Publication History For : Michael Fereday
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Are you ready to enter a ghostly hotel to rescue your partner who has been ghostnapped?
Hidden Fears is a Hidden Object Adventure game developed by Rosen Studio. The game is based on a story of a young couple who initially embark on a honeymoon only to find that their chosen destination was not as they would have expected and, in fact, leads to a hellish ordeal that they must survive in order to prove their love for each other. But we are getting ahead of ourselves a little and need to backtrack a few steps or so.
Testing a product can sometimes be painful for others as happened when I added my voice to this product.
Despite the number of televised talent shows being currently aired, not everybody gets the opportunity to perform. Fortunately Worlds Apart has developed a solution to ease any disappointment that might occur.
Sometimes it can be possible to miss a clue when conducting the installation of a new product. I will be generous and state that this could have happened when I installed the latest versions of MAGIX’s Photostory software.
The Seventh Element
Published in Entertainment
on
21 Apr 2018
When I first came across the Spellarium 2 title for a possible review, I thought it was a game based on words and correct spelling. But, not for the first time, I was wrong
Offering a wide range of viewing features is a monitor from BenQ aimed at designers.
Delivering more than one billion colours, the BenQ PD2700Q product is a 27-inch monitor for use on either a Windows or Mac computer. This monitor is aimed specifically at the creative and designer fraternity as they take advantage of the product’s range of viewing angles and display modes. My review is based on using the monitor running a Windows 7 computer.
A few years when I wrote a Shareware column, graphics editor products were a popular subject. This next title is a late addition to this genre.
I suppose the event I am about to relate could well qualify as an example of Sod’s Law. When examining four different titles from the same company I was not expecting the fourth offering to prove the most stressful when it came to the task of installing it. But that is what happened with Smart Photo Editor from Anthropics Technology. To clear up one point from the start, all four titles were installed and checked out on the same computer.
Entering somebody else’s dreams can be a nightmare as your character discovers in this next game.
Classified as a Hidden Object game, Dream Walker takes you into an environment where you need to battle the evil Sandman. Shaman, the developers of this game, has adopted a similar approach to that which formed the Catch the Witch title reviewed earlier on this site. The storyline may be different but the greater part of the game revolves around Hidden Object scenes, jigsaw puzzles and reforming pictures cut into strips as you travel through various levels.
Manufacturers tend to use the word “Lite” as a means of launching a second version of a product that has reduced features. But what does this mean in the case of the Honor 9 Lite.
Launched approximately six months after the well-received Huawei Honor 9, the Lite version of the product shares some of the Honor 9 feature set. However there are some differences including those of chipset used, size increase and weight reduction plus a reduction in the price along with different cosmetic colour schemes.
Body sculpture is the designated aim of the next product from Anthropics Technology as your digital images try to match your wishful aspirations with regards to appearance.
Visit a strange world in the Clouds as you try to rescue a kidnapped brother.
The Artifex Mundi title, Eventide 3: Legacy of Legends belongs to the popular Hidden Object Adventure genre. This title takes the intrepid gamer above the clouds to a world inhabited by mysterious creatures gathered from Slavic myths as you set about reviewing the ancient covenant between humans and the Clouders. As usual with such games, you can create profiles for individual players and adjust the game’s environment.
Landscape Editing
Published in Software
on
5 Apr 2018
Whenever the subject matter of Anthropics Technology arises, my thoughts immediately turn to graphics software for editing specific types of digital images. In this case the designated target is that of landscapes.
A mouse is a mousse is a mouse but then not all mice are the same. In this case the mouse belongs to the Handshake family developed by Bakker Elkhuizen.
Based in the Netherlands, Bakker Elkhuizen is a company that specialises in the development of high-end and ergonomic hard and software solutions designed to help users adopt a more positive proper working condition for their general environment. As a result the Handshake Mouse has been designed to help compensate for issues such as unnatural posture practices which can bring about the development of wrist and lower arm problems that can occur through Repetitive Stress Injury (RSI).
Grandma, so they say, knows best, so will you take her advice and enter the Fantastic Worlds.
Developed by Grandma Studios, Reflections of Life: Dark Architect is a Hidden Object Adventure game. It takes you on a trip to the Fantastic Worlds. You will arrive as these worlds are under attack from an evil force and are cast in the role of Queen Clio who is also one on the Guardians of this enchanted environment. I have been looking at the Platinum version of the title which contains a number of bonus items classified as Extras.
Maybe your face might not launch a thousand ships, as the face of Helen of Troy is claimed to have done, but this next software might help when using your digital image prior to setting sail.
It does seem somewhat incongruous that Anthropics Technology, a company best known for its face enhancement software, should be based in a location known as Ugli Campus in West London but maybe it is a case of opposites attract. The company has recently released the latest version 17 of its PortraitPro offering which is available in Standard, Studio and Studio Max editions. I have been looking at the top-of-the-range PortraitPro Studio Max version.
Now forming part of the MAGIX family of products, since 2016, VEGAS Movie Studio has recently been released in its version 15 format.
The version 15 of VEGAS Movie Studio is available in three different flavours priced accordingly. This review is based on the standard classic basic offering priced at £39.99. Enhanced, with more advanced features, are the versions of VEGAS Movie Studio Platinum costing £59.99 and VEGAS Movie Studio Suite with a list price of £99.99.
Fortunately the downfall of snow that struck recently had cleared by the time I took a look at Winter Wonders.
Winter Wonders is a Hidden Object game. Let me repeat that Winter Wonders is a Hidden Object game. Just in case the message has not impinged itself on your consciousness, Winter Wonders is a hidden Object game no matter which of the various modes of game play found in this title. Developed by Tamajaki, Winter Wonders allows you to create named profiles to record the progress of individual players as they tackle the different types of game play on offer.
With its background in hard drives, WD has come up with a personal Cloud solution.
Where do you store the ever-increasing amount of personal data? With the options available, such as local drives, network facilities, flash devices and Cloud services, the choice and spread of the data is wide and varied. You could opt for a single location or prefer to mix and match as circumstances decree.
No sooner had I completed my review of the Honor 7X smartphone than Huawei announced the released of its Honor View 10 model. It was not too long before a unit was winging its way to me for the purpose of reviewing the product.
Available in a choice of colours including Midnight Black, Charm Red,, Beach Gold and the Navy Blue of my review sample, the Honor View 10 certainly has a stylish appearance with its glass front and aluminium body. The side bezels are so narrow that they are almost non-existence and give on a reflective effect that can give you the impression that the handset is encircled by a metallic band.
Are you up to the task of joining the Myth Seekers? Now is your chance to find out.
Developed by Sunward Games, The Myth Seekers: The Legacy of Vulcan is a Hidden Object Adventure offering. Along with the main investigative game, this title comes with a number of bonus items that are immediately accessible by the player from the Extras option on the product’s title screen. You can actually play eight Hidden Object scenes or try out eight mini-game puzzles before you encounter them in the Legacy of Vulcan.
When confined to a hospital bed, nurses (bless them) still insist on sticking a thermometer under your tongue. But there us a better way,
On one of my regular visits, as a patient, to my local hospital, my temperature was taken as part of the usual procedure. While there was nothing strange about this particular visit, I was rather surprised that unlike all the previous temperature measurements carried out in the past, this time the measuring tool was a-fixed to my ear. I mentioned this incident as the lead-in to the next product under review – this is the Nokia Smart Temporal Thermometer.
With the appearance of a bathroom wall tile, this next product under review offers 1TB of portable storage space.
The My Passport Ultra is a portable storage device from Western Digital (WD). Available in a choice of either Black & Grey or White & Gold, there are models with a capacity of 1, 2, 3 or 4TB of storage space. I have been sent the 1TB White & Gold unit for the purpose of this review. Slightly smaller and lighter than the 3 and 4TB models, my review sample has dimensions of 110 x 81.5 x 13.
Currently a hot topic, drawing attention from various quarters, is that of the damage that can occur from the uncontrolled disposal of goods made from plastic. As this damage will be to the environment, the results will affect us all.
According to the font of wisdom we know as Wikipedia, plastic is a material that can consist of a wide range of synthetic or semi-synthetic organic compounds that are malleable. These compounds can then be moulded into a variety of solid objects that can either be for single or multi-use tasks. However, in both cases, there could be a problem when the time comes for the decision to be made that the plastic object is no longer needed.
Over time descriptive terms can come to have different meanings. I am thinking in particular of “smart home”. While my parents would have taken “smart home” to mean a place that was neat and tidy without needing any decorating, you and I, as member of the current generation, would use the term when describing the plethora of interlinked devices within the modern home.
In some cases a modern “smart home” could be regarded as a one-stop shop with all the various elements belonging to a single brand but this is not always possible. For a variety of reasons, some users opt to mix devices from different brands which can cause communication problems. Offering to help ease any communication issues between devices of different pedigrees is the UK developed nCube product.
Next under the spotlight is another speaker system from a popular audio supplier.
With a model number of R2000DB, the Edifier speaker system under review is a bookshelf style unit. Having looked at several Edifier products in the past I was expecting this particular speaker system to consist of a sub-woofer and satellite speakers that were of an innovative design appearance but neither expectations proved to be correct once I examined the contents of the package.
Finding love in the middle of a battle is just the start of this next Hidden Object Adventure.
Developed by Mad Hat Games, Nevertales: Legends is a Hidden Object Adventure game. I have been looking at the Collector’s Edition of the title. This version includes a number of extra items including a bonus game which becomes accessible once the main game has been completed.
Adding to its range of carry cases, STM has released its Saga model.
As our reliance on portable electronic devices grows, so does the need for a means of storing such items when on our travels. Offering to provide carrying option for various items is the Saga 15-inch laptop backpack from the STM family. This nag has been designed to be carried on the back or in the fashion of an attaché case.
Following up The Mad Scientist, Old Enemies Return in the Greed Series.
As one of the Seven Deadly Sins, Greed is also the title of this next Hidden Object adventure game. Developed by Urchin Games with the sub-title of Old Enemies Return, the game opens as two characters provide introductory dialogue through quivering lips as a large safe slams shut. Fortunately the game’s developers seem to have had second thoughts and have dispensed with the quivering lips approach which, quite frankly, looked ridiculous.
Joining the ranks of new handsets to grab your attention is the latest Honor offering.
As part of the Honor X-series range of handsets, Huawei has released its Honor 7X model. This smartphone comes with a range of new features designed to appeal to those users prepared to pay £269.99 from sources such as store.hihonor.com, Argos and very.co.uk. Available in a choice of colours from black (my review sample), blue, gold or red, the Honor 7X has dimensions of 156.3 x 75.3 x 7.6 mm (H x W x D). Combining a metallic chassis with a 2.
Epson continues to develop and improve its range of Eco Tank devices included its ET-2750 model.
With its “ET” prefix indicating that this next product belongs to the EcoTank family of offerings, Epson has launched the ET-2750. Suitable for Home and Home/Office use, the ET-2750 offers print, copy and scan All-in-One capabilities plus double-sided printing and wireless connectivity for good measure. For the benefit of those not familiar with the Epson EcoTank system, this is a sea-change that Epson introduced with some printers in 2015.
With its German background, this next mouse has been designed for gaming use.
The Kone AIMO mouse features the Roccat developed ONE-EYE optical sensor which is based on Pix-Art technology. Offering to provide smooth movement and precise targeting, the OWL-EYE optical sensor can operate at a range of adjustable steps from 100-dpi up to 12,000-dpi with recommendation in opting for a range of between 400 and 3000-dpi for a more natural feel to the response from the mouse’s behaviour.
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