

Only just been able to get to "Ms. Holmes : Five Orange Pips" but it's lookin' good !!

Redoing some of my older games ....right now Im playing , "Punished Talents, Stolen Awards" always a Big Fish Lover <3 and Nancy Drew whenever she decides to come out to play again

I haven't played Punished Talents: Stolen Rewards, Leeana, but I plan on it.

I just finished MCF 15: The Black Veil. It was okay I guess but not great. I didn't really think much of the story. The puzzles were mostly all easy enough though, which was a plus for me .

Thanks for the mini-review, oldbroad. I haven't played Black Veil. I know I would enjoy it more, though, if the puzzles were mostly easy enough - I get discouraged if I find myself having to skip a lot of puzzles.

I just finished the Rite of Passage: Hide and Seek CE. Now I am deciding what to play next.

Just finished the 'Five Orange Pips.'

It's an okay game; and the coherent story and high-quality artwork are its best assets. I can't legitimately comment on its length since I did not binge my way through, but rather took frequent breaks so it took several days overall. An enjoyable game with no problems or errors that I could see. As Reenie said, a nice change from magic and purple smoke!

Sounds good, Tally Ho. Thanks for your comments!

I finally finished MCF : Black Crown, was a good game good graphics, story good, puzzles good, but I enjoyed the MCF: The Black Veil a bit more, liked the story better in that one.

I just finished playing Small Town Terrors: Galdor's Bluff, the 3rd in the series. I liked them all quite a bit though, of course, I can't remember details of the first 2 that I played 6 months ago. I liked the story and the puzzles. There was a light all the lights puzzle in the bonus chapter that I ended up solving with the guide. I usually can get those if I really try hard or if I stumble upon the solution but decided to go for the solve after working on it for awhile. I did take a 30 minute break and tried again so it wasn't like when I sometimes just get frustrated and hit the skip button .

There are some morphing crystal balls which are quite easy to spot but, as usual, I still manged to miss one. I ALWAYS miss one!!! The extras section has some solitaire games and one of them is called Accordian. I spent quite a bit of time beating that game.

Not sure yet what's up next.

Marian, are you getting busier these days or are you still knocking the games out? You seem a bit quieter lately.

Oldbroad, I have had some personal stuff this past week that was interfering with my gaming, but I just finished the Haunted Hotel: Eclipse CE yesterday and am now back at it.

That lights puzzles you describe: it is only once in a great while that I solve one of those on my own, and most of the time it's a fluke when I do. I often have one morphing object remaining, or one collectible, so I hear you on that one too. Thanks for letting us know about Galdor's Bluff. It's on my to-play list.

I am now starting the Cadenza: Music, Betrayal and Death CE, which I played six years ago and remember almost nothing about it. I don't think I ever played the bonus game the first time around either, so this will be very much like playing a brand-new game.

I finished the 'Five Orange Pips' game - which I thought was quite short and not overly impressive - but I probably would play it again at some time.

Now I'm well into Black Rainbow and am enjoying it very much

I think you'll like Galdor's Bluff Marian. Did you play either of the other Small Town Terror games? I haven't played any of the Cadenza games yet.

I remember liking Black Rainbow quite a bit Mad.

I haven't played Black Rainbow yet but I just know I will like it.

I haven't played through any of the Small Town Terrors games (although I have them all - no surprise there!).

I've played and enjoyed several of the Cadenza games but never tried any Small Town Terrors.

However, I'm not going to investigate them just yet - in case I'm tempted to buy some

Right now I've finished Black Rainbow and started Awakening Red Leaf Forest and seem to be on a roll with enjoyable games !!

I am glad that you discovered that you hadn't played this particular Awakening game, Mad. I found all of the games to be of very good quality. I hope you find the whole thing enjoyable.

I liked the earlier Awakening games better than the latter ones, though I didn't dislike those. I seem to like older games for some reason.

Just "resting up" before starting the bonus chapter of "Awakening Redleaf Forest"

Although I do like the game I have to say I found that several of the puzzles in the main game took me a fair time to get through.

Most were quite straightforward but there were some where I didn't actually understand what I was supposed to be doing !!

So .... I'm giving my frazzled brain a few minutes respite before I embark on the next lot

I come across puzzles in these games that I can't figure out more often than I care to admit. Many of them are not at all easy. I too sometimes have trouble understanding what I am supposed to be doing with them, Mad.

I finished the Secrets of Great Queens: Old Tower CE yesterday and am getting ready to begin the Fright Collector's Edition. I played this game about six years ago and have only vague recollections of it so thought it was time for a replay.

Thanks for letting us know your opinion on the two games, Starcom.

Getting through games like nobody's business at the moment and today started "Azada in Libro" - which is looking very nice

[I have two Azada games so I hope it doesn't matter which one I play first ??]

Are they Azada: In Libro and Azada: Elementa? If so, I don't think it matters which you play first, although admittedly my memory is a little vague on this point.

I may play Azada: In Libro pretty soon. It would be nice to revisit it.

I just started the Edge of Reality: Hunter's Legacy CE.

"Are they Azada: In Libro and Azada: Elementa? If so, I don't think it matters which you play first, although admittedly my memory is a little vague on this point."

Hi.
Yes, those are they, Marian.
I found them mentioned in one of your posts (I think - thank you) and went to look at them. Liked what I saw. And bought them in the sale

Looking back at my posts about the Azada games, I enjoyed In Libro also. I didn't post about Elementa. I had to Google to watch the trailers and neither looked familiar to me even though it was just last June when I played In Libro . I sort of remember the first 2 games better but they were puzzle games.

That's great, Mad - yes, I listed those two games as falling into the not-quite-so-dark-and-gloomy category. I hope you enjoy them.

That's funny, oldbroad, about nothing looking familiar in the trailers.

The only thing bad thing about this thread is that it might encourage us to purchase more games - and none of us really needed an extra incentive.

Extra incentive ?? Got plenty 😑 Extra self control ?? Apparently got none 😮😮😮

I finished Edge of Reality: Hunter's Legacy CE last night.

Now I have started the Beyond: Light Advent CE, which I played a few years ago. It was such a good game that I decided it was time for a replay. So far it's even better than I remembered.

I haven't gotten around to starting a new casual game yet .

Just finished Haunted Hotel: Lost Time. Creeeepy! Good Puzzles; thin story line.
Now on to Puppet Master.

(Oops) It's called Puppet Show

It sounds like you enjoyed the new Haunted Hotel game overall, Tally Ho. Thanks for weighing in.

I started Legacy Tales: Mercy of the Gallows today. So far, so good, except for looking for those coins. Thankfully, the chest at least lets you know if there are some still to be found in each area, but some are already getting annoying to hunt down and I've only played a short time.

Oldbroad, do you have to find all the coins? I can't remember; it's been too long since I played the game. I finished Grim Tales: The Generous Gift CE yesterday. It was an okay game - nothing awful and nothing spectacular, just average.

I haven't decided what's up next.

I don't know if you have to find all of the coins Marian but they are used to open other chests I guess. I've only used them once so far and was given story information. I don't know if that's what they all are or if there will be items to get or what. Even if it is just story info, I would like to get that.

Some of the coins are very hard to see but you will get a hand icon indicating it is there but you have to really move the cursor over every pixel slowly.

I just looked it up and the coins are necessary in order to further progress in the game. I do remember some of them being very hard to see.

I just read this article. All of the games mentioned are worth playing.

Just finished the bonus chapter of Azada : In Libro.
Thoroughly enjoyed this game and am very glad I have the othere Azada in hand for the future

Thanks for that article link Marian. I have 2/3 of those games and am off to take a look at the ones I don't have.

I found out I have one game twice even though I'd swear I had checked this already and didn't find it before: Kingmaker aka King's Heir: Rise to the Throne.

Glad you enjoyed Azada In Libro Mad!

That's great news about Azada, Mad!

Oldbroad, so you are saying you have two of the same game in your Purchase History? I am surprised that the system allowed you to do that, unless one is a CE and one is an SE. Otherwise, it lets you know if you are trying to purchase a game that you already own.

I purchased one from Big Fish and one from Steam and I'm sure I checked my games list first and I think I knew about the two different names . I guess with all the games out there, it's bound to happen at least once .

Oh, I see. I wasn't thinking about the possibility of having purchased the games in two different places. Thank goodness Big Fish lets you know if you already have the game.

I just finished Queen's Tales: The Beast and the Nightingale CE. I really enjoyed this one and would rank it quite high on my list. Beautiful fairy tale and I spent several very pleasant hours with this one.

I also played and finished Dark Romance: Heart of the Beast, which I also enjoyed. I am either getting easier to please or have just had the good fortune to choose some really nice games lately.

Today I started the Casual "Grim Tales : Guest from the Future" which is looking pretty good - and I also started Mikael's Carol Reed Adventure "Geospots"

Sounds good, Mad!

I finished the main game of Legacy Tales: Mercy of the Gallows today. Still have to play the bonus. Apart from some pixel hunting for coins (though not a horrible amount as they were pretty clear in most scenes) and some random clicking in the HO scenes where I couldn't tell what I was looking at, and one inventory glitch, it was a nice game with good puzzles. The glitch fixed itself when I got out of the game and went back in.

When I completely finish this, I might play Alex Hunter: Lord of the Mind. Has anyone played that?

Glad to hear you are enjoying the game overall, oldbroad. I have Alex Hunter: Lord of the Mind but haven't played it yet. It sure has good reviews on Big Fish!

It is !! I'm enjoying both games very much

Marvelous!

Well, a giant setback !!

About three quarters of the way through "Grim Tales : Guest from the Future" the game froze and completely locked up my computer.
[Win7 machine,]

After a lot of unsuccessful messing about I decided my only option was to uninstall the game and maybe try over with it from a completely new beginning - BUT - it would only uninstall partway and then locked up my computer again !!

I Jumped through several more time hogging hoops (definitely developing a bad temper along the way) but finally got it uninstalled.

But then it wouldn't fully reinstall .... It stuck around 45% and refused to go further.

Now, after more "cleaning up", and rebooting etc, I have successfully re-downloaded it and maybe later will (gingerly) start to play and see if I can get past the "freeze" spot.

[Phew. Techie stuff leaves me shattered but I was enjoying the game very much and would like to play it through. !!]

So please wish me luck this time round

I certainly do wish you luck, Mad. I played through the Grim Tales: Guest from the Future CE without any problems on my Windows 7 computer. I am sorry to hear of your difficulties.

So sorry to hear that Mad and I wish you luck with the replaying! What a pain!

Thanks, Marian and oldbroad

And .... my goodness .... well done with "Conspiracies" oldbroad

Mad,
Be sure to tell your tech what happened.
He may want to check your hard drive.
If it's starting to fail, he can image the drive, put the image on another hard drive, and replace the old drive with the new one.

Failure to uninstall properly and failure to install fully can be the result of the software timing out due to the computer having trouble reading and writing to the drive within the allotted time.

It could be something else, but I doubt the problem is with the game. It uses the same installer and uninstaller as other Big Fish games.

I used the walkthrough and UHS hints for most of the game Mad, but thanks!

What Jenny said does not sound good Mad.

The Big Fish installer really doesn't have to do much. Download and copy files to the game folder, decompressing if necessary, and activate if it's not already activated. The Big Fish installer (and uninstaller) are not as complicated as the game and should not be messing up, even if the game itself is bugged. I wouldn't be so concerned if it were only the game that messed up and not the installer. I think it needs to be checked out.

Thanks, Jenny100.

I will have a word with my Son in Law at some time but he's super busy right now.

[Fortunately, the vast majority of my games from Big Fish are playing perfectly ]

So, are you replaying Mad, or did you decide not to for right now?

Did you finish Mercy of the Gallows, oldbroad? Have you started anything new?

Now I am playing Amaranthine Voyage: The Burning Sky CE. I'm about halfway through the main game.

I did finish Mercy of the Gallows Marian, with the help of the guide in the bonus chapter. I was just getting tired of not knowing what to do by that time. I have not yet started a new casual game though, but will soon.

I have not played any of the Amaranthine Voyage games yet but I do have all 8 of them downloaded already on my Windows 7 computer . I hope your roll of game enjoyment is continuing!

The gaming is definitely continuing. This is only the second Amaranthine Voyage game I have played. It sounds like you are all set.

With the hot weather this month, I have an even better excuse to stay indoors and game, which suits me just fine.

Not replaying for the moment, oldbroad. Just carrying on with the Adventure "Geospots".
But I will no doubt be into another Casual very soon

EDIT :

A footnote ....
I've been in touch with my Son in Law and he thinks it's the external drive.
(It IS pretty old and well used)
He's getting me a new one.

I never thought this would happen, but a rainy day during my vacation got me hooked on playing a mobile game with my wife called Draw Something. It's really funny!

Mad: Can't you simply try to install Grim Tales on your internal drive? Unless it's filled to the brim you will surely have enough space for that game.

I did not expect to see you in this discussion, Mikael! This is a pleasant surprise, and thank you for letting us know about Draw Something.

Oh good. That's an easy fix.
Much easier than if it were your Windows drive that was where the game was installed.

I started Alex Hunter: Lord of the Mind tonight. I only played for 40 minutes but it is off to a good start!

That's great to hear, oldbroad. Let us know how it goes.

Just started "Haunted Manor: Remembrance CE". This is a very well done game. EIPIX at their best. Excellent graphics, artwork, voices. Music suits the mood. Creepy in a weird way, but engaging storyline. Even HO scenes are particularly interesting. Haven't yet run into any puzzles per se, but just got started. If this sounds interesting, give the demo a try.

I have the Haunted Manor: Remembrance CE but haven't played it yet. It sounds very good, Sparkle. I will move it up on my to-play list.

I just finished the Endless Fables: Frozen Path CE. It was a very nice game, and the ice and snow setting was particularly welcome being as it's so hot right now. I spent several pleasant hours with it.

I have two game credits so will be picking up a couple of games during the BOGO sale today. Haven't decided what yet, but plenty to choose from!