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Phantom of the Opera 

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A trip to the Opera House can cause problems when you are mistaken for a former pupil.

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Based on the original novel, The Phantom of the Opera is a Hidden Object Adventure game.  Forming part of the Mystery Legends series, this Play Pond developed title is available in Collector’s Edition format.  This enhanced edition comes with extra content made up of Scores, Bonus Game and an Original Novel option allowing you to read through the source material used for this game.  Access to the Bonus Chapter and Original Novel is withheld from the player until the main game has been completed.

Prior to exploring the world of the Phantom of the Opera, you can create profiles to record the progress of those playing the game.  Options are available to adjust the volume levels for background music, sound effects, ambience and voice.  A choice of wide, regular or windowed viewing is available and you can also implement enhance performance if you feel you have a slower computer.

The game is based around a mysterious figure, the Phantom of the game’s title, who pursues a young woman believing she was somebody whom he had trained to become a wonderful singer.  However it turns out that his targeted victim is the daughter of his former pupil.  Receiving an impressive invitation, Evaline, the daughter, turns up at the rather dilapidated Parisian Opera House and quickly finds that her actions are being controlled by the mysterious masked figure who constantly wants a black rose as a present.  A great deal of the game’s action revolves around the collection of black roses to satisfy the Phantom.

Using a standard arrangement the various rather dated scenes, making up the Opera House and its surrounds, are overlaid with the tools that are available to you while in adventure mode in this game.  Centrally positioned at the bottom of the screen is the game’s inventory holding the items you collect or are awarded for completing certain tasks.  These tasks include mini-game puzzles, Hidden Object scenes and searching areas of the Opera House that include the Auditorium, Ballroom, Art Rotunda, Library, Conservatory, Orchestra Pit, Understage, Church and Graveyard.

To the left of the inventory are a rechargeable Hint feature and a Guide that can provide information on how to complete various tasks.  Switching to the right of the inventory is a Journal that combines a record of your findings and a map of the area covering the game.  The map will indicate your current position, areas yet discovered and those where objectives need to be completed.

As your mouse cursor moves around the various scenes it will change its shape to indicate when different actions can be carried out.  These shapes include an arrow, magnifying glass, pointing finger and cogwheel.  In addition sparkles will appear when a Hidden Object scene is available for access..

Many of the game’s mini-game puzzles appearing in this game could almost be considered misnamed.  They require the player to collect a number of items and then used them in a certain way by making use of hints arranged at different locations.  Often these types of puzzles are the one explained and feature in the Guide option of the game.

The game features a number of Hidden Object scenes.  These scenes consist of a cluttered arrangement of goods and a text list of required items.  Any item you can not detect in the scene in the normal way, can be revealed with some assistance. By placing your mouse cursor on an item in the list, this action will bring up an appropriate silhouette of the item.  If that does not help then you can always use the Hint feature to reveal its position in the scene.

The Phantom of the Opera offers the player a reasonable level of game play challenges.  I have seen this game listed on eBay priced at £1.50 which is hardly going to break the bank.  The game requires a 1.0 GHz processor with 1.0GB of RAM and 542MB of hard disk space running Windows XP and later.

Mystery Legends The Phantom of the Opera Collector's Edition PC Cd Rom Big Fish 5031366019295 | eBay

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OverallPlay Pond Mystery Legends - Phantom of the Opera rated 64 out of 100

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