Pros:
Interesting story line.
Appealing characters.

Cons:
Mediocre graphics.
Puzzles too easy.
Some hidden objects very difficult to find; most objects very obvious.
Mouse sensitivity much higher than computer settings.
Very irritating swirling of cursor after making a few clicks.
Game too short - finished it in one day.

Would like:
Option to set mouse sensitivity.
No punishment for excess clicking.
Much longer game.

I'd say that a lot of modern LCD displays could not properly expose a picture designed initially for CRT displays. So there may be an oppinion that some items are obscure, etc... This is not the best HOG game, but it is really playable, and it has reasonably good hint system. And it is entertaining. Unfortunately, the final part of the game does not look as thorough-paced.

........................Moderator comment................................

Thank you for your feedback Vladimir

Thank you so much for the help. I've bookmarked that link ... in case I have issues with other downloads. I restarted my computer and that seemed to fix whatever the issue was so I'm sure it was on my end. Played the game, just finished it, and loved it! Thanks again for all you do to bring us these great free programs!! :D

......................Moderator Comment.......................

Glad you got it sorted.

Hi!

Was a very fast download! Set up with ease, but no sound at all!
Plays easy, though the whirring pointer can get annoying, but is with most games! It seems pretty easy, almost too easy. Not sure I like where there are no items and then they miraculously appear, but would be good for younger set probably.

Thanks for another good game. and unsure who ill, but hope feel better!

.......................Moderator Comment.......................

Thanks for your feedback Lee. :)

First, I want TO say Thank You for the free games and apps. Second, I'm sorry some complain. They're free. For me, that makes it a "no complaint" situation. :D

Now for the install. I'm on Win7 Home Premium and it simply will not run. I have tried all the different Win version, color modes, Run as Admin, etc but the closest it does is screen goes to black and then back to my desk top. :( I'll keep trying since I've installed it but can't figure out what else I can do differently. Never had this problem with any of these games from Playrix before.

................................Moderator Comment.........................

Have you checked the FAQ's thread over in the game discussion forums? You'll find it via the following link:


http://www.giveawayoftheday.com/forums/topic/11647

Check the event log as soon as you've installed the game. I suggest you delete the installation and reinstall, then check the event log to see if there are any messages that will give a clue as to what may be the problem. Also try updating your graphic drivers and make sure you've got the latest version of Direct X.

Amnother possibility could be your security or other software running in the background maybe causing a conflict

Thank you for all the games you've given us, Stephen. I do not play HOG, (patience and sight are shot), but thank you for posting ANY games!!!

.........................Moderator Comment.........................

Thank you. :)

I cheated and checked two different walkthroughs trying to find a journal page. It isn't where they said it would be. Since I can't get out of the office I am going to delete this one. Also I have a small screen and the program runs in an even smaller box. Hard to locate small items.

.........................Moderator Comment.........................

Hopefully next weeks games will make up for today's :)

Thank you so much Stephen for including bas's comment (No. 21). It was so funny, I got a great lift for the day. Such a stupid comment, I wonder how old bas is, not much older than 15 I would have thought. I rarely appear on this site now, I'm glad I did today. Hope you are much improved soon, after your fall.

..........................Moderator comment..........................

Hi Nola, sorry I've not emailed you for a long time. so much has been happening over the last year. will get an email to you soon. I hope all's well with you (hope you fully recovered from your foot injury). :)

Got this last year - was a fair game - so thanks again! Quote moderator, I.E. the fearsome dare devil rabbit: "Took a really bad fall yesterday that has left me in a lot of ‘extra’ pain today."
Lots of us dudes have fallen, I.E. I took a spinning fall on the ice last year and got hurt! How did you fall??? Kids push you off the roof??? The wife throw a pan at you, knocking you down??? Fall down the stairs when you tripped over the pet??? Just curious!! They say falling happens to us adults more often as we get older, unfortunately!!! Hope you are better?

........................Moderator comment............................

The fall was insigated by my big toe catching the bottom of the leasure wear I wear around the house (They are baggy, almost like a pair of karate trousers.) while squeezing past a coffee table and a sofa. The sofa had been moved while my wife and daughter had been trying to catch one of our dwarf rabbits earlier. We let them run around various rooms in the house to give them some space. I went down really hard on a wooden floor, now I can hardly move.

Thanks for repeat offer. Played it a bit last time and like review got bored silly for the variety of stated reasons. Maybe for the young beginners. No problems with it.

I hope you are feeling better

......................Moderator comment..........................

No serious damage, just very sore at the moment. Should be okay in a few days. Thanks

Installed and played fine on my computer running Vista.

I enjoyed this game. Not the best HOG out there, but I did enjoy it, but was hoping for something new. Thumbs Up.

Not a bad game, Autumn does get a little annoying when she keeps popping in with info that is not all that helpful, and some of the objects are hard to see, but over all a good game, what a nice way to spend Sunday afternoon....
Thanks for the great games...

Installed and played with no issues on Windows 8.1.
This is a decent HOG. I agree that the small object pieces can be tedious to look for and the penalty for hints is rather harsh.
This game is not as colorful as most Playrix games, at least in the first scene. The sepia like tones make it a bit more difficult to see for those with less than perfect vision like myself. I feel like I want to turn on a light or pull out a flashlight!
As usual Playrix games function well and surpass the competition.
Many thanks to all the developer's who contribute games for us to try. And thanks to the GGOTD staff for all their hard work!

...............................Moderator comment............................

Thank you for your feedback Chris.

Downloaded no problem but keep getting message that Set Up File is corrupted - please obtain a new copy. Have turned off all my anti virus programme and firewalls but still not go, will not install. Think I may have to pass on this one. Got the new Kaspersky and not sure if that is the problem. Really disappointed as I love HOG games.

...............................Moderator comment............................

Hi Jacqui, check out the FAQ's thread over in the game dicussion sticky section

http://www.giveawayoftheday.com/forums/topic/11647

Sometimes using a different file archiver can solve the problem.

Sorry to hear about your injury, WhiteRabbit.


The game crashed my Windows 7 HP system, but ran in XP compatibility mode (messed up graphics painting on my desktop display; a common problem).

Only played a little -- enough to continue, although I can see the potential annoyance level cited by other reviewers.


I'm really posting to relay some Playrix news -- "Fishdom: Depths of Time" has just been released.

It would be REAL nice if Playrix let GGOTD have "Fishdom 3" or "Aquascapes" (not yet given away here) ...

(for the record, we've had Fishdom, Fishdom 2, Fishdom H2O, Spooky and Frosty Splashes, with Harvest Splash free if you sign up for the Playrix mailing list)


As I've posted before, it's nice to have a variety of games offered. But who among us would say "no" to more Fishdom? ;-)

................................Moderator Comment.........................

Thanks for the feedback.

So long as Playrix continue to give games away here, i'm sure we will see newer versions eventually. It's just a matter of waiting.

@ #21 (bas)... it is NOT discrimination to moderate comments! A forum is like someone's home. In our own homes, we are NOT required to suffer comments that we find abusive, in poor taste or not in keeping with our own philosophy.... or whatever. We are not required to give a reason!

As for suing at the drop of a hat... an over-litigious culture results in fewer freedoms for everyone and a poor economy. To threaten to sue over your comments not being posted in a private forum is just infantile.

Get over it...

................................Moderator Comment.........................

Well Said.

To be honest, I didn't moderate the guys comment as I was way behind, so let around 20 comments through wothout reading fully; I just skimmed through. will have to check them later.I rarely do that, but was too distressed a tthe time to be able to sit for arounf an hour moderating all of those comments. That's what it would have taken me to work through those 20 comments and add replies.

So sorry to hear about your fall, Stephen. Wishing you a speedy recovery.

................................Moderator Comment.........................

Thanks, I should recover soon. :)

I had this game when it was given away before. I LOVE HOG so keep them coming! This game starts kinda bad i played it for awhile stopped and did not plan on finishing it. Then i went back and played it threw some more and actually really enjoyed it. So i suggest people give it a try.

................................Moderator Comment.........................

Thanks Oni - I used to know a guy called Oni, his initials were O.O.O. We wrote a booklet that was aimed at hill farmers and covered various farming methods and how to avoid problems with sileage, and other farming issues. The booklet included an audio cassete commentary with slides as well (you can tell how long ago that must have been, lol). Worked on it as part of a taught Master of Science course.

Got this game last time and, while I had no time to play it through, I can confirm it did work on XP SP3. Nice to have a HOG instead of a match-3.

Well, yeah, it's an older game so it's not going to satisfy some folks, but then we are all different and like different things.

Have this on my old laptop and remember playing it but don't remember if I finished it. Difference between old and new laptops....old; download took 15 minutes, new; less than 1 minute....love the new one!

I am grateful I have a place to get games for free and if you don't like what is offered then just keep quiet and wait until the next week. Have been here since shortly after they first started with the daily giveaway and am just happy the site is still here. So many other things have disappeared over the years. Nice safe site.

As for the person complaining about their comments not being posted...dude you are whacked! It is not against the law for someone not to publish your posts (and I doubt that is true in the first place). This is a privately owned site and they can choose to publish or not publish anything damn thing they want. Go troll somewhere else.

I want to thank the site owners, the developers and White Rabbit and the monitors who take time to set this up, allow us free games, post information about the games and put up with all the complainers.

Yeah, it's not a review, but I just get a little ticked at the way some people act and think it is their due to get their own way. Too much entitlement attitudes these days and too little thankfulness.

Sorry for the rant (not)!

LadyLei aka
CabLady

................................Moderator Comment.........................

You are absolutely right LadyLei; I don't understand why people complain when its free. One of the reasons I do what i do here is as a thank you to the owners for all the games they have managed to get for us. There were of course a lot more before they went to weekends only.

Hi, seeing what's been already said today on this occasion I'd like to add my own reflection. Most of us here understand how these Games come to the fore each weekend and don't hold personal 'grudges' against Moderator(s) choices, come on Folks! What's available must be hard enough task to satisfy each and every User of this Site as it is?? I personally might dislike 'match 3's, TMs, racing, shooting, war Games, BUT that's my preference, and seeing them presented and given for free here - I simply abstain from downloading. What's more - don't moan about it, or make nasty comments. I see enough evidence that mentioned above genre of Games have enough 'Audience' to make someone else (than me) happy and grateful for a change, so why would I want to SPOIL it!? Seriously, that's not the same as polite so called 'wish-list' and/or occasional plea..?

At the same token - I always enjoy when HOGs are being given away and am not ashamed to 'own up' that they (but not only and always) catch my prime attention and interest, provided they have true Quality (graphics, gripping and engaging plot, intelligent and amusing way the object are hidden, and how well the clues and help is incorporated in given Game) So yes, I too (like many) can be choosy, and dismiss certain less or least interesting HOGs. Now I do, it has to be said... It really all depends on that very first one that grabs attention and determines how this 'love affair' develops, lol. In my case it was first 'Mysteryville', and.. many years later and list of these Games too long and boring to mention - that affection didn't fade away, just became more sophisticated. I guess.
Nowadays there is indeed Mega(!) HOGs Market, because, like it or not - they are still very popular, and more so - earned themselves firm place in classic Games category.

I downloaded Today's Game simply because I've missed that (large) HOG given here 2 weeks ago:((, soon to find out that I already had Autumn's Treasures and..even picking up where (in the plot) it was left - I realized there was a reason for abandoning it... I still remain unimpressed with this particular Playrix Game, not only disliking looking for silhouettes, looking for bits of silhouettes(!), stupidly hard to find (on top of penalty points when using clue button!) - hinders the flow of this game no end, sorry. Not the best graphics, annoying dialogs, a.s.o. It's a shame, because Screenshots and Description promisees something else altogether in this 'mellow' (topical) Autumn Story. Again - this Game might as well be someone else's cup of tea, so please don't take my word for it and give it a try!

Ah well, back to my own autumn treasures, that is raking leaves in the garden and, oh boy, having a real 'parkland':) - in abundance, and equally therapeutic as playing a gripping game (ok, less exciting, lol) Have a nice Sunday afternoon and evening.

................................Moderator Comment.........................

Thank you for your feedback Fran, sorry it's taken me so long to moderate it. And yes I agree with your initial views on games given away here, well said.

Got this last time it was offered yes the dialog is older, but then if you take it as this is when the game is based no problem, as far as an HOG games goes this is alright, and as you move through can be fairly challenging. My big complaint with this HOG like many others is that you can only get the thing you need right now even through you see things that you will need later, this forces you to go back to the same scenes over and over again (drives me nuts). there are a number of different mini-games through out and some are ok (I can't remember if I skipped them or played them). So over-all an alright HOG, I cannot comment on the sound as I never have it on.

................................Moderator Comment.........................

Thank you for your feedback Candice

I had to stop this one before I could find the first two objects. I love Playrix games, and an older HOG doesn't usually bother me, because I don't get them when they're new, but like an other reviewer mentioned, this one is too poorly arranged. I can't see the pieces, not because they are hidden too cleverly, but because the graphics are too poor and the pieces too poorly placed. Click three or four times too fast, and there's that frozen icon. Looking for pages for a book inside two rooms filled with paper, but click too many and the icon goes all spinney? Nope, not gonna spend an entire game squinting at the screen.

................................Moderator Comment.........................

Thank you for your feedback Stealth Bunny

quit not posting my comments it is censorship and illegla in united states and i will sue the moderator and the company as i never lose

................................Moderator Comment.........................

Thank you for the laugh Bas, I'm sure your comment has given quite a few regulars a chuckle. I tend to be the only moderator here and i do it voluntarily, so I don't sit in front of the computer waiting for a comment to be posted. I occasionaly check what's been posted, and make sure they are okay to pass the moderation stage.

W.r.t. sueing, I think you'd have a very difficult time suing me as I live outside of US juristiction. I find it sad that people like you feel you have to threaten. If you'd have been more patient, you would have seen your post moderated.

p.s. checked all comments and didn't find any others posted by you. I have been the only moderator here today and i defineitely didn't delete the post you said wasn't moderated. I rarely delete a post and even when i do, i will leave a message to the poster with a reason why the comment was deleted. Usually I just edit out the inappropriate parts of the comment.

Some people like comment 6 think they are entitled to the game of their choice each week. Those comments will only encourage the developers to go away and never be seen. I'm very grateful to the Giveaway Team and the moderation staff that make these giveaways possible. My wallet has been financially tight lately and these games have relieved my stress.

Thank you Game Giveaway for todays game, you do have fans who appreciate your hard work :)

................................Moderator Comment.........................

Well said Little bear, I agree with you totally. I've hoped for quite a few years now that the community would be more pro active with respect to leaving constructive comments about the games, both positive and negative as well as ideas to improve the games. I'm sure if we got such comments more developers would link up with the giveaway team. I'd always envisioned a good review site where developers would come to visit to see what the community tohught of their games, but we are still only getting a very small percentage of the community leaving comments and many of those don't really say much about the game. (around 0.1% of the giveaway population post comments.

yawn... I like HOG but this one is just plain boring and drab.

Greetings...

Thank you for getting this one. However, I had it the last time it was given away and thought that, maybe, the next time would be a sequel.

I understand it's up to the developer, but if a game is given away a second (or third+) time, maybe you could ask if they could do a different one?

Again, thank you for your page :)

Got it on the last giveaway, good game if you like HOG, which happens to be one of my faves! Thanks!

Downloaded and installed on Win 7 without any problems.

I'm not a really big fan of HOG games but it being a Playrix game, I downloaded this one just to take a break from the other games I have. I found it to be interesting, a bit of a challenge--especially finding like items mixed in with similar items. With the quality of the game seeming a little older than some other HOG games I've played I think it is still one that I will keep until I have completed.

Thanks Playrix and GGOTD

This game will not work on my new computer which is windows 8.1

Every weekend I look forward to seeing what games are going to be free. A few I might have downloaded in a previous giveaway, some are not the type I enjoy and some have been favorites and absolute treasures! I am getting these games for free! I know they have don't have hidden trojans or a virus so I don't have to worry about downloading them thanks to GGOTD. If it's something i don't like, oh well, I can look forward to the next one. But thank you so much for offering these free, safe games! Sorry this isn't really a game review (I do generally read through them before I download) but it seems more and more there are as many complaints about the game being given away as actual reviews of the game. I felt you should know there are probably hundreds like me that don't gripe about whats given away and just really look forward to the weekends to see what game is being offered on GGOTD. Thanks for all the games you have offered over the years!

.................................Moderator comment..........................

Thank you for your comments thankful. It's usually a small minority that complain about these games. There are more like thousands downloading these every week. :)

I found this game frustrating and not much fun, just as Stephen described. It takes too long to assemble an object, and then you don’t know what to do with it. There is too much of a penalty for using the hints. I do enjoy some of the HOG games, such as Fishdom, but this one is just too tedious. For me, this is not a keeper.

I suppose arkanoid games have fallen out of favor. Those were my favorite and I had several good ones before my computer crashed and I lost them. I was without a computer at home for a few years, since I was using the one at the office, but couldn’t download games. Now I have a new computer and was able to download Egyptoid 2 from GGOTD earlier this year. I haven’t seen another arkanoid game offered since then. Still, I am very grateful to GGOTD (as well as GOTD) for the work they do and for making free software available.

...........................Moderator comment...........................

Arkanoids are still one of my favorite arcade genres together with shmups. I've got some excellent breakouts. One of my favorites is a game released several years ago called Acky's XP breakout. Also love Ricochet Infinity, mainly due to the number of custom made levels that you can download via the game.

THIS IS THE MOST AMAZING GAME EVER MADE!

Well, expect for all the others that are better.

Which wouldn't be most of them, but a lot of them.

I mean the worse games of Plarix are still better than the better games of other companies.

But Playrix sets the bar HIGH HIGHER HIGHEST! When one of their games doesn't reach the FISHDOM level (and lets face it, that just doesn't happen)they get panned for sending out a BAD BADDER BADDEST game.

That's not fair!

So, the voice acting was a little off. So what? Sometimes the reviews on this page are a little off too. Does that mean we stop reading them?

You don't like putting fragmented pieces together? Tough! At least the game works well. At least it isn't a clicky game where all you have to do is click click click.

I just wish GAOTD would quit saying that "EVERY DAY" they offer free games...in the blurb in the corner of their main page. That is just a lie. They haven''t offered games "every day" since I started visiting the site six years ago.

This is a fun game but the hint takes way too long to recharge. They should have offered different levels of game play. I don't want to wait the time for the hint to fill up so I will pass on this. I greatly appreciate the offer and the effort.

I for one really like HOGs when they are well executed, though "adventure" games (where you sometimes have to find objects but also solve puzzles, etc.) are my faves. (Still working with Questerium!). And I don't like shooters at all. So it's nice that there's usually a little something for everyone here if you're patient. Thank you, Stephen!

This one does seem a bit basic, but I'll give it a whirl. Hope you are feeling better soon!

Stephen, hope you feel better. Thanks for your reviews.

................................Moderator Comment.........................

Thank you Brendag

Installed on XP with no troubles. I agree with most of the comments- kinda feels sluggish/bland, some items can be a little tricky to see at first, and you'll have to go back and forth several times to collect them all before the item is complete so you can move forward.- That said, it's a decent game. Thanks GOTD and Playrix :)

................................Moderator Comment.........................

Thank you for your feedback

I enjoyed this game when I last played it back in March 2013, but I'd lost it and have been glad to download it again from GAOTD - as Stephen says, without all the bits and pieces from other sites.

It's true that it is a bit dated, but I still think it's a good game of its sort. The storyline is pretty decent, and I find the graphics are perfectly OK. There is a good mix of HOG scenes and other things to do and puzzle over. I suppose if I were writing a school report I would probably say "Quite Good"!

Sorry to hear about your fall, Stephen, and I hope you feel better soon.

................................Moderator Comment.........................

Thank you for your feedback Margaret

Once more a hidden object-trash - every week nearly the same. Yesterday no game - today only a gift for kiddies - keep it.

..........................Moderator comment.........................

The game giveaway team has no control over which games the developers give us. You just have to be patient. i'm sure we will see something you like. If you are so dissatisfied with most game giveaways, why don't you post suggestions as to how these games could be improved instead of posting the same old same post?

This was previously given away on March 23, 2013.
http://game.giveawayoftheday.com/autumns-treasures-the-jade-coin/
Stephen, can you see any differences between this time and the last giveaway by chance?

..........................Moderator comment.........................

No I didn't see any difference

A kind advice to the amazing staff of GGOTD: now games are being given away just in the weekends and they are mostly HOG or Match 3. Maybe, since the offer is more restricted in time, it would be cool if other kinds of games (like racers or shooters) could be offered more often to meet the needs of a broader range of users. Even because almost ever games offered here are available 24/7 on other websites like Gametop and Myplaycity, making the deadline of 24 hours not necessary.

........................Moderator comment........................

Sadly Jordan, it's not up to the giveaway staff; it's all down to the kindness of various developers as to what games we get. Over the past several years there has been an unbelievable number of HOG's created, which is why we are now getting so many given away. I too would love to see something more than HOG's, Match three's and Time Management games, sadly, those are the three genres that have dominated the arcade games industry for many years now. We do get the occassional gem from other genre's, it's just a case of being patient. On average we are still getting more never beofre given away games to repeats, even if those are HOG's.

There is still no other web site that offers games like the game giveaway site with no strings attached (toolbars, browser openings, browser hijacks, home page hijacks etc).

Maybe I should ressurect the good Games to Grab thread over in the game discussion forums. I've not posted details of any free games (permanently free) for several months now. A few years ago, we used to post details of free games almost on a daily basis. If you look in the game discussion forums, there's details of around 2000 free games posted over the last 6 years, mainly in two types of thread Good Games to Grab and Free games of the day all have a week number included in the title so are easily identified. There is a synopsis of around a thopusand gamesbut that hasn't been updated in at least three years. It includes all game sup to week 100.

Thanks, GGoTD, but this game is not for me. It did install with no problems, unlike the last Playrix giveaway, but after playing for about 10 minutes, I have called it a day and will uninstall it.

The game is so outdated, it feels as though it comes from another era, with its rather primitive graphics and stilted dialogue, and it's also just plain bad.
The fragmented objects you are constantly searching for are mostly small and hard to find - searching for papers in a room full of papers, for example - and yet there is a click penalty, which I really hate. That is a complete turnoff for me, you click more than a few times without finding something, and suddenly your cursor is whirring around and becomes unusable. Most game devs have given up on that a long time ago, when it became clear how much players hated it.

I couldn't find anything I liked about this game, sorry. It's a pity, because Playrix have made some really good games, but this most certainly isn't one of them.

..........................Moderator comment.........................

No need to apologise. Thank you for your feedback

This was available a while ago, i played it through, its absolutely worth to play, even when the graphics are a bit poor so the hiden objects are sometimes very hard to find, you should give it a try!

I may add my usual game deals ending later today. Took a really bad fall yesterday that has left me in a lot of 'extra' pain today.

















Autumn's Treasure: The Jade Coin:












Installation:


Autumn's Treasure: The Jade Coin downloads to a 118 MB zip file that unpacks to a read me and a wrapped setup activation file (the orange colored file with the key symbol), plus there's a setup file with security (setup.gcd) that's protected from being hacked. This file may case some security software to alert the user to a possible malware attack, but it will be a false positive.

The game giveaway team check all game giveaways for malware using several well known anti -malware suites. There has never been a game giveaway infected with malware since the project started back in Dec 2006. Some community members have been having problems installing games since the security software was added. It's been found that turning off your security or configuring it to accept the setup.cgd file sorts the problem out. The installed game is MB in size. and installs to:


C:\Program Files (x86)\Playrix Entertainment\Autumns Treasures the Jade Coin


by default but can be changed to suit whatever your wishes are. There is no uninstaller, but this game is free standing so to delete just remove the installed folder from your hard drive. No shortcuts are installed so you will have to create your own which as most of you know is easy an easy process (right click on the games executable then select ‘Send to’ then from the drop down menu select ‘Desktop (create shortcut) ’). If you want to create a start menu/programs folder you’ll need to find the appropriate folders via your account. Once the game is installed you can delete the giveaway setup files.















I've only tested the game on Win 7 this time around, Anyone running Win 8, Vista or XP, please confirm whether this game works Thanks.



This game is available from MyPlayCity, HERE











Introduction:

Help Autumn find her grandfather’s treasures in this Hidden Object Adventure game! After receiving her inheritance, Autumn finds a mysterious journal page in Gramps`s antique store, and follows his clues across the globe to recover priceless antiques. Autumn`s Treasures contain ancient secrets, that only you can discover! Can you help Autumn recover the mysterious relics of her grandfather’s past?

Reference accessed HERE March 2013











The Game:



Autumn's Treasure: The Jade Coin has everything a great hidden object game needs. It has a plucky heroine, a lost treasure, a trail of clues that leads all over the world, and a nefarious syndicate up to no good. It's even put a nice twist on the item-finding mechanic and thrown in a few puzzles for good measure. So why is it such a tedious, boring chore to play?


Well, let's start with that heroine of ours. After inheriting her grandfather's antique shop, Autumn finds his diary, which makes mysterious references to a Jade Coin that brings good fortune. Further clues to the Coin's location are to be found on pages from the journal that were tucked into artifacts that were in the shop - artifacts that have since been auctioned off to buyers all around the world. An exciting adventure, to be sure, but Autumn seems half-asleep and bored every time she pops on screen to offer a comment or clue. She's in good company, though; none of the characters in the game are likeable or well-acted. Even players who normally enjoy following the plot will find themselves clicking through dialogue as fast as possible just to get it over with.










Unfortunately, The Jade Coin falls short in the gameplay area, too. Rather than finding items from a list, Autumn must find pieces of items in order to help her proceed (in the same way as Flux Family Secrets and the Mortimer Beckett series). She might have to find the bits of a crowbar to open a box, or assemble a wicker cage to trap an angry coati. In theory, it's a great idea, combining basic puzzle solving with object searches, but in practice, it's not much fun. More often than not, you'll be combing locations for a bit of squiggly metal, sticks, or some other similarly unrecognizable bit of junk that will eventually make the item you're looking for.


Every object you assemble will be used in the environment somehow to help Autumn on her way, such as turning on the lights or opening a door. Completing that task will inevitably lead to several more items that need to be reassembled, and so on. Each location you visit has two or three parts to it, so you'll have to move from room to room over and over again every time you're assembling a new item.


What's particularly frustrating is that it's not always obvious what you're supposed to do with an object once you've put it back together. Puzzles you're meant to solve will highlight when you mouse over them and will give pretty obvious hints about what you need to do to them ("I bet those rats would like some cheese!"), but they're sometimes tucked out of the way and can be easy to miss, leading to many moments when you simply don't know what to do next.

The Jade Coin does provide some valuable help, though. Mousing over an item's silhouette will tell you not only what it is, but also show you what the bits it's been broken into look like. If you still can't find what you're looking for (or, more likely, are just sick of looking for the seventh nondescript rock you have to find), you can click on your grandfather's amulet for a rechargeable hint. You can use as many hints as you like, but each one adds five minutes to your overall score - a pretty harsh penalty.


Solving the mid-level puzzles, rather than skipping them, will shave two minutes off your score, however. The puzzles, such as sliding tiles and simple matching tasks, are fairly easy and usually worth doing if only for the time bonus. Each level ends with a fairly easy jigsaw that points Autumn at her next destination.




Strategy Guide:

You'll find a walkthrough and tips on how to play Autumn's Treasure: The Jade Coin HERE
















System Requirements:



Windows XP-Vista 98, ME, 2000
CPU: 700 MHz
System Memory: 128 MB RAM
Direct X 7.0 or higher



Images & Video:


You can see around 70 images HERE (no slideshow at the moment, just click on the arrow that appears on the right side of the image when you hover your mouse over the appropriate place). Also there are several videos available which can be seen HERE, HERE, HERE, HERE and HERE (Spanish)

Music:









Conclusion:


Autumn's Treasure: The Jade Coin has plenty of good ideas, but falters when it comes to executing them. It has nice enough visuals and a few well-done sequences here and there, but overall it's just not that much fun. Autumn is pretty bland, as main characters go, and the item searches grow tiresome very quickly. There are better adventures to be had.


Pros:
• Relatively unique concept. Some entertaining puzzles.
Cons:
• Tedious. A bit on the short side. Items can be obscure or hard to find. Harsh penalty for using hints.





Scoring

Game play – 7
Graphics – 9
Audio – 7
Re-playability – 6
Originality – 8

Total = 7.4 out of 10











Problems:

If you are posting late in the day I would also suggest posting in the main giveaway forums in the game discussion section. If you've installed the game but it won’t work for some reason, it should still be registered, so someone may be able to help at another time. Unfortunately if your problem is actually installing it then once the giveaway period is over there’s nothing that can be done until the game is given away again (though that isn't guaranteed). It’s always worth checking out the free games sites as sometimes the games we get here are also available for free from them. MyPlayCity has the most with over 600 games to choose from. Toeday's game is available from MyPlayCity, This game is available from MyPlayCity, HERE

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