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World Wonders – Hidden Histories is a Hidden Object / Mini Game Puzzle offering from the 8 Floor Game team.  Available in Collector’s Edition format, this title invites you to visit a number of countries and discover more about their past history and the civilisations they represent.  The schedule on offer with this title takes in Cambodia, Jordan, Egypt, China, Greece, Thailand and Mexico plus the additional CE bonus of a visit to India.  As you visit each of these countries, you will have the opportunity to earn up to 27 stars which can be used to learn more the country’s history and culture.

8 Floor Games obviously intends this particular title to be used as a single player offering.  There is no option to create different profiles to record the progress of individual players.  However there are options to adjust the volume levels used by background music and sound effects which are dotted throughout the game.  You can also opt to view the game in full screen mode using a custom cursor.  As with the profile issue, there is no option or choice regarding the level of difficulty feature in this title.

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As you visit any of the eight countries listed on your travel schedule, you will be faced with a similar pattern of tasks which you will need to work through.  Included among these tasks are three sessions of Hidden Object game play, two items of Spot the Difference, a Jigsaw puzzle, one task of repairing a broken object by locating all its pieces, repairing a scene by swapping and rotating its various sections plus colour in a sketch by dragging the mouse cursor over it.  Depending upon your performance, the completion of each task will bring a reward of up to three stars which can be used towards learning more about the country’s history.

As the Hidden Object game play is a dominant factor, let’s take a closer look at it.  Each of the three Hidden Object tasks will involve two separate scenes that each has their own list of required objects that need to be found.  A circular link is provided so that you can easily switch between the two scenes and their required items.  Tools are provided to pinpoint a required object using a rechargeable Hint feature and you can also zoom into areas around the chosen scene as you search for items.  Switching between the two scenes does not speed up the Hint recharging process.

Again displaying two scenes, but slightly different ones, form the basis for the Spot the Difference tasks.  You are provided with Hint and Zoom tools when searching for differences.  Hint and Zoom features are also available when attempting to find the pieces of a broken object.  I did feel that an opportunity had been missed with this task as you are not required to put the pieces back together.  With the other three types of tasks, mentioned earlier, they retain the Hint feature but replace the Zoom feature with a timer element requiring you to complete the task within a set time.

Using the stars earned by completing tasks you can discover more about the current country.  For example did you know that Cambodia was established by King Jayavarman in the 9^th Century AD or that the pinnacle of Greek civilisation was in the 5^th Century BC under the leadership of Pericles?  As well as the stars, you can also earn coins which can be used to purchase souvenirs from the countries visited.  You can also earn an additional trip to India by completing the main schedule of seven countries.

I downloaded my copy of this title, with its interesting mix of knowledge and puzzles, from Gamehouse.com where it is priced at $19.99.  The game will require a 1.0 GHz processor with 512MB of RAM and 646MB of hard disk space running Windows 7 and later.

World Wonders - Hidden Histories Collector's Edition | GameHouse