An old man sitting in his rocking chair prepares to read his book. Suddenly smoke starts coming out of the book ... a skull ... and ... playing only to discover this mystery. Beware of the woman in white, cold as death Cutscenes with real people, extremely well done, making you feel inside the game. Excellent graphics, as well as music and VO. The fun and cute raven with glasses, named "Hamlet", will help you on this excellent HOPA. He is the keeper of the city's history. Interactive and challenging HOS, some new mini games others known but with something different. 22 Goblins to collect!! 3 play modes 8 chapters plus bonus chapter Interactive map I played twenty minutes and decided to buy! Highly recommended

REVIEW BASED ON COMPLETED GAME IN 2nd (Advanced) of 3 modes), black bar hints, but no sparkles. SUMMARY -------------- This game is a grabber from the first cut-scene when an old man sitting by a toasty fire discovers more in his book than dust mites. The story quickly moves to what is now a defunct town crawling with Zombies all in need of something before they will help as well as the Museum where the ancient and bony ship resides. Though the subject matter might sound gruesome, the game is not. The scenes are bright and beautiful, with humor and whimsy woven throughout game play. Even the music is terrific! Go Figure. --a mix of Jazzy Piano and Spooky strings (Not unlike "Tubular Bells" from the original Exorcist movie). The artwork/graphics design, Voice Overs, Cut Scenes, and music were harmonized to maintain an ambiance of mystery, intrigue, and a little bit o' the creepy while keeping tongue firmly planted in cheek. There was a good balance between iHOS, mini-game, and adventure and had the bells and whistles many expect from CEs these days. DETAILS -------------------- STORYLINE: First and foremost for me was having bits and pieces around the fantastic discovery of the ship of bones, infighting to make it available to the public before proper analysis, a mysterious psychic, leak out from various sources. THEME & AMBIANCE: The artwork, characters such as a ferocious ice dog with spikes like a porcupine, and icy-crackly sound effects, really got across that IT WAS COLD. Those who chill easily or who are fed up with Winter themes might want to wear an extra pair of socks or play the game in the summer! :) ARTWORK, DESIGN, GRAPHICS: I was a little reminded of H.R. Giger the guy who created the creatures for the movie Alien, only the creatures in this game are very cool looking but not gruesome or dark. Designers THANKS for thoroughly utilizing various areas within each scene rather than leaving a number of "pass-

GAME COMPLETED TWICE Forgive me I couldn?t resist. How about: Interesting, Engrossing, & Beautiful I loved the opening video to this game, but I?m blowed if I understand its relevance to the story that follows. The story was handled particularly well, I thought. Not just dialogue, but also video, notes and narration from the ?respected Raven? Hamlet, spread out well throughout the game. Never boring, even on my second playing. I like what this series does with slightly exotic legends, adding a little credibility to the story through recognisable bad guys. Everyone else has told you how beautiful this game certainly is, its graphics, cutscenes and sound content are all first class. Have just finished my second playing, and I?m as thrilled as the first. And tired ? this is a long game. There weren?t so many locations, but there was a lot to do in each, with plenty of interactive HOs and new, intriguing but not overly difficult puzzles. Some of what makes this game special is the Book Of Fire. Not only is it an invaluable weapon against this icy goddess, it comes with a new type of mini-game that is excellent fun. I hope to see more of it. The game also has few of the usual clich?s ? I?m not sure, but I think there was only code to collect. Although it has no journal, it?s not missed, and the interactive jump map will get you where you need to go. Bonus Content Review ***** Bonus game play was short (about 25% of the main game), included 4 new locations and 7 old ones (but they were all radically altered). The story itself is a little odd, more fanciful than the main game, but fun anyway. I?m glad I bought the CE. The other extras included are: Strategy Guide ? very good. I didn?t use it often, but to push for all the achievements, I used it instead of Hint Achievements ? The usual Collectible Goblins ? Not easy to find, 22 in all, one per scene. Last page of SG will give locations. Wallpaper (excellent), Screensaver, Concept Art, Mus

Played advanced level and what impressed me from the 1st was live actors with an opening scene that drew you into the story immediately. Although we've been down this road before--an uninhabited and deserted city due to an evil sorceress who steals souls, Elephant Devs make for entertaining games and this one is no exception. Interactive map, collecting "items" and achievements. I don't ever remember another game where a hidden object scene could be skipped, however, Adventure gamers may enjoy being able to skip one or two in Hallowed Legends: Ship of Bones. Very encouraging that Devs listen to us gamers and try to provide something fun for everyone! Enjoy! -Mama Mia-

Based on completed game.... WOW. This is a terrific game! Elephant Games and Big Fish Games have done it again!! I actually did not like the first two "Hallowed Legend" games, but this one gripped me from the beginning and didn't let go until the end of the bonus play. MANY places to explore, the hidden object scenes were great. They were fun without being a strain on my older eyes. I actually prefer games with lots of back and forth, so I never got tired of that OR used the map to transport. It's fun to remember where everything is you need to do or collect. The game is meant to be a bit spooky, but the scenes are lovely, not dark or gloomy. HIGHLY RECOMMEND !!!!

SO glad I got the CE and didn't wait for the SE. Since I'm getting in late on a review I will state that I am not one who wants CEs for the collectibles, achievements, morphing objects, wallpapers, etc. I want the added play time and for the bonus chapter to be worthy of the price. Ship of Bones is very well worth it as the bonus chapter takes you to about 12 areas where you actually help the ship of bones go back to where it belongs. EXCELLENT !!! Love the whole game!

Good story line: you have to help a spirit (Hel) who is wreaking havoc on a town after her bone ship is pillaged by the villagers, turning the town into ice. VOS HOS interactive, nice and clear Good puzzles, short skip Transport map Collect goblins Beautiful graphics Good length: 4.5 casual plus 1.75 bonus (6.25 hours)

Well worth the wait for this next Hallowed Legends game. Elephant games has not let us down. Loved it. There is so much to do and remember. You do get a little helper which is nice. You also get to collect goblins as you go along. The story line is just creepy enough and full of twists and turns. Very interesting things to do and the HOG are challenging. I highly recommend this game.

Elephant Games, one of my favorite developers, hit it out of the park again with their latest game, Hallowed Legends: Ship of Bones. I normally shy away from purchasing the CE's and wait for the SE; however, in this case I'm glad I purchased the CE for several reasons. First, I want to support this developer in every way possible. They make stellar games, NOT substituting 'quality' for 'quantity'. Second, there are well-hidden collectibles to find and achievements to earn. But what really increased my respect for this CE release is the length and detail of the bonus adventure. Far too often, bonus games feel rushed and unimaginative; adding nothing to the story and acting more as 'filler' than real bonus game-play. Not the case here. The attention to detail in the bonus game is as good as the attention and creativity given to the main game. The length is impressive as well, adding a good 2 hours to overall game-play. The story-line for the bonus game is not necessary to complete the main game (the ending wraps us nicely) but does provide an additional story which is every bit as unique and enjoyable. I won't go into detail about the music, atmosphere, etc., as many other reviewers have already covered those areas in great detail. I will say that I am extremely impressed with ALL elements of this game, from the ambient sounds to the game mechanics. The right amount of challenge is provided, based on your skill-set and preference as there are 3 modes of game-play. The SG is helpful should you need assistance from time to time. The map is a transporter, so the game is not overrun with a lot of back-tracking. The puzzles and HOS are nicely spaced with no repeat hidden object scenes which keeps the game fresh and moving forward. Your 'assistant' and other characters you meet throughout the game are incredibly well-done and fun to interact with. The length of the main game is above par. As an expert player, the main game easily took me 6-8 hours to complete, plus the additional 2 hour bonus adventure

This was quite a good game. It was beautifully drawn as always with Elephant games. Really awesome cut scenes. But what I liked the best was the extra gameplay. There were goblins to collect and achievements to achieve. But there was also a magical book that needed to be recharged and you did that by matching runes to locations throughout the game. (similar to MCF games) You also collected runes and crystals. very good. Each location stayed open as you needed to do things in each one long into the game. There was the addition of a crow to help if you didn't mind him complaining the entire time. He also told the story in the cut scenes. I liked this game. I will add that it seemed a bit similar to some of their other games but it was still good.