With its title of  "Academy of Magic - A New Beginning" might indicate that this is the first offering in a new series from that hotbed of Match 3 game play.  In fact this is the latest episode in one of e-Funsoft's longest running series.  This game should be regarded as a prequel as it explains the origins of the Academy of Magic. In a previous episode, those energetic students at the Academy of Magic had defeated the Great Dark Wizard.

Entitled "Clockwork Tales of Glass and Ink" this is a game which takes you on a voyage into a Steam Punk world ruled by machines and gadgets.  Developed by Artifex Mundi, the game is a Hidden Object offering with my review copy being of the Collector's Edition variety.

This next product bundles together Twisted Lands - Shadow Town and Twisted Lands - Insomniac in Collector's Edition versions.  Both titles, being in the Hidden Object Adventure genre, have been developed by Alawar's Stargaze team.  When it comes to installing these two titles, you have no choice but to copy them both to your computer's hard disk thus relinquishing 1.4GB of space.  The games can then be launched and played individually from the same opening menu.

Let us take a trip back in time to the year 1947.  This is not the 1947 recorded in our history books and in the memories of those of us old enough to remember that year.  Our journey will take us to the 1947 year of an alternative universe.  This is a world where paranormal activity is commonplace with ghosts from the past appearing everywhere.

Bundled together in a single package are two titles from the Shadow Wolf Mysteries series.  The two titles are the standard versions of Bane of the Family and Cursed Wedding.  Developed by ERS Game Studios, both titles can be installed individually from the same front end and come with their own desktop icon. Both titles support the use of profiles to record the progress of different players.

Based on the classic tale of "The Six Swans", Grim Legends 2 - Song of the Dark Swan is a Hidden Object Adventure game developed by Artifex Mundi.  I have been looking at the Collector's Edition of the game which features a number of bonus items.  These items include more mini games, Hidden Object scenes, an additional story told from two different perspectives, wallpaper, soundtracks, concept art and cut-scenes.

Death at Fairing Point: A Dana Knightstone Novel is a Hidden Object Adventure game.  I have been looking at the Collector's Edition of this Boom Zap developed offering that requires you to solve a 19th Century murder.  Unlike other Collector's Edition titles which tend to bundle various extra items, Death at Fairing Point limits its extra items to just a bonus chapter and a Strategy Guide.

Uninvited guests can cause a problem.  This is especially true when that guest is a large bear and the occasion is a wedding.  Matters certainly do not improve when the bear, ignoring normal circumstances, decides to carry off the bride.  This is the situation facing you at the start of Artifex Mundi's Grim Legends: The Forsaken Bride. I have been looking at the Collector's Edition of this game which comes with a number of bonus items.

Notre Dame - Secrets of Paris is a Hidden Object Adventure game.  I have been looking at the Deluxe Edition of this particular title.  Unlike the numerous Collector's Edition titles, which tend to come with additional items based on the main story, this Deluxe Edition has been paired with a separate bonus Hidden Object game entitled Lost Secrets Bermuda Triangle. Developed by Gunnar Games, this title is based on a robbery conducted on the premises of the Notre Dame.

We have ERS Game Studios to thank for the third episode of the PuppetShow series.  This third episode of the Hidden Object Adventure game is subtitled Lost Town and is available in Collector's Edition format with various bonus items bundled with the main game.  Apart from the built-in Strategy Guide, access to the various bonus items with their extra content, including an additional chapter, wallpaper, screen saver and concept art, require the main game to be completed first.

Imagine being placed on an orphanage doorstep shortly after birth, you then spend the next 25 years wondering who you are and why your existence began in such a manner.  But then you receive an invitation to meet your biological mother and, at the same time, take a trip of an underwater dream facility that is normally reserved for the rich and elite.  By accepting the invitation, so begins the GOGII developed game of The Emerald Maiden - Symphony of Dreams.

Now up to episode three, the Catherine Ragnor story continues with the Cursed Island.  This e-Funsoft title is a Match 3 game that is spread over five chapters of achieving targets and building upgrades as the genre's favourite female sea captain one again takes centre stage. The usual set-up options are available for Catherine's latest adventure.  Profiles can be created so that different players can tackle the game and have their progress recorded.

As the third episode in the series, Drawn - Trail of Shadows takes you on a trip to worlds created by a young boy.  Even at his young age, the boy was a talented artist whose paintings seemed to have the ability to take others into a different world.

Bundled together in a single package, entitled Mysteries, Secrets and Shadows, are three Hidden Object Adventure games.  The three titles making up this triple offering are Grim Facade - Sinister Obsession, Secrets of the Dark - Eclipse Mountain and The Theatre of Shadows - As You Wish.

The Lake House - Children of Silence is a Hidden Object Adventure game developed by Alawar's Friday's Game.  This review is based on the Collector's Edition of the product which comes with a number of exclusive content to add value to the main game.  This extra content includes bonus chapter, Wallpaper, Concept Art, Character details, Media Gallery, Trivia about the game and a Strategy Guide which is integrated into the main game.

When I am looking for inspiration regarding starting my next review, the solution is often under the auspices of my mouse and keyboard as I am introduced to the next game on my computer system.  However for a novelist or screenwriter, the inspiration for their next project can be harder to achieve.  In the case of Isabel, desperate to find a great story for her next screenplay, she decided to visit the Quinault RainForest to help refuel her creative energy.

A Panopticon is a circular prison with cells arranged around a central wall from which prisoners could be observed at all time.  Panopticon is also the name of a Hidden Object Adventure game developed by Cyber Cradle. By creating profiles, different people can play the game and have their progress recorded.

Nearwood, available in Collector's Edition format, is a Hidden Object Adventure game developed by Magicindie Softworks.  Set in a magical world, this game involves the adventure of a young woman, named Jane Lockwood.  She embarks on a voyage to defeat the evil force that was currently affecting the land due to the earlier mistakes made by her father when he was suffering distress caused by the death of his wife.

Despite being developed by different companies, these three titles of this pack offer a similar range of customise options for those seeking to solve the Ghostly Mysteries.  Profiles can be created so that the progress can be recorded of those playing the games.  Adjustments can be made to the volume levels for features such as background music, sound effects and, when appropriate, dialogue delivered by voice actors.

Adding to the Dark Parables series is the Hidden Object Adventure game "Rise of the Snow Queen".  Developed by Blue Tea Games, this title is available in Collector's Edition format.  This enhanced edition includes a number of bonus elements to sit alongside the main game of the legendary Snow Queen. Allowing different people to play the game, profiles can be created to record their progress and permit them to restart from their last position.

Nightmare Realms, developed by Lestra, offers to take you on a journey that will involve twists and turns plus numerous unexpected happenings that could have you feeling that you had wandered into an Alice-in-Wonderland scenario.  Available in Collector's Edition format, this Hidden Object Adventure Game comes with a number of extra items that include a bonus chapter, Strategy Guide, Wallpaper, Concept Art, Music Tracks and Origami Tutorials.

Last year e-Funsoft introduced fans of Match 3 action to the female sea captain Catherine Ragnor as she became involved in the Legend of the Flying Dutchman.  Since then Catherine finds herself in conflict with the  notorious Blackbeard.  On returning from her latest voyage, Catherine finds that her home village is under attack by Blackbeard's pirates.

The Trust GXT REDEX product is a computer mouse that offers the user the option of wireless or wired connectivity as part of its feature set.  With its matte black plastic outer shell, this mouse gives the impression that it is ambidextrous and this would be partially true in that it fits comfortably in whichever hand you hold the device.   However the positioning of some of the mouse's controls could cause a problem as I will explain a little later.

Dark Mysteries brings together three Hidden Object Adventure games that were originally published by Big Fish Games.  The three titles are The Secrets of Arcelia Island, developed by Hitpoint Studio, Secrets of the Dark - Temple of the Night, developed by Orneon, and Written Legends Nightmare at Sea - Escape the Nightmare, developed by Vast Studio.

Developed by GOGII, Fairy Tales Mysteries - The Puppet Thief belongs to the Hidden Object Adventure genre.  This tale of missing children and rather angry villagers is available in Collector's Edition version.  Along with the main game, this enhanced version includes a bonus chapter plus wallpaper and concept art sections which you can dip into when the mood takes you when the main game is over.

Developed by VOGAT Interactive, Gravely Silent - The House of Deadlock is a Hidden Object Adventure Game.  I have been looking at the Collector's Edition of the game which comes with a number of bonus items.  Along with an integrated Strategy Guide, you get a bonus chapter to discover the secrets in the Tower of Rain, wallpaper, concept art, music tracks and a screensaver.