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Domini Games has returned to its Crossroad of the World environment for this next product under review.  This particular episode is entitled "Cursed Letters" and sets you the task of discovering who is responsible for sending threatening letters to somebody you had helped in the past.

The Crossroad of World is a situation that brings together the components of the Universe so they can interact with each other.  Unfortunately this arrangement can sometimes cause problems.  In an earlier episode you had to solve, through your work with the World's Edge Detective Agency, you had to find the person who was responsible for stealing Magic Stars and thus upsetting the balance of the Universe.  You now have to help Franz, the person responsible for this crime and was now trying to make amends by returning the stars.  However somebody was sending Franz threatening letters which were affecting his health so stopping him from returning the stolen stars.  You have been called in to help and resolve this situation.

Counting as possible evidence, the threatening letters have been scattered through various locations that can be found via the Crossroad environment.  You will need to explore and follow the trail left by the perpetrator to discover the letters and examine the clues they reveal.  As a result you will need to investigation many locations that are linked together by a series of static cut-scenes featuring characters that have information to impart in spoken and printed dialogue.

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Each of the locations you need to visit will contain certain areas which you will be required to explore.  There areas are identified by a box symbol and either one or two stars which form the currency used by this game.  In order to reveal what the box symbol might conceal, you will need to hand over the relevant number of stars in order to gain entry.  Stars are earned by completing Hidden Object scenes and mini game puzzles found within the game.  Your current balance in this respect will be displayed in the lower right corner of the screen.

 Mini game puzzles are varied in type and difficulty level.  In many cases you will be offered the choice of an Easy or Hard version but there will be occasions when you do not get this choice.  Among the varied choice of puzzles are those involving Spot the Difference, forming a lock from pieces, creating a base relief, duplicating an image scene, untangling ropes and devising a route along a path.

Unlike the choice offered by puzzle game play, Hidden Object game play does not have a similar option.  You have to tackle the problem as presented.  You might need to find items listed as words, patterns, silhouettes or a clue represented by a pair of line drawing.  While some scenes are shown as pages in a book, some Hidden Object challenges could cover more than one scene and even be concealed within containers.  In some cases I found the lack of instructions of what was necessary, meant that some experimenting was required as to how to proceed.

During your search for the missing threatening letters, you find evidence that expensive paper and ink had been used in creating the letters.  Later, further evidence is found regarding the occurrence of blackmail, kidnapping and poisoning as you explore various locations and meet an alchemist named Ryan.

I have been checking out the Collector's Edition of this title.  Unlike other CE titles from Domini Games,, this offering is not as generous with its bonus extras.  There is no option to replay the mini game puzzles or Hidden Object scenes although you do get a Strategy Guide which can prove useful when solving the mini game puzzles.

Like other offerings in the Crossroad of the Worlds series, Cursed Letters takes a little getting use to but it is worth the effort.  This game can be downloaded from Gamehouse.com where it is priced at $19.99.  The game requires a 2.0 GHz processor with 1024MN of RAM running Windows 7 and later.

Crossroad of Worlds - Cursed Letters Collector's Edition | GameHouse