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Here I am looking at two items that could well be solutions for a couple of Christmas ideas. Secret Identity is a game for both older children and adults. The second also ticks two boxes most will know what Top Trumps are, a set of playing cards, but they are always on a theme with great images, here the images are Sports Cars something that will appeal to all the people that cannot afford the real thing.
This is not an easy game to master, so it is not for younger children, the stated age is 10+ having said that the object is to make people guess your card which is probably the exact opposite to what the object of most other games objectives are. Unlike a lot of games for several players you need to be sober to get the best from it. It can be played by a minimum of three players and a maximum of eight players. You will need a level playing surface such as a good sized table.
With a missing relative, dead bodies and a statue of a wolf, just what is going on?
The Curse of Werewolves, developed by Nordcurrent, is a Hidden Object Adventure game. I have been looking at the Collector's Edition of this game which comes with a couple of additional items to supplement the main game. The additional items give you access to various wallpapers and three jigsaw puzzles that can be tackled immediately if you wish.
Why are the locals so secretive about Hob's Barrow and very reluctant to talk about this burial chamber?
Developed by Cloak & Dagger Games, The Excavation of Hob's Barrow is a sideways scrolling, point & click game that falls into the folk horror category. With a point & click game, your on-screen character will respond to your mouse clicks by moving left, right and, in some cases, backwards and forwards through the layers of scenery in quest of their aims. You are cast in the role of Thomasina Bateman.
For a while now printer companies have encouraged you to use only their ink and buy it direct from them. This latest offering goes one step further by offering free cartridges sent through the post for the first nine months. However to qualify you must claim it on your initial setup. The unit does not come with a CD/DVD so you have to have an Internet Connection during the setup; the software comes from the Microsoft Store and not HP.
This is a three in one unit meaning not only does it print but it also scans and copies. The unit is 46x32x25cm. The only external connections are the power lead and a USB upstream port. Once the install software is installed it looks for the unit and it cannot be found. On screen help covers this and that is when you need to use the dummy Wi-Fi connection it has installed, once located it then automatically switches back to your normal Wi-Fi offering.
Put your paranormal fears to one side and see if you can resolve the issues raised by a five-game pack.
Spirits & Demons is a five-game pack of Hidden Object Adventure games from the Alawar catalogue. Making up this pack, supplied on a single DVD, are House of 1000 Doors – Evil Inside, Chronicles from Beyond – The Untold Story, The Other Side – Tower of Souls, Demon Hunter 2 – A New Chapter and Queen’s Quest – Tower of Darkness.
Those of us who use a Desktop or Tower system still need a keyboard and a mouse. I have always used wired offerings, these days you are less likely to have special ports instead having connections via USB. So when I got the opportunity to test a set of keyboard and mouse from Trust my own offering was disconnected and the Trust items connected.
They only use a single USB port and being wire less units you are not tethered in any way. The batteries required for both units are already inserted and you just need to pull the small strip of paper out that stops the contact being made. Insert the wireless USB controller and wait a few seconds for Windows to install the driver. There is an on/off switch on the right edge of the keyboard and a similar slider on the base of the mouse.
Following on from Haunted Halls Green Hills Sanatorium. when game players were introduced to the evil Dr. Blackmore, the story line moves onto the evil doctor's latest experiments which, this time, involve young children.
The second episode in the Haunted Halls series, subtitled Fears from Childhood, is a Hidden Object Adventure game as the player is once again given the task of thwarting the plans and latest experiments of the dastardly doctor. I have been looking at the Collector's Edition of the title which adds bonus game play, screensavers, wallpaper, concept art and a sound track features that are available once the main game bas been completed.
Veronica Rivers is a rescue pilot who never seems to be too far from a dangerous situation. As a result she has been cast as the central character and heroine in a number of Hidden Object Adventure game. Two of these titles have been bundled together to form the subject matter of this next review.
Developed by Dragon Altar Games, the title of Portals of the Unknown starts with Veronica working at the North Pole. She receives a distress call and she sets out to help. The game consists of a mixture of mini game puzzles, Hidden Objects scenes, evidence gathering, dialogue and linking cut-scenes. Any dialogue in this game is delivered solely in text format while cut-scenes contain a minimum of animation with overlaid windows to add focus to any activity.
This is a 28inch flat panel that has a fast 1ms response time and is equally at home at 3840x2160 or at 1920x1080 The first to suit a gamer the second for someone needing just a little more assistance at the standard resolution due to less than perfect eye sight. Unlike most flat panels this has speakers that are as good as standalone speakers as they are a pair of 3w offerings.
The screen measures 62x37x1.6cm. Both the sides and top have very narrow borders, the base has a 2cm border with five control buttons under the edge near the right side and the front shows a pin hole LED when power is on. The connections are in a single line 8cm up from the base on an overhang. They are from right to left four USB ports (one always on providing the unit is powered) then the upstream USB. Next are two HDMI 2.1 ports and two Display Ports. Next is a 3.
Can you help a young girl escape the machinations of a King and his Chancellor companion?
The Painted Tower, as you might suspect, forms part of the Drawn series of Puzzle Adventure games. As with the other offerings in this series, the game is based around a concept of magic paintings that can draw people into fantasy worlds. In this case the game is built around a magical tower that is not acting as it should and a young girl, called Iris, who is currently trapped inside.
Christmas is just around the corner and while it is a time for families and especially younger children. What of those of teenage years approaching adulthood, well games of an adult nature might be of interest that may even lead to a relationship. Here are two such games the first for up to four players but playable with less. The second is a for a couple of consenting adults. So dependant of age you may start with Fondle and move on to Monogamy.
In the box are a 1.2x1.2metre mat with a range of pieces of fruit in various positions, a 25cm circular double sided spinner, four pairs of coloured glasses and a 21x15cm piece of card that has the rules in six languages. I suppose it’s a little bit like twister as the mat has positions that you might have to say place a foot.
Can you handle murder, mystery and madness when tackling this collection of titles?
Take a smidgen of murder, add a flavour of mystery before sprinkling in some madness and the result could be a triple pack of Hidden Object Adventure game play. Entitled Murder, Mystery & Madness, the three main ingredients of this package are Shades of Death - Royal Blood, developed by VOGAT Interactive, Time Mysteries - Inheritance, developed by Artifex Mundi, and Doors of the Mind - Inner Mysteries, developed by QB9.
Join a family as they try to escape from an ancient curse in a new museum.
Some, of a certain age, might have fond memories from their youth that involve sitting in a cinema wearing a pair of red and green glasses to watch a film in 3D. Those same paper-framed glasses with their red and green eye pieces make a reappearance in this next Hidden Object Adventure game entitled Escape the Lost Kingdom. Developed by GOGII, this game integrates you as a member of a typical family, made up of mother, father, daughter, son and troublesome pet.
If your main uses of a PC are for emails, browsing the web and word processing or spreadsheets then a Chromebook can be cheaper and even a more secure form of connection to the outside world as Chromebooks are both automatically updated in the background and have Anti-Virus protection built in so you can remain in a safer environment.
This one from Acer measures 36x23.5.1.5cm and weighs 1677g and can show a full HD screen. Going around the outside on the left is a USB ‘C’ port a USB port and 3.5mm socket for headphones. The front is clear. The right side has micro SD card port, Ethernet connection, USB ‘C’ port and finally a Kensington Lock port. The rear is also clear as the screen goes back beyond 180 degrees. The viewable screen is 34x19.
Join Victorian detectives as they set out to solve the mystery of a village conducting human sacrifices.
This is the smaller of two ‘Cooler Bags’ designed to keep things like beers cool over a long period of time for those into outdoor pastimes when far away from any electrical power. However I can see another use to keep things hot for a long period of time especially in these current times when some may not know when their next hot meal may come.
Your holiday plans are put in disarray by weather conditions and the appearance of a phantom.
Mountain Trap - The Manor of Memories is a Hidden Object Adventure game. Developed by Color Brush Studio, this game casts you in the role of a person who sets out to help a friend who is in trouble and then spends more time and effort helping a phantom bride. When setting up this game you have the usual assortment of options. Named profiles can be created to record the progress of different players. Whatever name you give to the profile will be used for your in-game character.
There are plenty of images to select from as numerous cats set you a puzzle.
Jigsaws have come a long way since the first commercial offerings were developed by the British cartographer and engraver John Spilsbay around 1760. Consisting of a European map on hardwood which was cut out by a saw, the first jigsaws were meant for use as an educational tool to teach children about geography and the layout of different countries. While still being retained as an educational tool, the focus of jigsaw has developed in other ways with a computer base being just one of them.
This is an inkjet printer that uses tanks rather than cartridges and the method of filling the cartridges from bottles has shown an improvement from early offerings so there is absolutely no chance of spilling ink as even when the cap of the bottle is unscrewed there is no danger of ink exiting even if the bottle is knocked over or turned upside down.
The Canon Maxify GX5050 is described as a Wi-Fi Printer and indeed that is how I used it but it still has an Ethernet connection and even an upstream USB. The device measures 40x40x20cm with another 4cm added to the last figure at the rear where the second upright paper tray is. Unlike a lot of units that are called printers that are three in one or even four in one devices this is solely a printer.
Adjusting the working height of a laptop has never been easier with the aid of this next product.
Usually, when reviewing a product for use on a computer system, whether hardware or software, I tend to use my main desktop system as the base platform. But sometimes this is not possible due to various circumstances. A recent example of this situation was the arrival of the Curve Flex from Twelve South, a company that designs and manufactures Apple accessories.
Do not be distracted at work by carrying out personal tasks as you could be faced by more problems than you can handle.
With its rather mouthful of a title, "Stan's Magic Museum - Olympian Trouble" belongs to the Match 3 genre of games. Developed by that hot bed of Match 3 offerings, e-Funsoft, this particular title could well have taken its inspiration from the Night of the Museum series of movies. Your role in the game is that of Stan, a night guard at the museum where strange events occur as the bewitching hour takes over.
Can you solve a triple kidnapping crime with the help of Tarot Cards?
Developed by Sulus Games, The Tarot Card Mystery forms part of the Strange Cases™ series and belongs to the Hidden Object Adventure genre. The game casts you in the role of Claire Ellery who is a FBI agent. She tends to be assigned cases that are a little bit out-of-the-ordinary and this latest example certainly fits this category. Claire has been assigned to investigate a triple kidnapping in a small unknown town.
Not all laptops and notebooks come with a webcam and nowadays most screens for desktop do not have a webcam. So this latest offering from Creative Labs has a place. It also has an advantage that both the camera and the microphone use the same USB connection so no chance of a situation that I have come across previously of the microphone working and the camera not or even vice versa.
The Live Cam Sync V3 is small enough to fit easily in a bag, the box it comes in is only 11.5x7x10cm, the cameras actual dimensions are 8x3x3cm and it is attached to a small stand that increases the total height by only 2cm. The stand is designed to hang over the top of a screen it is 6cm long and the drop down balance arm is 4.5cm. Installation on Windows is very quick – less than 30 seconds – and it is immediately recognised on Zoom and other such products.
The opening episodes of the Dark Dimensions series take you to Silvertown and Red Lake.
Dark Dimensions is the brand name of a series of Hidden Object Adventure games. I have been looking at a two-pack bundle of the first two titles in this series. These offerings are the City of Fog and Wax Beauty with both titles being developed by Daily Magic Productions. Included with these two titles is a graphical front-end menu that can be used to install the games individually via Big Fish Games' loader. The two titles feature a similar range of set-up options.
While your computer can hold plenty of personal data, it does require assistance to keep it safe.
Taking its inspiration from the three "Ms" of Murder, Mystery and Mirrors, this next product brings together three titles currently available from the Big Fish Games catalogue.
These titles making up this pack are The Return of Monte Cristo, developed by Turtle Games, Echoes of the Past - Royal House of Stone, developed by Orneon, and Hidden in Time - Mirror Mirror, developed by Monkey Barrel Games. The three Hidden Object titles can be installed individually from the supplied same front-end. A similar group of options, apart from a couple for instances, are available when setting up these titles.
For many years I have used Acronis to get a total disc backup that you can restore without any other media such as the original Windows CD being available. More recent years have seen them give extra protection such as from Ransomware. Just over a year ago I stopped using additional Anti-Virus software instead letting Acronis handle everything. Updates are made as needed and only occasionally do they produce a new version such as what I am reviewing here the Home Office 2023.
While it still does a ‘complete’ backup for those occasions when Windows refuses to boot and on one occasion I have had to use this feature. Far more often you use the feature that allows you to restore a file that has been overwritten by a later version and that can save you hours of work in itself. Like most I have programs (not Apps) that were downloaded and get used regularly but the source has changed and so could not be restored.
Set in the 1950's, 9 Clues - The Secret of Serpent Creek is a Hidden Object Adventure game.
Developed by Tap It Games, The Secret of Serpent Creek features an unique detective mode, With this mode the player will need to uncover the presence of clues within a crime scene which are then processed to reveal a trial of events. In other words it is a situation where you have to look for hidden items without the help of a required list. Profiles can be created with this game so that different people can play the game and have their progress and achievements recorded.
Tim by name but not timid by nature, this title's central character is willing to take on anybody who invades its territory.
With only a mirror for company can you solve the mystery of a sleeping royal family.
Have you ever awoken from a deep sleep to discover yourself in a strange bedroom that you have not seen before or know how you managed to end up there? This is the type of situation facing the central character of this next game of The Sleeping Palace from the Mystery Murders series. Developed by Casual Arts, this game is currently available for downloading from the Big Fish Games website.
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