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:
Venus: The Case of the Grand Slam Queen Review
When it comes to professional tennis who doesn’t love the William sisters? Both Venus and Serena are outstanding in their field and fun to watch. Their aggressive nature on the court won many tournaments. In Mac hidden object game Venus: The Case of the Grand Slam Queen you get to meet Venus off the playing field. Something strange is happening in her life and you are there to witness every step of the way.
You are Venus in this hidden object game, you watch your assistant, Mary chase down a criminal. Unsuccessful in her attempt to catch the thief you are there to take photos of the scene. At the bottom of the screen you will find photos, you move your viewfinder until the circle in the center turns green, adjust it further to turn the rectangle in the middle also green and then snap your picture. In the apartment you search for your fashion design pictures scattered about. There are a few HOGs throughout the chapters. The items you need to find will be listed at the bottom of the board. At the bottom center you will find the menu, journal and hint tabs. The hint button will recharge after a minute. Click too many times on wrong items and you will be penalized 30 seconds. Other mini puzzles consist of a breakout game where you shoot tennis balls up to soda cans, find what doesn’t belong in the scene, find the differences, and find multiples of a single item.
A different sort of play is after a hidden object game in Venus’ closet, you have a list of inventory items to use to dress Venus for her next match. You click on the clothes item and drag it to her. This is somewhat like Fashion Cents and Weekend Party Fashion Show.
All in all, the story is not that engaging, and the HOGs fairly easy to do. The artwork is good but in the scenes with Mary and Venus they both have their left hands on their hips, what is up with that? The music is pleasant enough. Some of the mini games are different from the usual plays in a HOG. You don’t usually see breakout games. There are 14 chapters with several levels and mini puzzles in each 
chapter. The tennis facts were interesting but there is a lot of reading you must do to unlock each chapter. The first chapter is open but the rest must be unlocked by using a password from the previous play. If you do not remember it, you must re-read the journal.
Venus: The Case of the Grand Slam Queen is not for everyone, but may be for tennis fans, children and some casual gamers. Try the demo and see for yourself how a tennis turned fashion superstar lives when she is not on the courts of Wimbledon.
Features of Venus: The Case of the Grand Slam Queen:
-14 Chapters
-Variety of Mini Games
-Solve the Mystery of the Stalker
Rating:
Elementals-The Magic Key Review
In Eiron there are magic and miracles when the earth, energy, and air come together in a primeval way. Elementals-The Magic Key brings
the magic together in an intriguing story of wizards and evil sorcerers in a hidden object/seek and find Mac game.
Albert is an up and coming, young wizard who with the help of his valet, Fellion (Felly) finds that the wicked sorcerer, Sibelius, has taken his sister and the key of Eiron. He searches for clues in every room in the castle, starting from his own room and his sister’s bedroom. 
There’s been a struggle and you must pick up the pieces to solve the mystery. In each scene you do not look for random objects like other HOGs. The objects you look for are needed for tasks and clues. You may need to zoom in on areas in some rooms to find more clues.
In addition, you will need to battle creatures on a chessboard like scene to destroy them and gain entry into different locations. You take turns moving your men around the board. You need to move a man so he is in attacking range of the enemy. The squares will light up to
show you the boundaries. Of course, moving forward one of your men will also expose that person to attacks by the enemy. When you line 3 of your men together, they will become 1 stronger soldier. Each time you enter the battlefield, it becomes more difficult.
Throughout the game you will encounter mini games and puzzles all pertaining to the story. Most of the side games are easy to play but if you wish to skip it, you may. You can also go back to it.
Some puzzles may take some time to figure out, but mostly this game moves along easily. The artwork is awesome with its creative creatures and details. The story is simple but still intriguing with Albert moving outside of the castle into the dark and mysterious forest. The tale peaked my interest and I am looking forward to the ending. Will he rescue his sister and the key of Eiron? Will the evil Sibelius be taken down? Find out by playing Elementals-The Magic Key.
Features of Elementals-The Magic Key:
-Daring Rescue
-Elemental Power
-Over 30 Puzzles and Mini Games
Rating:
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