I'm to enter a player name on this game. When I press a letter, I get a weird screen with the right half of the game on the left side and black on the right side. This happens in both windowed and full screen mode. I can play the game all right, but I have to start from the beginning each time (because I have no name, I suppose). I've played other Playtrix games without encountering this issue.

I'll check out your forum to see if this is the kind of "technical problem" meant to be covered there.




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

Create a profile without the letter E. Hopefully that should fix the problem.

bonjour, le jeu plante toujours a la fin dans la derniere piece je n'ai donc pas pu le finir, voici l'erreur que ça affiche si ça peut vous aider
Failed getting loaded modules for this process!

Game.exe caused an in module at 0023:7708C41F

EAX=0018F614 EBX=0018F78C ECX=00000003 EDX=00000000 ESI=0056CEC0
EDI=0018F78C EBP=0018F664 ESP=0018F614 EIP=7708C41F FLG=00200216
CS=0023 DS=002B SS=002B ES=002B FS=0053 GS=002B

Stack trace (DBGHELP.dll):
(null)

............................Modérateur commentaire.........................

je vous remercie pour vos commentaires

Avez-vous essayé la mise à jour de vos pilotes audio> EAX a quelque chose à voir avec le son (Creative Labs)

non riesco ad installare Natalie brooks trasure, perchè nell'installazione mi dice che il tempo è scaduto quando sono in anticipo dalla scadenza di 20 0re.
Non è la prima volta, mi chiedo che fuso orario avete, e alla prossima toglierò la vs. pagina da tutti i miei contatti.


...........................Moderatore commento.............................

Hai rappresentano l'ora legale.

Good night all.

Have a very pleasant Easter Monday to all religious groups (not just Christians), I'll see you all next Saturday, hopefully on time. :)

I've tried downloading and installing 3 times and it will not run.


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

Hello Rick, have you checked the FAQ's section over in the game discussion sticky section? I've linked to it in my review above (not at the top as I posted several hours late due to an internet problem).

When you say it won't run, what have you done to try and get it to run? Right click on the games exe file and select run as Administrator or go to compatibility via the properties and check the box 'run as Administrator' You could also try fiddling around with the other parameters such as run in XP etc. Make sure Internet Explorer is set to online working (even if you use Firefox as your browser. Also check to see if any background programs are conflicting with the game (by turning non essential programs off one at a time until you find the culprit 9if there is one. I'd also check your event logs immediately after trying to run the game to see if there are any error messages. Also try changing the screen resolution temporarily. Hopefully one or more of the above suggestions will fix the problem. You could also try running the version from MyPlayCity to see if that one works. Make sure you uncheck any boxes forst otherwise you may find your home page changed or a toolbar has been added to your internet browser (usually MPC/Ask toolbars)

I've never had a problem with an Alawar game before, but I did this time. Downloaded twice, just in case the first was corrupt, and installed twice. It appears to be opening then crashes. To Alawar's credit it generates a "crash.txt" which includes this tid bit. Game.exe caused an EXCEPTION_ACCESS_VIOLATION in module at 001B:00000001. The game installed, by default, to "Program Files" and not C:\Games.

I will not download it or attempt to install it again, but if this helps someone else then great.

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

Hi Jon, make sure your graphics drivers are up to date and also make sure you run as admin (see my reply to Rick below {next comment}) :)

Installed with no problems to Win7. Thanks GOTD.

another hidden object game, thanks but i don't download it

i prefer reflection, logical and action game.

Natalie Brooks: Treasure House is a really good game. Fun characters, amusing dialogue, charming graphics, an engaging story, a variety of puzzles, and for the most part, intuitive gameplay.

My main suggestion to the developers is that the ending is far too abrupt, so that we never see the dastardly villains exposed, and the hints about Natalie's unusual family history are left unexplained. If the ending were more substantial, the whole game would feel more rewarding.

Thanks very much indeed to Alawar, GGOTD and Stephen.


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

Thank you for your feedback Emily (my daughter is called Emily) :)

All tasks completed, treasure found ant then following message [Win 7 Home Premium 32]:

Failed getting loaded modules for this process!

Game.exe caused an EXCEPTION_ACCESS_VIOLATION in module at 001B:004A50CA

EAX=00000000 EBX=00000400 ECX=F338003D EDX=9C900ADD ESI=00000000
EDI=00000000 EBP=0012F5B0 ESP=0012F464 EIP=004A50CA FLG=00210212
CS=001B DS=0023 SS=0023 ES=0023 FS=003B GS=0000

Stack trace (DBGHELP.dll):
(null)


:o/


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


Hello Henten, see my replies to Rick and Jon below.

I believe I've found a bug. When I got to the basement level I saved. When I returned I discovered I could not place the last emblem of four because the box lid was not open after obtaining the "barrel key". (Those that have played it will know to what I am referring) Also, the box is no longer selectable.

There is no prior save state I could go to as the game saves automatically per each profile. I had to delete my profile and start over from the beginning.


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


Thanks for the feedback jeo

Would not install using Windows7 Starter. I was attemping to run as the administrater. I ran the compatability test and it recommended running as Windows XP. That got me as far as "the GOTD installer requests permission" but no further.


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

Check the FAQ's section I link to in my review above. :)

Followup... no problem with Windows XP, not the first time I have been unable to run things on Windows 7.

.....................Moderator /comment......................

Worked fine on my Win 7. Probably the way you have your computer configured or a conflict with a back ground program? Glad you got it to work on at least one platform. :)

Can't seem to get this to run at all on my W7 machine. When I click on the game exec file it seems to be doing something then just stops. I deleted it, rebooted, re-downloaded it, same result. I will try on the XP laptop and see if it works there.


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

Hi Lonnih,

Have you checked the FAQ's section? I've linked to it in my review above. Check to see if you are running the game as an administrator.

I had the same problem as Holly Day. The game closed without warning and, when I started it again, I found myself back in the basement and unable to use any objects to be able to move forward. It is very frustrating. Enough so that I will be deleting this one.


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

Hi Mulebear, have you checked the FAQ's section over in the game discussion sticky? Also check the even t log directly after the game crashes. There may also be a conflicting program running in the background, if none of the above work, try turning these off one by one.

It doesn't seem to work very well in full screen mode for me. However, it seems fine in windowed mode.

An amusing error, at several points it says "Press any mouse button to continue" However, it will only continue if you press the left mouse button.

Good game, both entertaining and infuriating, the way a HOG should be.

Thanks.

Installed and played okay, but this really felt dated -- the hidden object scenes (those required to accumulate hints) were just a previously seen location with a load of random junk scattered around. Use of these to accumulate hints is innovative, but mostly innovation is a long way from anywhere this game goes. The in-game puzzles are extremely simple, in some cases almost impossible to get wrong, and in some cases (like the slingshot "lock" close to the end) just badly explained and apparently random in terms of the effect what you do has.

There's no option to choose varying levels of difficulty (again, almost de rigeur now) and the fact that objects you can pick up or interact with get a telltale glow means that the last resort when you can't complete a scene is just to track the cursor slowly over the scene until something happens.

Some nasty translation bugs: "mirrow" instead of "mirror" and a statement that a statuette is "shallow" rather than (presumably) "hollow", in the same scene, suggests a little more checking by an English speaker might have been useful.

And finally, the amount of gameplay is desperately inadequate at an asking price of $10. Even other of Alawar's offerings manage lots more than this does. I felt the plot had potential but was, overall, rather too thin. The graphics were mostly attractive if a little two-dimensional, the map was almost a complete irrelevance (since the only time there was any choice about a location to visit was in the optional "hint purchase" search sequences) and effectively just provided a bit of visual distraction while the next sequence loaded. The description suggests a game with some adventure elements but this really was "on rails". There's a lot, I think, that could have been done with this -- plotwise, puzzle-wise and graphically -- and I'm a bit disappointed that some great ideas have just been allowed to fizzle out like this.

I can't argue with the fact that it's been made available for free, but even simply regarded simply as an advertisement for other Alawar games, I can't see this one achieving much. Sorry, Whiterabbit, I know you don't generally regard this type of game particularly positively, so I was surprised to see your praise for this. I guess we'll just have to agree to differ ;)


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

This is one of the early HOG's fromabout 5 years ago. It's HOG's like this that started the trend we are still seeing at the moment. Prior to this release HOG's were not as popular.

Installed fine on my Win7 Ultimate and works - I am already stuck in the police station and will see later how it goes on.

Thanks for another cool game!

Sorry about the delay in moderating and posting my review. I was working on the review last night when my provider cut all services (phone, TV and internet). I'd been asking about how easy it would be to transfer my account as we were planning to move later his year. They basically scheduled the transfer without having been given a date or address, so my account was closed despite repeatedly telling them it would be late summer at the earliest. It's taken until late afternoon today (18hrs) to get back on line.





Natalie Brooks Secrets of Treasure House:

Installation:


Natalie Brooks Secrets of Treasure House downloads to a 56.6 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 58.6 MB in size. and installs to:


C:\Games\NatalieBrooksSTH\Game.exe

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 and Win 8. Anyone running Vista or XP, please confirm whether this game works Thanks. I will be installing these two platforms back onto an older computer for testing purposes eventually; (got too many other projects on at the moment though)



If you miss the game today it's available from MyPlayCity, HERE 24/7, alternatively if you want to try the game out without having to download it there's an online version available HERE

Introduction:

Is there a better setting for an adventure game than an old house full of secret rooms and hidden corridors? No! And Natalie Brooks: Secrets of Treasure House has plenty of these and more. Join the game's intrepid heroine as she returns home following the death of her beloved grandmother to take care of the family estate, only to find herself embroiled in a mystery that will take her places she never imagine and reveal a surprise so stunning, it will change her life forever!

Natalie's destiny is in your hands as you solve classic point-and-click puzzles, search for hidden items and enjoy a dozen mini-games offering unique challenges. You'll also interact with a number of colorful characters, including a grouchy old attorney, a superstitious banker and the chief of police, whose ambitions might not align with the right side of the law! As you play, you'll be able to refer to Natalie's diary for help and use hints to solve puzzles, all while enjoying beautiful graphics and rich audio. Begin the journey today!

Reference accessed HERE March 2013

The Game:


Natalie Brooks - Secrets of Treasure House brings to life the story of a young woman who has inherited her grandmother's house. Join Natalie on a journey to unravel the mystery of the house and find the treasure contained therein. Meet a series of characters along the way that can help you discover the secrets, though beware - not everyone has Natalie's best interest at heart. Act fast, because the city has plans to build a road right through the property!



Similar in some ways to the hugely popular games like Azada and Dream Chronicles, this adventure mystery puzzler is graced with beautiful graphics and an immersive storyline. Bringing together several popular genres, Natalie Brooks - Secrets of Treasure House offers something for almost every gaming taste, whether you enjoy hidden objects, logic puzzles, jigsaw puzzles, adventure, or mystery.

The story line unfolds via a series of comic strip screens and also through the interaction between Natalie and the characters she encounters on her quest. I found the tale very intriguing from the search for the hidden treasure to the revelations about the other character's hidden motives. The tale was engrossing enough to make me want to keep playing just to see what happened, though it could have been enhanced with a clearer translation of the text into English. The ending was rather abrupt and left me scratching my head a bit. Several things were alluded to in the story but never explained or finished before the game ended.



Each "level" consists of a scene in which you use the mouse to interact with the objects. Clicking on an object can add the item to your inventory for later use, cause Natalie to give you a hint about it, or add important information to your notebook. At times you will need to use the items you've picked up to interact with other objects on the screen. For instance, in one level you need to locate and collect some batteries that are scattered around the room. Once you've collected them, you can use the batteries to activate a robot that will then lead to another clue. You are also given a magnifying glass that is quite useful when you need to look at an item for a closer inspection.

The main drawback of this game for me was the poor language in the text. It's doubtful that English is the primary language of the developers. The grammar and spelling errors detracted from the flow of the story - especially during the dialogue between characters - and also presented certain unnecessary challenges within the hidden object mini puzzles. When marketing to a primarily English speaking audience, it would behoove the developer to invest in decent translations!



The hidden object puzzles available in every scenario can be played to acquire extra hints to help Natalie during the Azada-style point-and-click portions of the game. Although not nearly as challenging as stand-alone hidden object games, I found these puzzles to have just the right amount of difficulty to be enjoyable yet not frustrating. I did have trouble locating some of the items, as I was unfamiliar with some of the terms used, such as an "airscrew" and a "tase". The latter might have been a typo, as I found quite a few spelling errors along the way. (Perhaps they meant vase? Taser? Who knows!)

A wide array of mini puzzles are found throughout the game. Many of these are based on classic logic puzzles such as a version of Simon Says in which you need to reproduce the sequence shown by clicking on the images in the correct order. Other challenges included a jigsaw puzzle, a memory game, even arcade style games like the one in which you have to move a platform to guide bouncing coins across the screen and into a coin slot. One of my favorites was a short, easy game in which you have to throw rocks to break a window - satisfying and fun! The mini games were not very challenging, but the variety and unique styles (of some of them) were quite interesting.


reference accessed HERE March 2013




Walkthroughs, tips and tricks:

You'll find a walkthrough and tips on how to play HERE



User Reviews:

You can read loads of comments by users over at Alawar HERE

System Requirements:


Windows XP/Vista/7

CPU 600 Mhz or better

128 Mb of system RAM

64 Mb of video RAM

DirectX 9.0




Images & Video:


You can see around 70 images HERE (I've selected the Story board feature as i can't find the slideshow button with the new look photobucket). Also there are several videos available which can be seen HERE (the trap door), HERE (entering town), HERE (the secret treasure) , HERE (the start of a petition), HERE (criminal mastermind), HERE (the end), HERE (behind the mirror), and loads more HERE.















Music:



The music cannot be changed (unless your adept at coding and have a suitable editor, so the only option is to listen to it or turn it off via the options menu. This does then allow you to play your own music via your media player.

I found the music rather pleasant if a little repetitive. It wasn't distracting in any way for me, so i left it running at a reduced volume (about 30%)

Conclusion:


I did not find this game to be difficult at all, as there are plenty of hints available throughout all of the scenarios. Most often, talking to other characters or even clicking on the items in the scene will reveal enough information about the puzzles that using the hints wasn't even necessary.



I was not able to finish the game in a single sitting - that is a huge bonus in my opinion. The game moves at a decent pace and the multi-layered storyline keeps up nicely, which really helps to hold one's interest. I was as eager to see what happened next in the tale as I was to uncover the next puzzle to play.



The game controls were easy to learn and work with. Simply click and go! Not a lot of mystery there, which allows you to focus on the puzzles and not be distracted with trying to figure out how to work the user interface.



The scenario graphics are very good, clear and engaging. This helped tremendously in the hidden object sections and the main scene puzzles are made easier by the addition of "mouse over" hints. (simply move the mouse around the screen and a small text pop up will alert you to important items) A calm soundtrack adds to the ambiance of the game, neither distracting from nor overpowering the game play.


Overall, I found Natalie Brooks - Secret of Treasure House to be a very enjoyable game that artfully blended many popular genres with a great story. Although I would consider the game almost too easy for more serious players, the length and storyline made up for that.


If you can't stand hidden object puzzles and have no patience for logic puzzles, this is not the game for you. However, if you're looking for a game that will last more than an hour and grab your attention with an intriguing story, then I definitely recommend



Pros: Great blending of genres. Engaging storyline. Long duration of game play.


Cons: Rather easy. Numerous spelling and grammar mistakes.







Scoring

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

Total = 7.2 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. Today's game is available from MyPlayCity 24/7 HERE

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Games, Games, and yet more Games plus Download, Installation & Game play Problemsl>:



If you have any problems installing or getting to work today's game please go HERE for help.



If you're looking for something other than today's game check the didimatic site via THIS link for some brilliant deals.

Steam around 60+ games on sale at the moment with discounts from 10% to 80%. You'll find all the deals via the Specials tab on Steams front page HERE. The usual weekend sales include the latest in the Hitman collection (Hitman Absolution) for only £4.99 ($9.99); there's 11 dlc's for this game all of which cost 14 pence (24 cents each). Also you can get Grand Theft Auto IV Complete for $7.49 (cheaper if you have a friend from the US gift it at only $7.49. You can get 80% off the superb Just Cause 2, an open world action game where you can explore all parts of the island either by walking, flying, driving or in several types of boat. (I highly recommend this game - you need Direct X 10 which means XP is out).Today's 24hr deal is Batman: Arkham City GOTY edition for only £5 (75% off) (This is what I mean about games being devalued quickly. Arkham city was released six months ago. The original price for the game plus all dlc was around £45, so your getting it at approximately 88% off the release price. amazing. I purchase it all at full price but haven't got around to playing it yet, simply because there has been so many excellent games released (more fool me)


You'll find many more game deals from Gamersgate, Gamestop, Greenman Gaming and GOG; all of which you can find via the Didimatic site, which I've linked to above (apart from Greenman gaming - GMG).


There's a 20% off coupon via GMG that can be used with most digital downloads. You'll find all the deals from GMG HERE. If you are into the Battlefield series you can now pre-order Battlefield 4 from GMG, but if you are after the ultimate editions that EA offer via their Origin platform you'd be better waiting till its offered via Origin. They always keep the best edition to themselves.




To be honest there are too many game deals around too list them all. Just visit the sites I recommend above and I'm sure you'll find something that suits you for a decent price.








You can get a free arcade game via Alawar's game box, just click the free game tab. It changes approximately every month If that's not enough, check out the Game Discussion forums HERE for details of other games either free or on deals such as the Indie Game bundles (of which there are at least three live at the moment, and all of which contain some excellent games, or check out the four day sales at IndieGameStand.

The latest IndieGameStand game is Space Waking Mars. You can a dollar for this game (used to be able top pay less, but they have limited it to $1 or more now. If you want the extra's (usually game music, manuals etc) you have to pay the average price.. There's also several indie bundles over at Indiebundle.org. Each bundle has three games and costs $5 each.



Most of the bundles retail for around $5 give or take a few dollars, but you can pay as little as a dollar.

========================================================

A Request for helpl>:

Developers rely on good feedback to improve their games. If you download this game please take some time once you’ve played it a while to leave some constructive feedback either positive or negative. The more constructive feedback we get, the more likely developers are going to give more games away. The giveaway site already has a very good standing with the search engines. Developers want their products out there on the WWW, this site has the potential to do that. The game giveaway project gives away on average between 9 to 17 thousand downloads for each game depending upon what genre and how obscure the game is. That’s a lot of homes these games are being downloaded into and a lot of 'potential' cash that’s being lost by the developers. If we get better games because of better feedback, the community are likely to continue to benefit from the generosity of the developers. Satisfied community members are then more likely to visit the home sites of those developers and purchase games that they may not have bothered with before they discovered the developer via the game giveaway site, thus giving the developers more incentives to give away even more decent games.

Please leave some feedback once you've checked the game out. It can be positive or negative, but please explain what your reasons were for the feedback you post. You could also leave suggestions for improving the game, for example, this game could do with more block types for the levels editor, add more power-ups, describing the ones you think would be suitable, add some mini games (which seem all the rage in some arcade games now) or enable the user to be able to change the in game music easily.

Thank you in advance to all those who take the time to post a constructive comment.

Regards

Whiterabbit aka Stephen

========================================================

Thank you!! Love these!

Downloaded this before, either here or another site, and it downloads smoothly, no problems and played beautifully on my aging TC1100 XP Tablet Pro computer. Graphics are sharp, storyline moves along nicely paced and HOG items are evenly hidden. There was a glitch towards the end where the game looped back on the same spot, making me ctrl-alt-del out of it and manually move on to the next spot. Also had to make wild-stabs in the dark at a few spots. Overall, a worthwhile game if you have the patience.

Win 8 x64 Pro. Near full screen, sliders. Interesting partial HOG using a clever timed element at certain points where solving the items in time gains 2 hints, but just 1 if eat up the clock. I guess if fail entirely one can progress further anyway. Prob gain a hint or some pointer later. Toughest part seemed to be finding a small scrap of paper here or there to progress from a screen and continue story. Overall a nice Sunday HOG to keep for later. Gotta catch the Easter bonnets parade in NYC. Thanks GOTD. Have a goody all.

The game installed without any trouble.

However now I'm stuck in the basement - the case didn't want to keep opened and no way to get the last key :( Hm... The game also crashed before I entered the basement.

Anyways, I'll try to start a new game some day... Not now cause although nice to play once it gets quickly boring if repeated twice the same day.

Thanks GOTD for giving away games ;)

I like HOG’s but do not like the “chatter” - comic strip - which so many use.
Do they use the comic strip idea because these days a lot of people do not read a book ?
The graphics are quite good with clear (not black on black) well designed HO.
All in all I think 6 out of 10.
Would like to switch off the comics .

Installed A-OK on Vista Home Prem., X64. Install does not create a Shortcut, so, I had to make one. Game installs under C:\Games\
Game plays in Full Screen. To me was slow to respond when I tried to get pass the Storyline or get to Exit.

Thanks & HAPPY EASTER TO ALL!

Downloaded and installed just fine on my XP S3. However I'm stuck on the first HO page in the mansion and cannot figure out where to go from here. I've found everything but there is no information as to what the next step should be. Can anyone help me?

Thanks, GGAOTD, Linda

Not a bad game at all but there are one or two glitches to note.

First, some of the clues seem to not have "flags" that indicate the proper stage of the puzzle solving. To be specific, the game mentions something about waking the lawyer up but he hasn't even fallen asleep.

It also isn't always clear what you should be doing or looking for. I assumed I needed money to get to the lawyer's but was not sure if I was able to look somewhere else (like the front gate) or if there was even a way to leave the mansion's entryway.

It also wasn't clear how much time I had left to find all 16 objects between two locations. For whatever reason it told me that I did not have time to find all the items even though I had over 3 minutes left!

Still, the story so far and the bright and cheery graphics are very nice and the puzzles so far aren't too easy or difficult. I like it overall.

I own one other Natalie Brooks. They are very fun to play. The colors and graphics are good. The sound is great! and the game, itself, is very enjoyable. Of course, most games from Alawar are usually very good games.
Thank you GameGiveAway and Alawar.

thank you so much for all the great games

Already played this one, but thank you. Ran okay on both XP and my new Win 7 (anyone know how to get rid of those stupid giant arrows on the shortcuts?). I didn't keep the game so I would rate it a 6 overall.

Mostly just wanted to say Happy Easter and thanks for all the games over the past years. Other folks check facebook first, I check this one first. So Thank You!!

why is that some games you install you need to keep the folder ! this has happened several times now...i download to desktop, but i have to keep the game in it's folder...if i delete the folder, the game is gone! help!

OH! Where's WHITE RABBIT? He's LATE! HE'S late! HE'S LATE!

Maybe he can't find his WATCH?

Maybe the QUEEN OFFED HIS HEAD! HE is from ENGLAND, isn't HE?

OH! I hope his HEAD isn't OFFED! An OFFED HEAD couldn't tell us about all these games.

HOGs - I HATE most. I LIKE few. MAYBE this is a FEW! I'll download it and try it later, but I am still playing "The World of Art" right now. Gotta finish it first!

If I was a chicken, I bet I could play two hidden object games at a time. You know, ONE with EACH eye. I wonder how many a BEE could play?

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

My provider closed my account last night while I was writing up todays review for some inexplicable reason? Took 18 hours of phone calls to get back online.

Thank you Alawar for another FGOTD. I own many Alawar games and enjoy them all. The Natalie Brook series is great, my almost 5 year old grand daughter enjoys playing now with me and its fun to teach her the tricks of the games.

No problems with download or install, and really appreciate the small footprint install.

I'm usually happy to see Hidden Object games, and Alawar is a company I like. But in my opinion this is not one of their better games. The individual scenes in the game are rather poorly connected, and if you click on items in the wrong order, you can get taken out of a scene before you've got all the info you need. Once inside a scene, you're pretty much left to your own devices, trying to sort out what you should do next. Not like I need to be led by the hand, I'm usually pretty good at finding my way around an HO game, but this one feels like it was put together by accident.

When it's time for the 'dedicated' Hidden Object part of the game, the random assortment of things that you need to look through just appears out of nowhere in the room you've already been in for some time. Then when you've got the ones you're looking for, the the rest all disappear again, just as mysteriously. What the heck? I found it very haphazard and annoying.

Also, the people you run across in the game kind of creeped me out. I only went through two or three segments, but all the characters except for Natalie seemed to breathe quite heavily. Their shoulders moved up and down very noticeably, and it looked like they'd just run up a dozen flights of steps or something. It was weird. I'm sure the game designers were trying to avoid the characters all looking like statues between dialogues, but to me, it was creepy.

I doubt very much that I'll finish this game. I'm glad the graphics work for you, Mortlake, but to me, they were not especially interesting to look at. I have to admit, I actually like the dark/creepy atmosphere, similar to the atmosphere of the game you've named yourself after. I think I'll stick to those, instead.

I don't tend to comment, since by the time I get the game and play it for a while, the giveaway is over. But this one didn't take any time at all for me to dislike. Hopefully, the next Alawar offering will be better. Thanks anyway, Alawar and GGOTD!

HOG / TM / M3, surely theres gotta be more than this.
I find HOG too hard.
see ya next saturday

Tried several times to download and play this game - all goes well until the last minute when I try to play it - then all I get is 'game.exe has stopped working'. Any ideas?

Thank`s for that Eastern present.
But for some Game iàm to stupid ;)

I own 3 "Nathalie Brooks" games. But not sure I played this one already, which is the 2nd installment, if I'm right. But I enjoyed the other 2.

I like the graphics, colourful, no dark or creepy atmosphere. We are a young (student) heroin, courageous, energetic, a kind of a MacGyver girl, who always finds original ways to solve problems, or get herself out of difficult situations. I would rate the overall difficulty : medium.

I think the 1st installment can appear to be quite repetitive, because of the number of HO games. But this was the "old-style" HO games. And anyway, sometimes the items we look for will serve like tools later on in the game, or will be combined to solve a puzzle. I like this ! Not simply looking for objects, just because we are asked to look for them ;-) The game was enjoyable. I should not forget about the humour of some situations or dialogs. The storyline is divided into chapters. And once a chapter is completed, unless I missed something, we can't go back and have a look again at what we did. But that's OK ! There are cartoon-like cutscenes between each chapters. And when we are stucked in a scene, or too impatient, the "Hint" button is just great :-)

Then, my favorite one is the 3rd installment. There are still quite a number of HO games. But also all kinds of puzzles, not always so easy to solve. And still the same colourful graphics, no dark / creepy atmosphere ... humour... storyline divided into chapters... and this amazing heroin ;-)

Well... thanks to GGAOTD, I guess I'll play this 2nd installment at last, in the coming days ;-)
Enjoy everyone !

(sorry if some of my comments are not too clear. English is not my native language...)

There is no installation routine with this game. Instead you merely extract the game folder to a location of your choice. As with all of these extraction, the last location you used is the default location. So if you are happy with this choice, just click OK. Otherwise, browse to your preferred location. The extracted game folder is a little more than 58 MB in size. I have not played this a lot but enough to know it is a keeper for me. If you liked "Mystery at Hillcrest High" in this series, you will like this one too. Considering how there is no install so there are no changes made to your system, no unneeded icons dumped on your desktop, and a completely stand alone game, I can see no reason not to give this a try. Thank you GGOTD team and Alawar Entertainment.