I finished the game within 3-4 hours, it is quite hard at times (you can't see the damn things), also at some puzzles I couldn't understand what I had to do, used the questionmark 4-5 times. Score as it is 6/10.

But if we take aside that it was free, for me it takes a 4/10 score.

Hi,

Downloaded and opened easily. There doesn't seem much of a story , at least not as far as I went along in
the game. Something seems unfinished about it, like its missing intricacies. Its run of the mill as far as
person follows clue left by someone who has disappeared! How original!! lol! but that is what most hogs are
about. The games thus far are easy to play as are hogs. Movement gets stifled at times. The cursor would play better if could change to my system one. The graphics are good. When you complete someone you get finished level and then when you finish the city, you move to the next. There could be more smooth transition in following
a story. Thanks for another good game and have a great week! Lee

I'm enjoying playing this game.
Tried everything to install but nothing worked, (disabling antivirus, using a different browser).
Finally went to Big Fish Games website, played trial.
I liked it enough I paid $4 something AUD.
There's a discount with a code at the moment, (or when I bought it a little while ago there was).

This game gets a thumbs up from me. It plays perfectly well on my Windows 10 laptop, with a mini-mouse. Haven't played all the way through, but there is not a thing wrong with it, except that it is not brand new. I like it thus far. Thanks for the freebie !

Actually a rather charming and enjoyable game. Not a lot of flash, but the HO scenes contain a nice level of challenge, scenes are well-drawn, and the puzzles are a refreshing group....not really the same-old, same-old since some contain interesting features even when common for the genre. I'm having more fun playing this than I'd expected. I do have to play in windowed mode, which is not ideal, since the full screen mode continually pulsed and flashed with bands (refresh rate problem maybe (?) that happily went away if I switched to windowed mode). But overall, a nice, pleasant game to play. Thanks!

If you like to play using your touch screen, you'll be disappointed that this game doesn't seem to support it. You have to click each item using your mouse or touchpad. I've really come to enjoy playing games, including other (newer) HOGs, using only my touch screen and miss that feature very much here. Apparently this game is too old and runs at the Windows 7 level. Otherwise, it's an enjoyable game. Thanks for the opportunity to try it for free, GGOTD & MPC

Basically, okay and worth a play for free, but not great, not really worth buying if it's actually $10 ordinarily. Seems like I'm saying that a lot lately :). The mini-games were fairly easy, and the HOGs often had one item that was (at least to me) impossible to find without the hint (which I hate using); I mean REALLY dark. And some were just boring. Good time killer on a rainy Sunday, but not really feeling challenged or engaged much (about halfway through). However, I do recommend it if you're a fan of the genre (as I am) and have some time to kill; just don't expect your socks to be knocked off :).

Hi, this Game belongs to the Collection called 'Insider Tales', and there are few of them, those that date to 2009: 'Stolen Venus', 'The Secret of Casanova', 'Vanished in Rome' and one dating to 2011: 'The Stolen Venus 2'.

They might not be everyone's cup of tea, or regarded as 'too mushy''.. (hard to pretend otherwise when they have all hallmarks of being just that, so be warned!:), but.. It's a safe bet if you're looking for something quaint, uncomplicated, and graphically eye-pleasing. Clean, bright (I mean crisp here), cheerful scenes and HOs too. That, plus enough mini-games packed in, to provide hours of fun when time allows, or slows down. Sure, in time (since 2009) our Processors, Systems and graphic cards are more powerful now, hence Game plays not as fast as we became accustom to? That's the only impression and drawback, for me anyway, so will see how it pans out.. Thanks for the Game, Have a good Sunday Afternoon!

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

Thank you for your feedback Fran, appreciated.

The graphics aren't that great and there is only one level of difficulty. It is difficult to figure out what needs to be done to progress through the levels. I always turn off the music in any game I play and while that option is available in this game, there is still music playing when completing a level. Just one of my pet peeves since I don't find repetitive music entertaining.

I will keep the game since I downloaded, but I doubt that I will play it anytime soon.

The game downloaded and installed on Win10 without problems. A not too difficult HOG mixed with minigames. The minigames are a mixture of the standard ones - solve a puzzle, look closely - with riddles.
As usual, the scenes are well done. I would like to recommend another way to approach HOG. Looking at dark parts of the scene is pretty standard, the same with borders of paintings, windows etc. The scene with several items of a group is an approach I like more. In this game there is a mixture of several HOG styles.

Thanks for this game, have a nice week!

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

Thank you for your feedback Daan

The game downloaded and installed on windows 10. This is a hidden objects game. The story seems interesting but I found it difficult to follow what you had to do in order to progress through the levels. There doesn't seem to be a tutorial or different modes of difficulty and the hint timer seemed to take a long time to fill up. Its worth trying though because you might find it ok but I couldn't get on with it. Thank you for offering the game today.

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

Thank you for your feedback Ros. The game is almost 9 years old. HOG's have come a long way since this was released.

Insider Tales: The Secret of Casanova

In Brief

Insider Tales: The Secret of Casanova is an older Hidden Object game (released in 2009).

Installation:

Insider Tales: The Secret of Casanova downloads to a 155 MB zip file that unzips to three files, (a setup.gcd security wrapper, the set-up file and a read me). Those with multiple hard drives can save games on any drive they wish. The newly installed game is 164 MB in size. The game installs to the following path by default, but can be changed by the user if you prefer:

C:\Program Files (x86)\MyPlayCity.com\Insider Tales - The Secret of Casanova

Four shortcuts are installed to the desktop. three of which can be safely deleted (Play Online Games, MyPlayCity Games and shortcuts to a free online game which vary each week). Also, if you don't like icons installed to the quick launch task bar, make sure you uncheck the box when the additional tasks window appears (after the Select Start Menu Folder window)

Introduction:

Join Francesca di Porta, the inspector extraordinaire on another daring quest, this time across the cities of Europe as she seeks to unravel the mysteries behind Casanova, a world-famous lover and adventurer. Will you manage to find the clues hidden in the misty, gothic alleyways of Prague, on the bustling streets of Paris, and beneath the elegant and light architecture of Venice? Only you can help Francesca solve this ultimate mystery in Insider Tales: The Secret of Casanova!: Insider Tales: The Secret of Casanova is an exciting installation of the classic Insider Tales series of point and click adventure games.

Take on the role of Francesca di Porta in this amazing adventure, guiding her exploration of urban European cityscapes as you attempt to search for hidden clues that bring you closer to your ultimate goal. However, watch out, for many puzzles block your path to discovering Casanova's greatest secrets. An atmospheric soundtrack and beautiful hand-rendered scenery build an immersive world for Insider Tales: The Secret of Casanova, but it is the original plot which causes this game to truly shine. How will you solve the mysteries and lead Francesca to the truth; the answer is yours to find - now go find it!

Edited reference accessed HERE. 28th January 2018

The Game:

Repetition has become so common in hidden object games that we’ve simply learned to accept it. We head into each new game knowing that we’ll likely be fed a handful of scenes filled with the same objects to find repeatedly. This is unfortunate because it need not be so, as proven by Insider Tales: The Secret of Casanova, a HOG that makes a point of ensuring that the player is constantly challenged with new and interesting environments and activities.

Players step into the shoes of Francesca Di Porta, a woman on vacation who is contacted by a professor friend in Italy who has stumbled across a relic once owned by the famous lover and adventurer Casanova. We explore a quartet of European cities mentioned in Casanova’s journal in search of pieces of an ornate heart-shaped amulet.

Things begin simply enough in the professor’s study, where we search for a few random objects. However, once these items are found we don’t simply move on to another scene. Rather, we go on to solve logic puzzles in the same room based on the objects we’ve found, using a key to unlock a journal, a light bulb to fix a lamp, and examining a clock to enter a code on a safe.

The design is such that one activity logically leads to the next. It gives purpose to our actions in each scene we explore, and once we’re finished with a scene we really are finished. No coming back later in the game just to find a few more random objects.

One of the best examples of how the process works is a scene set in an antique observatory. It begins with players doing a bit of cursory exploring, looking for clues as to what Casanova might have been up to in the room long ago. We hunt for items appropriate to the scene, including a map describing a constellation, telescope lenses, and a microscope.

Then Francesca decides she should put the telescope back together again using some of the pieces we’ve found, which initiates a couple of mini-games, including one in which we experiment with different colored lenses to create various light wavelengths. She shines light through the instrument onto a stained glass window, but notes that the window is dirty, so we have to look for something to clean it with. Once clean, it becomes clear that the window is actually a tile-based puzzles and that we need to rotate each piece to create an image.

The game continues like this from scene to scene, seamlessly blending bouts of hidden object hunting with a series of clever little logic puzzles. Consequently, players never know what they’ll be doing from one minute to the next. It’s a pleasantly refreshing vibe for a game which, at the outset, feels as though it’s going to be a pretty standard HOG experience.

It’s also worth mentioning that it can be extremely challenging. The game’s designers obviously took the job of hiding objects very seriously. Expect to look for items obscured by other objects, shapes that have been shrewdly placed to blend in with the environment (like music symbols on wallpaper with similar marks), and items you might not be able to immediately identify. I almost went nuts looking for an oak leaf-something which, somewhat shamefully, I wouldn’t be able to identify in the real world-in a scene filled with scores of other leaves. Limitless hints are available, but the hint button takes a couple of minutes to recharge between clicks.

The logic puzzles can be tricky as well, though if they remain unsolved after a couple of minutes players have the option of simply skipping them-an option I exercised twice during the game for puzzles the objectives of which were simply too vague for me to discern. It shouldn’t take most players more than 150 minutes to work through the story, and there are no extras or bonus modes.

Edited reference accessed HERE. Originally posted by Chad Sapieha on Oct 23, 2009. Edited and briefly added to by Whiterabbit-uk January 28th 2018.

Other Reviews and Videos of Insider Tales: The Secret of Casanova:

You can see Big Fish community reviews of Insider Tales: The Secret of Casanova HERE and more information in the Big Fish forums HERE. There are several in-game videos of game play HERE, HERE, HERE, HERE, HERE and HERE and there’s a written walkthrough HERE

Conclusion:

I found this a pleasure to play. No frills, just a plain old HOG with a mixture of puzzle breaks thrown in. Well worth downloading. Great for a rainy Sunday afternoons gaming. We sometimes play these games as a family, which I find immensely satisfying. 8 out of 10 for game play.

Suggestions:

After you've had an opportunity to play today's giveaway please take a few moments to give some positive or negative feedback; for example, what you liked or disliked about the game, or how it could be improved. If you don't like the genre at all, please explain why and if any, what improvements would change your mind? If you don't have time to post a comment today, please do so at your convenience, thank you. If you wish to post a review or comment about the game later, you can access the comments section by going to the game giveaways home page, then scroll to the bottom of the page where it says Archives and select the date the giveaway was live (giveaway days are in bold type). This will open the appropriate page for you to post your comment or review. Alternatively, you can google the name of the game and include Gamegiveawayoftheday in the search. This should give you a list of links to whenever this game was given away.

If the giveaway doesn't grab you, then please move on to the next giveaway, or check out the forums HERE, HERE and HERE, where a few members of the community post details of various free games and free game sites as well as links to various indie bundle sites etc. you never know, you may find something that really interests you.

If you miss today's game giveaway you can always get the game via MyPlayCity 24/7 HERE; or If you prefer to purchase the game you can get it HERE via Big Fish Games.

Please only post comments about today's game giveaway; other comments either inappropriate, or comments with only one or a few words; or if the comment has nothing to do with today's game or is complaining (send your complaints to the giveaway team via the contact form that I've linked to below), they may be deleted at the moderator or administrators discretion; however, a little light banter to keep this a friendly place to visit is acceptable and welcomed. Please see the moderation policy HERE for details about posting comments.

Problems getting the game to work:

If you're having problems installing or activating or getting Insider Tales: The Secret of Casanova to work please visit the FAQ's Thread HERE and read through the communities comments because sometimes fixes have already been posted, for example, a common issue seen since the Themida wrapper was introduced three years ago is that some community members installation of the game are blocked by their security because Themida code has been known to hide malware, (usually an error message is flagged for example 'The executable is corrupted' even though in reality it is not); so as a precaution some anti malware programs will block and even delete the suspect installation files even though the files (i.e. the setup, read me and setup.gcd files are actually totally free from malware. This issue can be solved either by rebooting your computer in safe mode with networking or a quicker method is to temporarily turn off your security software to allow the installation. You could also try whitelisting the setup.gcd file. In the almost 11 years this game giveaway site has been operating there has 'never' been a game given away that was infected with malware.

If for any reason you want to contact the giveaway team, for example, you have a game to offer the community, or are unable to download the latest game or other issues that the FAQ's thread or these comments don't cover or solve you can do so HERE

I'd like to take this opportunity to thank MyPlayCity for giving away Insider Tales: The Secret of Casanova and also to the game giveaway team, as always, for securing other ways to get free games.

Useful Information not related to today's game giveaway:

If Insider Tales: The Secret of Casanova doesn't interest you, but you still hanker for something new (or old) to play, you'll find details of some game deals whether they be sale items, indie bundles or games being given away for free HERE (I've not updated the thread in a while, but most of the links still take you to the latest deals).

The rest of the information that used to be posted in the game review can be found in the forums HERE. Finally, check out Delenns threads for details of other free games and offers HERE and elsewhere in the game discussion forums HERE, (usually on the first page of the game discussion forums).