I find that I am growing tired of games with extremely long names. Laura Jones and the Gates of Good and Evil is an example of this trend. And I'm sure there will be many more Laura Jones games in the future. Anyway, you play Laura Jones, the daughter of an adventuring duo. You need to track down the six keys in order to open the Portal to the Gates. While it is still a hidden object game, there are some small changes in it. Instead of trying to find a huge list of items, there are levels where you are just tracking down a certain number of paw prints or jewels or something. They've also added a variety of mini-games where you need to do things like catching certain fish for a cat. I don't know if these make the game any more enjoyable. It ended up as an OK game but nothing I'd want to spend a ton of time on.
Game review: The Secret of Margrave Manor
The Secret of Margrave Manor is a rather uninspired hidden object game. You play Edwina Margrave, a woman searching for her lost grandfather. The only thing that makes the game different is that the objects move every time you enter the room. So it isn't possible for you to memorize where something is located. However, that doesn't make the game particularly interesting. Maybe if they threw in some extra puzzles, this would be a slightly more than a typical hidden object game.
Game review: The Sultan's Labyrinth
The Sultan's Labyrinth is a hidden object game where the goal is to find an appropriate suitor for the Sultan's daughter. Each prince must solve a number of puzzles in order to prove his worthiness. To be completely honest, I didn't play this game. My daughter did. I watched. However, she had no problems with any of the puzzles. The hidden object pieces were mostly based on matching the shadows with the objects and there were puzzles where you had to put shaped pieces together to make a larger shape. None of the puzzles were very difficult but they were still interesting and fun. All in all, a good game.
Game review: Camp Funshine: Carrie the Caregiver 3
Ah, Carrie. How she has grown. First she was a babysitter. Then she was a preschool teacher. Now she is a camp counselor. The gameplay is the same as the other two. Drop the waiting kids to their seats, bring them the things they need, hang their finished project (in this case, tie-dyed shirts) to dry. The most complicated part of the game is trying to get everything done before the kids get angry.
I found this version to be more enjoyable than the preschool version. The things you were asked to deliver to the children made sense. You weren't asked to do things that they could do themselves. There are also some slight additions to the game. Some of the tables have two seats. Those tables require two people to be seated before they will start the project. If you don't have two children available, you can pull another counselor in to help the child. I didn't find it particularly necessary though. You know that those tables need two children so you just try to wait until you have two children. Otherwise, sit them at the one-person tables. Not a difficult task.
This series isn't my favorite time management game but this particular one isn't terrible. I wouldn't plan on wasting a lot of time on it though.
Game review: James Patterson's Women's Murder Club: Death in Scarlet
There are quite a few murder mystery games out there. And there are a lot of hidden object games as well. James Patterson's Women's Murder Club: Death in Scarlet combines the two. You play a trio of women who work together to solve some of the city's murders. You'll do detective world, forensic work and a bit of research as well. While I knew this would be a hidden object game, I didn't expect the puzzles from the forensic and research sections. Luckily, these additions are extremely fun. They aren't difficult, like other games try to make their additions. Instead, you look forward to each section of the entire game. I can't wait for the next chapter in this game!
Game review: The Clumsys
My daughter asked to play a hidden object game with me. I picked The Clumsys based solely on the fact that it looked like The Scruffs, which she enjoyed. I am sad to say that the two games aren't alike at all, except for the fact that they are both hidden object games. In The Clumsys, you travel through time trying to find and clean up after some wayward children. However, the first puzzles in each era are "Find what doesn't belong" games. That means you have to have enough knowledge to know that there weren't motor vehicles in ancient Greece or that man hadn't walked on the Moon during Charles Lindbergh's time. It really requires too much historical knowledge for the average person to really enjoy playing this. It is an interesting idea - it just doesn't work very well.
Game Review: Virtual Villagers: The Secret City
I absolutely love the Virtual Villagers series. The Sims has always been a guilty pleasure of mine and, just the previous two, the third game in the series plays a lot like it. Instead of playing one or two characters, you control approximately six characters in the beginning. These people are stranded on a deserted island and it is your job to get them the things they need to live - food, water, shelter, etc. In each version of the game, there is a secondary goal beyond just keeping everyone alive. This one has you uncovering a lost city. The villagers are surrounded by ruins and you need to get them leveled up to the point where they can start rebuilding it. I haven't gotten very far in the game. Mostly because I keep forgetting that this is a real time game that keeps running even after you quit. So if you don't pause the game before quitting, it is pretty likely that all of your villagers will be dead when you return. I will beat the game though! This is my favorite downloadable game ever!
Game review: Money Tree
Money Tree is a weird time management-sort of game. You are a gardener trying to win the love of a girl. In order to do this, you need to raise trees that will bear fruit that will make you money to win the girl. Yeah, it's a little confusing. I didn't like the gameplay in this very much. You start out collecting falling leaves that somehow makes the tree mature. Then the tree starts to bear fruit and you need to pick/catch the fruit before it falls on the ground. If it falls on the ground, you don't get as much money for it. You also need to keep an eye on the water and sun levels your tree is getting otherwise it will die. Playing it isn't difficult - it's just annoying.
I can't really say I'd recommend this game. It's interesting for the first few minutes but then the tedium sets in. There are a ton of other time management games that are a lot more interesting.
Game review: Eye for Design
Once again, the interior decorating gaming craze appears. Eye For Design. is more of a puzzle game than anything else. You are basically given a room with some vague instructions about what should go in the room and a list of objects to use. It is your job to make a lovely room that your client will love. Overall, the game was pretty fun. Each object can only be placed in certain spots in the room so there's the difficulty of trying to fit all of the required objects into the room. I think I might have liked it a little better if there was more free-form to it. Instead of having set spots for the objects, let us place the stuff wherever we want. Luckily, the game is still enjoyable despite this small drawback.