Entertainment

As a fan of match-3 games I always look forward to the next title in the Jewel Quest series. This time the game covers locations such as the American West andEngland.

An iPod or iPhone dock with a battery backup for the alarm clock – should you have a power cut – the ability to use it as MP3 or other auxiliary sources amplifier and FM radio all in one curved rather swish looking black unit.

Founded in 2001, XING Interactive has built up a substantial; number of titles. Three of the latest additions are entitled Sushi Bar Express, Old McDonald had a Farm and The Flying Dutchman.

A bizarre fair, punk airship and a dinosaur museum all feature in a hunt for a mythical creature that uses mirrors to hide its existence from would-be trackers.

The first a name often coupled with expense and more normally with headphones rather than earbuds. The second a name that I associate mainly with speakers but they do of course also make earbuds amongst other items.

Sometimes ghosts can hang around because they need help and offer to reward those who provide this assistance. This is the concept behind a new game from Alawar.

Tragedies, ghosts and betrayal are mixed in with a selection of hidden object game play and puzzle solving in a game from Alawar.

Hidden Object games generally involve a series of scenes containing a jumble of objects and a shopping list of items that you need to locate in order to receive a reward and make progress. However not all games of this genre follow the general pattern, there are some exceptions which take a different approach.

Do you believe in voodoo? Whatever the answer, you might like to check out a title involving disappearing family members, ghosts, treasure and just a touch of black magic.

If your car broke down would you venture into a cemetery for help? Maybe not – but that is what the central character did in this next game.

Way back when adventure games with a wicked sense of humour were all the rage. Now thanks to ex-employees of a company that led the way in this field we could see a resurgence of the genre.

Missing girls, strange behaviour and tales of witchcraft are just some of the elements that can be found in a game based on Salem in the late seventieth century.

It all began, as can sometimes happen, with the act of a simple favour. But I am getting ahead of myself with a tale of magic and hidden object adventure game play.

Having recently been introduced to Lenco, I was given the opportunity to test a DVD player while on my travels.

This is the latest offering from TVonics, the 500GB machine has what some would describe as a bare interface with the front showing up to three pin hole LED’s these appear in different combinations of red and green.

When casting the role of Robin Hood, who would you select? The developers of this next game obviously would have a different take on the matter.

Sometimes a product’s title can leave you completely in the dark as to the functionality offered. Take for example the PIS4.

One of my often visited locations is that of Egypt. I hasten to state that all these visits have been of the virtual kind and have involved numerous game titles that have been based on this particular geographical area. Taking on the role of tour guide on more than one occasion has been the Luxor series. The latest such excursion has involved Luxor 5th Passage.

If you have a PC or Notebook with poor speakers then your normal option is to lump it or use headphones/earbuds, here some rather nice headphones – great for privacy – but also a second option is external speakers.

While the description Hidden Object Adventure has a nice ring to it, sometimes a better description for a game would be Adventure with Hidden Objects.

Rescuing captured fairies and defeating a pirate named BlackLore is the name of the game with a title developed by BC Soft Games.

The first is somewhat unusual in that it is battery operated and stated to give up to 20 hours between charges. The second a far more conventional unit being a pair of speakers requiring mains power, both can have a useful place.

It is time for another dip into the bag of hidden object games as you investigate a large house with an air of mystery.

I certainly remember a radio that had this retro look many years ago; of course it was not DAB. In fact the View Quest Retro DAB radio has most modern controls, easily implemented and of course it has an iPod/iPhone dock but it just has the retro look.

With this next title you get two games that involve mechanical puppets, hidden object sessions and puzzle solving.

I am told there is an earlier model that did not have the DAB radio. This has it all and just for good measure an external speaker and bed shaker for those who never seem to hear the alarm go off, this you will not be able to ignore.

Match-3 titles have been around for quite a while using different methods of creating matches and various types of layouts. This next game allows you to pick and choose from these different features.

With so much of our favourite music being stored digitally, it makes sense to include a speaker system as part of your computer set-up.

Time travellers need to be extra careful otherwise their actions could cause ripples that spread throughout time and produce inconsistencies that increase the ripple effect.

While most seem happy to say ‘YES’ when completing a 1000 piece puzzle – me included – I started my quest before Christmas on two larger offerings a 3000 piece one eventually completed, meant time to start a 5000 piece offering.