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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.
Christmas is just around the corner and while it is a time for families and especially younger children. What of those of teenage years approaching adulthood, well games of an adult nature might be of interest that may even lead to a relationship. Here are two such games the first for up to four players but playable with less. The second is a for a couple of consenting adults. So dependant of age you may start with Fondle and move on to Monogamy.
In the box are a 1.2x1.2metre mat with a range of pieces of fruit in various positions, a 25cm circular double sided spinner, four pairs of coloured glasses and a 21x15cm piece of card that has the rules in six languages. I suppose it’s a little bit like twister as the mat has positions that you might have to say place a foot.
Can you handle murder, mystery and madness when tackling this collection of titles?
Take a smidgen of murder, add a flavour of mystery before sprinkling in some madness and the result could be a triple pack of Hidden Object Adventure game play. Entitled Murder, Mystery & Madness, the three main ingredients of this package are Shades of Death - Royal Blood, developed by VOGAT Interactive, Time Mysteries - Inheritance, developed by Artifex Mundi, and Doors of the Mind - Inner Mysteries, developed by QB9.
Join a family as they try to escape from an ancient curse in a new museum.
Some, of a certain age, might have fond memories from their youth that involve sitting in a cinema wearing a pair of red and green glasses to watch a film in 3D. Those same paper-framed glasses with their red and green eye pieces make a reappearance in this next Hidden Object Adventure game entitled Escape the Lost Kingdom. Developed by GOGII, this game integrates you as a member of a typical family, made up of mother, father, daughter, son and troublesome pet.
If your main uses of a PC are for emails, browsing the web and word processing or spreadsheets then a Chromebook can be cheaper and even a more secure form of connection to the outside world as Chromebooks are both automatically updated in the background and have Anti-Virus protection built in so you can remain in a safer environment.
This one from Acer measures 36x23.5.1.5cm and weighs 1677g and can show a full HD screen. Going around the outside on the left is a USB ‘C’ port a USB port and 3.5mm socket for headphones. The front is clear. The right side has micro SD card port, Ethernet connection, USB ‘C’ port and finally a Kensington Lock port. The rear is also clear as the screen goes back beyond 180 degrees. The viewable screen is 34x19.
Join Victorian detectives as they set out to solve the mystery of a village conducting human sacrifices.
This is the smaller of two ‘Cooler Bags’ designed to keep things like beers cool over a long period of time for those into outdoor pastimes when far away from any electrical power. However I can see another use to keep things hot for a long period of time especially in these current times when some may not know when their next hot meal may come.
Your holiday plans are put in disarray by weather conditions and the appearance of a phantom.
Mountain Trap - The Manor of Memories is a Hidden Object Adventure game. Developed by Color Brush Studio, this game casts you in the role of a person who sets out to help a friend who is in trouble and then spends more time and effort helping a phantom bride. When setting up this game you have the usual assortment of options. Named profiles can be created to record the progress of different players. Whatever name you give to the profile will be used for your in-game character.
There are plenty of images to select from as numerous cats set you a puzzle.
Jigsaws have come a long way since the first commercial offerings were developed by the British cartographer and engraver John Spilsbay around 1760. Consisting of a European map on hardwood which was cut out by a saw, the first jigsaws were meant for use as an educational tool to teach children about geography and the layout of different countries. While still being retained as an educational tool, the focus of jigsaw has developed in other ways with a computer base being just one of them.
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