Paranormal Crime Investigations: Brotherhood of the Crescent Snake Collector’s Edition Review
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: 
Secrets of the Dragon Wheel Review
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:
Brunhilda and The Dark Crystal Review
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:
Valerie Porter and The Scarlet Scandal Review
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:
Treasure Seekers: Follow the Ghosts Review
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:
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