April 19, 2008

Hidden Mysteries - Civil War, new hidden object game

Fasten your seatbelts and hold on tight, folks. Big Fish Games has released a new hidden object game that’s going to take you on a rough ride. I mean that in a good way, of course. If you like your games to engage and challenge, download it for a free hour and take it for a test drive.

Hidden Mysteries - Civil War is the toughest hidden object game I’ve played in quite a while. I struggled to find some of the items on the search lists in each scene. I had quite a few “duh!” moments, because all of the items are obvious once you find them. They’re well camoflaged and cleverly placed, though, and you’ll work to find many of them. Three hints are available on each level. You may find that that’s just not enough help to get you through to the end. A minigame is always on call to let you rebuild your store of hints, but I never did figure out the secret of solving it.

Players have the option of playing in timed or relaxed mode. I highly recommend that you go easy on yourself by selecting “relaxed.” The story line follows several soldiers on both sides of the conflict, with different battlefields serving as your search screens. You’ll find numerous personal letters along the way which will give the story and perspective of the soldiers. Upon completion of each level you’re presented with a brief history lesson that places it all in context.

You’ll also find some official communications which are written in code. Breaking the codes provides a pleasant break from the tension that builds up as you strive to solve each level. The codes will require a little work but are not terribly difficult.

My free hour of play went by much too quickly. Since I appreciate a good challenge, I bought Hidden Mysteries - Civil War and played through to the end. There’s an annoying twist to the storyline at its conclusion, but I’m still rating this one as “highly recommended.” The artwork is bright and realistic, the challenge level is high and it’s a fairplay game (ie: evey challenge can be solved.) The full version is available exclusively at Big Fish for $19.99, discounted to $6.99 if you join the Game Club. You’ll get two free games when you sign up, so it’s a pretty nice bargain for the serious game fan.

You can see all of my hidden object game reviews by selecting the games category from the drop-down box on my left sidebar. Each includes a link to a free download for you to try.

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