This is a must have for addicted puzzle fans and a no-no for HOG lovers, there aren't any, just puzzles. At first I wondered how to categorize it, as there are some things to find, but they appear in small boxes about 3x3" and are all the same object. They were rare, though. So, I have decided it is a Puzzle Adventure Game only. But what a cracker. BF says the graphics are hand painted. I do not know how that works in a computer game, but whoever did them is a gifted artist. They are gorgeous, surreal and sumptuous, a veritable visual banquet. The majority of the puzzles are extremely complex and intricately designed and they take some doing. I could not do them justice and regrettably spend much time waiting for the skip to fill. But I still would not have missed out on this. At first the story was just the usual make-believe supernatural fare that we see all the time. But there came a point when I was jolted out of that by a particularly disturbing turn of events and it became apparent that the villain of the piece was one of the most unpleasant I have ever encountered in a game. Not just in her deed, but moreso in her motives. It took on a very dark and sinister aspect, one that is prevalent in this world and one of the most dangerous and destructive. This game is not one I would want my underagers anywhere near. There is no visual explicitness, but it is obvious from what the main character writes, exactly what kind of thing he has been subjected to, and I found it very nasty indeed. Definitely adults only. The voice overs are good, as is the music. The navigation leaves a little to be desired, but I do stress the word little. Also some of the cut scenes are little sticky. It took me 5.5 hrs and I skipped about 25% of the puzzles, so for those dedicated "must and will solve it" players, look at about 6 hrs. Lovely piece of work, devs. A real delight to navigate through. Just brush up a little on the mechanics next time. But, thank you and thank you, BF too.

Review based on Purchase and 3/4 completion of game. I can't believe the bad/low reviews! I had to stop playing and write a review. LOVE LOVE LOVE this game. If you're a fan of Hog you will probably not like this game.....there are ZERO. If you love puzzles you will be thrilled (I am!#. ?There is one puzzle after another #like heavy HOG games#. ?The storyline is good, not dark or gloomy, based upon unrequited love. ?The graphics are painted and take some getting used to. ?Hints tell you exactly what needs to be done. ?Flow of game is very good; you stay in areas and can't advance until you complete tasks. You are given a task list. ?Map: none, not needed ?Journal ?Very limited backtracking. Voice over for Lorenzo #circus owner# is excellent. Don't care much for the bird. ?Puzzles: there are your usual pipes, dials that need colors to match, found one match 3 so far #again 3/4 into game#...some that are new and new twist on old standards. I have often wished for a game with just puzzles #much like hog fans get with games such as Clutter etc.). This is that game. Replay value? YES...the puzzles are literally one after the other, with just moments between. I'm off to continue playing....haven't had this much PC game fun in years!

I love adventure games but when I see the "sparkly" areas, I know there is the dreaded hidden object part. It is so hard to find games that are not Hidden Object - adventure. I really wish that the website people here would create a separate category for adventure games that are NON Hidden Object games. Is there a place to ask for this service? Or someone here pass the request to separate NON Hidden Object games.into their own category. Please?

This game has lots of puzzles for those of you who enjoy them. I am having so much fun with the puzzles that I look forward to the next one as the game progresses. In fact, I restarted the game just to play some of the puzzles a second time. The graphics are very colorful and well done, which is something I love in a game. The voice-overs are excellent. The developer has put so much into this game I am surprised that it wasn't released as a CE. All in all, a very nice game that I will enjoy playing many times.

I agree with Sheerija, BTW, thanks for your thorough reviews. I'm only about have way through, but want to give my opinion. I am thrilled with the puzzles, I've only played a couple run of the mill ones. I found most to be unique.This is the most challenging game I have played in a very long time. Definitely gives your brain a work out. Try the demo and see if you like it as much as I do!

"We're not in Kansas anymore, Toto!" Witches and Magic and Creatures, oh my! Gi Games have poured their hearts and souls into this game! Audio, video, sound effects and artwork are all stunning and immediately captivate the senses. Not the usual hidden object scenes, player had to find ten or so objects in a scene, but, it is the puzzles and more puzzles that require gamers to put on their thinking caps. Humbly, this so-called "expert" had to skip a few puzzles and refer to the Walkthrough! Am I an expert gamer? Nevermore! Not the game for you if you want to breeze through and simply "follow the yellow-brick road". Enjoy! -Mama Mia- P.S. I cannot agree with MCF "Shadow Lake" winning BFG Game of the YEAR especially since it didn't come out until the end of the Year and BFG offers a free gift item with purchase. Rather--Mystery Trackers--Four Aces-Yes!!

Love this game. I couldn't believe it when my hour was up. It is definitely not a HOG - so far only a couple of scenes where it was "find 6 of this or 10 of that". Lots of puzzles which are not too difficult to figure out but take some time and patience to finish. Haven't had to skip one yet. The music and sound are very well done as is the scenery. The storyline is pretty basic and so far has not had much impact on the game. The only criticism is that some scene changes are slow to load but this is not really a big deal. So far it is a rather slow paced game and for my brain power on the day after Christmas it is perfect. I highly recommend this game if you like lots of puzzles. Be sure to give it a try.

Loved this game. It's all puzzles and fun. I get very tired of too many HOS in many games. Graphics were great. A definite buy.

I loved the game with the various puzzles. Something different and very nice graphics. I had a lot of fun.

More please! Really like thinky games: definitely a winner. Just give it a try and see if you do too. So wonderful to get away from hunting for objects in a list. Played this on the upper level and actually did some thinking! Graphics are excellent, perhaps a bit small on my little screen. In the hunt for the water valves, I couldn't find them without help. Puzzles without hand-holding are a puzzle just to figure out how they work. A great two-fer! The birds are beautiful without being sappy and sentimental (I'm a bit tired of the beautiful woman needs help routine). Game leads nicely from scene to scene, with some scenes shut off when the work is done to prevent to much wandering. Help button is useful - YAY. No "you can't accomplish anything more here" messages. This is great because you can still forget where you are going to use something you have found. Haven't finished yet, but couldn't keep going without saying how much I was enjoying it. Wish I had more like this to look forward to.