Flo is back in a new game and it’s not a Dash sim play. Imagine that! If you know about the Dash Diner series of Mac games, you’ll know that Flo is the one who saves the day usually from big business and helps her friends get started in new professions. Each game in the series is a very similar sim play where you drag diners or guests to a table, take their order, get paid and clean up. This is usually done in a frenzy manner because the customers are all hotheads and will leave in a huff if you do not serve them in a timely manner. It’s usually a fun play. Avenue Flo is a completely new type of play. Yay! When you have enjoyed more than half a dozen Flo Dash games, you want a change of pace.

Avenue Flo is somewhat a sim play where you take Flo throughout Diner Town talking to individuals who may need her assistance in one way or another. Flo leaves her Grandma and Cookie alone at the diner so she can go and help her friend Quinn the wedding coordinator. She needs Flo’s help because the big wedding she is putting on this week is going wrong and she needs Flo’s assistance. Flo needs to find the $50,000 wedding rings and find out who is causing all the problems for Quinn.

The play takes Flo down the streets of the town looking for answers, butterflies, dog, and empty plastic bottles. When you collect 15 bottles you can take it to the recycling vending machine and receive a token. You’ll need tokens later in order to take the subway to other parts of this metropolis. Flo can go in and out of the shops talking to the proprietors and helping them if they request it. This will take you to many side puzzles you can solve in order to move on in the game. 2 of the games are string the beads in a pattern and packing pet supplies to ship out. These side games are fine, but when you have to complete 3 puzzles (not difficult) at a time and there’s no skip button, it slows your play a little. I would rather roam the town looking for clues.

This game is interesting since now you get to see all the places you played in the Dash games, take a subway to other parts and meet old friends you know from previous plays. It has hidden objects, logic puzzles and a funny story. Find who is responsible for creating all the havoc in Diner Town. Is it Bernie the bookworm, the pizza guy or the ex boyfriend to the bride? The only way you’ll find the answers is to hoof it through Diner Town.

Features of Avenue Flo:
-In-scene Mini Games
-Talk to Diner Town Residents
-Explore Diner Town

Rating: 3 out of 5 stars

What do you do when a former high school buddy invites the class to a beautiful Greek isle for your reunion? You go, that’s what! You fly to a small island in a bi-plane but no one is there to meet you. Strange, but you muster up your courage and bags, and get off the plane with your friend CJ. You are still comfortable with the whole set up until you see your plane go down into the beautiful blue waters. That plane was your only way off this mysterious island. What do you do now?

CJ is a talker and he takes charge and orders you to search for your host and others. This game is voiced nicely with the only one mute, you. The story is played through photos in a comic strip form. The other part of the game is the many puzzles you must solve to find out what is going on, especially when you find your friend and host dead, and you and the others are threatened by notes. The killer or killers are still on the island and your life is in danger. Get to your room, search the gardens, beaches and the island to find out what happened and, more importantly, how to get the heck off this island.

Lucky for you the island and its accommodations are very nice with the blue ocean at your feet, beautifully manicured gardens and the sandy beaches steps away. Search with CJ for clues and when you come across a hidden object game, be sure to find all the items listed at the bottom of the screen. The items listed in blue are multiples of things you must click on and the purple item must be interacted with in order for you to click on it. The hint button is at the bottom right and you must wait until it is fully charged before you can activate it. The scroll right above the hint button must be pieced together when you find a scroll along your search. When you see a green mosaic tile, click on it in each scene. Once you click on 12 tiles, you will get to unlock a reward.

There are many puzzles and mini games to solve also, and these will have a skip button for those who wish to not solve them. In scenes when your cursor changes to a hand, you’ll be able to pick up objects, the eye to zoom in or get more information. Most of the words are your thoughts and will give you guidance in your journey. In addition to extra trivia you will learn about your surroundings like where the word tantalize comes from, and the map is a useful device in this game. The map will show active areas, where you are, completed areas (however, it can always become an active areas later), and the best of all, you can jump from one location to another once the button activates.

Even though there is only 1 mode of play, the game is interesting enough for both novice and advanced players. Murder is always a good subject to tackle and Murder Island: Secret of Tantalus has a nice balance of voiced acting, quirky characters, hidden object and mini games in addition to the point and click adventure. The artwork is good but could have been made a little more picturesque like the gorgeous Greek isles. The blue could have been bluer and the white-washed buildings, well, you get the point. At least most of the game is in the daylight and not always in dark and gloomy places unless it is in the cave. The music is dramatic with some Greek accents and is appropriate for the game. For all those reasons I give it a 3.5 out of 5 for a fun time.

Features of Murder Island: Secrets of Tantalus:
-Find the Murderer Before He Find You
-Hidden Object and Mini Games
-Good Artwork and Music

Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars

Lost Souls: Enchanted Paintings Collector’s Edition is a Mac hidden object adventure game. Like so many other games of this genre it begins with an eerie story of abduction. It is full of puzzles, hidden object games and different scenes to search.

Bella and her son receive a mysterious package on their front doorstep. It turns out to be a painting and her son wants to hang it in his room. In the middle of the night Bella hears her son call out and she rushes to find him gone from his bed and the painting changed to her son’s image. Spooky, right? Months go by with no clues or leads from the police or FBI to the whereabouts of her son. In desperation Bella consults a fortuneteller to help her. This leads her in wild searches in another dimension where she sees her son’s painting break into many pieces and the pieces are spread out in different worlds. She discovers strange and enchanting lands where she is commissioned to help the residents of the area. You start in Chapter 1, Frozen World where everything is covered with ice and snow from a blizzard created by the wicked wizard, Ethiel. According to an old gentleman, their land gets colder and colder each passing day. If she can help revive the magic flame, they will help Bella look for her son. Along her journey Bella will be helping others with different tasks.

Move your cursor across the scenes and when your cursor changes to a hand, pick up the item. A magnifying glass will bring you a larger view and stars will open a hidden object game. There are puzzles where you must get inventory items in order to complete like finding keys in order for you to enter locked areas or things. This game is a little different from other games because it does not have navigation arrows to lead you to other areas. You must go to the map and click on other places to travel. This game will tell you when you need to go to the map and go to a different site. The map will also show you with a green checkmark when that area is completed and you do not have to go back there.

Even though the thought about having your only son abducted in a mystical and unusual way, this tale is not spooky, the mother is not frantic and the search through the lands is not scary. So in each land you will need to complete a main task like stop the blizzard or get water, and within the land you may need to help others with minor tasks like finding someone’s heirloom watch. The puzzles are not difficult but are fun to do like mixing paint and painting objects, weighing gems with an old fashion scale. The HOGs are in 2 forms: list of items written at the bottom of the screen or a row of pictures to find in the scene.

The search for Bella’s son is more light-hearted than scary. There are beautifully drawn scenes and quirky characters to enjoy. The scenes are not the dark and gloomy areas difficult to see and search, but they are bright and almost cheery like the snowman scene or the room with the telescope. The HOGs and puzzles are easy to do and not very challenging. More than likely you will not need to use the hint, skip or in-game strategy guide but they are there if you need them. The game is entertaining if not challenging. It will be good for kids and those new to this type of game. Expert mode is not timed or hard, but experienced gamers might enjoy the game play as well. I give this game a 3.0 out of 5 for a solid, pleasant game. Find all the gold coins.

Features of Lost Souls: Enchanted Paintings Collector’s Edition:
-Interesting Tale
-Adventure, Hidden Object and Mini Puzzles
- Collector’s Edition: In-game Strategy Guide, wallpapers, Screen Savers, Bonus Game

Rating: 3 out of 5 stars

What could be worse than being female, young and African American starting your first day on the job on the New York Police Department in 1974? Probably not much but Jane Smith is feisty enough to make a go of it in Mac Hidden Object Adventure Profiler: The Hopscotch Killer.

Her first day is not a great success when she finds out that her fellow workers are not happy she is there and her grumpy trainer (she is replacing him) wants nothing to go wrong before he retires. After cleaning up the office, her first case involves a grisly murder of a homeless man. The hidden object game has the items you need to find at the bottom of the screen. Once you find and click on an object, it will scroll to the left and supply you with more things to find. Sometimes you will look for multiple of items designated by how many and an X. Remember to expand the scene (left and right or up and down) for more items hidden from your view. Most of the objects are easily found but if you need help, use the clue button at the bottom left of the screen. On the button will be the number of clues left for you to use. However, don’t worry about running out of clues because right after you use a clue, there will be a star in the scene for you to get another clue in the standard game. If you are playing the timed version, then you’ll get extra time for finding the star. There are only 2 modes of play to this game: Standard (untimed) or Timed for more of a challenge. The tabs to the left will help you remember your tasks for the level, zoom in on a scene, pause and the inventory case at the top. After finishing the standard HOGs (including some outlined items), you’ll be asked the cause of death.

In between the HOGs you find puzzles to solve like jigsaws, match 3s, Rush Hour, and more of your familiar mini games. The jigsaw has tabs on the right side to maneuver the pieces in different directions. You can skip any game by waiting for the button to recharge.

Profiler: The Hopscotch Killer is a retro game set in the 70’s. Going from one murder to another you find a pattern and Jane discovers there’s more to it than meets the eye. The game is your standard HOGs filled with puzzles for answers and clues to the murders, but it really didn’t spark my interest in the stories or the characters. The game actually suggests you brighten your screen all the way to be able to find objects. The scenes are dark and some items are hard to find due to that fact. The constant sound effects get annoying after a while but the music when present is eerie and appropriate. Jane, although smarter than her predeccesor, could have been a lot more sassy but is content to follow meekly an almost comical Deck to solve cases. Donuts anyone?

Features of Profiler: The Hopscotch Killer:
-1974 Story of a Serial Killer
-Hidden Object and Mini Games
-Dark, Grisly Scenes, Sound Effects and Eerie Music

Rating: 2.5 out of 5 stars

I was ready to be scared or at least a little spooked in Mac Hidden Object Adventure Frankenstein: The Dismembered Bride. However this game is more campy than bone chilling. There are a few creepy scenes but mostly it is a straightforward hidden object game with mini puzzles to solve.

The story is about Brad who is looking for Janet, his fiancée, who disappeared suddenly on one of his work related trips to Europe several months ago. He waits this long to go searching for her? His car breaks down in Bavaria in front of a manor. Lucky for him this is the very castle he was looking for even though he doesn’t know it. Here begins your adventure trying to enter this estate. Screams from within the establishment prompt Brad to enter quickly and find out the source of the terrifying noise. I don’t know if Brad is brave or not but he manages to find his beloved, but unfortunately, she is in many pieces and only her brain can communicate with Brad. Are you frightened yet? When Brad is feeling something like love, irritation and other emotions, you see it above his head as hearts (when he sees his favorite wine) or lightning when he is frustrated. I guess this is suppose to be funny, but I’m shooting lightning rods out of my head playing this game. Let’s get past this and go on to the games.

The hidden object play is the one similar to one I recently played Profiler: The Hopscotch Killer and Bonnie and Clyde. The objects scroll across the bottom of the screen. You may have to find multiples of the objects. In other HOGs you may just get pictures of what you need to find like in the topiary garden. Some of the scenes will need to be expanded by clicking near the edge to see a little more and find objects out of your initial view. There are other times when you need to clear an area to see things. Brambles are plentiful in and around this manor. You may also have to click on spider webs to clear a room. If you are having a problem finding an object, use the hint button to help you. When solving mini games, the skip button becomes available after 3 long minutes. There are 2 modes of play in this game. The Standard mode is not timed and the Timed mode is. Since the scenes tend to be dark and the game does tell you to brighten your screen as much as possible, you will not be able to see all the objects you are looking for. I click in dark areas knowing I’ll come across something hidden in the recesses. However, this is not fun. You get only a set amount of hints but you can look for the stars in the scenes and get more clues or if you are playing the timed, you will get extra time.

The rest of the game is looking for Janet’s body parts throughout the castle and garden and solving mini games like finding keys to use to get into locked areas or looking for gold teeth (really?) that Dr. Frankenstein lost when he slipped on Janet’s brain and died. What?

This story is like pulling teeth (groan). It did not hold my interest, it was very hokey, standard and familiar mini games, dark areas to search, and no voice acting (thank goodness). Like their other games the artwork is good, music minimal with lots of sound effects. For all of the above, I give it a 2.5 out of 5. Try it for yourself and see if you like it.

Features of Frankenstein: The Dismembered Bride:
-Crazy Story
-Lots of Hidden Objects and Mini Games
-Good Artwork, Music, Sound Effects

Rating: 2.5 out of 5 stars

I remember years ago I saw the musical version of The Phantom of the Opera with my beautiful sister. It began with a huge chandelier swooping over the audience’s heads and crashing loudly onto the stage. It was some opening. Mac hidden object/seek and find game Mystery Legends: The Phantom of the Opera Collector’s Edition is not as head spinning but it gradually sets the stage for a dramatic and sometimes shocking story.

Evelina the daughter of a retired stage actress is trapped in the once grand but disheveled abandoned opera house and held against her will by a mad man who thinks she destroyed his love for her by running away with another man. In reality she is the image of her mother and her father is the other man. You find yourself in the lobby of this once majestic and magnificent theater. You have objectives and tasks to complete while playing hidden object games. You search for areas to zoom in on and for HOGs. You’ll see sparkling stars where you need to investigate further. The HOGs will have the list of items at the bottom of the screen. You search mostly dreary, dark spaces for 12 objects. Once you click on a found item, it will be crossed out. If you need help, you can click on the mirror on the lower left. It will crack and slowly restores itself. The journal and the map can also be helpful. You will also hear the voices of the phantom and Evelina assisting you and written messages across the top. If you click too many times on wrong objects, the screen will crack abruptly. If you get stuck or do not know what to do, you may need to go back and search areas you have been before. In some instances there will be more interactive puzzles or HOGs to discover. Sometimes you will be back at a scene you already have completed but must look for more items. The Phantom wants you to find the black rose. Keep looking.

Even though you are stuck in the theater, there are many locations to search from the ballroom to the caretaker’s cottage outside in the snow. The objects you search for can be ordinary to something you may need later. The mini puzzles can be skipped after a while but stick with it and you’ll be able to figure it out.

I think Mystery Legends: The Phantom of the Opera is well done with exquisite artwork. The colors help create the mood and the era of this story. The music also helped create the eerie atmosphere of the opera house, but I kept waiting for the Andrew Lloyd Webber’s soundtrack from the musical that is so ingrained in everyone’s heads. The game is not that difficult, but may not be appropriate for young children. It is not shockingly scary, but puppets hanging in the ballroom are a bit creepy. So try it out and listen to the music of the night.

Features of Mystery Legends: The Phantom of the Opera Collector’s Edition:
-Dramatic Story
-Many Scenes In and Around the Opera House
-Many Objectives and Tasks to Fulfill

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

This time this Hidden Object Adventure begins with eerie music (appropriate for the story) and a ghost trying to kill you. Whew! You make it through and now you are asked by a monk to save a girl in a tower. This is the start of your wanderings through an enchanted land full of ghosts, gnomes, fairies and humans. You are Reylin of Winderalth a gypsy minding her own business until this happened.

A Gypsy’s Tale: The Tower of Secrets is not your standard adventure full of hidden object games with sparkles and a list of items to search. No, this one has hidden objects to search when you click on an item and a wheel with other things pop up. You must search for, say, a cardinal, click on it and take it back to the wheel to place it. After finding all the bubble items, you get the main item in the center. It may have nothing to do with a bird but you may need this main item later on. There are other places where you can zoom in when your cursor changes into a magnifying glass to either collect hidden items or solve a puzzle. You’ll have many varied puzzles to solve from jigsaws, match, untangle the lines and slide puzzles.

There are many different (beautifully drawn) environments to explore and search from mystical forests full of fairies and gnomes to a high tech tree house. In most areas there will be crystals to collect. Some places will have 0 crystals but at the upper left side of the screen, it will let you know exactly how many are in that scene and how many you have collected. When you collect all the crystals in 1 location, you will get a piece of the map for you to use. This map is extremely helpful since it will let you jump to different places directly avoiding having to retrace your steps. Eventually you will be using these crystals as money to buy different things from the store (once you find the shop).

Even though there is only 1 mode of play, the hint and skip (for puzzles) buttons are fast charging, and you will not have to wait long to use it again. Most of the time the hint is explicit, but there are other times when it will only make obvious observations like the monk is creepy. Let’s hope he’s not the same monk you are helping.

There are many things to do in this game and most of the puzzles are easy to do. It may not be much of a challenge for some of you who are really good at this type of game, but for the rest of us, it is a fun game to conquer. For traditional HOG fans this may not meet your needs, but you are still searching for hidden items in a different format with the same types of puzzles to solve.

The only problem I faced with this game is when I was in the garden and trying to plant the seeds, nothing happened even though I could see the pile of seeds but couldn’t click on it. I restarted the game and even though I had to start the garden sequence again, it worked the second time. I found the music good but some parts didn’t seem appropriate for the scene (the tree house for one). The wheel search also seemed at times disconnected. When you figure out how to get a key down from high on the wall, you cannot collect the key immediately. The wheel opens and you have to find 3 different kinds of flowers before you can click on the key. In Treasure Seekers the wheel opens and you look for parts of the piece you need. That game made more sense to me.

Other than those minor quirks, the game is good, the story interesting and the search fun. I recommend casual gamers try this game. I give it a 3.5 out of 5 for an entertaining time.

Features of A Gypsy’s Tale: The Tower of Secrets:
-30 Different Environments
-Interesting Tale
-Puzzles and Hidden Objects

Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars

A string of murders in the French Quarters in New Orleans, Louisiana does not sound very original since it’s been done before and it’s a mysterious place with many unusual stories, but throw in the death of the son of the palm reader who believes there’s more to it than what meets the eye, sightings of the paranormal kind and a weird cult trying to revive the Crescent Snake and you have a set up for an exciting Mac Hidden Object Adventure game.

Calvin Laveaux, student at Steinbeck University, is one of the many victims of a mysterious murder. He has a strange, glowing tattoo that may lead to some answers and possibly the killer or killers. His mother is convinced, and for good reason, there is dark magic behind his demise and she wants you to help investigate this case. You play as a Paranormal Crime Investigator brought in by the New Orleans police to help solve the case.

You search the streets of this famous town and when your cursor changes to a hand, you can interact with the object. If something glows or has a question mark on it, you can place it in the PCI, a case at the lower right of the screen, to analyze the item. Doing so you’ll come across a puzzle or mini game to solve like clicking on the correct color atom to fill vials to your left or match 2 identical objects. This case will also have information for you. The mini games are familiar and not difficult to complete, however, the hidden object games will take time to figure out where some of the items are placed due to size or partial hidden parts. The hint button is very useful in this game and it does recharge quickly. The items you need to find are listed at the bottom of the screen and the objects written in green will need some interaction before you can click on it. With the Collector’s Edition there is an in-game strategy guide to help you if you need it.

Your search will be hampered by a ghost-like figure that will place obstacles in your path and threaten you. Luckily, this will involve a puzzle to solve. You can skip the mini game if you choose after waiting only a short time, but I suggest you try them because most are easily solvable. Unfortunately this game is fairly short even with the bonus chapter. Depending on your expertise you can finish this game in a matter of hours with another hour for the extra bonus.

This is the first game that I’ve come across that asks you to keep the sound on during the game. There is no voice acting but the music is good. The artwork is fantastic with the wraithlike characters, voodoo items and quirky characters. There’s a lot of HOGs for fans of that type of play. I liked Paranormal Crime Investigations: Brotherhood of the Crescent Snake Collector’s Edition and gave it a 3.5 out of 5. However, can someone tell developers to shorten their titles?

Features of Paranormal Crime Investigations: Brotherhood of the Crescent Snake Collector’s Edition:
-Eerie Tale of the Supernatural
-Hidden Object and Mini Games
-Good Artwork and Music
-Collector’s Edition: Wallpaper, Sound Track, Bonus Chapter, Strategy Guide

Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars

Nothing is as it seems in Mac hidden object game The Conjurer. The great Conjurer, the greatest magician in the world, has suffered 3 serious accidents during his magic acts. Why? This amazing performer will be retiring and has invited several worthy magicians to his spacious medieval castle to demonstrate their greatest skill, cunning and artistry. The Conjurer is willing to give the winner of this competition access to the Hall of Secrets. With this knowledge, they too will become the world’s greatest magician.

You find in the course of the play that the great Conjurer is suspicious of all his invited guests. For each visiting magician there are several locations you must search for clues and objects. The hidden object play is similar to other games, but there is one exception. There is a stage to search and find different items, then you must set up the magician’s props and finally the magician will perform their magic act. This is an interesting and different part of the usual hidden object plays. Other locations may be the bedroom, bathroom or any other room they may have entered in the castle. If you cannot find the object listed, you can click on the crystal ball for assistance. There are unlimited hints through the use of the ball, but you may have to wait a few moments after you click on it. For each magician there is 1 super hint to use where it will give you the exact location of an object.

The tale of the Conjurer is complex with the involvement of Adelaide a love interest for more than 1 magician. In addition, the “accidents” may have been planned to injure and get rid of the master. He also keeps a journal written in invisible ink to help you in your search for clues. Are the intentions of the Conjurer as it seems or does he have other motives?

This game is intense with a Victorian feel with appropriate outfits and items throughout the castle. Not only did I like the hidden object play, I also enjoyed the incredible magic acts of each magician.

Features of The Conjurer:
-Victorian Era
-Amazing Magic
-Ten Master Illusionists
-Nothing is as it seems

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

Mac Hidden Object Adventure game Secrets of the Dragon Wheel is a new game starring Epiphany O’Day (must be a daughter of a movie star with that name), a researcher fired from the University for her outlandish study of the Dragon Wheel. To the upper crust of the academia society, there is no such thing as a Dragon Wheel and anyone associated with that project is foolish and unworthy of their time.

The unbelievable story of a mysterious wheel, although typical of a lot of these games, is voiced by Epiphany throughout the game. She must prove the existence of this relic to clear her name. She is on a train on her way to see her mentor, Professor Lunn, when someone gets murdered and she sees the murderer. She cannot wait around for the police or the murderer will get away. Of course, this is a suspicious move on her part and the police may suspect her as the murderer. She’ll deal with it later. Throughout her adventure you will be playing as Epiphany and will encounter many hidden object games and other puzzles. The sparkles will direct you to hidden object games where you will need to click on the items listed at the bottom of the screen. The games are all very straightforward except the dark areas of the screen where you cannot make out the object. It is easier to just click on the dark and questionable areas to find the items. The hint button is extremely helpful with a fast recharging time. After finishing the HOG, you will get 1 or more items to put in your inventory to use later in the game. Be sure to click on these items to place them in your inventory. This is a little annoying but it’s set up like this. The other puzzles will be displayed when your cursor changes to a magnifying glass. The puzzles are your standard connect the lines, take fuses out of a firecracker vending machine, buy train tickets, place the right shaped peg in its proper place and travel through a dark maze to get to the other side.

Epiphany’s mentor is murdered by the same man she saw escaping the train, and now her trail leaves 2 murdered men. Before the professor died he told her to contact Chang at the bazaar for help. Chang turns out to be a strange, little wrinkled man in a birdcage who, after verifying she is who she claims to be, gives her advice and information on how to retrieve the Dragon Wheel before anyone else.

The story is bizarre but works to solve many puzzles and gets clues in order to solve the mystery of the Dragon Wheel. The game is solid with good artwork and sound effects. When you are on the train you hear noises as if you are traveling on a train. I give it a 3 out of 5 for a good hidden object adventure game.

Features of Secrets of the Dragon Wheel:
-Unusual, Exotic Tale with Creepy Characters
-Many Hidden Object Games and Puzzles
-Bonus Items

Rating: 3 out of 5 stars

A simple request from her aunt to pick up her purse in her apartment turns into a vast adventure in Mac hidden object game Brunhilda and the Dark Crystal. Brunhilda, not a particularly popular name in the United States, is of German origin and used more in Poland and areas near there. Brunhilda in this game is not like the stocky witch in the cartoon series. This Brunhilda is blonde, cute and brave. She calmly confronts the king of the rats and takes potions to shrink her size.

The story begins in a far away land where the dragons and men lived in harmony. This idyllic land is now in danger of inevitable doom. The magic they historically treasured will disappear forever if something is not done. The king ordered all magic to be stored in a dark crystal in hopes that some day a hero from another world will save them. This brings us back to Brunhilda a seemingly normal young woman doing her aunt a favor. She goes to the apartment and finds a demon that takes her to another realm. Gruber the demon will assist you in your adventure to find the broken shards of the dark crystal to restore the magic and fight off the evil.

The main play is to collect different objects usually at the request of someone you need to help you out. You can select from 2 modes. Casual has hints and skip buttons and they will recharge at normal speed. Objects of interest are highlighted. The Adventure mode the buttons take twice as long to recharge and rarely will objects be highlighted. The magical quest cards can be found at the bottom of the screen. It will give you the items you will need to find. To get into small spaces you must make a magic elixir to shrink Brunhilda to enter the rat door. Once small she encounters many rats who will do her a favor if she does one for them such as collecting all the fireworks in the village, get all the cheese, click on parts for a machine, get rid of all the rat traps and lots more. You may need to go back and forth from the rat village to the lobby of the building and back again. Luckily Brunhilda found a shortcut through the rat village to the king’s palace.

There are mini games you can play or skip such as catching drops of blue potion to make magic elixirs. Another is to pick out magical runes from a book. The mini puzzles do get progressively harder as the levels increase but you can skip them if you wish. However, skipping the puzzles will not unlock bonus mini games. The games involve telekinesis, alchemy, telepathy and wizardry. All the puzzles are related to the story and you are not aimlessly looking for a pizza cutter, battery or bowtie like some other HOGs.

There are 10 chapters to take you on an incredible adventure. You will meet many unusual things like dragons, part human part machine, rats that talk, birds, and much, much more. The story will unfold with Brunhilda talking to people or things that will help her in her quests. There are easter eggs to find so be sure to click on the fairies.

Brunhilda and the Dark Crystal is a different sort of HOG since you are finding things on quests, going back and forth through many rooms and areas and even shrinking down to mouse size. The story is intriguing even though it sounds like something you heard before but is presented in such a great way with the voice acting and gorgeous, detailed and creative artwork. The dialog between Brunhilda, Gruber and others are humorous and funny. The only thing I can say I thought was too much is the fact you have to go back and forth from one spot to another and back again. A small complaint considering the awesome job the developers did in this interesting and fun hidden object game with great details in their characters, words and story.

Features of Brunhilda and The Dark Crystals:
-Engaging Story
-Fantastic Artwork and Mysterious Music
-10 Chapters of Fun HOG Plays

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

Some hidden object games feel like you are in a sitcom and others read like a well written novel. Valerie Porter and The Scarlet Scandal is like the latter with 11 chapters in this Mac game.

The period is the 1920’s where a scrappy cub reporter, Valerie Porter, is trying to break into the newspaper business. She is hired by Gerald Hart, publisher of the city’s newspaper. Unfortunately, she does not realize that Mr. Hart only employed her as a secretary. In the early 1920’s everything is run by men. Luckily, there is a star reporter who by chance happens to be a female, and she is willing to give Valerie her chance at writing news articles.

Valerie is sent on various minor assignments featuring the woman’s point of view, but these stories will lead to the main reason why Scarlet Velour, a celebrity in her era, was murdered. The only person seen fleeing the scene of the crime is Johnny Jackson, a prizefighter and boyfriend of Miss Velour, making him the prime suspect in this murder mystery.

You will go to various locations in the city investigating and gathering information on this story. Finding some items may take a task to complete the level. There are different hints you must search for in each scene. 2 batteries will be in each location and there are light bulbs to help you along in the game.

In addition, there are many mini puzzles to solve throughout the game. One such game is to link all the same items in a subway train. Another is to choose the correct answer to a statement. Also you need to put found items in the right location. In order to do so, you will see an exclamation mark appear to help you with your task.

1920’s journalism was a little different from today’s age of instant reporting through YouTube, Twitter and other means of transmission, and this Mac game reveals the footwork journalists had to do in order to get a good story. Valerie Porter and The Scarlet Scandal gives you the feel of the time and does a good job with the many different environments to search for hidden objects.

Features of Valerie Porter and The Scarlet Scandal:
-11 Chapters
-48 Search Scenes
-8 Mini Games
-21 Locations

Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars

Casual or Advanced, anyone will be engaged in searching for the answers in this mysterious adventure with Nelly and Tom, sister and brother investigating team. In this third installment, these siblings go after the supernatural from ghosts, yeti, monsters to mummies while traveling the world from Egypt, Siberia, England, Germany to France. Go with these 2 and uncover the mystery behind the stolen Ruby Heart.

Choose your level of expertise: Casual mode will give you sparkles where there are interactive areas to find clues and faster recharging hint and skip (for puzzles) buttons. In the Advanced mode you are challenged to find all the areas of interest without help and the buttons are slower to recharge. The story begins with the Ruby Heart being stolen from a impenetrable casing, however it was broken into and the gem gone. What inhuman creature took the ruby? Reading the missing case in the newspaper, Tom and Nelly are interested in finding the stone. Hearing about the original owner of the gem, the two venture out to Caldwold Manor in England to talk to the owner and his ancestor, a sad ghost. You play as one or both of the siblings searching each room for clues and information. You can speak to humans and the paranormal beings to get information. You will also need to complete tasks for them before they can help you. The ghost is unhappy and you must discover what will make him content again. In addition to hidden object games, puzzles, you will encounter places where the cursor changes to a hand. Click on that spot and a wheel will open where you must find parts to complete the item for later use. For example, you will need to find a toy mouse to distract a cat, but when you find the item, you need to find parts to complete the toy. The parts will be scattered around the room or in another location and bring it back to the wheel to complete. This game is not dominated by hidden object games but is balanced with other puzzles like jigsaws, logic and shapes.

There’s so many places Nelly and Tom need to investigate they split up and go separate routes and get back together at other locations. Each area is different and you are meeting a variety of people and non-people to keep your interest up in this game.

Some of the downside of the game is the not so helpful hint button (of course, this does not refer to the experts, only the novice players). Trying to appease ghosts and other paranormal creatures may not be your cup of tea but it continues the game with more puzzles.

The upside is that this game is fun with great artwork and appropriate music. It is a period piece set in the 1930’s. Nelly is down to earth while Tom is critical but still a character, and both are a version of Nancy Drew and a Hardy boy. Have a great time finding the Ruby Heart in this amusing Hidden Object Adventure.

Features of Treasure Seekers: Follow the Ghosts:
-Find the Ruby Heart
-Puzzles and Hidden Object Games
-Great Artwork and Music

Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars

Outside of Paris there is a town where something horrible is happening to everyone in its border. Could this unspeakable nightmare occur and who is behind it all? It is up to you as an inspector to solve this heinous act and save the people.

However, before you can get to the village, guards stop you from entering. In this point and click adventure you go about searching for clues and answers when you come across a woman near the gate who escaped the curse but her daughter and nanny are still trapped in the city. She implores you to find them, but before you can answer a dark cloud swoops down over the guards killing all the men. Upon investigating the cause of death, you find all the soldiers had aged into old wrinkled men. Why do you hear music coming from the other side of the bridge? What could have caused such a horrendous tragedy?

Begin by choosing your level of expertise in these hidden object adventure. Regular mode will give you faster recharging for hint and skip buttons and will give you sparkles for you to investigate further. These sparkles will lead you to hidden object games or something to investigate and pick up. When the cursor turns into a hand, you can pick up the object. The cursor will turn into a spinning globe to navigate you to another location.

In the hidden object games the list of items you need to find are at the bottom of the screen. Any item you need to interact with before you can click on it is outlined in orange. For the most part the items are appropriate to the period and area. Most of the objects are easily spotted but if you need help, there is a hint button at the lower right.

Go from location to location searching for objects and clues you will need to use in later puzzles. You will find many posters, news items and notes giving you information to further your cause. You may need to go back to an area to pick up more items or find another hidden object game. There are many places, both indoors and out, where you will need to put back pieces of a plaque, sign, door lock and more to proceed with this game. The mini and hidden object games with the many puzzles will draw you into this story of death and revenge.

Maestro: Music of Death is an interesting tale with superb artwork and appropriate music. Since music is part of this story, you will find many puzzles with a music theme. If you are a hidden object, point and click player, this is one game you will not want to miss. If you are an experienced player, try the Expert mode to challenge yourself. If not, the Regular mode is just as fun. The only problem I have with this game is when I went too far down the screen with my cursor, the menu pops up making your adventure a little frustrating. Other than that, it is a great game with a balanced HOGs, puzzles to point and click adventure.

Features of Maestro: Music of Death:
-Mysterious, Deathly Tale
-Hidden Object Games, Puzzles and More
-Beautiful Artwork and Great Music

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

Yes, Christmas is over and the memories of the season are fading quickly, however, the magic of the spirit lives on throughout the year. Especially if you play this Hidden Object Adventure Christmas Tales: Fellina’s Journey. Keep the magic going by playing this enchanting game full of puzzles.

This game is mostly a hidden object game with some puzzles to solve and potions to create. The HOGs are fairly simple but with such good artwork, it’s fun to explore all the various items scattered through the scene. The objects you need to find are listed at the bottom of the screen. The items in blue are in zoomed areas where when you move your cursor over it will change to an eye to have a closer look, and the items in this area will turn to white so you know which things to look for. This makes searching a little easier. The other part of the game is talking to various characters like the elves and others who will ask you to do different tasks before going on. Your main task is to save Santa who is now in deep freeze because the Ice Elf in his evil ways put the poor guy under ice. The only one who can save him is Fellina because she is good and pure of heart with no bad things against her. You play as Fellina when Santa’s elves come and get you from your bedroom to the North Pole, but before you depart, you must find Fellina's clothes. If you are a novice, play the casual mode with its fast charging hints and skip buttons. In addition, you’ll see a sparkle when you need to investigate further. All those who are looking for a challenge should play the expert mode.

The mood of this game, the beautiful artwork, the simple but cute story and the classic music like the Nutcracker Suite bring a superb rating. However, there are many problems like strange voiced parts at the beginning. It’s hard to make out and it sounds foreign but from where? Also the writing is a little stiff and the items are a little off. With that said, this game is not perfect but it has charm, lots of HOGs and besides, you get to save Santa. I give it a 3 out of 5 for all of the above.

Features of Christmas Tales: Fellina’s Journey:

-Fantastic Adventure
-Loads of Hidden Object Games
-Great Artwork and Classic Music

Rating: 3 out of 5 stars

A group of friends come across an ancient zodiac wheel on their way home and were transported through some teleporter to a strange land in Mac sim game Gemini Lost. Unfortunately for these 6 people the wheel exploded and spewed the zodiac signs across this mysterious region.

In order to return home, they must find all the keys to repair the wheel. However, life goes on and the 6 must start a village of sorts in order to survive. They must gather and grow foods, find wood and stones for building shelter, increase their knowledge to be able to perform many tasks, they must marry to increase and sustain their population and find all the zodiac keys to transport them back.

In addition to all that, there are puzzles and tasks to complete in order to teleport back home. In order to get across a river, someone needs to have the skills to build a bridge spanning the distance from your end to where the key is located. Labs will increase your knowledge level, working on the garden will increase your farming skills and the chapel will marry your couples so you can increase your village. Also after a time the older people will die off so raising the children is important. The kids however do not work until they are grown, but can pick up items for potions. The game is very good about giving you vital information and stats on each person. If someone is sick, they will be moving around slowly and will need to be healed. Potions can be made and the recipes are available in the log.

The game will allow you to choose how you want your villagers to proceed when you leave the game. If you want to be involved at all times you are on, you can do so or you can have the people go about their tasks even when you are not on the computer. This part of the game is different from other games of this nature.

The tutorial is easy to follow and will get you started on your village without any trouble. I did find it curious when I left the game with 2 skilled people building a bridge, and when I got back, no progress was made and the 2, nowhere to be found. I suggest you keep track of your people’s names because when they grow up while you are gone, they are like strange new person you’ve forgotten. It gets a little confusing.

For the most part I liked this sim develop your own village type game. This one seemed easier to train people, and they didn’t mind working very hard each day. When they get tired, they will rest in the hut, and when they get hungry they will feed themselves so you just need to watch the upper part of the screen to see how much supplies you have and will need. The computer will announce any changes such as a baby being born or someone who passes away. This game is appropriate for children because they take care of birth and dying in a discreet manner.

So create your own village full of people to your specifications and search for all the zodiac keys for your ticket back to civilization.

Features of Gemini Lost:
-Puzzles and Mini Games
-Zodiac Signs
-Your Own World
Similar games: My Tribe, Wild Tribe, Virtual Villagers 1 and 2

Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars
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Whether you believe in aliens from outer space or extraterrestrials walking amongst us or not, you can still play Unsolved Mystery Club: Ancient Astronauts Collector’s Edition and learn a few things about the unusual phenomenon throughout the world. Why is it so prevalent everywhere, especially in isolated and distant areas? This game will take you from Mali, Africa to the frigid regions of Antarctica while teaching you of mysterious sightings documented by completely different groups of people and cultures.

Begin by taking on the first case of missing photojournalist, Sarah Brightside. She was getting close to some answers regarding the legend called Nommo in the Dogon tribe. It had to do with the Sirius cycle occurring every 60 years. Unfortunately none of her pictures came out and she disappeared before any answers could be resolved. It is up to you as a member of the Unsolved Mystery Club to find her and the others who went missing when they were just about to explain the untold stories of extraterrestrials.

According to this game this is based on a true story and events. It begins with you choosing between the casual and expert mode. One giving you faster recharging hints and skips. However, I thought the recharging for the casual took a long time and the expert mode took forever. After deciding your level of expertise, you land in some unspecified warehouse in the desert talking to Henry Hudson the curator. He needs help from you to search for missing Unsolved Mystery Club employees. The first person you look for is Sarah Brightside who went missing in Mali, Africa while researching theories of ancient astronauts. Your job is to find the missing people and uncover the mystery of these ancient beings. This game will take you all over the world from Mali Africa, Palenque in Central America, Egypt, Peru, and to Antarctica. There will be some helpful people along the way, but others will not be as kind. This game is mostly a point and click adventure with a lot of puzzles to solve including some hidden object games (remember the items listed in blue need addition interaction before you can pick it up with your cursor). It balances the search, HOGs, completing the Black Sun by finding all the gems and puzzles (many to figure out how to get to another place in the game) to make an interesting story. It has all the elements for a great game.

Unsolved Mystery Club: Ancient Astronauts Collector’s Edition is voiced in parts and has beautifully drawn sceneries and items. The music is appropriate for the many themes and locations. Most of the puzzles are fun to work out and if you have any trouble with them, you can get help from the hint, skip buttons or the in-game strategy guide. With 5 different locations and researchers to find, the game is not short but will take a few hours to complete depending upon your skill level. Have fun with this intriguing story and help the Club recover their people.

Features of Unsolved Mystery Club: Ancient Astronauts Collector’s Edition:
-Explore 5 Different Regions of the Planet
-Rescue the 5 Unsolved Mystery Club Members
-Puzzles, Hidden Object and Mini Games
-Collector’s Edition for Bonuses

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

The Flux family has a lot of secrets and it continues with the sequel Flux Family Secrets – The Rabbit Hole. In this hidden object Mac game Jesse is stuck in her past because of a ripple in time and must contact her grandfather a master tinker in order to figure out how to return to the present. Search through the family manor and back in time to reveal secrets and answers to Jesse’s past.

30 years back in time brings Jesse face to face with her younger self. The child Jesse will help you in your search for your grandfather. The hidden object scenes are detailed and rich in color with lots of items to search for. In addition, there are many tasks that must be completed to move on in this game. You search for items on the tray at the bottom of the screen, and dimmed objects cannot be found in the present room. Follow the arrows to different rooms or perhaps a different view of the same room. You can move objects such as a curtain or open a drawer to see if anything is hiding behind them. You also have the use of the magnifying glass to zoom closer for a more detailed view. There is a hint button at the bottom right to use if you need help finding objects. There will be things you only see parts of so the fast recharging button is always useful.

Notes and letters scattered throughout the scenes will help reveal clues and get you closer to answers. Also you must straighten out historic things in order to get back to the present. You must get Lincoln to deliver the Gettysburg Address and insure Henry Ford makes cars instead of watches? Collect history badges to further your status in the game. There are many mini games to choose from unlocking chests to putting parts together.

Flux Family Secrets – The Rabbit Hole is full of scenes and tasks to encounter with gorgeous pictures and detailed rooms.  The story enhances the games and advances the environment when needed.  The intense colors, great artwork and good music make for an enjoyable play. Also it’s available in HD to enhance the scenes. I give it a 4 out of 5 for an awesome game.

Features of Flux Family Secrets – The Rabbit Hole:
-12 Chapters of Fun Play (6 bonus chapters in the Collector’s Edition)
-Great Story and Historic Information
-Many Objects to Find and Tasks to Perform

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

Abducted in broad daylight, a young woman is taken under very scary, mysterious circumstances. Locked in her trunk, she must figure out how to escape before the air runs out. Trapped the Abduction is a terrifying hidden object/find and seek play. In order to stay alive, she must find objects to escape this hell.

Items must be found in the trunk to unlock the latch. In every scene you must first find the object and then figure out how to use them to escape each site. Following your every move on monitors located in all the rooms is your sinister abductor who will taunt your courageous attempts to escape his eerie prison. The hidden object play is straightforward with most items recognizable, and those that are not, you can use the hint button. For the tasks you must move the cursor around the scene for question marks. It will let you know what you need to do. To start the generator you must find a fan, air filter and belt. After gathering all the objects, you must put it together in the correct order, find the key and then start the motor.

Side games are incorporated into the scenes are to pick up pieces of broken glass to get safely to a escape door or put a mannequin back together. Don’t ask me why. I don’t know.

In your search you discover your California driver’s license with your name on it. Up to this point, you didn’t realize you do not know who you are. Helene is your name. Other clues will help piece together your identity. The locket you find has a picture of an older woman who looks a lot like you. Maybe your mother? Did this nut case abduct your mother also?

With each locked site you escape only to find yourself in another locked room. Will it ever end? The more you find out the more unnerving it becomes. If you are into bone-chilling stories, you will enjoy Trapped the Abduction. There’s too many realistic abduction tales and the real thing out there on the news to make me want to have to endure this game, but it is effective and too frightening for me. I rather play a fictional mystery story than something that happens every day in real life. I guess I’m watching too many news stories. The story is creepy, but the plays are good.

Features of Trapped the Abduction:
-Dark mystery
-Puzzles and Traps
-Realistic Scenes
-Help Her Escape Before It’s Too Late

Rating: 3 out of 5 stars

Who would answer an email ad proposing a million dollar challenge to travel the world to win the money? Well, I guess maybe a lot of people but it seemed a little bizarre to me. Luckily Sandra is on vacation and has the time to spend traipsing across the ocean in Mac hidden object game Million Dollar Quest.

You will begin by finding items you will need for your trip. The needed objects are at the top right of the screen. The hint button is at the right of the items. This your basic hidden object play with additional places to look for more things like opening the cupboard, suitcase, drawer or anything that opens up. You’ll have inventory items to use later for tasks like ironing clothes. Stars will indicate when to move an object. This game has a lot of puzzles and mini games: mahjong, connect the electrical wires, hangman, click on several of the same items, find the difference, jigsaw puzzle, pack the luggage in the overhead compartment, unscramble letters, bumper game and rearrange a list of historical figures in chronological order. All the fun type of games you find in all HOGs.

The story takes a turn when Sandra’s life is revealed. She was orphaned early in life and was in a terrible car accident. She has no memory of her childhood due to this crash. During her quest of a million dollars, she realizes that someone may have set her up on this adventure. She also gets flashes of her childhood in black and white photos. Even though the premise of this story is a little out there, the tale starts to involve you with bits and pieces like the little boy approaching Sandra at the airport quite accidentally but later finds that a strange man had requested the boy to find Sandra. Hmmm, what’s going on and why does it connect to her past?

The story in this game gets interesting as the play continues. The narration is clear and good except for the man in China with the strange accent. The HOGs are good and relates to the story but is not difficult to find the items. The artwork is good. Try Million Dollar Quest for a nice hidden object play.

Features of Million Dollar Quest:
-Lots of Hidden Objects to Find
-Many Mini Games
-Engaging Story

Rating: 3 out of 5 stars