People familiar with the James Patterson series will quickly notice that this game uses the same engine (and even reuses some of its visual / sound effects). Unfortunately, the game's mystery isn't on par with Mr. Patterson's. It remains entertaining enough for a recommendation, but not much higher. Gameplay-wise, the game is a mix of hidden-object search, coupled with some side puzzles and some basic inventory management. Some of the objects you'll find count as clues, while completing a location always provide you with a new "Clue Card" telling you a bit more about the story. Some locations also have optional tasks. Performing those will provide you with more HOG hints.

I have owned this game for a long time and was so frustrated with it. I never got past the first, section the objects to small and the scenes are so far away from the items they are very difficult to see on a monitor screen. The timed object finds are stupid considering the above. To me it seems like the Developers blow the scene up, place articles in it and then shrink them down again. Finding an elephant under a blade of grass is not good programming.

I bought this game because I like its similar games by Floodlight like James Patterson and Agatha Christie. I know their style of HOG games which are tiny items put into a scene, but they're so realistically drawn that I really don't mind much. On the demo I can finish till Investigation 4 that I assume it won't be too much difficult although there is only one mode, that is timed game. As the game progressed, it's getting more difficult, as the time given is the same (25 min) but the location is more. I feel this game is harsh since we dont get any other option except being timed, and we also have to find optional item, but we dont get any hint. And when we exhaust all the hint, we can't get anymore that we are left in the dark, and tried to find the tiny items among the pile, even as small as a dot also count. The game is rather long as I used up almost all of the time given. However when you finish the game, there's some sense of achivement that you can go through all those things. I still tnk this game has a replay value. I will definitely play this game again after some time. If you like challenges in HOG, this game is for you.

This was one of the first HOG games I ever played, so my experience level was low. I found it very challenging and I didn't know about walkthroughs. I got through it anyway and replayed it many times because it was the only HOG I had . The story is entertaining and plausible, the mini-games lend to the story, and the mystery is fairly good. The graphics are not MCF quality, but I didn't think things were as hard to find as Coosto did. When my computer crashed, I bought this game again from Bigfish when the company I originally bought it from couldn't replace it for me.

I found it enjoyable - the levels increased in difficulty somewhat, and the storyline was entertaining. I enjoyed playing this game.

Like one of the other reviewers, this was among the first HOG games I played, and like that reviewer, I've also bought it twice because the company I originally bought it from couldn't replace it. This is a great game. It might not be at quite as flashy as some of the newer HOG games, but it has an interesting story and fun gameplay. I think the scenes are what really stood out to me, though. I felt like I was in actual place and really enjoyed spending time on most of the scenes. The sound effects created a nice ambiance, as well. I didn't think the objects were overly hard to find -- hard, yes, but not overly so. I think it's an enjoyable difficulty, for the most part. I did it without a walkthrough, and it provided a lot of challenging gameplay. It felt longer than the average HOG to me. At the very least, play the trial version and see what you think. It's a solid game.

Love HOG, but this is a complete pixel hunt!!! Tiny, tiny objects to find and items listed as optional aren't optional. Don't waste your time and money on this one!!