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For a change I decided to step back a little in time with this next title under review.  The reason for this decision was to see what changes, if any, I could detect in the set-up and general game play that had occurred over the past few years.  Taking on the role of the title from the past was "Shiver - Moonlight Grove Platinum Edition".  Developed by Artogon, this is a Hidden Object Adventure game that comes with a  number of bonus items to supplement the main game.

This title's introductory cut-scenes features a wounded wolf and an abandoned baby that has glowing eyes which should provide an indication that you are about to enter a world involving a connection between the lupus family of creatures and the human race.  When entering this world you can make the usual adjustments to volume levels, screen size and select from a choice of difficulty so little has change there.  You do get further options to work with a large cursor and there is an indication that your computer might be a little on the under-performing type to cope with the various settings relevant when the game was first released.

With this game you are cast in the role of a doctor who has been hired to replace his foster father who had previously held the position of healer until he went missing.  Your journey to your new position is interrupted by a wolf attack and you are quickly introduced to some aspect of the gaming environment.  Positioned at the base of the screen area is a centrally placed Inventory which is sandwiched between a Hint feature on the left and Journal, which automatically recordings your findings, on the right.  Positioned on the right side of the screen is access to a Strategy Guide.  Later in the game a lantern, positioned to the right of the journal,  will be added to the available tools.

As well as the rearrangement of the available tools, the game introduces a couple of extra mouse pointer which appear when certain actions can be used.  When objects need to be examined an Eye symbol will appear.  This symbol also appears in the Inventory when work is required on one of its content.  The second type of pointer used by the game is in the form of rotating arrows appearing to chase each other.  This pointer is used when you can physically manipulate a piece of equipment in a scene such as part of a windmill or carry out repairs.

Within the well-drawn scenes featuring appropriate animations and accompanying sound effects, the game introduced a number of mini game puzzles and Hidden Object game play.  In the case of mini game puzzles,, these are usually displayed in overlaid windows which feature a Skip option should the task prove too difficult.  The presence of a Hidden Object scene will be indicated by an outbreak of sparkles in the manner that continues to remain the standard.  Rather than vary the format in which the required list of items is displayed, this game sticks to using just a text list.

Linking together the different segments of the story line will be animated cut-scenes.  You have the choice of watching the action or skip it and move on to the next stage of the story which does feature one aspect  I found a little annoying.  You will notice that no mention is made of a Map function.  This is because the game does not have one.  Whenever you need to move to another location, the game insists on taking you there on a step-by-step basis.  You will need to move through all the scenes linking to two locations without any option to take a shortcut or teleport option.  This can become rather boring after the first few times.

In the same manner, this game requires the player to complete some action, such as cleaning pots or breaking a chain attached to an anchor when you will need to repeat several stages.  There will be occasions which require you to work underwater when you will need to return to the surface multiple times to take a breathe to complete a task.  But eventually you will have the skill required to turn a wolf into a young woman.

Once the main game has been completed then you will have gained access to a bonus chapter.  Other extras that are available include Concept Art. Wallpaper and the chance to replay the Hidden Object scenes.  Shiver - Moonlight Grove can be downloaded from Gamehouse.com where it is priced at $19.99.  The game requires a 1.2 GHz processor with 1024MB of RAM and 784MB of hard disk space running Windows 7 and later.

Shiver - Moonlit Grove Platinum Edition | GameHouse