What Casual Game(s) Are You Playing Right Now?

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!

I am also playing Haunted Manor, but its subtitle is "The Last Reunion." Creepy and very creative. Some puzzle types I haven't seen before.

I've re-downloaded some of my Casuals now that my new external drive is set up. So I've installed one of them .... "Whispered Secrets : Forgotten Sins" .... which appears to be working fine - and is looking good, so far

Mad, I have played Whispered Secrets: Forgotten Sins a couple of times and enjoyed it both times.

Tally Ho, I have found some very clever puzzles in a lot of Eipix's offerings. It can't be all that easy to come up with new and different puzzles, and I give them a lot of credit for having done so.

Room 1-3 waiting for Room 4:Old Sins to come to the PC (do these games qualify for casual or puzzle?)

I am really not sure, Upsydaisy - perhaps they are casual puzzle games? Plenty of casual games have tricky puzzles - that is for sure!

Nice to see you here.

I have four Haunted Manor games :

Halloween's Uninvited Guest
Queen of Death
Remembrance
The Last Reunion

But the only one I think I've actually played is "Queen of Death" eons ago !!

I've played Queen of Death and The Last Reunion but have them all.

I don't remember anything about Queen of Death.

But then I often don't remember much about any game only days after I've played it !!

I remember Queen of Death quite well, but that's because I played it for the first time in the last few months.

I am replaying all 3 Golden Trails. These games were so much fun

So you are MUCH better than me then, Marian

Well, I am really enjoying myself with Whispered Secrets : Forgotten Sins.
[Because my playing sessions are so short these days, I am only getting through it pretty slowly. But that doesn't stop me having fun ]

No doubt you'll have played half a dozen other games by the time I get to finish this one !!

I am so glad you are enjoying Whispered Secrets: Forgotten Sins. I thought it was a most enjoyable game.

I usually play these games rather slowly, believe it or not. I have just had a lot more time on my hands the past few months - and I've been trying to make the most of it.

I am almost finished (sob!) replaying Lost Lands: Ice Spell. There are seven games in this series that I know of and I have played them all. This is one of those series that is more like an Adventure game than any of those vacuous quickie HOAs, light on the "A" part and trying to compensate by loading on the horror or grotesque. This is a beautiful, involved and challenging game, ranging over vast areas of landscape. It is intelligent, respects you as a gamer and somehow leaves you really caring about the characters (that you have come to know through other games in the series). There is so much thought and cleverness put into this story, such great voice acting and ingenious puzzles, that it puts most other casual games in the shade. I have already replayed three other chapters in this game's series. They are sheer treasures.

I agree with you, Reenie, that the Lost Lands series is excellent.

Five BN's new game, Legendary Tales: Stolen Life Collector's Edition, was released yesterday. You might want to give that one a try.

Thanks, Marian. I will take a look.

I just finished Alex Hunter: Lord of the Mind. It was a good game and very long. I clocked myself at 19 hours, HOWEVER, you can deduct 5 or 6 hours for my trying to solve a puzzle MY way instead of the right way . I knew from the puzzle description I only needed to worry about horizontal numbers but I was trying to also make vertical numbers work. Finally, I got myself on track and solved the puzzle. It still took 2 to 3 hours though. I solved every puzzle without skipping or hints and without getting totally aggravated. When I felt like caving in, I shut the game down.

There are 35 hidden symbols to find. There are 2 play modes to choose. One of them you have to find all 35 symbols to open up the "secret room". The Casual Mode only requires you to find 25 of the symbols. I am ALWAYS 1 short so I played in casual mode and sure enough, I found only 34 of the symbols. There's not a lot to the secret room but I don't like being locked out of something because I couldn't find one item.

The Bonus chapter took me almost 4 hours by itself.

I loved that game, too. Gave it my highest rating and have replayed it once already. Not too many HO scenes, good puzzles and looooong.

If you all find a game you really like it would be awesome if you could give it a little review in the stickied review thread for others to find!

Yes indeed! It would be great if your review could go into the casual game recommendations too, oldbroad.

Yes, I already have written about quite a few games. They are thin on the ground, though. I keep a spreadsheet on the casual games I play, and although there are 600 games on that list now, only 75 were games to which I gave my highest rating. That isn't a great comment on the genre. The second tier down has about the same number.

Still, the Recommendation-Worthy games are out there! Some of them are in a series, like Secrets of the Dark, Lost Lands, Royal Detective, House of 1000 Doors, New York Mysteries, MCF and Vermillion. These are games that pride themselves on their attention to detail, to the creation of believable characters, writing dialogue that goes beyond the cliché and they offer innovative puzzles that have a relationship to the actual story. They treat players like adults with reasoning skills and an education. I have replayed almost all of them. Other games I have enjoyed were one-offs, or appeared in a series that otherwise is mediocre. When I play a good one, regardless, I holler about it to this Group.

And I am always happy to read about your recommendations, Reenie. You and others have brought to my attention some good games that I might have otherwise missed.

Same here, Marian. Your posts about new games coming out always alert me to take a look, especially if it is a series I'm enjoying.

Thanks, Reenie. I am always happy to help out.

"Alex Hunter: Lord of the Mind"

This game seems to be well liked so I'm adding it to my next list of purchases from Big Fish

Just want to post a quick update on Haunted Manor: Remembrance CE. I’ve gotten further into the game and found that there are a LOT of puzzles. Don’t mean that they distract from the game. The puzzles are quite unique and most are pretty challenging. Not being a puzzle lover myself, I have to admit I’ve skipped quite a few. But for anyone who enjoys the challenge, the puzzles add another aspect to the quality of the game.

That's a good thing to know, Sparkle. I'm not all that good at a lot of these puzzles and would probably use the skip button too, but it also doesn't diminish my interest in the game. Thank you for the update.

I have started Haunted Manor: Remembrance CE - boy it's different. You switch between real and surreal worlds, and yes - there are no-nonsense puzzles!! Wish me luck

Another Remembrance player - very good!! I do wish you luck, Tally Ho. It sounds challenging.

So, I went to finally play Episode 2 of Kaptain Brawe: A Brawe New World and was disappointed to find out it is not another episode at all. I have the game from Shiny Loot with a Steam code also from when Shiny Loot closed down. I wondered why Steam did not have Episode 2 and bought it from Big Fish 4 years ago. The version I have is the full, complete game; Big Fish has it broken down into 2 games for some reason. It is just a short game so that makes no sense to me. I thought I was going to get another adventure and when I started playing, I kept saying "didn't I do this in the first game?". Oh well. Many more games to play.

Sorry about that, oldbroad. I do remember that Big Fish broke the game up into two parts and I am not sure why they did. I never stopped to wonder if it was sold all in one piece elsewhere.

I am now into the bonus game of Dark Parables: The Final Cinderella CE. Excellent game, which I have seen recommended here before.

Finished Dark Parables: The Final Cinderella CE and have since played Bridge to Another World: Escape From Oz CE and Haunted Legends: The Cursed Gift CE.

Marian, I see you posted about Sacra Terra 2 in the recommendations thread. Did you ever play the first game (which I liked better)?

Last night I started Amulet of Dreams but only played for half an hour so I don't have any comment or opinion about it yet.

Yes, I have played the first Sacra Terra game and I would have to say that I liked them both very much. I might put the first game into the Recommendations thread too, but I would like to replay it first as it has been years since I have played it.

I have Amulet of Dreams in my Purchase History, waiting for me to get around to it.

I haven't figured out what's next but will make a decision today.

Well, I finished the Haunted Manor game without being totally creeped out and am now playing Alex Hunter Lord of the Mind. Not the CE, which I usually do, so no guide available. And no bonus chapter I guess.

Also playing a fiendish game called Tower of Beatrice; not a hidden object game. You can't quit or save mid-chapter. If you do, you must replay that chapter from the beginning.

Yes, I announced Tower of Beatrice here in the forum; it looked interesting and different, although I don't like the save system.

There was a Collector's Edition of Alex Hunter (in this case it was called a Platinum Edition) which included a bonus chapter and the usual CE stuff. Big Fish sells this, and I see that it is still available on Steam here.

The description of the Platinum Edition reads:



Congrats on finishing Remembrance.

I've only just finished Whispered Secrets : Forgotten Sins (not been super well for a couple of weeks) but enjoyed it VERY much

And I think I might still have one more in the series that I haven't yet played - have to check - and if so that will be the Casual I start next

The bonus chapter in Alex Hunter was quite long. I have the game from Steam.

Mad, I sure hope you are feeling better!!

I'm glad to hear that you enjoyed Forgotten Sins, Mad! As I said before, I have played it twice now.

Sorry to hear you have not been feeling well, and I hope you are on the mend now.

There's a new Whispered Secrets beta too, so we will be seeing another one in the series before the end of the year. It will be the eleventh game.

Thanks for the info, Marian AND the good wishes

Sorry to hear you've been under the weather, Mad! Hope you are well on your way to wellness now!

Thank you, BrownEyedTigre 😬

I just finished the "main" game of Legendary Tales: Stolen Life, and enjoyed it immensely. It is one of those "big" games, like the Lost Lands and Secrets of the Dark series, games that pull you in for a long ride of several days' exploration, Inventory collection, side quests and brain teasers. Right up front, I'll say it may not appeal to people who like their puzzles dead easy (although there might be an Options tweak for easier ones, I don't know).

There are many tasty challenges, creative Inventory use and novel puzzle ideas scattered throughout. There are endless "pages" of locations (Good map), lots of running around, meeting people, solving side quests. Very much like a full Adventure game. Of course, there are HO scenes, and sometimes even they are puzzles. All in all, a terrific game that I know I will be antsy to replay.

This morning, I started the Bonus Game (I always buy the CE version), and it is just as detailed, pesky and long as the main game. I probably have another hour to go to finish it. I have become a huge fan of 5-BN games, and I will be looking for more games from that developer, for sure!

That's great news, Reenie! I have not played the game yet, but I heard that the bonus game had some difficult puzzles and I thought to myself that you would no doubt appreciate that. So glad you are playing it!

If you can, leave a review in our Recommendations thread as well. That thread has had a lot of people reading it and it's good to get the word out about an exceptional game.

Well, I was wrong! (There's a first time for everything)

It turns out my version of Alex Hunter does have the bonus chapter included; and it also has a guide, which I discovered very near the end of the main game; which I just finished. Now I get to enjoy the extra chapter. There are some superb puzzles, two of which I had to resort to the Skip button. A few puzzles actually seemed original, but most were nice re-makes of traditional puzzles. Nothing wrong with that. I feel that this game is a good hybrid of adventure/casual, and it reminds me of the 'old days' when an adventure game represented a LOT of hard work on the part of the developers. I confess to looking at the map a lot; just to know where to go and what to do. And glad I read Oldbroad's tale about a certain puzzle - she saved me from making the same mistake. Now it's getting real close to double-Martini time!

I'm glad my tale was useful Tally Ho! Enjoy the bonus chapter!

That's great news, Tally Ho! And I'm happy to hear that you have the version with the bonus chapter.

I read through some Big Fish reviews of the game and some posters are talking about a bonus chapter, so I was mistaken in saying that the Big Fish version does not include it - sorry about that. I will edit my prior post about this.

I've been playing Haunted Manor Remembrance for the last few days and am just about to start the bonus chapter.

A rather "different" game with puzzles that (to me) are either really easy or really difficult

I am quite intrigued by this game based upon the comments here. I hope you enjoy the bonus chapter, Mad. I may give it a try pretty soon.

Different is right, for sure!! Enjoy the bonus chapter, Mad.

I just finished the (long) main game and the (long) bonus chapter of Alex Hunter. Now on to the Secret Room.

By the way, Oldbroad bested me on the secret symbols - she found 34; I found 33.

Thanks, Marian and Tally Ho

EDIT :

Well I finished Remembrance and have now installed my other Haunted Manor game - Queen of Death - ready, hopefully, to get to grips with later or maybe tomorrow

Have played a little of "Haunted Manor : Queen of Death" now and am liking it so far

I played that one a couple of months ago and liked it very much.

Argh! I typed. I hit "post reply" and all of a sudden was not logged in???

Anyway, I finally finished Amulet of Dreams last night. I liked the scenery/locations very much. The game was okay. Nothing wrong with it exactly but it just didn't grab me in.

I think next up is Black Swan.

Thanks for letting us know about Amulet of Dreams. I don't have Black Swan and would be interested to hear what you think of it.

My last two games played and finished are Enchanted Kingdoms: Dark Seed CE and Enchanted Kingdoms: A Stranger's Venom CE. I am currently playing the third game in the series which is Fog of Rivershire. I have enjoyed them thus far. I guess I have been in a "fantasy game" mood.

It is killing me, reading about all these cool games and not being able to download any since the failure to download my newly-purchased Worlds Align: Deadly Dream. I tried downloading another, older, game on my list, just to see, but it won't work, either. Now, BF doesn't even give me a failure message about security ~ just doesn't respond at all. Still haven't heard back from BF on my problem. Experiencing withdrawal symptoms.

Reenie, apparently your issues are related to using the Chrome web browser. Try using Edge or Firefox and see if you are able to download again.

I'm following it and my resident IT expert is, too. Thx.

I'm currently playing "Mystery Tales: Art and Souls CE". This is a nice long game with lovely artwork. You have a cat helper named Morty who has a part in the story. There's some backtracking, but not too troublesome. There are a number of unique HOS and LOTS of unique and challenging puzzles, if those are something you enjoy. I've skipped a lot of them. This one has been around a little while, but I'm way behind on playing the games I've purchased and I like to play them in the order they were installed.

I played that game, too, Sparkle, and enjoyed it very much. I have it marked for Replay. It is a good, long game with decent puzzles. There are at least seven games in that series, and Art and Souls is the best, IMHO. Others are long games, but repetitive and too easy to be much fun. Some of them are loaded with Pop-ups, too. I'm glad game designers have either stopped doing that or giving us an Opt Out choice.

I too played the Mystery Tales: Art and Souls CE about three months ago and enjoyed it very much.

This thread is slipping away.

Reenie, what are you playing now that you're back up and running with Big Fish?

Marian, I am still playing Black Swan. I wish I could say I like it because it does look good and there is a lot to do. Sort of too much though. Every time I find an item, it is for something future, not for something I already am trying to do. And almost every item is one of two or three or whatever.

I am finding the interactive HO scenes quite hard and even resorted to using a hint today. These are the ones where you find a pictured item and use it on something else. There are also regular HO scenes.

Some spots/items are very picky as to where you click.

There was a place I needed to dig and it said that I needed to find something to dig with. Then it said I needed to find a trowel. Well, I had a trowel in my inventory but when I tried to use it, it said that it did not fit. First thought of course, is glitch. But, sometimes in the game you have to see or hear or do something before something will work. This was not the case for this particular issue though. Instead, I had to find a cake knife that looked exactly like the trowel and IT worked for the digging.

One puzzle was playing a tune on a piano which got to be pretty long, trying to track which keys. One puzzle was a pipe slider puzzle, which showed a picture of the solution but was still a slider.

I'm not sure I would suggest for you to buy it.

Thanks so much for the overview of Black Swan, oldbroad. It's always good to know the pros as well as the cons.

I just finished the Labyrinths of the World: Hearts of the Planet CE. If you enjoy Domini games, you will appreciate this one: lots of puzzles/mini-games, not too many hidden object scenes (and the ones there are are somewhat more creative than the usual), a long game and an equally long bonus chapter. I liked it.

I've just run into a rather hard slider type puzzle. There are 3 rows and 4 columns of squares. There's a knob on top that you move to whichever column you want and a knob on the left for whichever row you want. There is a crank on the right that you pull down to move the selected row and column. So, you get one row right but it gets messed up while trying to get the next row. I'm going to need time to figure this one out. I've not seen this particular puzzle type before.

Somehow, I got it! More luck than skill!!

Thanks to Reenie's comments, I am giving Legendary Tales: Stolen Life a try. It looks like a keeper!

Tally Ho, I think all of Five BN's games are top notch; they haven't disappointed me yet.

Oldbroad, good for you!

Coming up for air between my Charity Accounting sessions, I'm still playing "Haunted Manor : The Last Reunion"

Good to know, Mad! I hope you are enjoying it (although I know you have been very busy).

Finished it today .... and I did enjoy it, thanks, Marian .... but I found some of the puzzles difficult enough to need "hint help" .... with my limited playing time just now

EDIT :

Now started "Lost Tales : Forgotten Souls" and it's lookin' good

Thanks for letting us know what you are now playing, Mad.

I frequently need help with the puzzles!

Yes. With some games I do too, Marian.

I think all brains aren't wired in the same way as some game developers'

I am seriously hooked on the rather unusual Baba is You.

I hesitate to call it a casual game, but It is certainly great "brain training" and requires considerable lateral thinking: it can be played in small bites, but is all too easy to waste hours on!

I have also just enjoyed Creaks, the latest from Amanita Design, and prior to that Bring You Home and My Brother Rabbit: nothing too challenging or intellectual, but good fun.

Happy gaming!

Thank you for all of those good suggestions, Lex! Will make a note of them.

So, I guess I'm done with Black Swan. Can't finish it. Last night I was stuck in a slider and was looking for information but mostly all I found was that the game had a lot of glitches. This is a CE version but there is no guide. Tonight I skipped the puzzle and then there was another puzzle I skipped. Skipping puzzles really shows my frustration. Then the glitches and crashes started. My last attempt had me using CTL/ALT/DEL to get to the task manager to close the game.

I watched the last two of fifteen videos somebody did and that person was not able to finish the game though either due to crashing and losing inventory so I could not even see the end. Also, the person was getting frustrated and skipping stuff so I was missing that anyway.

I had put in more than 11 hours. Kind of annoying! Oh well. On to the next one.

Well, that is super annoying. I do remember reading that the game had some glitches for some players. And eleven hours is a lot of time put in. What a shame.

Yes, it really is a long game and no technical problems until it got towards the end. Not the best gameplay or voice acting or puzzles, but still a shame.

Did you see this on Steam?

Apparently the game has a lot of issues. Really poor programming in this instance - it would appear that in this part if you don't do things in the order the developer expects you to, the game crashes.

I don't know if I saw that particular post but Steam is where I was looking. If there was a guide I would have started using it at the end to finish up the game but I could not find a guide anywhere. I never made it as far as putting items in that bowl, though I did see the bowl. There were other problems before that. Mine was in a interactive hog scene. I may fire up the game today just to see what happens. Not sure yet.

This is probably of no use as your problem is glitches, but I found a written walkthrough here.

Oh thanks Marian. I guess I saw that when I Googled but Firefox Ad Blocker blocked me from going there and I let it. I did take a look at it just now. If I am able to get back in the game (and if I want to) I will probably use the walkthrough to get me to the end. I'm pretty sure it will help fend off the glitches by doing everything in exactly the "right" order.

That's not necessarily an ad blocker blocking that gamehouse site.
It could be a blocker that's built into Firefox itself
https://support.mozilla.org/en-US/k...ffect-my-safety&redirectlocale=en-US

moz-extension

uBlock Origin

found in: Peter Lowe's Ad and tracker serving list

Really very much enjoyed Lost tales : Forgotten Souls and then found I have another game by the same developer - so I've just installed it !!

It's called "I Know a Tale"

That's great news, Mad. I have both games in my Purchase History and haven't played either one. Your comments make me glad I have them.

Hm. I don't have Lost Tales: Forgotten Souls but I do have I Know a Tale (not played yet). I'll have to check out Lost Tales.

I just started the latest (?) Labyrinths of the World game, Hearts of the Planet. I have tried out close to a dozen in that series and enjoyed half of them (Looking at my Notes, I bailed on the demo for a few of the games). I have several marked for eventual Replay, but my comments on the rest have been variable: "OK, but cartoony . . . cliché-ridden . . . hokey . . . too much purple fog." So, the series is uneven.

I'm sorry to say that this game is not one of the best. It has a thin plot, unsympathetic protagonists that you have no chance to get to know, somewhat ridiculous predicaments and solutions, very cartoonish and over-saturated artwork, cardboard heroes and villains, people who are at death's door one second and fully recovered the next, and then there is every color of fog and smoke. I wish I had played the Demo, to see what the game was like, but I had liked a few of the games in the series so I bought it outright. "Lesson Learned."

I played Labyrinths of the World: Hearts of the Planet when it was first released and enjoyed it. While it wasn't anything all that different from other Domini games that I have played, it suited my mood at the time. Your criticisms of the game, Reenie, are certainly valid and I pretty much agree with them, but none of what you mentioned bothered me at all.

I can't even get back into Black Swan as the .exe has stopped working. Don't much care though.

Tonight I played about an hour of Blue Tear and so far I rather like it. I ran into a couple of different, fun puzzles and one kind of hard HO scene. We'll see how it goes!

Keep us posted! This is yet another unplayed game in my Purchase History. I think I have two or three games by this developer.

Finished Blue Tear tonight. I'm not sure how you would like the game. For me it started out better than it ended but I did like it. It was sort of weird. I skipped one puzzle that I feel I should have been able to figure out but after 3 different sessions of not figuring it out, I was ready to move on. The rest of the puzzles were easy enough. I spent about 10 hours on the game. I'm not really sure how else to describe it.

That's a really long playing time again, which is good to know. I will probably give it a try at some point.

And some of these games are kind of weird, so I think I know what you mean when you say this. Depending on the level of weirdness, it can sometimes make the game more interesting. Or less.

I seem to take a lot longer playing these games than most people do Marian. I'm not sure why. Maybe because I wander aimlessly instead of using the maps. Or maybe I'm just not that smart!

I think it's because you make a conscious effort to try not to use the hint or skip buttons. Developers would appreciate more players like you, given the effort that is put into making the games.

I have just been playing Cruel Games: Red Riding Hood for 2 hours and I am really enjoying the game a lot. I am playing from a disc on my Windows 7 computer but also have it as part of a bundle from Steam.

I played Cruel Games a few months ago and enjoyed it very much. It was one of the best standard-version-only games I played this year.

I just finished playing Endless Fables: The Minotaur's Curse CE and really enjoyed it. Now I'm starting Endless Fables: Frozen Path CE (the second in the series).

I have the Endless Fables series but I haven't played any of them yet. Good to hear you enjoyed the first game smitty145!

I have played both Minotaur's Curse and Frozen Path (the latter just in the last few months). I liked them both.

Well, I'm sorry to report that I was disappointed at the end of Cruel Games: Red Riding Hood for two reasons. The first was that I had to skip a puzzle where you categorize 9 books between 3 shelves. I didn't know most of the stories so I ended up Googling but still couldn't figure it out. The second was that I'm not sure I understood the ending. Oh well. On to the next one!

I don't even remember the ending so can't comment on it. I wish I did!

I tried to play Sherlock Holmes: Mystery of the Persian Carpet (Steam) but the game seems to freeze and I can't do anything. I thought maybe I wasn't doing something right and found a walkthrough here by MaG. I created a new profile and tried a different mode but same thing. I don't see anything I was doing wrong or not doing, so instead I switched to Sherlock Holmes: Hound of the Baskervilles (disc). Only played a half hour so far.

I believe I know what the problem is with Persian Carpet. I too thought the game had frozen when this happened. If this happened where I am thinking it did, the solution can be found in this thread.

Marian, I'm not seeing any "conversation" in that link?? I'm sure that is the right spot though.

Never mind. I went directly to Steam to look at it. I'll let you know!

This is almost certainly your problem. I had the same thing happen to me during the tutorial.

Well, I'll check it out later when I boot up my Windows 7. I had read something about how long something takes. I know I have to click where it is pointing but it was not allowing any clicking at all, so maybe I will just let it sit for awhile to see what happens. I'll update later.

Thanks Marian. I had looked at the walkthrough and at the (bad) reviews to see if any of them said the game didn't run but they all just seemed to not like the game, not that they were having technical difficulties. I didn't think to look at "discussions".

Another person online said that you also need to click on the red x in the upper right-hand corner of the screen, but I don't remember if I needed to do that. I'm just throwing it out there as something else to think about when you are looking at that screen again. What makes this part particularly confusing is that the game won't allow you to exit the game or go to the main menu, so it really does seem like the whole thing has frozen up. I think I ended up hitting control/alt/delete and rebooting my computer as I was that certain that there was no other way out. This screen just isn't intuitive.

Here's an old thread from Big Fish for the game - as you will see, some folks are posting about the "freeze" in the tutorial. And one of the posters said this by way of reply:

I just went to page one of that same Big Fish thread and found my own post explaining what to do in that Cement Works screen. How nostalgic.

"I just went to page one of that same Big Fish thread and found my own post explaining what to do in that Cement Works screen. How nostalgic. grin "

Well, I don't know what my problem was. I did click around where I was supposed to but must have missed the matches which I could not see. I didn't have any problem with it tonight. The items are very small though and hard to find. Thankfully, the silhouettes show the description when you hover over them to help you figure out what you are looking for. It is a pretty tedious game though so far. Then, it showed that it was saving after I finished Level 2 so I was going to exit out of the game, but no, I had to first click where the game told me to click before I could access the main menu. I am very happy that there is a MaG walkthrough available if/when I want to use it.

Anyway, I'm glad I mentioned the game and that you were able to help get me going in it Marian. Thank you!!

I am really glad that you mentioned it too, oldbroad! You are welcome.

I just finished playing Labyrinths of the World: Hearts of the Planet. I have played 12 games in that series and found four of them to be excellent and I will Replay them at some point. A few were not very good or had arcade play which I don't like in my games. The others were OK, but not stellar.

This game was a bit of a disappointment. It felt like a completely different crew of game designers had been involved, one that equated a good game with lots of colorful smoke, Disneyland scenics and no real plot, motivation or character development. A couple of the puzzles were poorly explained and obscure to solve. If it were the first game in this series that I had played, I doubt I would have gone on to play any others.

Still, I can strongly recommend other games in this series: Easter Island, When Worlds Collide, The Wild Side and Lost Island. Good games, long, pesky puzzles, sometimes a bit cartoony, some with timed puzzles, but OK. I plan to Replay those.

Thank you for the review, Reenie. I enjoyed the game despite its flaws. Good to hear your recommendations for other games in the series.

Just broke into MCF: Moths to a Flame. Wow; different! I like it, but might become hairless very soon.

It sounds challenging and entertaining, Tally Ho. I haven't played that one yet.

I just played Moths last month and loved it. Most definitely will be replaying it. Excellent sequel, as good as any of their best, and I've played 16 of the games in that series. I envy you your fun.

Tally Ho.

I haven't played that one yet either. I have 3 ahead of it as I am playing them in order.

"I played Cruel Games a few months ago and enjoyed it very much. It was one of the best standard-version-only games I played this year."

I just finished playing that game a few minutes ago, Marian

I knew I was getting near the end .... then "Boomph" .... all of a sudden it was over.

Enjoyed it very much, though

Thank you all for the positive comments about Moths to a Flame. Hopefully I will be able to play it pretty soon.

I’ve been playing Gummy Drop a lot. A true casual game and quite addictive. I’ve not spent any money on extras. When I use up lives, I find something else to do until lives recharge. A good distraction while waiting for something to get done cooking or the laundry to finish drying. Right now I’m in Cape Town, South Africa. I like learning about the history of the various sites in the cities.

That does sound like fun, Sparkle.

Playing Dark Romance : Vampire Origins now and quite enjoying myself so far 👍

That's good to hear, Mad. I will take a look at it soon.

Last week I played Donna Brave: And the Stranger in Paris CE and Donna Brave: And the Deathly Tree CE. I really enjoyed both.

Now I'm playing the Dawn Hope Series. Finished Skyline Adventure CE and now playing Daughter of Thunder CE, just started the Bonus Chapter. I'm really enjoying these games.

I really enjoyed the Dawn of Hope series too. I also enjoyed the first Donna Brave game. Thank you for mentioning the second Donna Brave game, as I haven't played that one. Maybe something to consider for a good sale.

Thanks for the info on the games smitty145. I have the 2 Donna Brave games installed but haven't gotten to them yet. I have the 3 Dawn of Hope games but not installed. I actually thought I'd never heard of them when I read your post but there they are on my list of games .

Fancy that. I can't imagine such a thing.

Right Marian?

I guess I should mention that I finished Sherlock Holmes: Mystery of the Persian Carpet a couple of days ago. For the most part, I enjoyed it. I did get frustrated at times though with the teeny tiny invisible objects! Even using a magnifying glass I could not find some of them and even had trouble while using the walkthrough. And, of course, I could not really follow Holmes' summary at the end of the game. Still, I liked the puzzles pretty much.

I also finished the main game of Sherlock Holmes: The Hound of the Baskervilles. I still have the bonus chapter to play. This game was good except I don't like skipping puzzles and there were two puzzle towards the end that I could not get. One of them had 90 steps (according to Gamezebo) and I wrote down all of the steps and performed them, rather than hit the "skip" button. Pretty dumb huh?

I've done similar things with adventure games -- for example with the Microscope/germ-eat-germ minigame in 7th Guest. 20 years ago there was a walkthrough that had a step-by-step solution for that minigame. I don't remember where. I thought that walkthrough was at the-spoiler.com but I haven't been able to find it there. The walkthrough had two solutions, one for computers with 386 processors and one for computers with 486 or higher processors. The 2nd one worked for a 400mhz Pentium II even though it was significantly faster than a 486.

Some puzzles I just call in my brother to do for me. Especially rotation-type puzzles like the one you mention in Baskervilles.

No, I don't think it's dumb, oldbroad. I know how much you hate to hit the skip button.

You're welcome, oldbroad!
Like I said before, I've really been enjoying both series. With all the games I still haven't played on my GM I go hunting for something different to play. Somehow both series passed me by......

By the way, I just downloaded SH Hound of the Baskervilles last night. I remember loving that game. I also hate hitting the skip button.

Just finished Moths to a Flame; bonus round and all. Whew!! Loved it, and will very likely re-play it sometime. And hey - no purple smoke!

I am replaying Vermillion Watch: The Moorgate Accord. Right off, I remembered why I slated this game for Replay. It is amazing. It creates a real world where you interact like in a true Adventure game, its color palette is not a candy-colored wretched excess and the mini-games are true puzzles (Some are pretty challenging, but if you liked playing real Adventure games, you'll enjoy them). Even the HO scenes are puzzles as well as "Find It" situations. I enjoyed all the games in this series, and have written mini-reviews for this group. There has only been one that was disappointing: Fleshbound . It was too easy to be any challenge at all.

I thought Fleshbound was just as good as Moorgate Accord. And I found the whole series to be excellent. Here's a review of Fleshbound from the All About Casual Games website. I honestly don't remember if I found the game easier than the others in the series, but I doubt it. That probably reflects upon me more than it does the actual game.

Nice to hear that you enjoyed Moths to a Flame so much, Tally Ho! Thanks for weighing in on it.

Well, my curiosity was piqued by reading about Vermillion Watch: Moorgate Accord, so I downloaded the demo. Liked it, and went to buy it; and lo and behold it says I already bought it. Upon checking my purchase history, there it was. Apparently I bought it when it first came out, and never played it. (Silly me!) So I re-installed it; whereupon I saw the icon for Vermillion Watch: Parisian Accord. Downloaded that demo, liked it, bought it on sale along with Mystery Trackers Fatal Lesson. Two for the price of one, and am extra game credit. Not bad for an old goat with an apparent hole in his memory.

BAAGS strikes again! (This is what happens when you get accustomed to lockdown.)

Go, Tally Ho (hey, that rhymes!)

You are very much not alone with that memory hole! Have fun Tally Ho!

I've played a chunk of "Mindframe Secret Design" today and am finding it rather good !!
Nicely different to some of the more usual run of the mill scenarios and therefore quite interestingly entertaining .... for me anyway

[I was playing "Fairytale Mysteries : The Puppet Thief" but got very fed up of constant hidden object screens - and so have uninstalled that for now ]

Thanks for letting us know about Mindframe, Mad.

I do remember those two Fairy Tale games and indeed there are more hidden objects in those. I played the Beanstalk one. They are nicely done, but you definitely need to be in the mood for more hidden object-type things.

Yes, thanks Mad! I don't have Mindframe yet but I do have the 2 Fairy Tale Mysteries which I have not played yet. While I can play a straight hidden object only game, I do sometimes get annoyed with HO scenes constantly popping up in some games. When there are too many it takes you out of the story, and I have a hard enough time following the stories.

I haven't started a new casual game yet since finishing the two Sherlock Holmes games. Soon!

Played some more of Mindframe and still enjoying it

EDIT :

Finished it !!

The bonus game was very short - but I did like this game all told

Very good, Mad - thanks for letting us know!

Now I've started "The Missing : A Search and Rescue Mystery" and it, too, is looking like it will be a nice play

I have played that one and enjoyed it, Mad.

I had to look that one up Mad. I don't see it on Big Fish though. I found some information and videos when I Googled.

I've been playing Joan Jade and the Gates of Xibalba. It is alright. A nice setting and easy puzzles. What I need right at the moment.

Maybe the game is an old one ?? [I certainly got it from Big Fish.] Glad you are playing something you like though

Anyway, I have a question ....

If I miss picking up a crystal anywhere, will I be unable to complete the game ??

The Missing: A Search and Rescue Mystery CE is an older game and unfortunately it was removed from the Big Fish catalogue several years ago (along with the rest of the developer's games, some of which were standard versions and some of which were Collector's Editions, as well as games in other genres such as time management). Those of us who already had one or more of their games in our Purchase History still have them there, available for download and play.

In regard to the crystals, here is what the Gamezebo walkthrough says about it:



The Gamezebo walkthrough shows the location of all of the crystals - I imagine that the Big Fish strategy guide does too?

Joan Jade was a nice, relaxing game, oldbroad - I agree.

"If even one crystal is missed you will not be able to complete the game."

I would not like this! Are you able to go back through the whole game if need be (which I also wouldn't like)? I hope you find them all!

I am pretty sure that you are able to go wherever you want in the game at any time in order to collect all the crystals. I played the game several years ago and I don't remember that being a problem. I don't recall there being any dead ends. I do remember enjoying this for the most part.

I'd have to be able to see the game and the difficulty level of finding the crystals. Maybe it wouldn't bother me going back around at all, but the idea/thought of it doesn't sound like I would like it.

Yes, I know what you mean. But I do remember enjoying the game and not finding that to be a problem.

Hi.

I only asked my question, oldbroad, because normally I don't bother with "collectibles" but some of the dialogue seemed to be indicating that I should be collecting them in this game.

So far they have not been at all difficult to find so I've probably not missed any. But now I know they are important I will make sure to check over each screen I come to.
So thanks for that confirmation, Marian

EDIT :

I did collect all the crystals because I was able to use them when the occasion warranted and then progress further into the game.
[And they were NOT difficult to find at all.]
I'm getting towards the end but not quite there yet, so more fun still to come.
I am really enjoying myself

That's great, Mad!

I’m now playing “Wanderlust: Shadow of the Monolith”. A nice long game. There are a lot of puzzles that are mostly doable but time consuming. I’ve skipped quite a few since time consuming puzzles just frustrate me. There are some interactive HOS, but most are just standard, but interesting. A familiar storyline, but I don’t mind since it’s such a good game overall.

Sparkle,

I started playing the Wanderlust Series a few days ago and just finished playing Shadow of the Monolith about an hour ago (sorry for it to end). I really did enjoy all three games, this one most of all.

Enjoy!!!

Thanks Sparkle and smitty145! I don't have this 3rd game yet and the first two are still waiting to be played.

You're welcome, oldbroad!

Wanderlust is a another Mad Head Games series and I've been enjoying them more lately. If playing the CE, you can always go back to pick up any collectables and morphs you missed at the end of the game.

Now I'm going to start Nevertales: Hearthbridge Cabinet CE. Thought I should start playing some of those that have been on my GM for months before adding more new ones.

I'm in the Bonus Chapter of "The Missing: A Search and Rescue Mystery CE" now, so not much left to play.

But what an excellent game. I've enjoyed every minute of it And will certainly play it again at some time

I felt the same way about the game, Mad. So glad you didn't miss playing this one.

Mad and Marian,

I don't have this one in my purchase history, one I think would have been fun. Since BF no longer has it in their catalog , I'll continue on with Nevertales: Hearthridge Cabinet CE.

Yes, it's a shame that the game has been removed from the BF catalog.

The developer's other Collector's Editions that have also been removed are:

Strange Cases: The Secrets of Grey Mist Lake CE

The Torment of Whitewall CE

The Torment of Mont Triste CE

Strange Cases: The Lighthouse Mystery CE

They also had standard versions for all of these as well as some other games that were only released as standard versions.

Anyway, I hope you enjoy your Mad Head game.

I actually don't have any of those games - what?

I finished Joan Jade last night and put the following icons on my desktop to (probably) tackle next. (I was feeling these last night but my mind does change often.)

Amaranthine Voyage 1: The Tree of Life - I have all 8 games downloaded on my Windows 7. I've never played any of them.

Drawn 1: The Painted Tower - Ditto above comment for the 3 games though these are on discs, not downloads.

Graven: The Purple Moon Prophesy

Cate West 2: The Velvet Keys

and

Dream Chronicles 1 - I have the first 4 games on disc and the 5th game downloaded. This series will be a replay. I'm pretty sure it is one of the first casual game series I ever played. I seem to remember posting some dumb question or other here and Kaki's Sister helping me out, though I may be wrong about all of that .

We shall see how this unfolds.

I have all of those removed games, but they are quite a few years old now so it's not all that surprising that you don't have any of them, oldbroad. The earliest one was released in 2010 and the most recent one was released in 2013.

I played the first Cate West and it was basically nothing but hidden object scenes - don't know if the sequel is like that or not.

I thought the Tree of Life was very good as well as Drawn: The Painted Tower (original and different).

I have heard good things about Graven but haven't played it yet (it is in my Purchase History).

Big Fish used to have all the Dream Chronicles games but they too have been removed. I have a couple of them in my Purchase History but haven't played them yet.

I played the first Cate West game years ago when my brother bought it for me on disc. I guess that's why I purchased the 2nd game. I like having all the games in a series.

And, yes. I hadn't been buying casual games that much back then and not downloads. When I did start, I had to play catch up on some things, tried to keep up with new releases, and bought old games when they were mentioned in the forum here and brought to my attention.

I don't replay a lot of casual games but I seem to remember liking the Dream Chronicle games. Mostly, I want to replay them to satisfy some nostalgia I am feeling.

On my next game now .... Shaolin Mystery : Tale of the Jade Dragon Staff .... and it looks like another one I am going to like

Enjoy Mad! I bought those Shaolin Mystery games 3 years ago, I believe, based on information from Jenny100. They're downloaded and ready to play .

I just have two in that series and can't find any more. Is that them all

There are two of them so that would be it, Mad.

Thank you very much, Marian. That's sorted me out - in that I won't go searching for non-existent games

Yes, definitely!

So, back to my story about the two Vermillion Watch games. After I downloaded and tried the demo of "Parisian Pursuit" I continued in that game until I finally finished it today. Now I have gone back to the "Moorgate Accord." If my (great) experience with Parisian is any indicator, I fully expect to really enjoy Moorgate.

Why did I enjoy Parisian you ask? First, any of you who have seen me praise games, always find a remark about Story. I still believe a coherent story makes or breaks a game. This one succeed in that regard. I have also ranted about mazes, and yes - this game has a maze, but it nicely hints you through without a lot of hair loss. And the length: I hate a game that takes just a few hours, then Bam - you're done. This one is satisfyingly long. Intro, three major chapters that you can play in any order, a wrap-up, and a decent bonus chapter. All plusses.

Bye for now; off to deal with the villains who violated the Moorgate Accord.

Sounds like a different type of game Tally Ho. Thanks for the info and have fun with the next one!

Thanks for your comments, Tally Ho. This is an excellent series of games.

Are there more in the series, other than these two?

@oldbroad - yes they are different. They managed to dish up some puzzles I haven't seen before, and the hidden object scenes are good quality.
They are a creative lot !

I’ve enjoyed all the Vermillion Watch games. Very creative.

There certainly are. The Collector's Edition version and Standard Versions are listed here:

Verrmillion Watch games

There are six in all.

Thanks Marian - I know what I'm doing for the next several weeks !!

That sounds great, Tally Ho!

They are having a buy-one get-one sale. I made the mistake before, of not 'adding to my cart' but buying one and expecting to buy the second for no cost. Please help me understand how to do it correctly.

You put both items in your cart and at the bottom you put the coupon code (for this sale it appears to be the word CANDY.) After you do that the prices in your cart should change. Then you can hit buy.

That's it. Tally Ho, just make sure you put both games into the shopping cart and then apply the coupon code, which should take it down to the price of one game rather than two.

What am I missing? I don't have a shopping cart; I only have the play now (demo) or buy now buttons.

First click on Buy Now for the first game. This starts your cart. . Then close the window and click on Buy Now for the other game. Both should then be in your cart. Then enter the discount code.

When you have the first game showing in your cart, click on "continue shoping".
Find your second game (you can search for it) click "buy" on that and it will then also appear in your cart.
Next enter the "offer code" (in the box below the two games) and click on "apply".
That should adjust the total price you will be charged for your two games.
And you are now ready to actually buy 😑

Thank you Sparkle!! That worked. First game = game credits; second game $0.00; third game Full price; fourth game $0.00. So it's like four for the price of one (sort of)

Glad you got it now Tally Ho. Have fun!

Well I'm going to be playing my Shaolin game for quite some time as there are plenty of hidden object screens - but, surprisingly, I am really enjoying it.

[Probably because it has a nice story ]

That is nice to hear, Mad.

Finished the first Shaolin game and enjoyed it immensely - so have now installed the second one.

The one about terracotta Warriors -

Terrific, Mad!

I just finished Cursery: The Crooked Man and the Crooked Cat, the CE Version. It is by the same team that does the Dark Parables games, and the various HO scenes are just like they are in the Parables games. I've played more than a dozen games in the Parables series, so I bought this game without trying the Demo.

The story is nothing new: Unrequited love turns the man into an insane, murdering fiend preying on young women as he looks for his Lost Love, and somewhere along the way, he has acquired magic powers that you have to beat. <sigh>

The game is challenging. You CAN select an "Easy" version but not with the subtlety of choices you may have become accustomed to twiddling. It just dials down the difficulty of the Mini-games. I like a challenge, so I went with the more difficult and it was great fun and not that difficult except for one rotation puzzle. (Oh, and this game features a lot of rotation puzzles, just so you know.) You can Skip any puzzle without a penalty other than it adds time to the length of time you spent playing the game itself, like your play time is a "Score" of it own. Why anyone would care about how long it took to play a game is a mystery to me. (I always felt that if it took me a good while to work my way through a game, it was a better game.)

There are no surprises with movement, Map use, Collectibles. There aren't any head-scratching moments with the Inventory. Everything is as you would expect. There are some items of inventory that aren't entirely comprehensible when you first pick them up because they need to be combined with others to be of use. There is a LOT of running back and forth (when you finally find that Inventory item that you needed six scenes back . . . ). You WILL need to take copious notes on 1) everywhere you found a task and 2) what you needed to deal with it, so you can go back there later with the right tool. Almost at the end of the game, I found an item that I needed in the second or third location in the game!

You can set a few things to make the game easier (turn on/off this or that, you know the drill). I like to strip the game bare, so it is like playing an old Adventure Game without any idea what happens next. The Bonus Game was worth it, in that it continued the story via a secondary narrative. So I loved this game, even though it was pretty pesky in spots. I've marked it for Replay.

That's a terrific review, Reenie. I played this game several years ago and enjoyed it. You have made me want to download it and do a replay.

If you could also copy this review and add it to our Reviews and Recommendations thread, that would be great.

Thanks for the game info Reenie. I haven't played Cursery yet but have it downloaded and waiting.

I finished Amaranthine Voyage: The Tree of Life which was quite good and am almost finished (I think) with Cate West 2: The Velvet Keys which I am also enjoying. It's an old type of game but there are a number of variations on the HO scenes, as well as some other mini games. Some of the objects are quite hard to find though. I'm playing in timed mode of course and I did have to repeat one section so far. There are two endings depending on your "score".

Completed both Shaolin games now - which I thoroughly enjoyed - and have started a re-play of Fear for Sale : The 13 Keys

[I don't remember much of playing it before but if it does become familiar, or should I say TOO familiar, I'll install something else instead. Got plenty to choose from after all ]

I too thought the Tree of Life was a good game. It sounds like Cate West 2 tried to add more variety than the first one had, which is also a good thing.

I haven't played Fear for Sale: The 13 Keys, but I do have it.

Ditto me on the Fear for Sale game.

Mad, I noted on my list that you were unable to complete the bonus game due to some glitch involving a page from (and) a book. I think you picked up the page but didn't put it in the book and pick up the book. ??

Wow !! Thanks, oldbroad
I do actually remember such an incident - but couldn't have said in which game it occurred
Just goes to show you know my gaming history better than I do
(I have a head like a sieve 🙄)

Well, I certainly wouldn't have just remembered it . I do try to make notes on my list when somebody has a problem so I will be prepared when I get around to playing the game. I don't always note the person though.

That's very sensible, oldbroad. I guess I just don't have any !!

You're funny Mad!


So, I decided to try to play Frankenstein: The Village tonight. I may actually have to bail out of this game. Right at the beginning there is some pipe puzzle that is on a timer. It's about 15 seconds or so. I can't even locate two pipes to switch in that amount of time. I didn't look for a skip button but didn't notice one. I did however see in the Big Fish Forum that you can skip. I will check it out again tomorrow when I am more alert and if I cannot get the puzzle I'll try that skip that was mentioned.

I don't know this game .. but 15 seconds ?? That sounds pretty ridiculous

Got through my Fear for Sale game - without any hitches this time

And Mystery Case Files : The Harbinger CE is my current Casual. And I'm liking it

Mad, that's good news about the Fear for Sale game.

I'm glad you're liking Harbinger. Have fun.

I just finished Frankenstein: The Village. I had to skip that timed puzzle and needed help finding a few items. The game is old timey and cheesy but I mostly enjoyed it.

I think I will play Halloween Chronicles 1: Monsters Among Us also before returning to my previously mentioned list.

I thought the first Halloween Chronicles was fun.

Good to hear your opinion on Frankenstein: The Village.

I am starting an oldie that I have never played before: Fear for Sale: Nightmare Cinema Collector's Edition.

Have fun Marian! I haven't yet started another casual since finishing Frankenstein.

I haven't played a HOPA in a while. I was playing Arthur's Knights.

Off and on, though, I was playing Deep Blue Sea (a match-3 game, a replay for me) and finished that.

I have been play Matchventures (match 3) for a long time now almost every day. I finished the game long ago but when I just want to relax with something I keep on playing it. I think there were 70 something levels to complete the game but I am now up near 1100.

I keep the ancient Jewel Quest (the original disk version) permanently on my WinXP machine and just go back to the start every time I finish it - and the same with the slightly less ancient Jewel Quest II on my Win7.
Of course I do play other Match 3 games as well, seeing as I have tons of them

EDIT :

Not Jewel Quest II on my Win7 .... Jewel Match II !!
Can't read

MatchVentures is a fun one. I also love Jewel Quest!

On my Win 7, I have Bejewelled 3 and play the mine game on it all the time (I can never remember the proper name of the game). I also play other Match 3 games but they are murder on my arm! I actually have Queen's Garden: Sakura Season ready to play on my Win 10 and Cradle of Persia on my Win 7 but have not started them. I just keep going for the other two. I have never uninstalled any other Match 3's that I've played so they're ready also for replay .

I have Jewel Match games but not Jewel Quest, nor Deep Blue Sea (which I've never heard of).

Big Fish has Deep Blue Sea and Jewel Quest.

Jewel Quest and Bejeweled were two of the most influential games in the match-3 genre and were largely responsible for match-3 games becoming popular. Of the two, I prefer Jewel Quest. And there are lots of sequels that are also good.

I haven't played Arthur's Knights since back when I used Windows 98 as my main OS.
Congratulations on getting it working.

Mostly I've been playing Fantasy Mosaics puzzles lately.

I will send you a PM about this so as not to interrupt our casual game discussion too much.

I'm currently playing "Family Mysteries: Poisonous Promises CE". The developer is Brave Giant. And this game has it all as far as being what I'd rate excellent. The story and graphics are contemporary. HOS are unique, with some having morphing objects, and many being interactive. Mini games are also unique - some are challenging and some are pretty doable. For those who are interested, there are collectibles including morphing objects. This is basically a detective sort of story. You use a cell phone to photograph and collect evidence. All in all this game is very well done and a nice change from the usual fantasy type stories and environments. Highly recommend.

Great, Sparkle! And thanks so much for putting this in the Reviews and Recommendations threads as well.

You are quite right Marian! I started this game tonight and am really enjoying it a lot!

Great!

I just started Sacra Terra: Kiss of Death. I am about 1/3 of the way through after about two hours of play. I think it is excellent. It is much more like an adventure game than a silly Find-the-Missing Gear and Install It game, although it does have its HO scenes. As for them, they are quite tricky because the items you seek are sometimes small (a tiny fish hook) or hidden until you find something else first. Also, I am wondering if the game designers do not speak English as their first language because the names of things to search for often don't make sense to me ("Tongs," for one example, meant what look like a pair of tin snips).

It is not as linear as most HOAs, but has things to come back and do much later, so I'm taking notes. In that sense, it is more of an adventure game. It has a Map and all the other bells and whistles. Character development is irrelevant in this game. It is all about the tasks and ultimate goal.

What I am enjoying most is the artwork. Even my husband has remarked on how impressive some of the "video" sequences look. Quite good quality work.

Nothing is very difficult. No outside-the-box puzzles. In fact, none of the puzzles or mini-games are as challenging as I like, but it isn't putting me off because the rest of the game is engrossing.

The game has a good map, and it will tell you in which scene something else needs to be done.

There are only two choices for playing difficulty.

I am happy to hear you are enjoying the game, Reenie! I recommended it in our Reviews and Recommendations thread. Not sure if reading that prompted you to try the game, or if this is just a coincidence. Either way, I thought it was a good game and I will replay it in the future. It's yet another good offering from 5 BN.

Have you played the first game Sacra Terra: Angelic Night? I liked both games but the first one a bit better.

If Reenie hasn't played Sacra Terra: Angelic Night, I know she would enjoy that one too.

Thanks, oldbroad. I will look for it.

Currenrly playing “Haunted Hotel: Room 18, CE”. Another of my favorite series.

That is on my to-play list, Sparkle.

I finished Fear for Sale: Nightmare Cinema CE, which I enjoyed.

Now I'm playing Maze: Sinister Play CE. It is a good one for Halloween night.

Reenie, Sacra Terra: Angelic Night has a Collector's Edition version as well.

I just finished the main game of Halloween Chronicles 1: Monsters Among Us. I played for more than 10 hours and still have the bonus chapter to play. I played on easy mode but you are able to choose between easy and hard at each puzzle. The first couple looked harmless enough so I changed those to hard mode but later in the game I had trouble in easy mode with a few of the puzzles. Last night I had to exit the game when one puzzle was getting to me. I didn't want to get too frustrated and hit the skip button. I did look in the guide but did not use it. There were numerous moves which was good since I didn't feel like writing them down. I was able to beat the puzzle tonight.

As may be obvious, I'm going through all the games I've been saving up. Currently I'm playing 'Whispered Secrets: Dreadful Beauty - CE". This has a familiar storyline - man married to a woman who suffers a tragedy and he's trying everything he can to restore her to her former self. This is a very well done game with lots of challenges. I've found the map a must. But I don't play the game for long periods of time at once, so I forget where some things are. There are lots of environments/rooms. Puzzle lovers should enjoy this one. Even those who aren't fond of puzzles may not mind since one can choose Easy or Hard for each puzzle. There are collectibles that are obvious and some morphing. HOS are interactive and some also include morphing objects, as well as multi-levels. HOS lists vary from standard text lists, to silhouettes, to finding a few objects in order to open lists. All in all, I give this game two thumbs up.

ETA: I forgot to mention that there are times during the game when you choose a decision that determines how the game progresses. This is supposed to make it possible to replay the game and have the opportunity to make different decisions and thereby make it sort of a new game,

You are really getting your money's worth from Halloween Chronicles, oldbroad. Congratulations on beating that tough puzzle.

Sparkle, I thought Dreadful Beauty was a good game. I'm glad you're liking it too.

I've finished Maze: Sinister Play CE. I found it to be enjoyable. Not sure what's up next.

I decided to replay Cave Quest, one of my favorite match-3 games ever. It's just as good as I remembered.

And there's also a Cave Quest 2 coming, as you can see a preview on YouTube. Really surprising to see a sequel since the first game was released on Big Fish in February 2011. Almost 10 years ago!

I was thinking of trying the Halloween Chronicles series, or possibly the Halloween Stories series, but neither of them seem much like the Christmas Stories games. As far as I can tell, Elephant Games made both the Christmas Stories and Halloween Stories games, so I'd have thought they'd be more similar.

Then again, the Christmas Stories series started in 2012 while the Halloween Stories series seems to have started in 2017, with "A Little Prince" being a Christmas Stories game from 2017.

I just finished the main game of Cursed Memories: Secret of Agony Creek and will be playing the bonus game shortly. This is an older HOPA, first released on Big Fish in 2011. I really enjoyed what I have played so far. A good game with a story that held my interest and a decent ending. There are more hidden object scenes in this given the year it was released, but I did not mind because the rest of the game was entertaining. The hidden object scenes were also pleasantly challenging. The developer of the game is Vast Studios.

I don't have that game Marian but it sounds good. I like the older games and I don't mind HO scenes.

I finally got around to starting Amaranthine Voyage 2: The Living Mountain last night. I liked what I played so far but had to exit the game at a puzzle that requires me to think, which I could not do last night .

I like the older games too, oldbroad. Big Fish still carries Secret of Agony Creek. I just finished the bonus game so will be choosing another game to play now.

I haven't played the second Amaranthine Voyage game. I don't remember the first one all that well so will probably replay that first before playing the second in the series. Good luck with the puzzle!

Thanks Marian. I got past it pretty quickly; just needed to be more awake to focus on it. I'm estimating I'm about half way through the game now. It's pretty good!

Good to hear you are liking it!

I am almost at the end of the main game but decided to get out and finish it tomorrow as I may not like the final puzzle. There is only one thing in the game I don't care for and that is aiming arrows at some things to knock them down or whatever. I don't know where I'm supposed to be aiming but assume right in the middle. This happens several times in the game. The last one I just did took more than 20 attempts. They were mostly all in the same spot except when I purposely moved it to some weird place to see what happened. No luck, no luck, no luck, and then it's done. ??? I was actually looking for a "skip" button but didn't see one and could not back out of the puzzle. I was able to back out to a different scene but going back in the puzzle scene, the puzzle was still up. Anyway, I'm sure this last puzzle involves the arrow aiming again, which is why I'm saving it for tomorrow.

I worried about the arrow puzzle for no reason . Finished the game and bonus chapter tonight.

Terrific! All good then.

I played and finished Shiver: Vanishing HItchhiker CE, which I had played once when it was first released. It was just as good as I remembered. A really well-made game.

Now I am getting towards the end of the main game in Death Pages: Ghost Library CE. This is the only Elephant Game that brings Romeo and Juliet as well as Hamlet to the proceedings. It's interesting so far. Yet another oldie that I am finally getting around to playing.

I've played eight "Amaranthine Voyage" games over an extended period and I know I liked them all - but I couldn't tell you what any of them were about at this late date !!

Same for me, Mad - this is why I often replay these games.

I have Shiver: Vanishing Hitchhiker on disc (not played yet). I do not have Death Pages: Ghost Library. It sounds interesting but cannot view the trailer.

I guess there's really no point in buying new games then as we can just keep replaying all the ones we've already played, right?

There's a trailer for Death Pages here. One thing I am liking about this game is that the hidden object scenes are the kind where you are placing items back into the scene. It makes for a nice change.

Yes, I shouldn't need to buy any more games.

Thanks Marian. I had actually Googled and I think I saw that and another one, but at the top of my screen it said that my browser didn't support any of the available formats, so I didn't even try to look at either of them.

Strange. I don't get that message with Firefox.

Actually, it's not at the top of the page and I had the wrong wording, but still... It is right next to the video. See below. The second one is the one you linked me to and it worked just fine so I don't know why they say this.

Death Pages - Ghost Library Collector's Edition - YouTube
www.youtube.com › watch
Video for death pages: ghost library trailer video
2:40
Your browser does not currently recognize any of the video formats available. Click here to visit our frequently ...
Jan 20, 2013 · Uploaded by AllSmartGames

Death Pages: Ghost Library - YouTube
www.youtube.com › watch
Video for death pages: ghost library trailer video
0:55
Your browser does not currently recognize any of the video formats available. Click here to visit our frequently ...
Jan 23, 2015 · Uploaded by Big Fish Games
Missing: trailer ‎| Must include: trailer

This is a lot to wade through, but you can read about that message here.

Marian, that link gives me a big RED WOT message to GO BACK! It doesn't really matter anyway why it says that. It apparently didn't mean much, but Thank You anyway!

oldbroad, I ran a scan of the website here and it states its safe.

I am replaying The Lake House: Children of Silence CE. Highly recommend this one! Really well done.

Yes. That is one I will replay myself at some time, too

I remember that game with fondness, too, Marian. Thanks for the reminder to Replay.

It is even better than I remembered, Reenie. You are welcome for the reminder.

Glad you have played this one, Mad.

I restarted Lost Lands: Ice Spell yesterday evening, and it kept me up WAAAAY too late. ha ha I love all the Lost Land games and have reviewed them already. If I could remember the order, I would play them in order because each game assumes you were aware of who the other two protagonists are when you meet with them. This is a great series, for anyone who hasn't discovered it yet. Long, detailed, lots of stuff to do, great puzzles with unique workings, fantastic artwork and video sequences that make you think of a Hollywood film, imaginative HO and min-games. They have it all.

The order of the Lost Lands series is:

Lost Lands: Dark Overlord CE
Lost Lands: The Four Horsemen CE
Lost Lands: The Golden Curse CE
Lost Lands: The Wanderer CE
Lost Lands: Ice Spell CE
Lost Lands: Mistakes of the Past CE
Lost Lands: Redemption CE

And I agree that this is a terrific series!

For the past week I've been playing "older" games made by Elephant Games (7 to 9 years old):

• Mystery Case Files: Fate's Carnival CE (2013)
• Mystery Trackers 2: Raincliff CE (2011)
• Grim Tales 2: The Legacy CE 2012

I enjoyed all of those games. And thank you for reminding me about Grim Tales: The Legacy, which I have only played once.

Thanks, Marian. I added that bit of info to my list, to know which order they go in. I only have two left to Replay at this point, but if (and when) I start a third run-through, I'll know the order.

I played The Lake House: Children of Silence long ago and seem to remember liking it quite a bit also.

I don't have the last Lost Lands game yet but do have the others. I have not played any of them though.

Since finishing the second Amaranthine Voyage game I have replayed the first Dream Chronicles game and yesterday I started a replay of MCF: Fates Carnival, thanks to the thread Jenny started about it.

I have played the first two Lost Lands games twice now - I liked them that much!

Just finished The Lake House: Children of Silence CE. I pretty much played all day save for a few breaks. Great fun.

Now I want to play/replay this developer's other games. The developer is Friday's Games.

I just finished my 4th Elephant Games game in a row --
The SE version of Mystery Trackers: Black Isle (the 3rd in the series).

No technical problems with this one, though there was a puzzle I skipped where you have to drag pictures of animals, each to just the right spot, and there didn't seem to be any indication of where the right spot is. I got tired of dragging them around to no effect. Even checking a walkthrough that showed roughly where they were supposed to go, the puzzle never solved.

I'm not sure what I'll play next.
Maybe another older Elephant Games game that I haven't played in a while.

Sorry about that one picky puzzle, Jenny. It sounds like you did really well with the game overall. Good to hear what you are playing. I need to play some of those old Mystery Trackers games - they would be like brand-new games for me at this point.

Speaking of older Elephant games, I have one that I haven't played yet called Unfinished Tales: Illicit Love CE. Not sure when I will be playing it, but probably before the end of the year. Unfortunately it seems to have been removed from the Big Fish website - I wonder why? Sometimes with these game removals it's evident that it was probably a licensing issue or something, but some of these removals leave me scratching my head.

When I wrote to Domini and asked them why a certain game of theirs had been removed from the BF website, they said I would have to ask BF. That surprised me, as I thought that these removals were always requested by the developer.

And now I finished my 5th-in-a-row Elephant game:

Chimeras: Tune of Revenge CE

No problems in this one, though I did skip one of those games where you have to have more pieces left on the board at the end than the AI player. I'm no good at those.

I enjoy re-playing older BF games - except for the ones where the hidden object items are "microscopic" !! They do me in and I have to give up

I liked Chimeras: Tune of Revenge CE, Jenny. That puzzle type that you describe is one that I can usually luck my way through after several tries, but not always.

I don't like microscopic hidden objects either, Mad. I am happy to say that I haven't run into too many HOPAs with HOGs like that, but I know they're out there!

I finished the Witches' Legacy: Lair of the Witch Queen CE yesterday. A good game, and also pretty long. I have only played the first two games in the series at this point (this, and the Charleston Curse) but plan on playing more of them at some point.

Today I finished the Clockwork Tales: Of Glass and Ink CE. Atypical subject matter, beautiful graphics, and entertaining. It was a nice change of pace.

I've got both of those games downloaded, ready to play someday Marian.

I think you will enjoy them both, oldbroad.

Well; I just bought the entire Lost Lands series, inspired by the BOGO this weekend. They better be good!

p.s. 3/4 way through Crossfade. Enjoying it.

Glad to hear you are enjoying Crossfade, Tally Ho!

You won't regret your purchase of the Lost Lands series - they are all excellent!

Have fun Tally Ho!

Thanks Oldbroad and Marian - I have learned to trust your folks' recommendations.

BTW; you all have heard me say "I hate mazes" for years . . . decades, actually. Crossfade has a maze; but when you supply the map, you whiz through the maze with no effort. Now that's my kind of maze.

I bought Fatal Evidence: Art of Murder in the latest BOGO, and I'm kind of regretting it. It has one of those hyper-saturated color palettes that make you feel like you are trapped in Disneyland on an acid trip. I much prefer a normal palette of colors unless the game I am playing is located in a cartoon or fantasy world to begin with and such saturated colors are appropriate. I played two previous games in this series and should have consulted my own database comments before buying another. I had remarked on the "saturated color palette" on them. <sigh>

Not all of the game play makes sense, either. You all probably know what I mean ~ odd inventory that really wouldn't have solved the problem you are faced with in a real world, tasks that don't make sense to the story line, continuity issues, bizarre mistakes your character has to make in order to advance the plot, people being miraculously freed from captivity (like they had to wrap up the game quickly and left out some story line), etc. The only thing I've really enjoyed is the mini-games, some of which are original concepts. They aren't difficult (I chose the "Hard" setting, too!) but they are a nice break from the game itself.

Well, I got it in a BOGO, and have the new MCF game awaiting, so things aren't all bad.

Glad you didn't pay full price for the game, Reenie. I did play Fatal Evidence: Art of Murder and did not think it was all that great. Still, it passed the time and I too got it on a sale.

I hope you like the new MCF game.

Thanks for letting us know what you've been playing.

You are SO right, Marian. I just finished the first of the series, and Wow am I impressed. I have everything good to say. Their attention to detail, innovative puzzles, creative re-makes of familiar puzzles, a decent story line, great map (which I use all-too-often), good music, etc.

The bad news is, about 3/4 the way through the main game, the uncontrolled flickering I have spoken of before, started and would not go away. I spend most of a day trying settings; resolution, refresh rate, turning on or off 3d or hardware acceleration, re-booting, looking for driver updates, researching for help here and there. The only thing that made any change was the refresh rate, which only changed the flicker rate. Nothing fixed it. I finally said **cussword** and finished the game windowed instead of full-screen; and proceeded to download the whole series onto the laptop, plugged into the large monitor. That will take care of the rest of the games.

What really puzzles me is that it worked flawlessly to begin with. The other games where I had flickering, it was always right from the start. I think the problem is not with the game software; it is something in my system that I can't find. We are Boomers. So most of you will remember televisions where you had to adjust the vertical hold. The flickering I get reminds me of that effect. Not the whole screen rolling, but something not synchronized.

Sorry you ran into the flickering problem again but at least there is a workaround. I agree that it is odd that it started after you had played so much of the game. It does sound like it might not be a problem intrinsic to the game.

I am so glad you purchased and are enjoying these games. They really are not to be missed. I have never played a Five BN HOPA that wasn't a cut above - or several cuts above for that matter.

I am replaying the third Lost Lands game right now. They have great replayability after a few months or a year, too.

Today, I started White Haven Mysteries (CE) and am finding it engaging enough, although it has more HO scenes than usually are encountered (there is one in EVERY scene, sometimes two, and they respawn when you leave and come back to that scene). The HO objects are quite small in many cases (paper clip, bobby pin, etc.) and there are a LOT of other objects to sort through in each HO. It can get a bit tedious.

The game is quite dark, in every aspect of the word. Set in an abandoned asylum from which your character seems to have escaped in the past. Why she has come back is a mystery not fully explained, although there are hints. The game is supposed to be scary but really isn't (just a creepy, disembodied voice that periodically interjects itself, trying to sound spooky but only sounding dreadfully clichéd). None of the puzzles is challenging, although there have been one or two where it is difficult to get a grasp of what the object is. No music puzzles or timed stuff so far.

I got this game on a half-price sale, so I feel like I got my money's worth. I'm just not sure I'd buy another in this series (if it is part of one). Definitely a game for people who like abusive asylum sorts of environments.

Otherwise, no surprises. All the boxes of the genre are checked.

White Haven Mysteries was a standalone game. It also came out on Big Fish in 2012, and that's why you are seeing more hidden object scenes than we are used to seeing in HOPAs now. Overall, I thought it was a pretty good game, though. Thanks for keeping us posted, Reenie.

I played White Haven Mysteries a few years back but don't remember anything at all about it. Even watching the 6 minute Steam video and looking at the screen shots didn't bring it back to me. I'm sure I didn't dislike it, but, nothing!

I'm trying to finish up MCF Fates Carnival. I'm a little stuck at the moment and not able to concentrate very well due to some leg issues I'm having. I hope I can get back into my gaming soon.

Sorry about your leg, oldbroad. I hope that gets better soon.

I will be spending even more time playing casual games because as of this coming Monday we are on stay-at-home orders again at least until after Christmas. The last HOPA I finished was Lost Legends: The Weeping Woman and now I am playing Lost Lands: The Golden Curse again. Such a good game!

Old Broad, I found those MCF "Fate" games a little grim, but good. Marian, I love those Lost Lands games. I replayed that one last month. Fabulous.

Someone at Mystery Manor recommended the Lost Lands games and I decided to take the plunge. I've gotten so very weary of these casual games being repetitious and generally more annoying than fun. So I haven't purchased any new ones for a long time - just been replaying my old ones which I love over and over. But I am SO pleasantly surprised by Lost Lands Four Horseman! Just straight up gaming, some puzzles and a few HOPAs with no annoying dialogue and interruptions. LOVING IT and certainly plan on getting more in this series.

I am really glad you discovered this series. And when you are done with them, there are more Five BN games to look forward to!

Looks like I have a lot of good casual gaming ahead of me!

I just started Darkness and Flame: Enemy in Reflection, and am enjoying it. I played D&F: Darkside and found it way too easy. I tried again with D&F: Missing Memories, and it was a bit better. Don't know why I tried a third game in this series, after finding them simplistic and too easy, but in Enemy , they are hitting their stride.

Stylistically, this series reminds me of the Light and Darkness games, and I wonder if the same company issued both? The environments are naturalistic, the character's voices well done and the puzzles quirky and innovative. There are the usual Collectibles to find. I've only done the first couple of scenes around the homestead, but am looking forward to more fun. I guess I'll have to give D&F: Born of Fire a try, too.

To commemorate my incorrectly saying I had 8 "Lost Lands" games when there are only 7 to have !! I started "Lost Lands : Ice Spell CE" today

Heh Heh - you got me searching for the 8th one.

Reenie, not sure what you mean by the Light and Darkness games? In any case, Five BN does not have a series with that name. Maybe you are thinking of the Secrets of the Dark series by Orneon?

I felt that all of the Darkness and Flame games by Five BN were just great, same as the Lost Lands series, and did not find them too easy. I have played the first game in the series twice, in fact, because I thought it was that good. Glad to hear you are enjoying one of them.

Mad

Oh, heavens, I was writing that comment on my iPad Mini, in bed, at 2:00 in the AM, after being awakened by my cat. I should know by now that working from memory is not the best approach at my age! ha ha Sorry about that!

Now that it is morning and I am wide awake and sitting at my PC, I can look at my games database and say that what I meant to refer to was the Labyrinths of the World series. There are at least a dozen games in that series, some merely OK and others that I have replayed because they were so good (Easter Island, Lost Island, The Wild Side and When Worlds Collide). There are equally as many games in that series that were not my cuppa and I bailed on the Demo.

I prefer a game with imaginative puzzles, an adequate sense of exploration, respect for the time and place in which they are set and enough character development to make me actually care about what is happening. I'll put up with purple smoke and bad plot if the game engages me intellectually.

Reenie, I am glad that what you said reminded me of Orneon, because I just downloaded the Secrets of the Dark: Temple of the NIght CE for a replay. I am really enjoying it, maybe more than the first time around actually.

I also liked the Labyrinths of the World: The Wild Side CE.

I am more or less finished with MCF: Fates Carnival and have started Christmas Stories: Alice's Adventures.

Marian, I absolutely LOVE the Secrets of the Dark series (except for Temple of Night). I have replayed them as well. Maybe I should give Temple another try . . .

I have just finished the second Lost Lands: The Four Horsemen. Wow! If I was impressed with the first game in this series, that quickly became an understatement. Longer than most casual games; this would qualify as a serious adventure, but for the hidden-object scenes. Such high attention to detail is uncommon, and very welcome. Now off to the third in the series "The Golden Curse."

- A few minutes later -

I have no doubt this game will meet my expectations!

Continuity editor: When we first see the little girl in the well, the bucket is suspended by a rope. When we next see the well, it's not a rope, it's a chain. Oopsie.
[ Edit: I couldn't believe they would be so careless - so I went back and had another look. What I thought was a rope really is a chain; the foreshortened angle made it look rope-like. I was wrong. Ooooopsie! ]

I think in my next life I'm gonna come back as a Druid. 🤣

Susan is still wearing those glasses she bought at the Dollar Store! 😎 Ha ha

I just replayed the Lost Lands: The Golden Curse CE and I thought it was excellent.

Reenie, I am in the second bonus game of the Temple of Night CE and have enjoyed the game very much.

Oldbroad, I don't have that particular Christmas Stories game. Keep us posted.

I finished Christmas Stories: Alice's Adventure tonight. It was a decent game, nothing spectacular but nothing wrong with it. I skipped one puzzle fairly early in the game. One of those honeycomb puzzles where you have to fill in more spaces than your opponent (the computer). I had enough with that puzzle earlier this year when I played The 7th Guest and then The 11th Hour.

Last night I started Amaranthine Voyage 3: The Shadow of Torment. So far, so good! Once I finish this set of games I have lined up, maybe I will go to the Lost Land series since everybody seems to like it. That will be quite awhile from now though. Everybody will be talking about some other good series by then .

Thanks for your comments about the Christmas Stories game, oldbroad. I will probably get it eventually.

The Amaranthine Voyage series sounds like it's been consistent in quality so far. I have only played two games in that series as of now and those two were not in order of release.

I just finished the Haunted Manor: Painted Beauties CE, which unfortunately is no longer on the Big Fish website. Really good game along the lines of the Haunted Manor: Queen of Death CE as far as artwork and puzzles go. One of the longest HOPAs I've played. Lots of back and forth, so if you don't like that, you would not like this game. Although it does have some hidden object scenes, it really plays like a good adventure game. I tried to use the hint button sparingly and it presented quite a challenge. I hope to replay it someday.

Oh, and I doubt that there will ever be another series that can surpass Lost Lands!

Today I started Echoes of the Past : The Castle of Shadows CE .... And like it

I have the Haunted Manor series but haven't played any of it yet. I don't usually mind back and forth but it depends on how it works itself out in the game.

Mad, I seem to remember that I liked the Echoes of the Past series quite a bit. I have the first 4 games on disc. They ran fine. The 5th and 6th games were downloads and both gave me some trouble. I ran into a glitch in the 4th chapter of the 5th game and had to restart the game and follow the guide to make sure I got past the glitch. The 6th game just would not play for 2 years and then, all of a sudden, it did with no problems. (I tried it out periodically.)

It just so happens I started this game last night! Quite the coincidence, wouldn't you say? I too am enjoying it.

I've decided to re-start it tomorrow because I just found out I can "generate" hints !!

[And I'm sure to need extra ones at some point ]

I should read the instructions of these games before I play them - which is something I hardly ever do

I've never seen "instructions" for these games at all. Sometimes there is a tutorial, if that's what you mean. I don't always use those and sometimes then, I wish I had.

I was spooked by the Hints Box in the game showing a number
So I went to the Main Menu and found there were instructions on how to play the game.
(I had, as usual, declined the "in-game" tutorial )

EDIT :



I didn't find the instructions in the game menu I found them at Big Fish

I just finished replaying the 2018 game, Agency of Anomalies: Cinderstone Orphanage. It is game listed in my notes as being, "One of the best casuals in the Adventure style," so I knew I would replay it. It has more HO than I care about and some of the objects are quite small and hard to find, but the rest of the game is so good that I can't quibble. The game is long, engaging, with a variety of settings and problems to be solved, well thought out and doesn't require any action-type moves or have any timed puzzles. Oddly, you will end up wandering aimlessly at times, being stumped and trying to pick up the thread of what to do next.

My only complaint about the game is that there isn't a standard Map, and I got lost so often in the beginning, until I started drawing my own map. A word of warning: Some of the mini-games are pretty tough. I like that, myself, but not everyone is looking for it in a casual game.

I have played four games in this series. They also have delicious mini-games. They all have the same issue with no Map and with HO scenes having minuscule objects to find.

I thoroughly enjoyed Cinderstone Orphanage. It's probably time for a replay.

Right now I'm playing "Whispered Secrets : Everburning Candle CE".
And some of the more lurid scenes bring to mind "John Saul's Blackstone Chronicles"

As I recall, Everburning Candle was a good one!

Yes. I am enjoying it, Marian

My favorite game in that series is Golden Silence. Best puzzles, better game of decent length and the Bonus Game of the CE version was worth it
.

I played that for the first time this year and thought it was a good, solid game.

I believe I enjoyed all of the Agency of Anomalies game but have not yet played any of the Whispered Secrets games.

I finished Amaranthine Voyage: The Shadow of Torment last night. It started out better than it ended. I could not follow the story at all and I found myself doing a lot of random clicking in the HO scenes. In Chapter 5 the puzzles started to not make sense. One I could not figure out at all even when I consulted the guide. Then the next one, I felt that MY solution looked much better than the actual solution looked . Then in the bonus chapter there was an easy puzzle that I solved but it didn't do what it was supposed to do. After fiddling with it for awhile I looked at the guide. I had everything in the right place, so I reset the puzzle and did it again and then it did what it was supposed to do .

I have also been playing (and am almost finished with I think) The Christmas Spirit 2: Mother Goose's Untold Tales. It's not bad. I think it is more fun than the Christmas Stories: Alice's Adventures game that I finished recently.

Thanks for your thoughts on the Untold Tales game. I have that one but haven't played it yet.

It sounds like you had a bit of a rocky ride with Shadow of Torment. Do you plan on continuing the series soon, or are you going to take a break?

I will play another game or two before I start the next Amaranthine Voyage, so just the regular break I like between series games (not a break because this game wasn't quite as good).

Well, remember I was going to replay the Dream Chronicles series out of a feeling of nostalgia? I replayed the first game but went to start the second game last night and the rest of the games - 2, 3, & 4 anyway (I didn't check 5) all require Adobe Flash Player so I guess I will not be able to replay those. Not really a big deal but still a little .

So, I started Graven: The Purple Moon Prophesy instead. So far, so good!

I didn't finish The Christmas Spirit: Mother Goose's Untold Tales until yesterday. I played on "easy" and many of the puzzle were easy but I ran across a few that I found quite challenging (but doable)!

That's a shame about the Dream Chronicles games. I have a couple of them so thank you for the heads up. I have Adobe Flash Player on an older computer that doesn't go online and I will be able to play them that way - maybe you can work out some kind of an arrangement like that?

I have heard good things about Graven but haven't played it yet.

I find puzzles challenging on easy mode quite frequently!

I have been busy with the CEs and have completed Detectives United III: Timeless Voyage CE - this is the first one of that series I have played. The second one I finished was Edge of Reality: Call of the Hills CE. I enjoyed them both.

Now I am playing Mystery of the Ancients: Deadly Cold CE and it is terrific - way up there on my favorites list. Getting towards the tend of the main game and then we will see how the bonus game goes.

Marian, I was thinking of trying the Dream Chronicles games in my XP. I'm not sure if that has Flash Player installed on it or not and wasn't sure whether the computer would have to be on-line or not to use it. I have the first 4 games on disc so not an issue of downloading there. To be honest, I had just uninstalled the Flash Player in my Win7 about 2 weeks ago and I did actually reinstall it last night to try to play the games but it then said I had the wrong version (probably TOO new). I'll let you know if they work in my XP.

I also ran across Living Legends: The Crystal Tear in my library. I have played all of the other games in the series but forgot about this one, so it is downloaded and will be played soon.

Reading this thread made me want to play the Mystery Case Files series again. I haven't touched a hidden object game since I lost my mom in November '18, but I'm having fun. Finished Huntsville and Prime Suspect, and have done a couple of rooms in Ravenhearst. Turns out I'm not a fan of jigsaw puzzles, I prefer the type that was in Prime Suspect. The door-puzzles are fun though, a break from object-searching. I'm rather surprised though, all three are rather old games and they run perfect on my Win 10. Huntsville made me change the size of the screen to get it to full-screen, but that is not a problem.

Welcome to this thread, Carolin! Nice to see you here. The one MCF game that doesn't seem to work for people on Windows 10 is Dire Grove. I know a couple of people only who have managed to get it running on Windows 10, and we aren't sure why. Glad you are having fun replaying the series.

My condolences for the loss of your mother. I lost my mother in April 2017 and miss her very much.

I finished Graven: The Purple Moon Prophecy and it was quite a good game with some challenging puzzles. I think you will like it Marian.

I also installed games 1-4 of Dream Chronicles from the discs into my XP computer and started playing the 2nd game. I will not however, be able to play the 5th game which is a BF download and it does require Flash Player. Argh. I wish I would have known this before I started my replay. I could have played them sooner and/or not uninstalled the Flash Player already.

Well, that takes care of 80% of your Dream Chronicles problem, at least. I guess the fifth game never came out on a CD, even in some compilation package. Will let you know if I find out differently.

Graven sounds very good. I hope to play it this year. I managed to finish 86 casual games since the quarantine began (I've kept a list of all of them). Maybe I will eventually play most of my backlog after all!

Marian - I have learned to believe you when you say a game is terrific; 💖 so I have downloaded a couple of the Mystery of the Ancients. My question is, how to find out the order in which they were released; and does it even matter what order I would play them? With the BOGO on now, I might just pick up the lot.

It did matter (sort of) with the Lost Lands games, only because the later games refer to the earlier ones at times. It wouldn't do any harm to play them out of order, the player would just miss the cross-reference. I have finished five of the seven, enjoying every moment.

Happy-Healthy New Year!!

Happy-Healthy New Year to you too, Tally Ho!

I think that the Mystery of the Ancient Series as well as the League of Light series (Mariaglorum is the developer) are all quite good.

They don't really need to be played in any particular order, as I recall - although with the League of Light series, there is an ongoing story in some of the games about a little scarecrow, so from that standpoint you may want to play them in order (I personally liked the little scarecrow and did not find this to be quite as hokey as it sounds).

Also, while the first Mystery of the Ancients: Lockwood Manor CE, is a good game, it came out in 2011 and has no voiceovers as well as more hidden object scenes - just letting you know in case this would make it a less enjoyable game for you.

I would start with the following as being some of the best:

League of Light: Dark Omens CE

Mystery of the Ancients: Curse of the Black Water CE

Mystery of the Ancients: No Escape CE

League of Light: Wicked Harvest CE

The others in both series are all above average - the above are just some of my top picks. Here is the order in which they were released:

Mystery of the Ancients series order

League of Light series order

Of note, League of Light: Growing Threat CE is more of a straight HOG than a HOPA. The rest are all HOPAs.

This thread has gotten very long, so I am going to go ahead and lock it. The discussion can be continued in the new thread that I have created here.