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Refreshed from her initial battles, Helga returns to defeat new enemies.
It was about four or five months ago that e-Funsoft introduced me to its latest Scandinavian character, who will stop at nothing when it comes to the pursuit of her missions. The character is known as Helga the Viking Warrior and whose adventures are blended into a Match 3 environment of game play in e-Funsoft's usual style. The heroine of this series sets out on a course of revenge in the company of Ivar, the Viking leader, in this game that e-Funsoft has subtitled Ivar's Revenge.
I know people who love using a Notebook but hate using its Trackpad. So here are two USB wired mice that could well help then both for work and play as both these offerings have more than the standard two buttons and a scroll wheel.
Redex is the gaming brand of Trust and the box states it is an Accurate Lightweight Gaming Mouse with fully adjustable RGB, up to 10,000, and 80 Mill Kailh switches. It is 12cm long a maximum of 5cm wide and 3cm tall. A 1.8m long USB lead emerges from the front edge. It has standard left and right buttons with scroll wheel there is an extra touch button behind the scroll wheel and two further buttons on the left side. It is lightweight at only 72 grams.
Can you help free fairies and restore the balance of power in this Playrix developed game.
It is time to produce mosaics as you join penguins exploring the Cosmos.
Those pesky penguins are back in town with the latest Fantasy Mosaics title. Now up to number 53 and subtitled Mysterious Cosmos, this Match Gems developed offering features the intrepid travellers of Una and Aaron. This inquisitive duo embark on an intergalactic journey that involves a black hole and plenty of nanogram game play. I should explain for the benefit of those not familiar with the nanogram concept, this form of game play allows you to create multicoloured mosaics.
The words ‘All In One’ normally relate to a printer that also copies and scan. Here it is an audio device that has everything in a single unit that measures 38x18x11cm. So you have DAB+, FM, Internet Radio, CD, Spotify, Podcasts, Bluetooth Audio and Auxiliary Input via 3.5mm socket.
The initial setup is controlled from a 6x5cm screen on the top of the unit, the first thing is to connect it to your Wi-Fi network once done you see a screen that displays eight icons in two rows of four. Control can be from buttons in front of the screen and you can move through selections sequentially. There is also a small remote control that allows you to make changes from the comfort of your chair.
While there may be no fairies at the bottom of your garden, other strange creatures could exist elsewhere.
We are not alone or so we are led to believe. Do not take my word for it as Domini Games has revealed the secret of this infiltration of our world. This side-by-side existence does not involve an alien life-form which has chosen to share our planet but creatures from that dream-like state we have tried very hard to forget about.
A more unusual offering from Trust a USB microphone. Perhaps the most interesting part is the fittings it is supplied with.
The microphone itself is round and 13.5cm long. It fits into a fitment that has an 8cm round mesh fitment to avoid breath or worse hitting the microphone. Behind this two 3x3 rubber strips and you slide the microphone through one and 4cm later the second this gives a tight hold to the microphone but stops any vibrations from whatever it is resting upon. The base of this fitment has a tripod screw and an 11cm long tripod is supplied.
When offered the chance of a royal style of life would you be able to resist the offer?
As part of the Living Legends series, Frozen Beauty is a Hidden Object Adventure game developed by 4 Friends Game. My review of the product is based on the Collector's Edition of the game which comes with a number of bonus items. While bonus items dealing with Wallpaper, Screensavers, Music and Concept Art are available immediately, you will need to make progress in the game before being allowed access to Movies, Puzzles, Hidden Object and Extra game play offerings.
Europe is, yet again, the location for a series of Hidden Object scenes with puzzle solving thrown in for good measure.
The travel agents at Lazy Bay Games have come up with a second version of a European Tour for the stay-at-home traveller. Classified as a Hidden Object trip, this is European Quest 2 which offers more of the same as that found in the original European Quest title. By creating profiles, different people can play the game and have their progress recorded.
This is a 27inch QHD panel 2560x1440 although it is equally usable at HD 1920x1080 for those whose eyesight is not the best. A gaming panel with reasonable sound so you should be able to hear the enemies coming as well as see them. It is available from the link at the end at a very good price so what is the reason, read on to find its one drawback.
It is 61x37x1.5cm; all the connections are in a single line on a downward pointing overhang on the rear 9cm up from the base. They are from right to left power input, USB upstream, four USB ports 2x2 (one always on providing there is power to the panel) two HDMI and two DisplayPort and finally a 3.5mm audio socket. The panel can be used in both landscape and portrait modes, in landscape it can be as little as 5.5cm above your desk and a maximum of 21cm above it.
A double pack of the battle between a Witch and the Orion Kingdom.
Developed by Orneon, The Citadels of Time and The Revenge of the Witch are episode 3 and 4 in the Echoes of the Past series. Classified as Hidden Object Adventure titles, these games continue the saga of the Witch and her dislike of the Kingdom of Orion. A front-end menu is provided for installing the two titles separately. Both titles offer the user a similar set up of options.
Getac do a range of ‘Rugged’ units useful for those who work outside and when you first start you will see a choice of three options for using this touch screen offering, Glove – Finger – Stylus. This unit runs Android but these days Android has access to a whole lot more Apps than earlier versions. So this Tablet is designed to work where others would not. I am told this model is used for British Touring Car Championships for the Race Operations Team.
The Gatek ZX10 measures 27x19x2cm and weighs just over a kilo. Exactly what connections are available will vary as this can be produced by Getac for whatever environment you need. It is a rugged unit designed to work in times and conditions units sold by mainstream manufacturers could not cope with. Going around the edges of the test unit I was sent has behind weatherproof doors USB ‘C’ and Nano SIM entry points, USB and 3.5mm headphone socket all on the left side.
When looking to enhance your listening experience and save some money, this news might be of interest.
If you like to listen to your favourite music when on your travels, or during energetic sessions, then you might be interested the latest news to emerge from LG. The company has just announced its latest promotion which will be available during November. This offer covers the company's newest UT90 and UTF8 earbud products when purchased during the promotion period from LG.com and selected retailers.
Christmas is coming and with it the requests for must have toys.
The Toy Retailers Association has revealed its Dream Top Toys for Christmas this year. This is a prediction of what could be the most sought after items for this forthcoming festive season. Usually I get the opportunity to view the full selection of around 72 offerings put forward by different suppliers but not so this year. However I can reveal the Top 12 list that might feature on your shopping list.
This hard backed book is entitled ‘The Quiz of 2022’, the program is one of the BBC’s most popular ‘Have I Got New For You’. I don’t get to read many books as most of my reading is online and while some might tuck themselves up with their Notebook or Tablet turning the page on a book in your hand is a rather different experience.
HIGNFY stated in the 90’s and Paul Merton and Ian Hislop have been there for almost all of the programs. In basic terms it’s a show that’s a quiz about the news. For the first twelve years the host was Angus Deayton, now there are a whole range of hosts.
Are you ready to progress on the path to become a Magician by completing the required Handbook?
In an effort to allow you to continue your training as a fully fledged Magician, BC Soft Games has come up with the Magician Handbook II. With a subtitle of BlackLore, this Hidden Object and magic influenced game pits you against an evil magician pirate. This is the BlackLore of the subtitle and he has captured all the world's magicians and fairies, apart from one stray fairy.
This is not one product but two in one. It is a charge device for things like mobile phones when away from a USB port. However it is also something to keep you warm when out and about a small HeatBank that can keep your hands warm.
If – like me – you are of a certain age then the name Zippo will remind you of a lighter. Indeed when I was searching for a price I see they still exist. The Zippo HeatBank 6 measures 10.5x4.3x2cm and weighs 141 grams. Unlike other charge devices the sides of this unit are not sharp but curved so it rolls nicely in your hands. At one end is a connection point for a supplied lanyard. At the other end the connections.
Can you survive the double threat of adverse weather conditions and fire-breathing dragons as you save the world from evil?
One topic that is never far from the thoughts of residents in the UK is that of the weather. Whether is it too wet, too hot, too cold, too warm, the weather is not how we would like it to be and an alternate condition would rank high on our wish list. But image what it would be like if we had to cope with a situation such as an Eternal Winter that forms the basis of game developed by those innovative people at Domini Games.
In a lot of cases you want more volume than is available, either because something was recorded at a low level or you are in a noisy environment. Often increasing the volume will also increase static and other things you don’t want. The solution can often be as easy as playing through a DAC as this gives you what you want more volume as well as clarity of sound.
Corporate advancements can be achieved in different ways including extending the life of your boss.
Here I am looking at two items that could well be solutions for a couple of Christmas ideas. Secret Identity is a game for both older children and adults. The second also ticks two boxes most will know what Top Trumps are, a set of playing cards, but they are always on a theme with great images, here the images are Sports Cars something that will appeal to all the people that cannot afford the real thing.
This is not an easy game to master, so it is not for younger children, the stated age is 10+ having said that the object is to make people guess your card which is probably the exact opposite to what the object of most other games objectives are. Unlike a lot of games for several players you need to be sober to get the best from it. It can be played by a minimum of three players and a maximum of eight players. You will need a level playing surface such as a good sized table.
With a missing relative, dead bodies and a statue of a wolf, just what is going on?
The Curse of Werewolves, developed by Nordcurrent, is a Hidden Object Adventure game. I have been looking at the Collector's Edition of this game which comes with a couple of additional items to supplement the main game. The additional items give you access to various wallpapers and three jigsaw puzzles that can be tackled immediately if you wish.
Why are the locals so secretive about Hob's Barrow and very reluctant to talk about this burial chamber?
Developed by Cloak & Dagger Games, The Excavation of Hob's Barrow is a sideways scrolling, point & click game that falls into the folk horror category. With a point & click game, your on-screen character will respond to your mouse clicks by moving left, right and, in some cases, backwards and forwards through the layers of scenery in quest of their aims. You are cast in the role of Thomasina Bateman.
For a while now printer companies have encouraged you to use only their ink and buy it direct from them. This latest offering goes one step further by offering free cartridges sent through the post for the first nine months. However to qualify you must claim it on your initial setup. The unit does not come with a CD/DVD so you have to have an Internet Connection during the setup; the software comes from the Microsoft Store and not HP.
This is a three in one unit meaning not only does it print but it also scans and copies. The unit is 46x32x25cm. The only external connections are the power lead and a USB upstream port. Once the install software is installed it looks for the unit and it cannot be found. On screen help covers this and that is when you need to use the dummy Wi-Fi connection it has installed, once located it then automatically switches back to your normal Wi-Fi offering.
Put your paranormal fears to one side and see if you can resolve the issues raised by a five-game pack.
Spirits & Demons is a five-game pack of Hidden Object Adventure games from the Alawar catalogue. Making up this pack, supplied on a single DVD, are House of 1000 Doors – Evil Inside, Chronicles from Beyond – The Untold Story, The Other Side – Tower of Souls, Demon Hunter 2 – A New Chapter and Queen’s Quest – Tower of Darkness.
Those of us who use a Desktop or Tower system still need a keyboard and a mouse. I have always used wired offerings, these days you are less likely to have special ports instead having connections via USB. So when I got the opportunity to test a set of keyboard and mouse from Trust my own offering was disconnected and the Trust items connected.
They only use a single USB port and being wire less units you are not tethered in any way. The batteries required for both units are already inserted and you just need to pull the small strip of paper out that stops the contact being made. Insert the wireless USB controller and wait a few seconds for Windows to install the driver. There is an on/off switch on the right edge of the keyboard and a similar slider on the base of the mouse.
Following on from Haunted Halls Green Hills Sanatorium. when game players were introduced to the evil Dr. Blackmore, the story line moves onto the evil doctor's latest experiments which, this time, involve young children.
The second episode in the Haunted Halls series, subtitled Fears from Childhood, is a Hidden Object Adventure game as the player is once again given the task of thwarting the plans and latest experiments of the dastardly doctor. I have been looking at the Collector's Edition of the title which adds bonus game play, screensavers, wallpaper, concept art and a sound track features that are available once the main game bas been completed.
Veronica Rivers is a rescue pilot who never seems to be too far from a dangerous situation. As a result she has been cast as the central character and heroine in a number of Hidden Object Adventure game. Two of these titles have been bundled together to form the subject matter of this next review.
Developed by Dragon Altar Games, the title of Portals of the Unknown starts with Veronica working at the North Pole. She receives a distress call and she sets out to help. The game consists of a mixture of mini game puzzles, Hidden Objects scenes, evidence gathering, dialogue and linking cut-scenes. Any dialogue in this game is delivered solely in text format while cut-scenes contain a minimum of animation with overlaid windows to add focus to any activity.
This is a 28inch flat panel that has a fast 1ms response time and is equally at home at 3840x2160 or at 1920x1080 The first to suit a gamer the second for someone needing just a little more assistance at the standard resolution due to less than perfect eye sight. Unlike most flat panels this has speakers that are as good as standalone speakers as they are a pair of 3w offerings.
The screen measures 62x37x1.6cm. Both the sides and top have very narrow borders, the base has a 2cm border with five control buttons under the edge near the right side and the front shows a pin hole LED when power is on. The connections are in a single line 8cm up from the base on an overhang. They are from right to left four USB ports (one always on providing the unit is powered) then the upstream USB. Next are two HDMI 2.1 ports and two Display Ports. Next is a 3.
Can you help a young girl escape the machinations of a King and his Chancellor companion?
The Painted Tower, as you might suspect, forms part of the Drawn series of Puzzle Adventure games. As with the other offerings in this series, the game is based around a concept of magic paintings that can draw people into fantasy worlds. In this case the game is built around a magical tower that is not acting as it should and a young girl, called Iris, who is currently trapped inside.
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