Finished the first Shaolin game and enjoyed it immensely - so have now installed the second one.

The one about terracotta Warriors -

Terrific, Mad!

I just finished Cursery: The Crooked Man and the Crooked Cat, the CE Version. It is by the same team that does the Dark Parables games, and the various HO scenes are just like they are in the Parables games. I've played more than a dozen games in the Parables series, so I bought this game without trying the Demo.

The story is nothing new: Unrequited love turns the man into an insane, murdering fiend preying on young women as he looks for his Lost Love, and somewhere along the way, he has acquired magic powers that you have to beat. <sigh>

The game is challenging. You CAN select an "Easy" version but not with the subtlety of choices you may have become accustomed to twiddling. It just dials down the difficulty of the Mini-games. I like a challenge, so I went with the more difficult and it was great fun and not that difficult except for one rotation puzzle. (Oh, and this game features a lot of rotation puzzles, just so you know.) You can Skip any puzzle without a penalty other than it adds time to the length of time you spent playing the game itself, like your play time is a "Score" of it own. Why anyone would care about how long it took to play a game is a mystery to me. (I always felt that if it took me a good while to work my way through a game, it was a better game.)

There are no surprises with movement, Map use, Collectibles. There aren't any head-scratching moments with the Inventory. Everything is as you would expect. There are some items of inventory that aren't entirely comprehensible when you first pick them up because they need to be combined with others to be of use. There is a LOT of running back and forth (when you finally find that Inventory item that you needed six scenes back . . . ). You WILL need to take copious notes on 1) everywhere you found a task and 2) what you needed to deal with it, so you can go back there later with the right tool. Almost at the end of the game, I found an item that I needed in the second or third location in the game!

You can set a few things to make the game easier (turn on/off this or that, you know the drill). I like to strip the game bare, so it is like playing an old Adventure Game without any idea what happens next. The Bonus Game was worth it, in that it continued the story via a secondary narrative. So I loved this game, even though it was pretty pesky in spots. I've marked it for Replay.

That's a terrific review, Reenie. I played this game several years ago and enjoyed it. You have made me want to download it and do a replay.

If you could also copy this review and add it to our Reviews and Recommendations thread, that would be great.

Thanks for the game info Reenie. I haven't played Cursery yet but have it downloaded and waiting.

I finished Amaranthine Voyage: The Tree of Life which was quite good and am almost finished (I think) with Cate West 2: The Velvet Keys which I am also enjoying. It's an old type of game but there are a number of variations on the HO scenes, as well as some other mini games. Some of the objects are quite hard to find though. I'm playing in timed mode of course and I did have to repeat one section so far. There are two endings depending on your "score".

Completed both Shaolin games now - which I thoroughly enjoyed - and have started a re-play of Fear for Sale : The 13 Keys

[I don't remember much of playing it before but if it does become familiar, or should I say TOO familiar, I'll install something else instead. Got plenty to choose from after all ]

I too thought the Tree of Life was a good game. It sounds like Cate West 2 tried to add more variety than the first one had, which is also a good thing.

I haven't played Fear for Sale: The 13 Keys, but I do have it.

Ditto me on the Fear for Sale game.

Mad, I noted on my list that you were unable to complete the bonus game due to some glitch involving a page from (and) a book. I think you picked up the page but didn't put it in the book and pick up the book. ??

Wow !! Thanks, oldbroad
I do actually remember such an incident - but couldn't have said in which game it occurred
Just goes to show you know my gaming history better than I do
(I have a head like a sieve 🙄)

Well, I certainly wouldn't have just remembered it . I do try to make notes on my list when somebody has a problem so I will be prepared when I get around to playing the game. I don't always note the person though.

That's very sensible, oldbroad. I guess I just don't have any !!

You're funny Mad!


So, I decided to try to play Frankenstein: The Village tonight. I may actually have to bail out of this game. Right at the beginning there is some pipe puzzle that is on a timer. It's about 15 seconds or so. I can't even locate two pipes to switch in that amount of time. I didn't look for a skip button but didn't notice one. I did however see in the Big Fish Forum that you can skip. I will check it out again tomorrow when I am more alert and if I cannot get the puzzle I'll try that skip that was mentioned.

I don't know this game .. but 15 seconds ?? That sounds pretty ridiculous

Got through my Fear for Sale game - without any hitches this time

And Mystery Case Files : The Harbinger CE is my current Casual. And I'm liking it

Mad, that's good news about the Fear for Sale game.

I'm glad you're liking Harbinger. Have fun.

I just finished Frankenstein: The Village. I had to skip that timed puzzle and needed help finding a few items. The game is old timey and cheesy but I mostly enjoyed it.

I think I will play Halloween Chronicles 1: Monsters Among Us also before returning to my previously mentioned list.

I thought the first Halloween Chronicles was fun.

Good to hear your opinion on Frankenstein: The Village.

I am starting an oldie that I have never played before: Fear for Sale: Nightmare Cinema Collector's Edition.

Have fun Marian! I haven't yet started another casual since finishing Frankenstein.

I haven't played a HOPA in a while. I was playing Arthur's Knights.

Off and on, though, I was playing Deep Blue Sea (a match-3 game, a replay for me) and finished that.

I have been play Matchventures (match 3) for a long time now almost every day. I finished the game long ago but when I just want to relax with something I keep on playing it. I think there were 70 something levels to complete the game but I am now up near 1100.

I keep the ancient Jewel Quest (the original disk version) permanently on my WinXP machine and just go back to the start every time I finish it - and the same with the slightly less ancient Jewel Quest II on my Win7.
Of course I do play other Match 3 games as well, seeing as I have tons of them

EDIT :

Not Jewel Quest II on my Win7 .... Jewel Match II !!
Can't read

MatchVentures is a fun one. I also love Jewel Quest!

On my Win 7, I have Bejewelled 3 and play the mine game on it all the time (I can never remember the proper name of the game). I also play other Match 3 games but they are murder on my arm! I actually have Queen's Garden: Sakura Season ready to play on my Win 10 and Cradle of Persia on my Win 7 but have not started them. I just keep going for the other two. I have never uninstalled any other Match 3's that I've played so they're ready also for replay .

I have Jewel Match games but not Jewel Quest, nor Deep Blue Sea (which I've never heard of).

Big Fish has Deep Blue Sea and Jewel Quest.

Jewel Quest and Bejeweled were two of the most influential games in the match-3 genre and were largely responsible for match-3 games becoming popular. Of the two, I prefer Jewel Quest. And there are lots of sequels that are also good.