In the past, the Fereday household has been home to a collection of various pets.  I can distinctly remember a cat (actually my grandparents when they ran a pub in Wolverhampton), several dogs, a gold fish, a couple of budgies ( including one that told me to "drop dead"), a white mouse, gerbil, hamster and at least three cockatiels.  I am now about to add yet another creature to this list.

It all began with Great Grandfather who spun many tales of this strange island which, like the town of Brigadoon, would only become visible and accessible to mere mortals once every twenty years.  On one of these infrequent occasions, Great Grandfather claimed he discovered that the island was home to a mysterious vault that contained treasures untold.  As proof of this claim, Great Grandfather was happy to show off a mysterious charm required for access.

It has to be noticed that several years, actually a full decade, had passed since I last reviewed a MenKind product that went by the name of Dave the Monkey.  Sad to say, I was unable to locate Dave the Monkey on the company's website.  However I do have the company's 3in1 Smart Viewer to occupy my time during the period of self-isolation.

It has to be noticed that several years, actually a full decade, had passed since I last reviewed a MenKind product that went by the name of Dave the Monkey.  Sad to say, I was unable to locate Dave the Monkey on the company's website.  However I do have the company's 3in1 Smart Viewer to occupy my time during the period of self-isolation.

Fans of Gothic Horror will no doubt recognise the storyline on which this next game of "The Soul Keeper" is based.  Drawing on a source of inspiration from a H. P. Lovecraft novel and forming part of the Dark Mysteries series, "The Soul Keeper" comes with the claim of being a supernatural Hidden Object game. I have been looking at the Platinum Edition of "Dark Mysteries: The Soul Keeper" which is developed by Cerucus Media.

Do you remember the price and capacity of the internal hard drive that was to be included in a new or upgraded system?  In my case I can distinctly remember scouring through adverts in several computer magazines for a hard drive that would increase my computer's storing capacity.  As my budget was around £200, my choice of possible drive was limited to those drives with a maximum capacity of 200MB (this is not a typing mistake as MB was the current standard at that time).

Developed by eFunsoft, "The Legend of Eratus - Dragonlord" is a Match-3 game that follows the recent trend of dividing its action into a series of chapters with each section featuring upgrades that need to be completed before you are allowed to progress to the next chapter and areas of the realm where this story is based.  With this game, you are about to enter a land where King Haleth ruled over this peaceful land.

No doubt you have heard the story of the travelling entertainer who went from town to town playing his music and telling stories.  The entertainer was probably referred to as the Pied Piper with special reference to the location known as Hamlyn.  But this time the entertainer is a totally different character who takes on the central role in "Fairy Tale Mysteries - The Puppet Thief", a Hidden Object adventure game developed by Gogii.

While "Heart of Moon - The Mask of Seasons" has been classified as belonging to the Match-3 genre, this offering, developed by UNIKGAME, features Hidden Object scenes, Spot the Difference game play, building restoration and battles to the death.  Cast in the role of Clara Edison, your participation in the game starts as you receive a note from your "father" regarding new discoveries about the location of the Mask of Seasons.

With the removal of a zero to avoid any possible confusion with the original series of stories, Alawar has published "1001 - The Adventures of Sinbad".  Developed by Mange, this title casts you in the role of Sinbad as you set sail to experience the heroics of this adventure encompassing Hidden Object quests to lift the curse of Princess Chalida. Allowing different players to take part in this game, profiles can be created to store each person's progress.

Developed by Orneon, "Echoes of the Past - The Kingdom of Despair" is a Hidden Object game with a sprinkling of mini game action.  The game casts with the task of freeing different characters, who have been trapped by a witch's curse, and locating missing amulets.  By completing these tasks you will be rewarded by being presented with a path home. I have been looking at the Collector's Edition of this game which comes with a number of bonus items found under an Extras section.

"Dark Realm - Queen of Flames" is a Hidden Object Adventure game.  Developed by Mad Head Games, this offering casts you in the role of Valera, the daughter of the village's Blacksmith.  You are set the task of discovering who is in charge of the mysterious floating figures who are attacking and setting fire to the village of Northpearl.

By looking carefully in a certain direction, you might, if you were very lucky, see what is referred to as the Tower of God.  According to legend, this structure will grant a single wish to whosoever has the skill, ability and desire to climb to the very top of the tower.  Ironcode Gaming has taken this belief and turned it into a computer game for those ready to accept the challenge of tackling Match-3 game play in order to have a wish granted.

Taking some inspiration from Steven Spielberg's series of cinematic adventures featuring the archaeologist, Indiana Jones, Alawar has published Alabama Smith - Escape from Pompeii.  This Hidden Object Adventure title has been developed by Stargaze. Before joining Smith on his adventures that take on the possibility of time travel, you can create profiles to record the progress of individual players and make adjustments to the game playing environment.

Your role in this game will be to provide assistance in the search for and rescue of Pascal Lebrave before the always hungry Trolls set about making him the main course of their next feast.  You will be accompanied in your task by an apprentice, Evelyn, in the noble Order of Monster Hunters of which Pascal is a member. In this game you are on the side of the humans who are constantly at war with the Trolls.

Continuing the trend of doing away with leads, which do have a tendency to become entangled, Edifier has produced its TWS1 offering.  This product is a set of "True Wireless Bluetooth Earbuds" that are physically untethered when linked to an appropriate audio source.  The earbuds come with their own charging case element that can provide up to 32 hours of playtime time for the listener.

While you may regard your data, whether of the personal or more sensitive type, as sacrosanct to your needs, you can bet others regard it in a more laissez-faire or commercial sense.  To them, and I am referring to that unsavoury breed known as hackers here, data is a modern currency used to facilitate deals.  Any issues regarding privacy are there to be circumvented by whatever means possible.

When I first saw the title of this next game, my initial thoughts were concentrating on the theory that "The Butler did it!".  But I was completely off the mark as the Butler, in this case, was the lead investigator in solving the crime in the card game entitled "Detective Solitaire - Butler Story".

In this game the Imperial Island forms part of the empire ruled by Emperor Omadan.  As any prospective emperor will realise, the demands on their time is extensive and a wise ruler will try to bring joy to their subjects to keep them happy and contented.  Emperor Omadan sets out to extend his reign into the neighbouring ice lands of the north by creating a stunning ski resort.  You are tasked with completing the Emperor's plans by building the ski resort.

As a young child I can remember playing a game we knew as "Pig-in-the-Middle".  Now as an adult, with a thicker waist line and many grey hairs, it seems the situation is returning.  I, and many others, find ourselves in the middle of an ongoing battle that is taking place between security companies and those who are intent on infiltrating the computer data and facilities of ours for their own nefarious purposes.

With the fairly lengthy title of "The Chronicles of Robin Hood - The King of Thieves", this particular game belongs to the Match 3 genre of challenges.  Developed by eFunsoft Games, this offering retells the story of Robin Hood and his band of merry men through a series of Match 3 game play with linking static scenes and accompanying dialogue as you set about helping the citizens of Nottingham by taking down the corrupt Sheriff of Nottingham through the five chapters of the game.

Developed by Mixo Games, Little Witchelsa – Pumpkin Peril belongs to the Match-3 genre of game play.  As you might suppose from the clues in the game’s title, this Match-3 offering contains a heavy influence of graveyards, spooks, spells and demons plus a Halloween scenario.  The game’s central characters are the little witch Elsa and Marlow who is a wizard-like being.