I just went through The Key to Ravenhearst. A bit creeeepy at times. Loved it even though the Bonus Game seemed a bit short.

I haven't played that MCF game yet, Tally Ho. I will have to keep this one in mind.

I finished Mystery Murders: Jack the Ripper several days ago and I liked it. As I mentioned earlier, it has an older feel to it but the game looks real good. It's mostly HO scenes with some easy puzzles like film developing and swapping or rotating picture tiles. I didn't care too much for the end but that may be because I had envisioned a whole different ending coming up. This game has voice acting.

Then I played The Spell (match 3) for the fourth time.

Last night I decided to stick with Jack the Ripper and started the Real Crimes game. You can play it in regular or timed mode. I'm playing timed. It's similar to the other game as far as HO scenes and easy puzzles, such as piecing together a torn letter and spot the difference, but it has a whole different feel to it. So far, so good. This game does not have voice acting but there is a story to read.

That is good news about Mystery Murders. I will have to take a look at it one of these days.

I had to look in my Purchase History to see if I have The Spell. I do have it. I have a feeling that I picked it up after you mentioned it. Will have to download that too pretty soon.

I just finished the Azada: In Libro CE a few minutes ago. It only took me eleven years to play and finish it. This game is adventure lite; there are no hidden object scenes. It was a nice game. The bonus chapter, while on a par with the main game in quality, was on the short side.

I also could not remember whether I had Real Crimes so I took a look, and I do. I haven't played that yet either, and I will be interested to hear what you have to say about it overall when you are done.

Yes, you bought The Spell after I mentioned it. I know you played it, or some of it. I don't know if you liked it or not. Obviously, I do.

I played all of the Azada games in 2019, first 3 on disc. I liked them all but especially the first one which was more of just a puzzle game. My In Libro is a SE.

Well, I downloaded The Spell yesterday and I have played about 20 levels of it. I think the first time I tried it, I just took a look at it and not much else. I am enjoying it, so thank you for the reminder.

I think my favorite Azada so far (I have yet to play Elementa) is the second one, but it has been so long since I played it that I barely remember it now.

Marian, the Real Crimes game was okay. It kind of followed behind the Mystery Murders game even though they were not related, so I'm glad I played them in the order I did. Several times I had to hit my Windows key and then hit the (minimized) game icon to get the game moving to the next scene because it would get stuck. I played it in Windows 7 and that is the only problem I had with the game. It was a little worse at the beginning but then it wasn't bad. At the end of the game you decide who you think is the most likely suspect and you get more information about that suspect.

Thanks for letting me know about the game. It sounds like it might be worth a play. I will play them in the same order as you, if I do.

Does The Spell tell you what level you are on, or does it just show you what rooms you have cleared? I am working on the last two rooms, which are still showing in red.

It doesn't show you the levels. As I'm sure you've seen, there are 8-10 ? levels per room. After the rooms and game is over, there are 30 bonus levels that you unlock one at a time.

Have you been reading the journal on the left at all? I don't think I even saw it in my prior play throughs.

I have read a couple of pages of the journal. I did not notice it at first but then clicked on it to see what it was for.

Good to know how many bonus levels there are. I have been kind of addicted to it since I got started with it yesterday.

I am replaying a lot of games lately, since most of the new ones aren't that interesting to me. I'm replaying the Secret City series now. The artwork is almost all candy-colored stuff, with tinted smoke in every scene, but the puzzles are fun to solve and that is the appeal to me. So far, I have replayed all the Lost Lands games, the Amaranthine series, Otherworld, House of 1000 Doors, and a few of the Dead Reckoning. These were all wonderful games, long, challenging and fine artwork. There are also a few stand-alone games (not part of a series) that I replay every couple of years. I keep waiting for some new games to come out that are as good. Still waiting.

Reenie, that is a lot of great games to be replaying. Thanks for giving us the list.

Quality or no quality, HOPAs are going to be very few and far between this year as long as the war continues. In the past four weeks, we only had one new release that was a CE HOPA. Unfortunately I don't expect that to get much better until the situation changes. Most of the remaining HOPA developers are either from Ukraine or Russia.

I know that 5-BN was working on a new Lost Lands game, but they are located in Ukraine so I would not expect to see that anytime soon either.

Boomzap would also like to make the fourth and final game in their Otherworld series. Big Fish has told them they might consider it if the remastered version of Awakening: The Dreamless Castle does well (which is an upcoming release this year).

Good you're finding stuff to play that you are enjoying Reenie.

Marian, why would Big Fish even not consider something at this point? What do they really have to lose? (Just the thought in my head but if you know of some answer or thought of your own, please share.)

Did you finish The Spell?

I haven't started a new casual yet but I believe I will be going back to the Mystery Tales series and playing Alaskan Wild next.

Before I forget, I want to mention to Reenie that a newer CE that is pretty darn good is Tearstone: Thieves of the Heart; I would recommend that one. I haven't played the whole thing but have played enough to be pleased with it.

Ob, I am on the final stage of The Spell and keep running out of time on this one particular level. I think it is very close to the end, but it is discouraging because given the number of things that are consistently left on my list to match when the timer runs out, I don't think I will be passing it anytime soon. And the hourglass is not one of the powerups on this level, more's the pity!

Alaskan Wild is the only Mystery Tales game that Big Fish no longer offers on their website.

And in answer to your question, apparently what Big Fish has to lose is money. HOPAs cost a lot more money to make and when more money is involved, they would proceed with more caution. That is my take on it, anyway. Maybe Big Fish would have a financial stake in it? Maybe share in some of the development costs? Not sure.

Apart from The Spell, I have been playing Jewel Match Solitaire: Atlantis CE, and I'm on level 60.

"And in answer to your question, apparently what Big Fish has to lose is money. HOPAs cost a lot more money to make and when more money is involved, they would proceed with more caution. That is my take on it, anyway. Maybe Big Fish would have a financial stake in it?"

Thanks. To me, I would rather put my money out there for a new Otherworld game (providing it's an actual HOPA like the others were) than a remastered Awakening game or all of the straight HO games Boomzap has been making. You know I like straight HO games but even I have grown sick of the Faircroft and Cats, Dogs, and Critters games. (Additional) I guess when I say, what do they have to lose? I'm thinking of how people are getting upset with the game selection (speaking of prior to the war) so you'd think they'd jump on Otherworld.

Maybe you just need a rest from The Spell. I know I spent a lot of time on some of the levels in prior plays, though not quite as much on this last play. It went much better.

5-BN posted this on April 27th. Friends! We've got so many letters from you lately. Thank you for your concern! We are safe and sound at the moment. We don't post much, as Meta forbids cruel and sensetive content, but we think you're well aware about the current situation in Ukraine. We're still working, as much as it possible under such circumstances, but now we're mostly updating old projects. Fixing bugs, adding new languages, making bonus in f2p versions free from the start, etc. We actively support our clients, so if you need help our email support@five-bn.com is open for you.

We're holding strong. Supporting our country's economy by working and paying fees, among other things. We are sure that our work in potencial will save lives.
We want to kindly remiтd, that we aren't planning new releases until the war is over. And surely it'll take some time to recover the office work and continue where we stopped at 24th of February. But we'll stay tuned on that and frankly share on the status and work.

Thank you for your prayers, stay safe.
P.S. Please, accept our a bit late congrats for Easter. We didn't celebrate it this year, but hope to share prayers and kindness with you next time!"

Happy Gaming!

Thanks, Ana. I had seen some of their posts on Facebook but hadn't seen this one. Appreciate your conveying the message here.

Thank you Ana!!

Another thing Boomzap has said is that if they sell enough of these HOG games (which I too am tired of), it will help finance a HOPA, which takes a lot more money to make. You would think that Big Fish would rather fill the void with a few new HOPA games rather than this HOG onslaught, but again it most likely all comes down to money.

And yes, I agree with you about taking a hiatus from The Spell. I will look at it again with fresh eyes one of these days.

Now I am playing the Scarlett Mysteries: Cursed Child CE. It is a nice game so far.

I have that game. Good to know.

I think I am almost at the end of the main game of Scarlett Mysteries. For me so far it has been an okay game, not great and not terrible. I will see how I feel after playing the bonus game.

I also just finished The Fool, a game by MagicIndie who also was the developer of Nearwood, among others. This game was quite good and in fact better than I thought it would be. I think it came out around 2011 (?) but it holds up very well. I'm very glad that I finally got around to playing it.

I have The Fool waiting on my Windows 7 to be played. Glad you liked it.

I did start Alaskan Wild a few days ago but have been unable to get back to it. I played a little over an hour and it seems good so far although the very first real puzzle/mini game gave me a bit of trouble. It involved moving a mouse to the middle of a maze using directional buttons but there was one doorway the mouse got stuck on and I thought I would have to skip the puzzle. I consulted the guide just to be sure I was in the right place (even though there was only one way to go) and then I gave it one more try. I somehow managed to push two of the buttons rather quickly and got past the sticky area and into the middle of the maze.

Also, I think I may have dead-ended myself in Emerald City Confidential but am not positive yet.

I would be dismayed to learn that Emerald City Confidential has any dead ends. Please let me know when you know for sure.

I think you will enjoy The Fool.

Glad you managed to get past the puzzle in Alaskan Wild. I am always annoyed when I end up having to skip the first puzzle in a game.

Thank you for the updates on the game developers in the Ukraine, Marian. As horrible as the invasion/war news is for us here, in the US, I can't even imagine what the daily reality is like for them! :-( It is heartbreaking.

I have moved on to replaying, Sacra Terra: Kiss of Death now. It is a fabulous game. Yes, another evil witch attempting to corrupt the world, but you spend very little time interacting with her. The game is rich in scope, five different "lands" to visit and puzzle out, challenges every few minutes, innovative puzzles (!) and great graphics. I had forgotten why I marked it down for replay, but ~ WOW~! 5BN is one of the most outstanding bunch of game designers in the field.