New Scaratings

FRANKC, are you telling me that PENGWN would prefer that I bring herring for him, instead of buying him a few brewskies...?

....................

................................... Yummy...!

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"The game is afoot."

"Disney's Villains' Revenge" (1999) is a kid's game, but it ain't as easy as you might think. I found it in my massive pile of un-played computer games, and gave it a shot yesterday. I am unable to get Peter Pan past Captain Hook in their sword fight. Has anyone else ever played this game? If not, I think you can pick it up for a song, and when you get Peter Pan to beat Captain Hook in the sword fight let me know.

Here's a link to some video of the game:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y4vxU4VqoUY

Here's a link to a little bit more:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZnPWwvJp ... ure=relmfu

p.s. Even though it's old, this game runs just fine on Windows 7. Listen to Jiminy Cricket's advice, and it will help you a lot. I think it is probably a fun game to play, and just might challenge you a little bit.

Anyway...



............... Goodnight I'm going to bed.

(Even though I haven't gone very far into this game, I'm thinking it is unlikely to become a good one. However, who knows, maybe if I could figure out how to get Peter Pan past Captain Hook, it might get better.)

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"The game is afoot."

"The Treasures of Mystery Island, The Ghost Ship" (2011) is a darn good game. Though it is called a hidden object game, the hidden object parts are extremely minor, and it is really a puzzle and problem solving game. The game requires a lot of running around through what may be the largest number of rooms and places that I have ever seen in this type of game. Though I became stuck many times, I never had to resort to a walkthrough. Admittedly, I did use the "Hint Button" a lot to figure out where I needed to go next, and every once in a while to find some itsy bitsy, obscurely hidden object that I needed to complete a shovel and things like that. Solving the problems and puzzles takes logic, as well as referring to your notebook. Sometimes you will have to think about where to find the clues to advance, but they are all there.

Here's a screen shot from about midway through the game:



.. Give her a diamond, and she will repay you. Oh, you don't have one in inventory yet. GO FIND ONE...!

If BrandyB hasn't played this game yet, she has to. It's the type she likes, and better yet it comes from "Big Fish Games".

This is a strong CLOUDY recommendation. It gets even better. Your local Walmart is probably selling it and five other games on the same CD for just $9.99. The other games are pretty good too, but I'm not getting into them tonight.

Here's a link to what the game looks like:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sO_o_5EjFn4

Here's another one:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qYoiwk9j1-8

p.s. As usual I took the coward's way out, and selected to play the game in the "casual" mode.

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"The game is afoot."

This is where you begin "Hamlet, can you save the play". (2010)

It was one of the bonus games that came on "The Treasures of Mysterious Island" CD. Initially it looks like a dumb kids game. Hold on, it ain't. I sincerely doubt that any of you will be able to beat this game without having to resort to a walkthrough. The problems you need to solve are for the most part not complex. However, they are quite tricky, and I promise you that you will NOT be able to waltz through the game on your own without resorting to a walkthrough multiple times.

I highly recommend this game to those of you, who think you are pretty smart. If you dare to try "Hamlet, can you save the play", I think it will be a humbling experience for you.

I have not beaten this game yet. I plan to give it another shot tomorrow. Any true gamers out there should try this game. Though solutions to it's challenges are actually quite simplistic, they are not obvious. This is a game, where you not only have to think outside of the box, it is a game where you have to figure out the style of what the creators of the game are throwing at you. It is a tough game, and I hope somebody besides me on the "ScaRatings" gives it a try. If anybody decides to buy it and load it up, I would like to know how well you are doing in the game.

Here is the only video that I could find of the game:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SmsnHDkUVyk



Yep, Goodnight I'm going to bed once again. ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ Hope to see you all tomorrow.

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"The game is afoot."

"Azda: in Libro" (2011) is another game from "Big Fish". I have played it for quite a while, but have become stuck pretty far into the game. This is NOT a dumb hidden object game. It is a puzzle and problem solving game, where you do have to search to find some things along the way that you need. However, you DO NOT GET ANY OF THOSE STUPID SCREENS, where you have to find 15 or 20 hidden objects, where only one of the things you find has anything to do with progressing in the game.

There are many places and rooms in this game, where you will search for things you are missing, which might be someplace else. When you run into impasses, click on the "Hint" button, and when it tells you "There is nothing to do here.", it's time to go looking somewhere else.

This is a darn good game, and I recommend it to everyone. However, I think that only BrandyB and I ever play this type of game. As smart as I know you guys are, you should try some of these games. I think you will enjoy them, and probably do well.

Here is some video of the beginning of the game:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wNbh1Fzs9H4

Sorry guys, once again it has become much too late, so...



............. Goodnight, I'm going to bed.,

_________________
"The game is afoot."

Here are two more good "Big Fish" games:

"Maestro, Music of Death" (2011)



Here's a link to some video of the game:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OdQsWJJ50_s

"Maestro, Notes of Life" (2012)



Here's a link to some video of the game:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D7xpJPObIB4

These are both "Big Fish" games. They both involve some stupid hidden object scenes, but not many. (The hidden object scenes just let you find something that you will need somewhere else to progress.) These games are primarily exercises in logic, where you will have to do a lot of running around to solve puzzles and problems. They are fun. For most of you, you will be able to stumble your way through them without having to resort to a walkthrough.

I cheaped out and bought the "2 Game Pack" at WalMart for $9.98, that included both of them on one CD. If you don't mind spending a few bucks more, you can get the single CD "Collector's Editions" of both, which have a whole lot more neat extra stuff.

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"The game is afoot."

Cloudy, it is hard to believe that a Marine Pilot plays all these computer games. I would be machine gunner in your helicopter but I was in the Army.

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"Truth Like Football. Gets kicked around much, before reaching goal." - Charlie Chan

" Don't look back, The bastards might be gaining on you." - Satchel Paige

Frank

Frank, it might be too late for both of us, but why don't we both try to re-up. You can pick the branch of the armed services that you like, and I'll tag along. The first thing we will have to do is to get some fake birth certificates, but I don't think that is all that hard to do these days. I'll do my best not to crash and kill us, as long as you keep that 50 cal. machine gun blasting the bad guys away.

Frank, you might not remember this picture of you, but I got it from the DOD. Hell, a gunner like you can fly with me any time.

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"The game is afoot."

Nowadays, I would join the Coast Guard. I love Sail Ships.

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"Truth Like Football. Gets kicked around much, before reaching goal." - Charlie Chan

" Don't look back, The bastards might be gaining on you." - Satchel Paige

Frank

Okay, it looks like it might be "Semper Paratus" for us. I know they have helicopters, and they probably have 50 cal. machine guns too. Lets do it...!

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"The game is afoot."

"Hidden Expedition, The Uncharted Islands" is another very good "Big Fish" game. Yeah, there is a hidden object element to it, but that is minor to game play. This is a challenging problem and puzzle solving game that you can work your way through, without having to resort to a walkthrough. Give it a try, I think you will find it fun, and somewhat challenging at times.

Here's some video of the game:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I2czegyOWEY

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"The game is afoot."

Cloudy, just FYI I have both of the Maestro games and enjoy them both. I have some more recommendation similar to that if you are interested.

Brandy, I can't wait for your recommendations. All of your others have been great. We both love the "Big Fish" games. Are your new recommendations going to be more "Big Fish" games, or something else? Get those games up here, girl, we're waiting...

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"The game is afoot."

So far most all of the "Big Fish" games that I've played have been pretty damn good. If you can tolerate games where you can't kill anybody, and you don't have to worry about the bad guys killing you, give these games a try. Yeah, most of them are classified as hidden object games, but as I have said many times before, the hidden object scenes in most of these games are very minor to game play. These games are really exercises in problem and puzzle solving. (Their earlier games had more of the dumb hidden object scenes, but so far their newer games seem to have very few.) What I like about these games is that the challenges they throw at you are usually fair, and though you might decide to skip a puzzle every once in a while, you shouldn't need to consult a walkthrough to complete them very often.

Best I can figure out is that only BrandyB and I have played any of them. If you are a gamer, give one of these games a try, I think you will have fun with most of them.

Here is a list of "Big Fish" games that I have played:

"Alabama Smith in the Quest of Fate"
"Awakening: The Dreamless Castle"
"Awakening: The Goblin Kingdom"
"Awakening: Moonfell Wood"
"Awakening: The Skyward Castle"
"Azada: In Libro"
"Azada: Ancient Magic"
"Christmas Stories: Nutcracker"
"Chronicles of Mystery: The Tree of Life" (This was not originally a "Big Fish" game, they acquired it from "City Interactive".
"Cursed Memories: Secret of Agony Creek"
"Dark Dimensions: City of Ash"
"Dark Dimensions: Wax Beauty"
"Dark Parables: The Final Cinderella"
"Dark Parables: Red Riding Hood Sisters"
"Dark Parables: Rise of the Snow Queen"
"Dark Tales: Edgar Allan Poe's Murders in the Rue Morgue"
"Dark Tales: Edgar Allan Poe's The Black Cat"
"Dark Tales: Edgar Allan Poe's The Gold Bug"
"Death at Fairing point"
"Drawn: Dark Flight"
"Drawn: The Painted Tower"
"Echoes of the Past: Castle of Shadows"
"Echoes of the Past: Royal House of Stone"
"Edgar Allan Poe's The Gold Bug"
"Enlightenus, Story Book Adventure" (I don't think this was originally a "Big Fish game", but they picked it up to add to their stable of games. I could be wrong.)
"Enlightenus II, The Timeless Tower"
"Escape from Ravenhearst"
"F.A.C.E.S."
"Fabled Legends, The Dark Piper"
"Fiction Fixers: Adventures in Wonderland" (Originally a "On Hand Software" game)
"Final Cut: Death on the Silver Screen"
"Forgotten Riddles: The Mayan Princess" (Bonus game that comes with "Dark Parables: Red Riding Hood Sisters" - Collector's Edition)
"Flux Family Secrets: The Rabbit Hole"
"Flux Family Secrets: The Ripple Effect"
"Grim Facade: Mystery of Venice"
"Grim Facade: Sinister Obsession"
"Grim Tales: The Bride"
"Hallowed Legends: Samhain"
"Hallowed Legends: Templar"
"Haunted Hotel"
"Haunted Hotel II: Believe the Lies"
"Haunted Legends: The Bronze Horseman"
"Haunted Legends: The Queen of Spades"
"Haunted Legends: The Undertaker"
"Hidden Expedition: Smithsonian, Hope Diamond"
"Hidden Expedition: The Uncharted Islands"
"Hidden Mysteries: November 1963" (Looks like another game that "Big Fish" swallowed up, and they changed "Hidden Mysteries" to "Lost Secrets".)
"Kate Arrow: Deserted Wood"
"Lost Secrets: November 1963" (2012) (Not originaly a "Big Fish" game. Original title was "Hidden Mysteries: November 1963")
"Maestro: Music of Death"
"Maestro: Notes of Life"
"Macabre Mysteries: Curse of the Nightingale"
"Midnight Mysteries: The Edgar Allan Poe Conspiracy" (Originally a "Mumbo Jumbo" game that "Big Fish Games" now owns.)
"Mystery Trackers, Black Isle"
"Mystery Case Files: 13th Skull"
"Mystery Case Files: Escape from Ravenhearst"
"Mtstery Case Files: Fate's Carnival"
"Mystery Case Files: Huntsville"
"Mystery Case Files: Madame Fate"
"Mystery Case Files: Murder Among Friends"
"Mystery Case Files: Prime Suspects"
"Mystery Case Files: Ravenhearst"
"Mystery Case Files: Shadow Lake"
"Mystery in London"
"Mystery of the Crystal Portal 2: Beyond the Horizon" (Originally an Artogon game that "Big Fish Games" gobbled up."
"Mystic Diary, Haunted Island"
"Mystery Trackers: Black Isle"
"Nightmare Adventures: The Turning Thorn"
"Nightmare Adventures: The Witch's Prison"
"Puppet Show: Mystery of Joyville"
"Redemption Cemetery: Children's Plight"
"Redemption Cemetery: Curse of the Raven"
"Redemption Cemetery: Grave Testimony"
"Royal Detective: Lord of Statues"
"Sable Maze: Norwich Caves"
"Sable Maze: Sullivan River"
"Secrets of the Dark: Eclipse Mountain"
"Secrets of the Dark: Temple of Night"
"Shadow Wolf Mysteries: Bane of the Family"
"Shadow Wolf Mysteries: Curse of the full Moon"
"Sherlock Holmes and the Hound of the Baskervilles"
"Smithsonian: Hope Diamond"
"Spirits of Mystery: Amber Maiden"
"Spirits of Mystery: The Dark Minotaur"
"Spirits of Mystery: Song of the Phoenix"
"Strange Cases: The Lighthouse Mystery"
"Strange Cases: The Tarot Card Mystery"
"Surface: Mystery of Another World"
"The Agency of Anomalies, Cinderstone Orphanage"
"The Dracula Files" (Not originally a Big Fish game, and it stinks.)
"The Secret of Mangrove Manor" (Not originally a Big Fish game, and it stinks.)
"The Treasures of Mystery Island"
"The Treasures of Mystery Island: The Gates of Fate"
"The Treasures of Mystery Island: The Ghost Ship"
"Twisted Lands: Insomniac" (Not originally a Big Fish game.)
"Twisted Lands: Shadow Town (Not originally a Big Fish game.)
"Witches' Legacy: The Charleston Curse"

(There may be more that I might have overlooked.)

(I should add that if you are willing to fork over the money to buy the "Collector's Editions" of these games, they will include something called the "Integrated Strategy Guide" on the lower left of the task bar at the bottom. This will provide you with help in sticky situations that comes very close to a walkthrough. They will also give you a bonus game to play in keeping with the game you have finished.)

BRANDY, I know that there are many more "Big Fish" games. Please tell me the ones I need to play.



.................... Goodnight I'm going to bed.

(Belated edit: I will be adding more Big Fish games to this list as I pick them up. Yep, the list will grow.)

(Another belated edit. I have said this elsewhere, but I think I should add it here also. I now don't think Big Fish actually creates all of the games (if any) that are included in their ever growing stable of computer games. I think they just buy them up from other companies that created them.)

_________________
"The game is afoot."

Let's go back in time to the "Ancient Land of Ys" (1989).

..... ..... .....

Here is some video of the the game:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5_cT0AXj5SI

Here's some more video of the game:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RrSzom5f0Is

I can't remember if I have already made a feature post for this old DOS game or not, but if it gets up here twice, it deserves to be. It was one of the very best of the DOS games back then. It had everything. You got to fight bad guys and monsters. You had problems to solve. You had to figure where you needed to lead your little guy through myriads of places, fields and forests, buildings and hallways, tunnels, rooms, and more. You had to find things that people you met told you they needed, and return them to them. You needed to get money, deal with vendors in the village to buy the upgrades of armor, swords, shields, etc., to be able to take on new more powerful enemies that you will meet, without getting killed. Yes, you can die in this game.

This was such a good game. It still sits in its box on the shelf of games behind me as I type. However, I fear that I will never be able to play this game again, or upgrade my sword to a Talwarl to take on the the super baddies that I would have to fight. The computer I use today doesn't even have any floppy drives where I could try to load the game, which would never run if I could.

However, for you smart guys out there, who have emulators, see if you can find the "Ancient Land of Ys", and give it a shot. I think you will like it.

_________________
"The game is afoot."

Maybe I've asked this before, Cloudy, but have you ever tried DOSBox to run ancient games?

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/°v°\ • Every time Linux boots, a penguin gets its wings
I'm a solipsistic conspiracy theorist. I'm sure I must be up to something, and I won't stop until I find out what
Why not downgrade Plutonium to a dwarf element?

PENGWN, I think you have told me about DOSBox before. However, I have some problems. I don't know where to get it, nor how to use it, if I had it. What worries me is that as poorly as I know new computer stuff, I wouldn't be able to figure out how to work it. Yeah, I'm an idiot, when it comes to this stuff that you young guys think any fool should know. If I knew where to get it and how to use it, I would pick it up in a heartbeat.

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"The game is afoot."

"Slingo Quest, Hawaii" (2008) arrived today. Just gave it a brief shot tonight. If you are bored out of your skull, you might want to try this game. Silly as it is, it probably beats playing solitaire into the wee hours. I doubt any of you will ever play this game, but if you do, let me know what you think about it.

Anyway, it has gotten very late again tonight, so...

......................................

...................................................... Goodnight, I'm going to bed.

(Belated edit: I've finally played "Slingo Quest, Hawaii" for a while. The game creates all sorts of new twists to the "Slingo" series of games. The addition of "Bag of Tricks" actually gives you the ability to use a little bit of strategy, instead of just spinning the numbers in hopes of some good luck. (Yep, luck is still a big element in the game.)

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"The game is afoot."

"Sinbad, Legend of the Seven Seas" (2003) sucks... Yeah, four thumbs down. This is another older game that was lying around that I thought to give a try. As old as it is, it is amazing that it loaded to and played on Windows 7 with no problem. The problem was the game. I didn't go very far into it, because it stinks. The game requires you to memorize keyboard combinations so Sinbad can sword fight with the bad guys. There are way too many keyboard combinations to learn, and enemies never stop attacking him.

Here is some video from the game:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k47mDlDhpzE

After watching the video, I think the game might get better later on, but the beginning was bad enough for me not to bother trying to find out.

If any of you have played this game, or decide to play it, I would like to hear your thoughts about it. Should I give it another try...?

(To play the game, you must have the CD in the drive.)

_________________
"The game is afoot."

"Awakening: Moonfell Wood" (2010) is a Big Fish game. If you like solving puzzles, you will love this game, as it throws puzzle after puzzle at you. Some are tough, but if you plug away at them, you can usually figure them out without having to consult a walkthrough, or just hitting "Skip". Most of the puzzles have clues to help you out. There are very few dumb hidden object scenes, where you need to find something to progress in the game.

It's a good game.

Here's a brief video of the game:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=258wahifLcY

(I believe that "Awakening: The Dreamless Castle" (2010) preceded this game, but I don't have it yet.)

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"The game is afoot."

"Mystic Diary: Haunted Island" (2010) is a Big Fish game. I am not very far into it yet, but I will say that so far this game does have a lot of what I call "Stupid Hidden Object" scenes. (Those are the screens where the game has a picture with hundreds of hidden or disguised things, where you have to find ten or so of them from a list of things at the bottom of the screen.)

Here is an example of a "Stupid Hidden Object" screen:



Though I don't like these hidden object scenes, I think it will turn out to be a good game nonetheless.

Here is some video of the game:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S15_X84R29Y

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"The game is afoot."

"Enlightenus: A Storybook Adventure" (2010} is now listed as a Big Fish game, but I don't think it originally was. I've only just started it to see if it would work, after installing it last night. So far it looks like a good game. When I play it for real, I will let you know more.

Here's some video of the game:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-DHNIBjsVN4

(Belated edit: I played "Enlightenus: A Storybook Adventure" today. It wasn't a bad game. The puzzles weren't all that difficult, and there was very little problem solving, that wasn't pretty obvious. It did have a lot of hidden object scenes, but like it's sequel, the hidden object scenes were reversed from the norm. When you get to a hidden object scene, instead of giving you a list of hidden things to go find, the game provides you with ten or so items in your inventory, and you have to figure out where to place them in the picture it puts on the screen. Some were a little tricky, because often you had to put the right item in the right place to open up something new, where other items needed to go. I finished the game in a couple hours, whithout having to resort to a walkthrough. I can't give it a "must game to play" recommendation, but I will say that it's a fun game, and I think most of you will enjoy it.

I never read the instructions on games, and just jump into them. There is something I missed on this one, but figured out about half way through the game. Many scenes will have little, hard to find, cards with the letter "E" on them. I'm not sure what they do, but you need to click on them, and collect them.) (Since my last belated edit I have found out what those little cards with the letter "E" on them are for. You can use them to access another clue immediately, without having for the clue button to recharge.)

_________________
"The game is afoot."

"Enlightenus 2: The Timeless Tower" (2010) is another Big Fish game.

The game just arrived today, and all I've done with it is to install it on my computer using Windows 7, which it did with no problem.

Here is video of the game:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RpP8WrDQQc4

(If anyone has played this game, please tell me what you thought of it.)

(Belated edit: I finished "Enlightenous 2: The Timeless Tower" today. It isn't a bad game. It throws a curve ball at you. It's hidden object scenes are the reverse of the normal hidden object screens, where you are given a list of things to find in the screen. This game puts pictures of things in your inventory, and you have to figure out where they need to be put in the screen. It is easy to get lost in the game, as you click on the magical clocks you find, and are transported to other times and places.

I really liked the a new type of puzzle this games throws at you. They are little cartoons, which give you a task, such as "Save The King". You are provided with a number of steps to click on in proper order to accomplish the task. Once you choose a wrong step, your little character dies, and you have to start over again. They are actually a little challenging, and a lot of fun to figure out.)

Here is a shot of what one of these little cartoon puzzles looks like.)

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"The game is afoot."

"Kate Arrow: Deserted Wood" (2012) arrived today. I loaded it and played it for a while. So far it has been a major disappointment, and I cannot recommend it. It is mostly one of the dumb hidden object screen games, that I hate. I don't mind hidden object screens every once in a while, but so far the game has very little to offer than hidden object screen after hidden object screen. It does have a story, but even that kind of sucks. There are some puzzles to solve, but they aren't very good. The problem solving challenges it throws at you could easily be figured out by a 5th grader. I may be being too hard on this game after only playing it for a fairly short time. Perhaps it might get better later on, but I wouldn't bet on it.

I will say this about the game though. One of its puzzles does provide you with it's version of the old riddle of the farmer with a fox, a duck, and a bag of grain that he had to get across the river in a rowboat. The rowboat could only carry the farmer and one other thing at a time. You cannot leave the fox and the duck together, nor the bag of grain and the duck together, without the farmer being present, to prevent the fox from eating the duck, or the duck eating the grain. Packing the camera case was a little challenging, but seeing I solved it in about 3 minutes. So I guess it couldn't have been all that challenging.

However, it you like hidden object screen after hidden object screen, you will love this game. Actually, some of the things you need to find are quite cleverly hidden, and extremely difficult to find.

Here's some video of the beginning of the game:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sD7PmNoczTc

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"The game is afoot."

"Haunted Legends: The Bronze Horseman" (2011) is a great Big Fish game. The stupid hidden object scenes are few and far between. It is mostly a game of problem and puzzle solving. However, I will add this, it is also a game of navigation. You will journey forwards, backwards, sideways, up, and down into dozens of rooms and places to find things, and take care of business that you skipped over, because you didn't have what you needed to take care of it the first time you were there. It would be a good idea to make yourself some kind of a map to help you remember things that you skipped because they needed a door handle, or something else.

I highly recommend this game for those, who like hunting for things they need, using logic, finding and exploring new places, solving problems and puzzles, and enjoying a fairly challenging game. It's a game that they can finish by themselves, if they plug away and don't give up, without having to resort to a walkthrough.



(I finished the game yesterday without a walkthrough, but I have to admit that I did skip a couple puzzles that were just taking too long. If you are good, and have patience, you will eventually solve the puzzles I skipped.)

Here's some video of the game:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RnMERtQW95w



Good night, my gamer friends. I'm going to bed.

_________________
"The game is afoot."