Nice artwork, nice music. Games is too short; from install to finish was approx. 90 minutes. The whack-a-mole type final bonus game was not fun. The finale needs to be more special than that. I did not care for the condensed font used in the object search screens. I once spent time looking for "dip" only to realize the word was "clip". I'm keeping the game, but think there are opportunities to improve it. Thank you for the HOG, RVL Games!

Sorry I missed that. I will try that. Thank you for your response.


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


No problem Joe; I hope you managed to get it working. :lol:

Downloaded ok. Unzipped ok. Installed ok.

All screens leading the first playing screen opened ok. As soon as the opening play screen opened it closed and I had to relaunch the game. tried it multiple times . Same thing every time.


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

Please read previous comments for suggestions that I've posted for example change your screen resolution.

Hmm... Game inexplicably disappeared after clicking on something in the first hidden objects game. Oh well, it's probably my graphic card.

BTW, if the game runs too slow for you, you can try switching from 3D mode to 2D mode. Press Ctrl-Alt-D (enables debug mode), and then press F8. You should see a message telling you the game is in 2D mode.

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

thanks GMMan

Got my hands on the game half an hour before the giveaway ends, and have been busy unpacking main.pak. It's a password protected PopCap archive (the password is "" (not an entirely clever password...)). It's unpackable using PopPakPWE.exe from the PopCap Framework's open source repository (spam filter ate my post, search for the file on the Assembla website), using the following command line (assuming that you have already chdired to the game's directory):

PopPakPWE.exe /U /K "ThisIsAReleaseBuild" main.pak ./

A very last minute download and post but I wanted to say thanks for the game. Already played and completed before except for the bonus round which is why I downloaded again. I'm curious to see if I'll be able to complete the bonus round. So again thanks to GGOTD, RVL & WR. :-)

HOGs cater to girls and women gamers who generally don't like the tense fighting, racing, mind-bending, heart-thumping shoot-em-up type of games that guys like. They just like something relaxing... so no wonder why HOGS and Match 3 games have become so popular... I've tried to give games like Infinity Blade, Need for Speed a try on my iPad but after ten minutes, lost interest and returned to my Fishdom (match-3 game) and Empress of The Deep (HOG). Different strokes for different folks...


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

ah the woment from Vens and the Men from Mars syndrome.... good point Kim

By the way, Stephen, a FAQ is something that can grow with time.
It's just frequently asked questions, not answers to all questions that could possibly asked. Ever.
Don't forget, prograstination is also a lot of work. :)

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

Of course you are right. It's just me

Hi again Stephen,

it took ALL of Mr. Schnoozles' steps, but around 4 o'clock European Time I could finally play the giveaway!
I must say, I've installed games that put up less of a fight than this one. It's free, so I'll accept it, but if I'd paid good money, well....
It's now about 5:18, after I post this, I can see how long it actually took me to activate this game.
Goodnight allllllzzzzzzzzz

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

That's good news. gld you finally got it working

Not a bad game to waste a little time on, just don't expect too much from it unless you really enjoy this type of game.

Imo: Fairly short, pretty easy(although the circuit-board stumped me at first, even though the numbers were a dead give away), and sorta typical cliche detective story and ending.

All in all, I'd give it a 3 or 4 out of 10; but that's just me.

Somehow I missed this when checking earlier so the email I sent (WR) may sound a bit odd at the end of it. In any event, I caught it when I looked again later so no harm done. Being the end of the day I had no download issues (took only a minute). The game unrared fine to my games directory and works just fine on Win 7 x64. So far pretty easy- I haven't played many hidden object games to compare it to.

Aha! That time, I got it. Of course, that time I was watching it, so not only did it download the whole thing, but I got it in like 2 minutes. Thanks a lot!

The link is not working (since I tried from 4PM, it is now 6:30PM PST),
If it works(??) then halfway "Windows cannot open the file because JaneCroft.zip is not valid.." (or something like that). I'm very disappointed.

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

Read previous comments about how slow the download it. What should have taken less than 2 minutes to download took over an hour for me.

If I download this game and delete it after I play it,will I lose it or will I still be able to access it from this website?

Thanks

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

Only while this game giveaway is active. It ends at 8am GMT 12 midnight PST You can only download the game while it is active and it must be registered within the 24 hour period of the giveaway. After that it will no longer be available. Check out the end of my review @ comment #1 I've posted a link to a load of free HOG's, most of which are better than today’s giveaway. The only negative with those freebies is that when you close the game down your browser is opened to MyPlayCity. also when installing those games you must watch out for toolbar installers and home page hijackers. You simply have to uncheck the check boxes to ensure they aren't accessed.

I like, Ann(Comment #24), just don't "get" HOG's. I have tried so many and I quickly get bored. There is no strategy or challenge to me. But each to your own. That's what makes the world go round..Differences.

I downloaded this game the last time it was offered and I played 1 level. Guess what? Haven't played it since. Maybe this time I will try another level. I do remember think it was pretty drab looking but the music was OK.

Thanks GGOTD and RVL Games for the game....AND the Wrascally Wabbit for his review and modding.

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

haha, thats really funny, I've just been discussing this very subject with pavid on Skype and totally agree with you. I really don't know how HOG's have become so popular? There are more HOG's released on a weekly basis than any other genre of game. That said, there are some newer HOGs that have follwed the trend with Match 3 games such as Puzzle Quest 2 and Gyromancer (which is on a 66% off deal today over on Steam) that have incorporated RPG elements into the game play to transform the Match 3 genre into something far more interesting. The recent HOG's that I've checked out have been a lot more interesting and quite playablesuch as Mishap: An Accidental Haunting and Mishap 2: An Intentional Haunting

I should have said the program will not activate. I have tried redownloading, deleting and redownloading. Nothing works. What a disappointment has I love HOGs


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

Try the following:

!) ... Reboot your modem
2) ... Reboot your router
3) ... Reboot your computer
4) ... read mr Snoozles comment that someone re-posted above
5) ... Clear out your temp internet cache

I have not been able to open this program. It downloads but will not open so I can even try it. Have others had this problem?


.......................moderator comment....................

Check that the archive is the correct size by right clicking on it then selecting properties. From the general tab you shoul see the actual and size on disc (110Mb - 116.129.792 bytes - size on disk). The downloads have been excruciatingly slow today. you may have not got a complete download or it may have become corrupted. If you have the correct sized file try using a diffrent file archiver to unpack the zipped file for example 7-Zip or J-Zip

Eh. It's OK as a simple HOG - and actually, it was a trifle more sophisticated than the comments here led me to believe. Some of the objects didn't stand out, but looked like part of the (nicely done, watercolor-ish) backgrounds. I was amused at the mix of British and American terms and images - I speak both, but some might be confused.

However, it tried to reach the Internet three times while I played. I let it...but as soon as I finished I deleted the game. It wasn't worth keeping, especially when it's phoning home without telling me why. This was _after_ the successful activation - not GGOTD, but Jane Croft itself.


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

Hmm, that's strange, no one else has mentioned this problem (phoning home). My computer is secure yet i've not received any warnings of outgoings????

I am so happy to see you brought this game back. Much to my dismay I missed it the last time it was offered. I love the dark look and gritty feel of the game. I also love the fact that it's just an old fashioned game to sit back and enjoy. Everything does not have to be a big challenging race or the adrenaline rush of a bang bang shoot 'em up. Sometimes the sweetest things in life come to you when you are relaxed and at ease. So, I say thank you to the developers of this game and two big thumbs up with a smile to GGAOTD. May you all have a peaceful and calm weekend.

Hi Stephen,

Mr. Schnoozles tips were actually placed in the comments with the Monopoly game.
But I'll have to try them to see if any will work for me. :(


'If you see “Failed to connect. Please try again later…” message, try:
a} Test your Internet connection (try hard refresh (CTRL+ is best) on known good site. If your connection is down, you WILL fail to connect to GOTD/GGOTD. Fix your connection. …OR…
b} Be SURE Mi¢ro$o£t INTERNET EXPLORER is set to “Work ONline.” GOTD states they use “M$ Internet Explorer engine” for verification programme. Thus you must dig up M$ IE and fix it there. Any other browser you use (Firefox, Opera, etc., should already be online if {a} above is true. BUT, if M$ Internet Explorer is off line you WILL fail to connect. Period. No matter which browser you run. Absolute fail in this event.
~~These two steps, {a} and/or {b} above, have ALWAYS worked for me EVERY time that message appeared, and it is QUICK and EASY! However, during the past few years, others have reported the following worked (after FIRST trying a & b, each of the following in this order):
c} Reboot all modems and routers your operate through.
d} Check the “security settings” on M$ Internet Explorer and all other browsers you may be using. Be certain they allow cookies and all permissions for ALL GOTD and related sites in general.
e} Clear ALL browser caches. Even if you do not use M$ Internet Explorer, CLEAR IT TOO if {a} and {b} failed.
f} Close all browsers and other applications and REBOOT your system.
g} Be certain you only have ONE version of M$ Internet Explorer installed. Multiple instances / installations may conflict.

If any one of the steps {c} through {g} work for you, PLEASE be kind and report it and perhaps this issue can put to rest with a concise FAQ.

I have had “Failed to Connect” both here at GGOTD and at GOTD as well. Be mindful of this when using the sister site. The same solutions {a} and {b} above ALWAYS worked for me at giveawayoftheday.com as well.

Thanks ever so much to Whiterabbit-UK, GGOTD and the vendors who let us test their wares.

Cheers!
Mr. Snoozles
~≈PEACE & FREEDOM≈~'

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

thanks for reposting Mr Snoozles comment. It's actually been repeated several times. I keep meaning to copy it to the FAQ's I've been working on for the past year. I should post it soon then just add to it as and when new questions arise. (My problem is I like to complete a jo before posting. I once spent nearly 2 years writing a review of Battlefield 2. It included all the available mods and descriptions of all of the available custom made maps with images of the actual maps and in game screenshots as well as download links from several sources for each map (There were several hundred maps). I'd linked common maps via hyperlinks and cross referenced information to make it very interactive and although it was a very comprehensive review (over 1200 pages) I never did upload it to the Battlefield mod sites because I felt it wasn't finished)

It downloads fine, but won't unzip. WinRar throws an "Unexpected end of archive error". I can't get it to extract at all. Is the correct file size 11.0 MB?

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

No the archive should be 110Mb in size. The download times for this file ave been excruciatingly slow today. It took over an hour to download what would normaly take less than 2 minutes. You've almost certainly only got a part of the download.

If you continue to have problems unpacking the archive once you've re-downloaded it, try one of the free archivers such as 7-Zip or J-Zip.

Very dissapointed in this game. Guess I have done some of the best hidden object games and this one seems like a very old type and boring but it was fun to play. Cheers

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

Yes I agree with you. HOG's have moved up several notches since this was made. At the time of it's release this would probably have been considered a much better game than it is ow. As with most genres developers have had to come up with new formulaes to keep the community interested. I'm amazed at the quality of some of the latest HOG games. todays giveaway seems like a cheap imitation in comparison.

in addition to my comments eariler, $10 is overpriced for a game like this. i know it's what i always say but this is comperable to an app. game.
i appreciate RVL Games and all the other developers letting the project use their hard work for this limited time but games should not be priced so high. I dont see them being able to get many people to actually spend that kind of money for such a short game.
Please, don't get me wrong I like the game, I enjoy playing it, but developers should realize that people will only respond to projects like this and not to their asking prices.
thanks again W.R. and RVL

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

It was only three years ago when all arcade games cost $19.99. since the recession hit games have dropped in price dramatically and many of the bigger games (i.e. triple a games) are cheaper than arcade games once they've been out for a year or more, for example when Steam has a big sale you can often get games like the complete civilization IV games for around $5 or Oblivion (Elder Scrols IV0 for the same. both of which are far superior games to most arcade games.

That said I agree with you on the price of this game. you can get far superior HOG games from Big fish for less than $7

I love hidden object games, but it has been 14 minutes and it's still downloading. I do not have the patience to wait any longer, and I have a DSL connection.

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

I have a 10Mb broadband connection 9granted not fast by todays standard, but usually it would have taken less than 2 minutes to download, today it took over an hour. as mentioned above, there have been more downloads than usual, so the servers would have been oversubscribed.

This game is way too short and a bit too easy. Pro is the style. Make it more difficult and you have a good game for the detectives among us. And a less abrupt end would be nice.

Installed fine under Win7.

This one is just ok. Well-made, but without the bells and whistles that newer Hidden Object games have.

Thank you for the chance to try this one, though.

Is there some problem with the download? Only this is the second time in the last few hours that I have tried to download this and each time it has given me a 60 min download time. No problem with any other webpage download. It has now gone up to 1hr 25 min 4% downloaded since I have been writing this. Download time keeps climbing, now 1hr 29min 5%.

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

there's a higher than usual number of downloads so it could be that the servers are at capacity. It took me about an hour to download it several hours ago.

Have Win 7 Ult 32 downloaded twice the download opens and installs then nothing NADA have tried twice deleting the previous download just in case still the same

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

check my comment above for eazrider

Standard HOG with a film noir theme. I can't really give a thumbs up or down(kinda sideways)on game play, graphics and music. I think you were a tad generous W.R, but I hope your generosity gets developers to know that you're trying to help them.
I noticed that the mouse cursor resets after a few wrong guesses(I was randomly clicking for a bit also) and that got annoying. As if it were some kinda penalty for slacking off at game play.
@jj2 i agree that the scenes were a little "dark", and maybe a little contrast would help background and desired objects both stand out a little more.
All and all a reasonable time killer but nothing to get too intensely involved. Thx RVL Games and GGOTD!

Thank yewwwwwwwww Love HOGs
the game installed and works fine.

Thanks Whiterabbit for the commentary. Plus, I had no problem downloading the game; it works well on my win7-64 system, no problems at all. Thanks GAOTD TEAM!

I downloaded this game but when I tried to play it, I got as far as finding the first item and the game shut down. When I go to C:/games and open the folder, it opens with 4 different icons and the one that says Jane Croft is only 2.96mb.

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

Yes there are only four files within the installed games folder. Bass.dll (92KB), Jane Croft exe (2.96Mb), Main Pak (110Mb) and a splash jpg file (28.0KB) Total file size once installed 113Mb (119.369.728bytes size on disk). Try one of the following:

1) .. Download the latest video drivers for your video card/video chip - if you're not sure what your card/chip is go to the start menu and type dxdiag in the search field (or in XP the run command). This opens up the directX diagnostics panel. click on the display tab. In the left hand Device panel you should be able to see the Name (for example NVIDIA GeForce GTX 275), Manufacturer and Chip Type as well as other info such as approx total Memory your current display mode etc. Using this information you should be able to download the correct vdeo driver for your computer. The driver is more than likely to be either NVIDIA or ATI. Google whichever one it is and go to their home page. you should find a link to the developers driver section on the front page. you'll be asked to give info such as the model number and your operating system. downloads are usually around 160Mb, but no more than 200Mb.

2) ... change your screen resolution

3) ... Reinstal directX - Depending upon which operating system you use this may be DX11 (Win 7), DX10 (Vista) or DX9 (Win XP) If for example you have win 7 firstly try downloading and installing the latest version of directX11. If that fails download and install the latest version of DX9.0c

4) ... you may need to install OpenGL (assuming your Graphics Driver supports it. the latest version is OpenGL 4, but you'll need to have the latest graphics chips for that one. Usually OpenGL 2.0 is sufficient) google it to download

5) ... Defrag your hard drive - sometimes if a drive is heavily fragmented it can cause errors in a program when running it.

Can't open game. When starting game the screen goes black, I only see the white arrow (my mouse) I can move. There seems to be an error: "Can't find bass.dll

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

There should be a copy of Bass.dll in the installed games folder:

C:\Game\Jane Croft\Bass.dll

If it's not present the game won't run. you can download a free verion safely from the following address:

http://www.dll-files.com/dllindex/dll-files.shtml?bass

or

http://www.dlldll.com/bass.dll_download.html

unpack the file from the downloaded archive then copy it over to the Jane Croft folder.

What is the version number of the 'Jane Croft: The Baker Street Murder' game that is being given away today?


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

The game is exactly the same level as the prevous version so there's no need to reinstall the game if you already have it.

Me too played it last time, it's a bit short but cool to play.

I totally love hidden object games.

I wanted to continue the game after I stopped it, nothing happens.
Can the game be continued?

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

Sorry about the long delay in moderating this and all comments below this. I fell asleep and have only just woken up after almost 6 hours.

The game should auto save your progress once you've completed a level. Leaving the game partway thrugh a level will require you to redo that particular level, but you should be a ble to continue from the last completed level. I hope this answers your question?

I really enjoyed this game the first time it was given away but I felt it was way too short. I liked the film noir feel of it and I liked the story line and puzzles.

Because it is so short it does not have much replayability but I let it sit on my computer until enough time has passed and I will enjoy playing it a second time.

I'm having some difficulty downloading this game. I get a message which says among other things...
The archive is either in unknown format or is damaged.
What does this mean?
help


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

Try using a different file archiver such as 7-Zip or J-Zip to unpack the program. Or re-download using a file download manager to ensure you get an uncorrupted download.

I don't 'get' hidden object games but I do keep trying them to see what I'm missing. It seems to me to be like a game you might find in a comic for tiny tots. I still don't get it after this try either.

....................Moderator coment.................

It's basically an I-Spy type of game, which over the past few years has become extremely popular with casual arcade lovers. Big Fish Games for example have hundreds of the things commonly called HOG's (Hidden Object Game's)

Oh and come on people. 93 + 27 does not equal 22

Bottom line although I liked the game and found it to be playable. It needs some type of through line to make the mystery seem more like something that is being solved. The resolution wasn't really a resolution. However, kudos on music that I didn't turn off. That might be a first.

I wish I could offer better feed back but my thoughts are solidifying this morning. thank you in any case, I will probably keep this one.

Problems with download? Twice tried, first was 19MB second was 21MB. No where near the 110MB as listed. ?? Am I the only one? What can I do to fix?

Jane Croft: The Baker Street Murder runs fine in Vista HP 32 -- that's where my wife has had it installed since last time on GGOTD, & it's 1 of the games transferred to her win7 HP 64 install as well. She enjoyed playing Jane Croft for a couple hours here, a couple of hours there for a couple of weeks or so, but it's not one of the games she always goes back to -- as Whiterabbit said: it's "an average hidden object game", but I think it's executed well enough that if you're into HOGs you'll get some enjoyment out of it.

I downloaded this the last time it was given away.
If you like hidden object games then you'll enjoy this.
I'm not a big fan but I liked it.

@#8 NN: The ASUS netbooks with a 1024x600 screen do have a resolution mode of 1024x768 where the screen either scrolls up and down or 768 pixels are compressed into the 600 pixels available on the screen. Set the graphics to one of those modes, and the game should be playable.

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

Thanks for your feedback

Thank you. I played the free trial and enjoyed it so I'm happy to have it for free.

This is a cool game.

No problems downloading, installing or playing.

Thumbs up!

Best Regards,
Chartsky

FANTASTIC game! It is in the venue as Murder She Wrote or Sherlock Holmes. I'm so happy to get it back!

I loved this game the first time. Lost it when my computer crashed. Now I can have it back again. Thank you Gamegiveaway.

I followed your instructions about rebooting modem/router/computer and clearing the cache... but I can't activate the game. I still get the message “Failed to connect. Please try again later”.


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

Hi Ego, check back three or 4 weeks and look for q post by Mr Snoozles. He gave another fix that may help.