10 Talismans

Good news for anyone dreaming of the Orient.

10 Talismans, new from NevoSoft, allows you to explore the mysteries of the Ancient East right from your desktop. Added bonus: At only $19.95, it's also cheaper and easier than doing so via your next best alternative - a day-long transoceanic voyage.

Detective Stories: Hollywood

Detective Stories: Hollywood is a very long hidden object game with glossy graphics and lots of inventory puzzles. However, boring dialogue and tedious gameplay make the game less entertaining than it should be.

The short description sounds great. You are a private detective called to a major Hollywood studio to investigate the disappearance of $10 million dollars, a famous actress, and the latest print of a new movie. You’ll visit multiple movie sets, offering a lot of variety, and solve hidden object tasks, inventory puzzles, and mini-games. Most characters are drawn to resemble famous movie stars, from Will Smith to Clint Eastwood.  
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Dino & Aliens

You just can't tell a book by its cover or, in this case, a game by its graphics. What looks like a kiddy action game at first blush turns out to be a quite entertaining puzzler for the whole family. Go figure.

Dream Sleuth

Have you ever had a psychic dream? Among people who believe they are psychic, nearly half claim to get their best visions through dreams. That's the premise a Dream Sleuth, a hidden object game that has you solving a mystery with the help of some surreal psychic dreams and some good old fashioned detective work.

Dynasty

If it looks like Luxor and smells like Zuma, then it must be... a different style of game entirely?

Nothing but surprises here, though: Dynasty, the newest offering from Oberon and Nevosoft, takes the whole ball-bursting, color-matching concept and turns it on its head. Plus, no less, adds a healthy dose of Far Eastern sound effects and imagery, setting the title that much further apart from its contemporaries.

The outing's first and arguably most amusing singularity - you play a dragon.

Ice Cream Mania

Don't glance at our 3 out of 5-star rating for this game and write it off as a waste of time - on the contrary, we had fun with Ice Cream Mania - but it plays just like the other five dozen time management games available today. In the end, it's simply an average yet entertaining downloadable diversion that, at the very least, is worth playing the 60-minute free trial.

Laura Jones and the Gates of Good and Evil

Not quite a point-and click adventure but more than a hidden object game, Laura Jones and the Gates of Good and Evil falls into the category of "casual adventure," alongside the likes of Azada and Dream Chronicles.  In such esteemed company, this new offering from Nevosoft holds its own quite well although it's relatively brief and easy.

The game takes place on a university campus, where Laura Jones has recently graduated with an archaeology degree. When one of her instructors, Professor Adams, summons her to work with him on a secret project, Laura encounters a mystery artifact that turns out to be part of a key that can open a mystic gate.
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Magic Academy

What's the difference between Mysteryville and Magic Academy? Honestly, not a lot. Both hidden-object games were developed by NevoSoft (though, Positive Games assisted with the latter). And, both bear a striking resemblance to each other in design and play. In many ways, Magic Academy is the same game dressed in a new set of clothes.

But, that's okay. While similarities exist, a fresh story and entertaining mix of puzzles make Magic Academy a worthy investment. In fact, it's a smidge better than its precursor.

Magic Academy II

Aspiring magic student Irene, whose strange disappearance was the subject of the first Magic Academy game, now has a mystery of her own to solve in Magic Academy II, an uneven hidden object follow-up from Nevosoft that retreads much of the same ground as the original.

Irene wants to serve on the Magic Academy's council like her sister Annie, but she hasn't chosen a good time to apply. The council is in turmoil after a valuable and dangerous document goes missing - and the rumor floating around is that it was stolen by one of the other council members.

Mushroom Age

Mushroom Age hardly sounds like a puzzle and hidden object game. Don't let it throw you, and get ready for a big surprise. Meet the latest wonderful addition to the genre that involves more than finding objects. It blows away many of these games as it lasts much longer than other titles infamous for their short length. Furthermore, the lack of a clock takes away pressure so you can relish the experience.

The story begins with Vera arriving at the lab where her fiancé, Tom, works. She runs into an Albert Einstein look-alike who hates being mistaken for the creator of "E=MC2." She demands to know where Tom is because their wedding takes place in two days. Einbock refuses to tell her anything.  
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