The Clumsys 2: The Butterfly Effect Review
This sequel to The Clumsys takes up with Grandpa returning home from the past in his homemade time machine, only to find he brought back a dead prehistoric butterfly. Everyone knows when you disturb anything in the past, it alters everything up to the present. This is proven by the historic photos Grandpa keeps on his wall to make sure he doesn’t change anything while time traveling. Helen, his 
daughter, takes matters into her own hands and decides to go back to the past and make things right again.
The Clumsys 2: Butterfly Effect is just as good and enjoyable as the first hidden object Mac game. The historic facts are brought to life when you search through Thomas Edison’s home looking for pieces of the famous phonograph. After searching rooms for all the pieces, 
you must put the machine back together again. These subtle historic facts are fun to experience in this detailed hidden object game. The items you need to find are pictured on the screen. After finding all the pieces, you recreate the broken inventions, and then you must remove the things that do not belong in the past like cell phones, cassettes and other more modern gadgets.
There are many discoveries by man and Helen has her hands full finding each one to repair and make correct. After a few inventions, you get the hang of putting things back together again using simple logic. Whenever you move your cursor over an area and it changes to gears, you need to exam that area closer.
Much of Clumsys 2 is reminiscent of the first Clumsys and could get tiring after awhile, but the educational aspect of both these games are 
great for children. I liked the facts that were given for each invention or discovery. It brought back memories of many hours of studying but in a pleasurable way. The hidden object part of the game is not challenging, but still a hoot to play. If you should need a hint, they are available and interesting in their own right. The artwork is good, clear and entertaining (unlike some other HOGs where you can’t make out the item). The sound effects are appropriate and Grandpa’s ranting is very funny. Enjoy yourself going back in time and re-inventing the many innovations of mankind.
Features of The Clumsys 2: Butterfly Effect:
-Help Helen Correct History
-30 Puzzles
-90+ Scenes
-3 Gadget Tools
Rating: 
Emerald City Confidential Review
LA Confidential gone green? No, Emerald City Confidential, with the feel of LA in the first half of the 1900s with its seedy criminal activities, is a seek and find game located in the green Oz world of the future. References are made about the Lion, Scarecrow, Dorothy and others to keep with the Wizard of Oz theme.
You are Petra the tough talking P.I. in this busy metropolis who is investigating a missing person in addition to fighting with her enemies. In the prologue you are in the warehouse district, and your quest is to get Petra inside by finding and clicking on a crowbar to open the door, but before that happens she is sprayed with poppy gas and finds herself hanging from a bridge talking to Lion. Emerald City is very corrupt, and Petra is always getting herself in trouble investigating shady characters.
There is a knock at Petra’s P.I. office door and she finds “Dee” aka Dorothy Gale famous girl who flew into town years ago. She is trying to find her fiancé who is missing. Petra takes the case and she is off and running from site to site and back again. The Gump stand (resembles a bus stop) will fly Petra to the different locations within the green city. The journal keeps track of all her clues so refer to it when you need it. Whenever Petra encounters anyone there are always several choices of conversation to choose from which may or may not supply you with clues, and depending on which statement you choose will take you on a different path.
A side puzzle to this game is when she encounters a mule who is the bodyguard of one Miss Betsy Bobbins. Petra needs to get inside and question her but cannot get past the mule until Petra brings the 2 types of flowers Betsy likes.
Emerald City Confidential is an engrossing play with some delay due to the many different choices in conversations. The feel of a seedy, crime infested city is there and the dialogue is classic old time movie talk. I found the graphics amazing, but the play is at times drawn out and long when I just wanted to know what is going on with the investigation. Still, I would like to know what happens to Dorothy, the Tin Man, Lion and Scarecrow and will continue with the play to find out.
Features of Emerald City Confidential:
-Over 50 environments
-Solve Conspiracy
-Explore Oz
Rating:
Dark Tales: Edgar Allen Poe’s The Black Cat Collector’s Edition Review
Dramatic introduction, eerie music and bloody scene starts off your adventure in Mac hidden object/seek and find mystery game Dark Tales: Edgar Allen Poe’s The Black Cat Collector’s Edition. The play will draw you into the dark and seamy side of the mind of Edgar Allen Poe and the many facets of his writing.
You play a detective working with an inspector Chevalier Dupin investigating the disappearance of a Sarah Davies the wife of Mark Davies. Even though she has been missing for almost 2 weeks, she has been seen in and around her estate with a black cat. In fact, you saw her in the window of her home with the black cat. Confronting Mr. Davies at the front door about his wife being seen at the window only brings indignation and denial. Why is this husband acting so strangely? What is he hiding? Why is half his house in such disarray? These are only a few questions you need answered to find the missing woman.
To begin your play you choose from regular mode where the recharge for the skip and hint buttons are shorter and the hidden object games are twinkling. In the expert mode the hint and skip buttons are longer and the active areas are not shown. There is a tutorial if you wish to use it. The note book at the bottom right of the screen will give you written information. There is an inventory file where your 
found items will go for future use. The hidden objects to search will be listed at the bottom of the screen and when you find an item, it will cross off the file.
There are many locked areas where you must figure out how to open it by using tools or pieces from other areas to use. You will be going from scene to scene and back again. Sometimes you will return to the same environment for another hidden object game. You feel like you are unlocking one door after another. There are many puzzles to solve and most of the puzzles may need pieces from other rooms before 
you can begin to solve them. The cursor will change to an eye if you need to inspect it closer and will change to a hand when you need to grab and keep an item.
Dark Tales: Edgar Allen Poe’s The Black Cat Collector’s Edition is a solid HOG/seek and find with many puzzles. The artwork is good and the music appropriately creepy. Unfortunately, the story didn’t engage you enough, HOG scenes are repeated and it seems you are always trying to unlock something. I give it a 3 out of 5 for a good game.
Features of Dark Tales: Edgar Allen Poe’s The Black Cat Collector’s Edition:
-6 Chapters of Hidden Object/Seek and Find Games
-Puzzles and Mini Games
-Walkthrough and Bonus Adventure
Rating:
Haunted Legends: The Queen of Spades Review
Haunted Legends: The Queen of Spades is a Mac hidden object adventure. It has your customary haunted mansion, crazy contessa, enchanted playing cards, murdered people, vicious gnome and a lot of objects to look for, obstacles to overcome and puzzles to solve. You might think if you’ve done one, you’ve done them all, but it’s not the case with this game.
Decide which mode you would like to play: Regular with sparkles for Hidden Object games and fast recharging for hint and skip buttons or pick Expert for no sparkles 
and longer recharging time. You are an inspector sent to this small town where the local police are too frightened to investigate the case and one of their own police officer has disappeared behind the mansion doors. It is said, and the townspeople believe, that the Contessa that lived in this manor found enchanted playing cards and has the power to make anyone rich and powerful. One young woman, Verna Douleur, was enticed enough to try and get this magic for herself, but she died a ghastly death. There are dead bodies you will need to investigate but it isn’t really gruesome. You will need to point and click around scenes to pick up items needed for later use or zoom in and investigate further. During your search, look for playing cards. You’ll need to find the entire deck, 52 cards. If you want to view your found cards, click on the card icon at the bottom left of the screen.
When you see sparkles (or in the expert mode you will need to search for these areas), click on them to open up the hidden object game. You may need to interact with the scene in order to be able to click on the object. The scenes are all very clear and you will not have any trouble finding the items. If you cannot find an object, click on the hint button for help. It will take a few seconds to recharge for the regular mode and longer for the expert mode. You will go back to the same HOG to play that area again. Most of the puzzles are unlocking things from safes, doors and other things. You may need to find keys or mechanical parts like a handle, gear, wires or slide to complete the puzzle before you can actually try to solve it. Most of these are simple enough to solve but if you want to skip them,
you may. The point and click adventure part of the game is fun to do. You will need to search for things you will need later in the games. Most items in your inventory will be fairly obvious where you will be able to use them, but there’s so many things, you may forget. The game will let you know when you are using an item in the wrong area. There is a diary at the bottom right to help you with some of the clues and important things.
So even though the story is typical of these types of games, Haunted Legends: The Queen of Spades is still interesting to play, the artwork is good, music unusual but it works and there are many items for you to point and click your way through this adventure. The adventure to puzzle ratio is balanced and the length of the game is good. Just catch that scary gnome and find the answers to all the murders.
Features of Haunted Legends: The Queen of Spades:
-Interesting Story and Fun Adventure
-Hidden Objects and Mini Puzzles
-Good Artwork and Great Music
Rating:
The Magician’s Handbook II: Blacklore
The Magician’s Handbook II: Blacklore is the exciting and fun Mac hidden object sequel to The Cursed Valley. In the first game you were the hero who with the help of the wise wizard found magic rune stones to remove the curse from the valley. However, since that happy day, life has been rather gloomy and unhappy for you. All traces of the glory days are gone, and the magic faded from the pages of the handbook. No one at home believed your wild stories, and the book was left abandoned. Maybe this was all a dream and you did not save the cursed valley?
After 2 years of mundane living, strange noises came out of the handbook. Corrigan, a fairy helper to the wise wizard tells you that the evil 
magician pirate Blacklore captured the beloved wizard and trapped all the fairies in the process. This wicked sorcerer is using the good magic for evil purposes. You job is to find and free the fairies hidden in the land before the next moonrise when Blacklore will come searching for you.
The play is to find enough enchanted objects to cast spells in order for you to conquer Blacklore. Use the map to visit different areas of the land. Any help you will need you click on the menu button on the right of the screen and choose the help option. The handbook is there
for each chapter’s goals. At the end of each chapter you will be graded. If you should skip a puzzle, your grade will be lowered. There are hidden keys to open treasure chests and unlock magical power-ups as well as wands with special powers. The 1st spell is the power of wind. It will blow anything covering objects you may need. Another one is fire, and it will melt snow to uncover items.
The hidden object play is enjoyable to do with it’s many scenes and interesting objects. The story is intriguing and engaging for the player. The tale will draw you in to help the fairies and your wise wizard. Defeating Blacklore is only half the fun. There are many puzzles with great artwork. I had a pleasant time playing The Magician’s Handbook II: Blacklore with over 1000 hidden objects, treasures to open and story to unveil.
Features of The Magician’s Handbook II: Blacklore:
-Over 1000 Hidden Objects
-A Magical World
-Adventure Puzzles
-Keys to Unlock Secret Items
Rating:
Pages
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