News flash: Best operated zoo will win $1,000,000! 4 are in contention and it’s up to you to assist the zoos. Can you make the difference?

Zulu’s Zoo is another hidden object game. This one integrates the zoo atmosphere with educational data in their many puzzles. Of course since you do not have any experience, you start out as an apprentice doing menial jobs such as cleaning the trash from the penguins’ habitat or counting the fish in the aquariums. Click on the hidden pictures to complete each level. The camera viewfinder will focus on a subject and you click to take its picture.

The mini games are not only enjoyable but educational as well. You are to put the animals on day or night circles depending on how active they are during each period. Another puzzle is to place the animal on the correct continent, and one is to place the animals in order of the food chain. Upon completing the puzzles or tests, you are raised to a specialist. It will behoove you to learn the animal facts given at the end of each level. There will be challenges to test your knowledge.

Zulu’s Zoo is a pleasant game. The many zoo scenes are cluttered and beautiful, but a few objects are difficult to make out. Luckily there are many hints to use. Click on stars to receive a hint. In addition you can go to the memory game to click on pairs of zoo animals. Another duty of yours is to take photographs of different animals. There are some puzzles when you search for 1 type of animal (11 monkeys or 22 fish). They may look different but there are many species of each animal. I like this Mac game for its ease of play and the animal data that are given to you. I think this game is great for kids and casual gamers. So learn all you can about wildlife in order to rise in the hierarchy of the zoo and win the million dollars. I give it a 3.5 out of 5 for an educational and enjoyable game.

Features of Zulu’s Zoo:
-Animal Facts
-Zoological Tests
-More than 60 Rounds

Rating: 3.5 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

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 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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Everyone knows by now the story about the Beauty and the Beast from the wonderful Disney animation, the Broadway play, the hundreds of toys and books but Mac adventure game Mystery Legends: Beauty and the Beast Collector’s Edition continues the tale from when Belle saves the prince from certain doom to once again being entombed in stone by the evil enchantress. She said she would keep the prince imprisoned until he is willing to make her his queen.

A woman scorned once is bad enough but an evil enchantress scorned again may not be willing to negotiate or compromise. It is up to beautiful Belle to find soul shards to help her “Beast” escape the enchantress’ wicked grasp.

This game has 3 different modes for the different abilities of each gamer (Easy has sparkles, fast recharging hints and skip buttons for hidden object and other puzzles, and also when you put your cursor over an inventory item, it will glow. The Normal mode will have sparkles for active areas for HOGs and Puzzles only, and there are silhouettes for the hidden objects. The Expert mode you are on your own.) There is a journal for notes and clues for puzzles. In the Collector’s Edition there is a in-game strategy guide to assist you if you need it. The map in the journal is also helpful when you need guidance. It will tell you where you need to go and where to go to complete a task. There are many locations to explore and find puzzles and clues from the cottage, forest, town and castle. In addition there is a bonus section.

There are many diverse puzzles to play like putting the Robo dog back together to the standard jigsaws. However there are many interesting games to play and many can be finished quickly. There are not a lot of hidden objects games but it concentrates on a point and click adventure with a lot of puzzles to solve. Riddles will help you along on the game. Be sure not to click on wrong items too many times or you will get a surprise. Most of the written items are easy to find but if you do not know what an item looks like, you may need help. Fortunately, I’ve seen red pandas at the Edinburgh Zoo in Scotland and could easily find it in the HOG but if you’ve never seen one, it could be difficult. There are items and people engulfed in purple glow and you must figure out how to release them from the curse. This will occur in many places throughout the village. In addition, different people and animals like the talking owl will help you in your tasks.

The HOGs are easy but some of the items are proportionally incorrect making some objects harder to find, but most people will find these games manageable. The story is good and artwork is great, and both will make you want to search for answers and the shards. It is one of the better games with voice acting throughout and the music did not interfere with your game. It’ll take a few hours (from 3-5 on the average) to solve depending on your level of expertise. Save the Beast from a life of misery and outwit the evil enchantress at her own game.

Features of Mystery Legends: Beauty and the Beast Collector’s Edition:
-Fantastic Tale
-Point and Click Adventure with Mini games
-Collector’s Edition: In-game Strategy Guide, Bonus Chapter and more.

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

The last time I was in New Orleans there was a shop called Marie Leveau’s House of Voodoo on Bourbon Street. Even during the daylight hours, this place looked mysterious and spooky with no one on that side of the street. Needless to say I didn’t go in. Maybe on another visit I’ll explore that shop. The entire city is full of mystery and charm and is still recovering from the ravaging rains of Hurricane Katrina. Many wonderful stories are about this original city. Voodoo Whisperer: Curse of a Legend Collector’s Edition is based in this incredible city in the early 19th century.

The story is about young Lillian who is studying the secrets and spells of Voodoo with Madame Leveau a well known (even to this day) high priestess with more knowledge and skills than anyone at that time. You play as Lillian who displays a strong spirit for someone so young. Nanna, her grandmother, had the talent and knew Lillian had the same power. Unfortunately a dark force fell over the entire city and everyone, including your teacher Madame Leveau, is cursed. You are the only one who can restore normalcy back to your friends, family and teacher before it is too late.

This point and click adventure is full of hidden object games and puzzles to solve in order to free each person of the terrible curse. Keep an eye out on your cursor for changes: an eye will have you looking closer at an area, a hand will grab and put items in your inventory, and moving feet will take you to another location. You’ll also get inventory items from the hidden object locations. In fact, sometimes you can get more than 1 useful item to use later in the game. The HOGs are beautifully detailed and drawn. The play itself is easy and you can find the objects without any problems. In addition, most of the items should be in that era and location. You will not find a sports car neatly tucked away in a cupboard. You will be going back and forth from one location to another but once everything have been cleared in that location, it will post it at the top so you do not have to waste time searching for more things.

There are 2 modes of play in game: Regular and Advanced. The Regular mode has sparkles and faster recharging hint and skip buttons. The Advanced for the experienced player does not have sparkles and the buttons take a longer time to recharge.

Most of the game is the usual or standard type of play like the jigsaws, match and unlocking rotating wheels. You point and click your way through many scenes for clues and items to pick up. The HOGs are your basic find the item and click on it game. The difference in this game comes from reviewing the Grimoire at the bottom right for spells, recipes and more. Opposite of the Grimoire you’ll find the mortar and pestle so you can combine found items to mix your potions. You must get information from both alive and dead people. You’ll also need to make allies of some of the people to help you on your adventure through New Orleans (hotel, banks, saloon, and the mayor’s home).

Some of the cons of this game are that the HOGs are fairly easy, the overall game is short (5 chapters), and the usual cliffhanger for a sequel to come. However, that’s just being picky because this game is good and fun to play. Try it out and see for yourself if you dare to speak to the dead.

Features of Voodoo Whisperer: Curse of a Legend Collector’s Edition:
-5 Chapters of a Fascinating Tale
-Hidden Objects, Mini Games and Puzzles
-Collector’s Edition (extra chapter with more hidden object games, wallpapers and in-game strategy guide)

Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars

Another spin on the hidden object Mac game is the Hidden Object Show. It is in a form of a TV game show complete with $5,000,000! In this game you are a contestant in a TV game show. You need to find the hidden object in a scene to complete the round. There are hint chips throughout the screen to find and then use if needed. The round after completion is tallied for Time Bonus, Combo Bonus, Bonus Cash and overall time. The Prize Standings show you where you are in your winnings.

Between rounds you get to spin the Wheel of Puzzles. Where it lands you play that game. Some of the puzzles are locked until you reach a certain level. Some of the puzzles are the 2 scenes with 10 differences, solve the riddle and find that object, find the silhouette and place pieces of a picture on the complete scene. If you are lucky enough to get a bonus, you can opt out of some of the games.

The Hidden Object Show has a lot more than an I Spy play. It has plenty of options you can find to engage in. I think that makes it more interesting of a Mac game. I just started playing hidden object games and found that even though the play is similar there is a different feel to the game with the story line involved and the extra mini puzzles. Some are better than others and the Hidden Object Show is one of them. I found it to be quite entertaining.

Features of Hidden Object Show:
-Become a Millionaire
-330 Object Rounds
-Prizes
-30 Scenes

Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars

The Curse of the Thirty Denarii is a convoluted story about Judas Iscariot who betrayed Jesus for 30 silver coins. This version has Judas failing to hang himself and living to old age suffering alone on an island with his coins. Upon his death the man who discovered him realized that these coins were cursed, and anyone possessing these coins will have bad luck. 29 of the coins were recovered but 1 is still missing.

This begins the search for this coin. Professor Mortimer must delay his vacation and venture to the Greek Islands to help his friend Dr. Markopoulos recover it before anything disastrous occurs. At the same time a man is escaping a high security prison.

The story progresses through cartoon strips after finding hidden objects, it will display the words in the frames, and the cut scenes will have the speaking characters pop up on the screen as you learn the sequence of this tale. The hidden object game displays the items across the bottom of the screen, similar to Public Enemies: Bonnie and Clyde. There are 6 clues available to you if you need a hint. When you use a clue, you will need to wait for it to recharge before you can use another one. Also after you use it, you will find a star in the scene and when you click on it, you will get another clue. You really do not need many clues. There are your standard mini games like the jigsaw and slide puzzles, shooting the target, getting across traffic and more.

This game is heavy on the story side with hidden objects intertwined throughout. The art is 2D in a cartoon format. The music may have been appropriate but it’s a little boring. At least it is quiet and in the background. Some of the HOG screens will move side to side for a bigger screen and more objects. All the games and puzzles are fairly easy and you might be able to finish the entire game in the hour free download. Give it a shot. I give this game a 2 out of 5.

Features of The Curse of the Thirty Denarii:
-Interesting Tale
-Hidden Objects and Mini Games
-Cartoon Strip

Rating: 2 out of 5 stars

World famous scientist, Chanel Flores, crashes plane somewhere in the Bermuda Triangle. Thus begins the tale of a mysterious island unbeknownst to everyone until now. The government sent Chanel out to investigate a new island that popped up out of nowhere. In an electrical fog Chanel had to bail out before her plane crashed into the island. She must search for equipment from her plane and try to get off the island. However, she finds that there is more to the island than meets the eye.

Her search finds her in front of an unusual tree that has trapped a 13th century ship captain and his love for all these years. Noah Hawkwood was on his way from England to find a trade route to the Indies when he became stranded alone on this island. He fell in love with the chief’s daughter and a curse was put on him and the maiden. They are asking Chanel to search for magical crystals to free them from this prison. Now Chanel must find a way to get off the island and search for gems to free the lovers.

The hidden object scenes are of lush tropical areas of the island with many objects to search for in each location. You begin by choosing the Easy or Hard mode. The Easy mode has a tutorial, help, additional hints and quick recharge. The Hard mode has no tutorial, limited help, limited hints and a slow recharge. Each scene will lead you to other areas by showing an arrow. You can go back and forth from the other areas to search for your items. The items placed in the inventory can be used to complete needed tasks like hooking a wooden crate floating in the ocean and dragging it to the shore or blowing up part of a path to enter the jungle. The HOGs will list the items at the bottom of the screen and the hint button at the lower left. You need to search for blue crystals for exra hints. The map of the island will display the areas you can search but the locked locations will be fogged in.

There are many mini games to play in between the HOGs and the story. Some of these games are the maze, open a chest and using logic. Most of these games are easy but some are challenging. All can be skipped if you want to proceed with the game.

Secret Mission: The Forgotten Island is a good solid hidden object game with mini puzzles. Only thing that is frustrating is the wait from one scene to another. The story begins with the usual plane crash on island theme with a ghostly twist. The artwork is very good with lots of lush green vegetation. It is nothing out of the ordinary but still fun to play. I give it a 3.5 out 5 for a good play.

Features of Secret Mission: The Forgotten Island:
-Hidden Object Plays
-Lots of Mini Puzzles
-Mysterious Storyline

Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars

Rainbow Web 3 is the latest game about a giant wizard spider. In the earlier games this spider took over the castle in the kingdom of Rainbow and you became the hero who solved match 3 puzzles to release letters to reverse the curse.

After defeating this evil sorcerer spider, twice, you must once again solve match 3 puzzles to release letters and save the village of Rainbow covered in cobwebs. You go from house to house rebuilding the structures and bringing the villagers back to their homes.

The match 3 play is very similar to the first 2 Rainbow Web games except this last game does not have a timer as an option. You match 3 or more of the same color orbs to match along a spider web. Some of the orbs have letters when matched will release to the top left of the screen to create words. It’s like playing Wheel of Fortune, but it’s much easier to solve. Once you solve the puzzles, you will earn magic dust to buy furniture and items for the shops and homes in the village. In addition to this play, there are some hidden object games and puzzles to solve in order to remove special curses.

There are a few blocks to your match game. The orbs or beads can be frozen and you have to make matches over them twice to unfreeze them. Also some parts of the web are missing making it more difficult to make matches across in a straight line.

The game play is not difficult and without a timer, you can relax and enjoy the puzzles. The sim play of rescuing the village, mini games and puzzles add to the overall game, but all the mini games are standard from jigsaws to hidden objects. The artwork is good and the music appropriate for the story. If you liked the first 2 games, you’ll love this one also, but if you are new to this series, start with 3 and see what you think.

Features of Rainbow Web 3:
-Web Match 3 Games
-Restore the Rainbow to its Original State
-Mini Games and Puzzles

[rated:3]

I found the premise to be a little creepy in Mac hidden object game Faded Reality, but I think that was the main objective so it was effective. The story is about Monica who wakes up from a cornea transplant. Something that is routine from donors who have died. The weird thing about Monica’s transplant is that she starts seeing things when she closes her eyes. Things and places she has never been to or seen before. Somehow she knows it is connected to the donor’s environment. She goes in search of these places…..

Each location in this hidden object game has another location to search for many objects and letters. You cannot click on an object if the word is not complete. You search for the letters (A, B, C, etc.) to complete the word. Once the word is completed that object will be removed from the scene revealing another object you are searching for. The list of the objects is at the bottom of the screen. You cannot click on items or letters unless they are listed. This is a little frustrating since you see letters and objects you know will be on the list later when you find the present listed things.

In addition, you may have to go back and forth from one location to another. When you reach a house, you will search outside and inside for objects. Another thing I found annoying was when I took the cursor over an object, sometimes the incomplete word of the item would appear and get in your way. The letters are important to this game because the letters will help Monica recall the words.

A side game is to unscramble the found letters to send you to a location for more things. Other mini games are the solitaire plays, matching 2 halves of torn playing cards and logic puzzles like shining lights in the correct direction to unveil a scene.

I give Faded Reality credit for an original story and creative hidden object play with letters. Sometimes the words of an object will obstruct your search because I like to take the cursor across the screen looking for the items and the pop-ups kept getting in the way. The music was appropriate and the artwork good. The story did keep you interested in going on in the game. I give it a 3 out 5 for all of the above.

Features of Faded Reality:
-Engaging Story
-Lots of Mini Games
-Hidden Object Play with a Twist

Rating: 3 out of 5 stars

Paris has always been the wonderful city of lights but it’s also full of mysteries and intrigue. In Hidden Mysteries: Notre Dame Secrets of Paris you will be searching and solving one of the many perplexing stories in this beautiful city full of sites to discover and reveal its dark tales.

Notre Dame Cathedral is one of the first places you will want to go to as a tourist. This Mac game starts you at this iconic location where Bishop Martin is making his nightly rounds around the church. Lo and behold he finds that the Crown of Thorns the most venerated artifact in the church has been stolen from the cathedral treasury. You are the principal investigator called to solve the crime. You’ll face many hidden object games, puzzles and more in order to figure out what happened, where it occurred and other mysteries.

The hidden object games have the items listed at the bottom of the screen with the hint button to the right. The journal with information is on the left of the list. The HOGs are all in or around the cathedral. It will take you some searching to get into locked areas and you will need to go back and forth from one scene to another and back again. The scenes are all filled with junk spewed everywhere but not difficult to find. Notre Dame in particular is very messy and needs someone to clean up as soon as possible. Of course, the clutter is blamed on the tourists but geez, it’s really full of crazy stuff to bring to church.

There are many mini games and puzzles to play. Most are simple and not anything you have not come across before. However, it’s always one step away from the culprit. There will be cryptic notes found around the areas and inventory items to use on different puzzles and locks. The hints are good with a little recharging after you click on it. Also if you right click, you can get more information on things you need to interact with in that place. In addition the map is helpful to guide you to where you need to be.

This game does not produce anything new or different in their mystery and the HOGs are filled with unrelated objects scattered throughout. Some of the names for the items are a little unusual like hairpin for comb. There’s a lot of backtracking done in your search so if you don’t like doing a lot of moves back and forth to the same scenes with the same items, you might get a little bored with this game. The story takes an interesting turn in the middle but the game is on the short side. It’s kind of strange that your main witness, the bishop, will not come out of his room. The music is appropriately ominous and the artwork is good. The entryway to the church did look very much like the real thing. I remembered how small it was and full of wood paneling. However, when I was there, it was full of tourists. Even though you do not see much of Paris, you get an intense and unusual view of Notre Dame. So get moving and find the criminal who took the Crown of Thorns. I give this game 3 out of 5.

Features of Hidden Mysteries: Notre Dame Secrets of Paris:
-Mystery of the Stolen Crown of Thorns
-Hidden Objects and Mini Games
-Original Tale

Rating: 3 out of 5 stars

Murder is never a pretty business but when it happens, you have to get the best investigator to solve this dirty crime. Mac hidden object adventure game Jane Croft: The Baker Street Murder will get Jane Croft the best crime buster around in this gritty city.

Murder location: 221 B Baker Street, time: 3 AM, crime victim: Sebastion LaRouche, millionaire shot 6 times with a small caliber gun. The story is displayed through cut scenes and printed words (no voice acting). These scenes are well done and short and sweet. This game is mainly a hidden object game with some adventure and mini games.

The HOGs are filled with mostly junk unrelated to the scene. Some of the objects are not to size and may be smaller than their original proportion. The games are not difficult but some of the descriptions for the objects are questionable (ie: beauro for chest). The hint button and skip button will need to recharge after every use. It takes a long time to recharge. If you have too many misclicks, the hands will disappear. There are sparkles for further investigation and usually will be more HOGs. The list of items are at the bottom of the screen, and there are over 1200 objects in this game. The mini games are the usual standard puzzles like a crossword type, fill a beaker with colored liquids and guessing the codes.

Go to different locations where the victim was known to frequent like his home, casino where he was in debt and even to the police station. Find hidden bullets to unlock the bonus mini game.

This hidden object adventure has a retro, nostalgic feel to it like the old time detective stories. It has everything you want in a game, but it didn’t have the wow factor that you are looking for in today’s Mac games. I give it a 3 out of 5 for the basic hidden object games.

Features of Jane Croft: The Baker Street Murder:

-Over 30 Locations
-Hidden Object Games with over 1200 Objects
-7 Mini Games
-Discover the Conspiracy

Rating: 3 out of 5 stars

If you can’t make it to Las Vegas and play the slots all night long, what is the next best thing? Playing Mac casino game Vegas Penny Slots, that’s what! You get 5 different slot games with 5 different themes.

You get your choice of Dragon Dollars, Golden Vault, Gallop for Gold, Kalahari Sun and Egyptian Dreams. Each one has its own theme. Dragon Dollars has an Asian theme with Yin-Yang symbols, fire-breathing dragons, Chinese characters, blossoms and more. The Gallop for Gold is a horseracing theme where the bonus game is a race and if your horse wins 1st, 2nd or 3rd place, you will get different amounts of money. The Golden Vault has an interesting bonus game with locked safes. There are 5 vault knobs at the bottom of the screen and when you click on the arrow, the spinning dial will slowly stop. If you land on the green area, you unlock the vault door. When you unlock 3 dials, you win the jackpot, but unlock 4 and get 10 times the jackpot or 5 dials to win 100 times the jackpot. They appropriately call this mini game Billion Dollar Jackpot. The Egyptian Dreams channels ancient Egypt with Cleopatra, scarabs and more. Kalahari Sun takes you to African adventures with wild animals. Each game will have its own distinct games. All have the same free games spin and will automatically roll the awarded rounds.

All 5 games have the 5 reels and they can be expanded to 6 by clicking on F6. All are your regular slot play where you click on the Spin button at the bottom right to activate the reels. To its left you will find the up and lower Bet button where you can raise or decrease your bets. To the left of those buttons you will find the Autoplay button where you can press this button once and it will spin automatically for you. To the left of that button is the Roulette and Gamble where you can lose all your winnings in a double or nothing wager.

Vegas Penny Slots is colorful, full of imaginative artwork and fun mini games. However, if you are not a slots fan, you may not agree. If you like slots, this game has 5 games in one for your money. Not bad since they are all different types of games. Slot plays are an individual preference. It does get a little boring since you do not win or lose real money. You can even play it in autoplay so you do not have to do a thing. Talk about a lazy gamer. Actually, I prefer to play auto probably because I’m not much of a gambler. It’s up to you. If you like slots go for this game with it’s authentic sounds of the real thing. It has everything most slot games have and more. I give it a 3 out of 5. Take a gamble and win the jackpot.

Features of Vegas Penny Slots:

-5 Different Games
-Fun Mini Plays
-Large Jackpots

Rating: 3 out of 5 stars

Another great novel from Jules Verne is Around the World in 80 Days. What a wonderful imagination and foresight he had. You know by now there are a lot of Mac games based on his books. You may have tried the Around the World in 80 Days match 3 game or the hidden object game 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea: Captain Nemo. There’s so much you can do with his fantastic stories.

Around the World in 80 Days: The Challenge is a hidden object adventure based on this classic novel and great movies. The story is about an aristocratic, Victorian Englishman Phileas Fogg who makes a 20,000 pounds (in present day conversion this would be over a million dollars) wager with his whist buddies at the Reform Club in London in 1872. Fogg said he would prove to his fellow club members that he could travel the world in 80 days. Fogg just hired a new manservant Jean Passepartout. Passepartout is looking forward to serving a quiet and tranquil older gentleman. Little did he know that at the very moment he was hired, he was set to go on an adventure of a lifetime. Also at the same time there is a daring robbery at the Bank of England.

You begin your adventure in and around Fogg’s home in London searching for items listed at the bottom of the screen. Once you find one object, another will scroll for you to search. The inventory is at the top left in Fogg’s valise. Below that symbol you’ll find the target when you click on it, it will give you the goals at that moment. You must complete the goals to continue on your journey. The magnifying glass enlarges the scene so you can see better items that may be right in front of you. The next button is the menu and the number below that is the hint button.

Your travels will take you first to the Suez Canal where Passepartout is out shopping for supplies since they left London in such a hurry. Scotland Yard’s inspector Fix after meeting Passepartout in the market place becomes convinced that Phileas Fogg is the bank robber and must be stopped. Fogg has no time to waste if he is going to meet his deadline and collect his money from his fellow club members and the two rush off to their next destination with Fix hot on their trail.

Fix and other obstacles will delay Fogg even more in this hidden object game. Keep working through the many mini games like jigsaw puzzles, matching cards, matching socks and finding buildings. Picking out the spices is interesting. Most of the spices are easy to spot but some took a little guessing. Just don’t forget to use the magnifying glass because it will help you a lot.

Around the World in 80 Days: The Challenge is a good hidden object adventure with some reading involved. There’s no voice acting but you don’t miss it and the reading isn’t overwhelming. Even if you know the story, it’s fun to read about it and travel the globe. However, don’t dillydally because you have only 80 days to get back to London on December 21 and collect your handsome reward.

Features of Around the World in 80 Days: The Challenge:
-Fantastic Tale of Phileas Fogg
-Hidden Object Games and Mini Puzzles
-Travel the Globe in an Exciting Adventure

Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars

Okay, your car breaks down conveniently in front of a deserted but haunted house and your adventure begins. Replace the location with cemetery, castle or any other place and you have your environments for a fascinating Hidden Object game, right? All sounds familiar, but each story is different as night and day. Well, what makes a game better than another? It must have a good tale to keep your interest, many hidden object games with related items scattered appropriately, mini games to enter locked areas or find answers, good artwork, now a days good voice acting, keen sound effects and great music. It would not hurt to have some fun and humor throughout the play unless, of course, it’s a spooky game, even then you can insert some funnies.

Back to Mystic Diary: Haunted Island. It starts off as your usual tale about your old vehicle breaking down, fortunately, in front of a house. It may be good or not when you enter into a realm of spirits, magic and more as you delve into this mysterious home. Victor, a spirit, is trapped on an island with his crew of people in a ghostly diary. All of them on the island are only a faint semblance of their former selves. Victor’s evil magician brother Gustav placed them in this peculiar circumstance and they all need your help to get back to normal. The magical ghost diary will help guide you through the game.

The hidden object games are full of odds and ends to look for in interesting scenes. The list is at the bottom of the screen for you to search the areas. The items on the most part are clearly displayed, but some things are difficult to see and you’ll need the hint button to locate them. You may go back to the same scene to do another HOG. Follow the arrows to go to different scenes. In other words, you will be going back and forth looking for more clues. In addition you have your mini games to challenge your brain cells. Some of the crazy machines you must put together may stump you, but keep at it and get all the pieces. The inventory of things will assist you in many of the puzzles. If the inventory fills up, use the arrows to expand the list.

So overall the plays are your usual HOGs, puzzles and mini games. The hidden objects are sometimes difficult to see and ultimately to find. The strange machines are a little tricky to put together but not impossible. The story is a bit quirky. It will stretch your imagination to get on with the tale. All and all this is a basic so, so game. With the many fantastic HOG games out now, you may just pass this one unless you are challenged to do all the games that come out. In any event, try the free download and decide for yourself. I give it a 2.75 out of 5.

Features of Mystic Diary: Haunted Island:
-Incredible Tale
-Hidden Object Games
-Mini Games and Puzzles

Rating: 2.75 out of 5 stars

The story of Bonnie and Clyde has been told over and over in books and movies. Bonnie started off as a young, smart girl left heartbroken by her boyfriend and eventually meets a young Clyde who never really finished school and already had a handful of petty crimes on his rap sheet.

Some will romanticize their unfortunate pairing but they all revealed the trail of death and destruction they left behind. They stayed together even though one or both got caught and sent to jail, but always went back to be with each other. They were part of the notorious Barrow Gang and would die at the hands of lawmen. One eerie retelling of their story is when Bonnie met an undertaker who later would see her again when she died.

Public Enemies: Bonnie and Clyde starts with novelist Janette Jones Parker checking into the Red Crown Tavern room in Platte City, Missouri once rented by the 2 scandalous couple. The writer is there to find peace and quiet to write her next book but instead finds Bonnie’s journal and other paraphernalia they left behind. The 2 criminals never cleaned their habitat but wasn’t as messy as some hidden object scenes. The environments are dark and gritty and you may need to turn up the brightness on your screen to see better. The artwork nicely shows the mood of the era and location of this period game piece. From her log Janette finds a map outlining the infamous gang’s route in their crime spree. Their path was a bit unusual where they hit banks and gas stations in towns where the locations formed various letters. The first map will show towns when connected formed a “T”. The map is made to look old and the towns are listed in small print. This searching for the towns the 2 were in is not hard to do but it is a little tedious. It’s easier if you know the small towns in Texas. Janette goes from place to place discovering more and more about the criminals.

The hidden object scenes will list the items at the bottom of the screen and even though there isn’t a lot of clutter, the small objects in dark places are difficult to make out. There are 9 hints total and if you use one, the next hint must recharge before you can use it.

The story of Bonnie and Clyde has always been fascinating to people but this game does not bring out the more interesting aspect of their lives. It did not bring the tension and suspense that could have made the game more interesting. Instead you go looking for single dollar bills, then a wad of bills and then the journal. After opening the journal you play the map game. There are no sparkles to let you know where the places of interest may be located, but most scenes do not have many things to interact with most of the time. You do not talk to people who might have known something about the 2. Many times you will stay in the same environment looking for different things 3 times. You can play it timed if you would like more of a game type of feel. I think it would have been better if they started with a bank robbery or a heist to put some action into the play. The mini game where you search for metal hexagonal or square nuts is more than tedious. It can drive you a little, well you know. This game was not for me. I give it a 2.5 out of 5 for nice artwork.

Features of Public Enemies: Bonnie and Clyde:
-True Story about Bonnie and Clyde
-Mini Map Game
-Good Artwork

Rating: 2.5 out of 5 stars