Game Giveaway of the Day

#1

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

The deal posted here for Whispering willows ended last night.

The Fool

In Brief

Save the Princess from the Dragon themed Hidden Object Game

Suggestions:

If you like or don't like The Fool please give some feedback about your opinion of the game, for example, what did you like about the game, or how it could be improved from your point of view . If you don't like this genre at all, please explain why. What improvements would change your opinion? There are thousands of subscribers to the game giveaway of the day every weekend which makes this an ideal forum for giving developers ideas as to what their consumers (i.e you) would like to see in a game. For example, you could suggest extra content such as better or more original mini games, or a level editor that you would like to see that would make it more appealing to you. Maybe you think the graphics are a little dated and are in need of re skinning, or maybe you've just had enough of the genre and want to see something different or something with more originality?

If you miss today's game giveaway you can always get the game via MyPlayCity 24/7 HERE. If you prefer the game on Steam you can also buy this game via the Steam platform HERE for £6.99

The game downloads to a 272 MB zip file that unzips to four files, (a setup.gcd security wrapper, the set up file and a read me). Those with multiple hard drives are able to save games on any drive they wish. The newly installed game is 292 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\The Fool

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:

Kill the dragon and save the pretty princess in the ravishing game The Fool! Are you fond of fairytales? Now you have a unique chance to try your hand in saving the whole kingdom from cunning dragon and lead the boy through lots of challenging missions. Cope with brain training tasks to equip the hero with armor and start your incredible adventure. Plunge into the wonderful world in the game The Fool and help a rustic boy save the beautiful princess and get a half of the kingdom as a dowry!

Reference accessed HERE. 18th Sept 2016

If you have a problem installing or activating or getting The Fool to work please visit the problems section, which I've now incorporated into the FAQ's thread, and which you can find HERE

The Game:

Are you ready for an adventure game that will engladden you with every puzzle? Or maybe you're in the mood for a little princess saving, dragon slaying, ghost-costume-wearing fun? Either way, The Fool has got you covered. And then some! The Fool is a perfect example of what a casual adventure game should be: smart, funny, filled with puzzles, and just the right number of diversions to keep things from going too silent. All wrapped in a deliciously tongue-in-cheek fantasy setting.

A fierce dragon is terrorizing the kingdom, burninating everything it sees and turning entire villages into charcoal. The king is pretty much fed up with that, so he sets an enticing bounty. To the knight that slays the dragon and brings a tooth as proof of a deed done, he will give his daughter's hand in marriage along with a hefty portion of land. Many brave soldiers have perished in the attempt, but then a boy with a stick ambulates over the hills. He'd have to be some kind of fool to undertake this quest, wouldn't he?

The Fool is built like a casual adventure game, with exploration, item gathering, and puzzle solving taking center stage, while mini-games and hidden object scenes come at a distant second. The mouse is all you need to play, and you can count on the cursor to show you things you can examine, interact with, or walk to. The inventory at the bottom stores key items you'll pick up during your journey, and to use them, all you have to do is click and click again!

Each small area you're turned loose in has a number of puzzles you have to solve in order to proceed. All the items you need are within a few screens of each other, but you'll have to travel back and forth several times to gather what you need. The hint system only works inside the hidden object scenes, but if you ever get stuck, just revisit an old area and look at the environment more closely. Chances are, you missed something!

The hidden object scenes aren't too numerous, and they're exactly the right length and difficulty. Twelve items per scene, and there's always at least one "riddle" item to find. For example, a clue on the list might say "basket full of apples". You can see a basket, you can see some apples, so why not click the apples, drop them in the basket, and make the very item you were looking for? Each one of these brings a grin to your face, especially the first one where you have to find "baked bread".

Unlike most casual adventure games, the mini-games in The Fool are worth talking about. You won't find the usual battery of letters to assemble piece by piece, bits of string you have to unwind, or jigsaw puzzles. Instead, this game is packed with unique mini-games that fit the jolly fantasy atmosphere very well. How about sliding squares to match a picture? Or solving a numbers problem to unlock a door? Some of them are quite challenging, but you can always hit the "skip" button at the bottom after it fills up.

To the seasoned retro adventure gamers out there, an experience like The Fool won't be unheard of. The game takes inspiration from the likes of King's Quest to construct its world, its characters, and, naturally, its light sense of humor. The Fool never takes itself too seriously, which, combined with smart design choices from developer MagicIndie (creators of Adventures of Robinson Crusoe), is why it turns in to such a brilliant gaming experience.

The setting and atmosphere take a huge leap forward in terms of quality for casual adventure games, and you won't be disappointed by any aspect of the game's story. It's not because the plot is so original and well-written that your brain will explode from the newness. It's because The Fool takes a familiar concept, adds a bit of humor, and draws upon parody and lightheartedness to entertain. Not allowed to dig in the cemetery? Why not find a digging permit? Need mandragora root but all you have are mandragora seeds? Bet that "quick gro" potion will come in handy!

Drawbacks? Caveats? Warning signposts? Nothing! If you don't mind revisiting a few hidden object scenes several minutes after you've completed them (with new items to find, of course), backtracking doesn't bother you, and you don't want your hand to be held at every decision in the game, The Fool is the perfect casual adventure/hidden object game for you. Seriously, you'd be a fool not to play it. (Or would you accept 'I pity the fool that doesn't play this game?')

Reference accessed HERE. 11th August 2016, original review written by JohnB April 2011

In classic fairy tale form, a kingdom is threatened by a ferocious dragon and it takes a clever fool to save the day.

Moldovan developer Magic Indie Softworks, known for its successful Robinson Crusoe games, continues its winning streak with fanciful hidden object adventure, The Fool. Drawing upon classic fairy tale themes, the game tells the story of a kingdom ravaged by a powerful dragon and demonstrates that sometimes brains are better than brawn when a kingdom is in peril. Offering beautiful art direction, unusual puzzles and a handful of interesting locations to explore, The Fool proves it’s not just another fairy story retread.

The story starts with a clueless young man—of the scrawny, 98-pound weakling variety—showing up and enthusiastically proclaiming his intention to take on the dragon. Considering the reward (the princess’s hand and half the kingdom) no one’s surprised he’d want to attempt it, but since many a proper hero has already tried and failed, no one expects him to succeed. The nameless, carrot-topped Fool’s first task is to cobble together a suit of armor. He sets about scouring the nearby town for the pieces, along the way running into the king, the princess and a nasty, albeit helpful dungeon inmate.

The armor search marks the start of a mechanic not usually seen in hidden object games: costume changes. The Fool’s portrait hovers at the lower left of the screen throughout the game and when he comes across something he can wear, a window pops up allowing you to dress him in it. Whether it’s armor, a ghost outfit or a baby dragon disguise, the portrait then changes to reflect the outfit he’s wearing, thus enabling him to access things he previously couldn’t. It’s a fun little role-playing element that definitely adds something to the game. Also unusual are the game’s puzzles. While some of them certainly will be familiar to adventure fans, a good number of them rely on a creative approach to shape recognition (one standout is a cool constellation puzzle) that’s different than what’s commonly seen.

In addition to some diverting twists on familiar game play, The Fool also offers some nice 2D story cinematics and beautiful 3D environment art. While the 3D characters can be a little odd looking, (the Fool himself is fairly scary at the start of the game) the environments are great, and offer more variety than usual. Most hidden object adventures tend to stick close to one location—a spooky house or an abandoned village—but The Fool takes you to a series of different ones, starting with the initial charming village and moving on to a creepy mad scientist’s castle, a steampunk city and a kingdom in the clouds. Although the game’s sound is limited, with only a few brief cinematic voice overs, its music is light, melodic and evocative. Add to that some fairly hilarious writing, (such as the princess telling the Fool, “You have the eyes of my beloved hamster. I love hamsters.”) and you have a recipe for great entertainment.

Looking for something negative to say about The Fool, it’s tough to find anything about it that outright begs for improvement. Really, the main problem the game has is that it feels way too short. Even though you’re allowed to visit many different locations, you don’t spend enough time at any one of them and instead are swept along to the next after only a couple of hidden object sequences and situational puzzles. It’s really too bad because within each location are many interesting, carefully-rendered areas just screaming with unrealized game play potential.

Despite this, and in keeping with its previous offerings, Magic Indie’s brought us another quality hidden object adventure. Although the game’s a bit on the short side and the story is not the most original, the game play does a lot to make up for it. Building on solid hidden object mechanics, The Fool spices things up by adding a smidgen of role-playing, a dollop of creative custom puzzles and a smattering of beautiful, interesting locations; the end result is a fascinating and tasty concoction.

Reference accessed HERE. 11th August 2016. Original review posted April 2011 by Neilie Johnson

Other Reviews, Walthroughs and Videos:

You can see other reviews of The FoolHERE, HERE, and more information about the game in the Big Fish forums HERE (over 170 questions about the game, if you are stuch in a particular spot, you may find the answer here or via one of the walkthroughs of 'The Fool', which you'll find 294 HERE, HERE and HERE (The game is over 5 years old) and if you want to see some game play you can see a couple of videos of game play HERE and HERE

HERE,

Conclusion:

A well made Adventure Hidden Object Game, with lots of unusual interactive puzzles with five different locations to explore. A decent game for the whole family.

I'd like to take this opportunity to thank MyPlyCity for giving away The Fool minus the checkboxes and also to the game giveaway team, as always, for providing a safe environment to download free games.

Useful Information not related to today's game giveaway:

The problems section that used to be posted here in the Game review is now included in the Game Discussion FAQ's thread; which you can find HERE.

I've updated the games section that used to be posted with the review. The thread is now called 'Weekly round up of game deals', formerly the games section of the weekly reviews. You can find the new thread (which I've posted in the sticky section of the game discussion forums to make it easier to find if you are perusing the game discussion forums) HERE.

If today's games were not to your liking, you may find other games either free or for less than the price of a cup of coffee (from your favorite coffee house) via the 'Weekly Roundup of Game Deals' thread which I've posted a link to above, or HERE.

.

The latest free game over on Origin is still Nox. You can get it HERE. Also for a very short time Origin are giving away the add-ons for premium FPS game Battlefield 4 for free. Battlefield 4 is a premium FPS game released almost two years ago. If you like FPS games I highly recommend getting this game. You'll find it HERE. Please note that you do require the Origin game platform to be able to download and install the game. You can still get the add-ons without the game, but you won't be able to play them till you buy the main game. Origin often have excellent sales. With Battlefield 1 soon to be released (a WWI shooter) I reckon you'll see Battlefield 4 heavily reduced in price. The previous Battlefield 3 has already been given away previously as well as been in a couple of game bundles for only a few dollars together with several opther premium AAA games. it's also been on sale for as little as £5 during sales over the last year. I reckon we will see the same with Battlefield 4 soon, so I advise grabbing the free dlc for the game before they remove it from the free stuff.

Also, the PC version of ALERT: SECTOR 8 (a traditional Shoot Em Up)is also still available over on Failmids Shareware-on-Sale site HERE, also available via Failmid's site are the arcade game Lexica (ends Monday 19th Sept) and the open world racing game The Crew (ends Monday 3rd Oct). You will need the uPlay client for The Crew. To get the game you have to log into your uPlay account, then click on the banner that says Ubisoft turns 30. This should open a new page where you can get The Crew added to your account. The Crew is also a premium AAA game and well worth getting, especially if you like open world racing games. To get The Crew the shareware link I've provided above isn't actually necessary. You just have to sign into your uPlay account and look for the Ubisoft turning 30 link, or if you don't have a uPlay account create an account HERE. Click on the green Join the Club button, get your free account, then get your free copy of The Crew.

If you spend over a dollar in the Indie Gala store (they have some excellent bundle deals, but these are excluded from the offer) you will also get a free copy of the excellent trials bike racer Nail'd

DIG are still offering free Steam keys for Hacker Evolution Time Dimensions and Crystals of time. To get keys for these two games you will have to do similar activities as you do for those Steam games that have been offered for the past several months over on the game giveaway site. You can find those free Steam key deals HERE (Hacker Evolution: Time Dimensions and HERE (Crystals of Time).

<ul><blockquote>...........................Moderator Comment................................</blockquote></ul>

<blockquote>The deal posted here for Whispering willows ended last night.</blockquote>

The Fool

<blockquote>In Brief</blockquote>
<blockquote>Save the Princess from the Dragon themed Hidden Object Game </blockquote>

Suggestions:
<blockquote>If you like or don't like The Fool please give some feedback about your opinion of the game, for example, what did you like about the game, or how it could be improved from your point of view . If you don't like this genre at all, please explain why. What improvements would change your opinion? There are thousands of subscribers to the game giveaway of the day every weekend which makes this an ideal forum for giving developers ideas as to what their consumers (i.e you) would like to see in a game. For example, you could suggest extra content such as better or more original mini games, or a level editor that you would like to see that would make it more appealing to you. Maybe you think the graphics are a little dated and are in need of re skinning, or maybe you've just had enough of the genre and want to see something different or something with more originality?</blockquote> 
<blockquote>If you miss today's game giveaway you can always get the game via MyPlayCity 24/7 <a href="http://www.myplaycity.com/the_fool/" rel="nofollow">HERE</a>. If you prefer the game on Steam you can also buy this game via the Steam platform <a href="http://store.steampowered.com/app/334490/" rel="nofollow">HERE</a> for £6.99</blockquote>

<blockquote>The game downloads to a 272 MB zip file that unzips to four files, (a setup.gcd security wrapper, the set up file and a read me). Those with multiple hard drives are able to save games on any drive they wish. The newly installed game is 292 MB in size. The game installs to the following path by default, but can be changed by the user if you prefer:</blockquote>
<blockquote>C:\Program Files (x86)\MyPlayCity.com\The Fool</blockquote>
 <blockquote>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)</blockquote>

Introduction:
<blockquote>Kill the dragon and save the pretty princess in the ravishing game The Fool! Are you fond of fairytales? Now you have a unique chance to try your hand in saving the whole kingdom from cunning dragon and lead the boy through lots of challenging missions. Cope with brain training tasks to equip the hero with armor and start your incredible adventure. Plunge into the wonderful world in the game The Fool and help a rustic boy save the beautiful princess and get a half of the kingdom as a dowry!</blockquote>

<blockquote>Reference accessed <a href="http://www.myplaycity.com/the_fool/" rel="nofollow">HERE</a>. 18th Sept 2016</blockquote>

<blockquote>If you have a problem installing or activating or getting The Fool to work please visit the problems section, which I've now incorporated into the FAQ's thread, and which you can find <a href="http://www.giveawayoftheday.com/forums/topic/11647" rel="nofollow">HERE</a></blockquote>

The Game:

<blockquote>Are you ready for an adventure game that will engladden you with every puzzle? Or maybe you're in the mood for a little princess saving, dragon slaying, ghost-costume-wearing fun? Either way, The Fool has got you covered. And then some! The Fool is a perfect example of what a casual adventure game should be: smart, funny, filled with puzzles, and just the right number of diversions to keep things from going too silent. All wrapped in a deliciously tongue-in-cheek fantasy setting.</blockquote>
<blockquote>A fierce dragon is terrorizing the kingdom, burninating everything it sees and turning entire villages into charcoal. The king is pretty much fed up with that, so he sets an enticing bounty. To the knight that slays the dragon and brings a tooth as proof of a deed done, he will give his daughter's hand in marriage along with a hefty portion of land. Many brave soldiers have perished in the attempt, but then a boy with a stick ambulates over the hills. He'd have to be some kind of fool to undertake this quest, wouldn't he?</blockquote>

<blockquote>The Fool is built like a casual adventure game, with exploration, item gathering, and puzzle solving taking center stage, while mini-games and hidden object scenes come at a distant second. The mouse is all you need to play, and you can count on the cursor to show you things you can examine, interact with, or walk to. The inventory at the bottom stores key items you'll pick up during your journey, and to use them, all you have to do is click and click again!</blockquote>
<blockquote>Each small area you're turned loose in has a number of puzzles you have to solve in order to proceed. All the items you need are within a few screens of each other, but you'll have to travel back and forth several times to gather what you need. The hint system only works inside the hidden object scenes, but if you ever get stuck, just revisit an old area and look at the environment more closely. Chances are, you missed something!</blockquote>
<blockquote>The hidden object scenes aren't too numerous, and they're exactly the right length and difficulty. Twelve items per scene, and there's always at least one "riddle" item to find. For example, a clue on the list might say "basket full of apples". You can see a basket, you can see some apples, so why not click the apples, drop them in the basket, and make the very item you were looking for? Each one of these brings a grin to your face, especially the first one where you have to find "baked bread".</blockquote>

<blockquote>Unlike most casual adventure games, the mini-games in The Fool are worth talking about. You won't find the usual battery of letters to assemble piece by piece, bits of string you have to unwind, or jigsaw puzzles. Instead, this game is packed with unique mini-games that fit the jolly fantasy atmosphere very well. How about sliding squares to match a picture? Or solving a numbers problem to unlock a door? Some of them are quite challenging, but you can always hit the "skip" button at the bottom after it fills up.</blockquote>
<blockquote>To the seasoned retro adventure gamers out there, an experience like The Fool won't be unheard of. The game takes inspiration from the likes of King's Quest to construct its world, its characters, and, naturally, its light sense of humor. The Fool never takes itself too seriously, which, combined with smart design choices from developer MagicIndie (creators of Adventures of Robinson Crusoe), is why it turns in to such a brilliant gaming experience.</blockquote>
<blockquote>The setting and atmosphere take a huge leap forward in terms of quality for casual adventure games, and you won't be disappointed by any aspect of the game's story. It's not because the plot is so original and well-written that your brain will explode from the newness. It's because The Fool takes a familiar concept, adds a bit of humor, and draws upon parody and lightheartedness to entertain. Not allowed to dig in the cemetery? Why not find a digging permit? Need mandragora root but all you have are mandragora seeds? Bet that "quick gro" potion will come in handy!</blockquote>
<blockquote>Drawbacks? Caveats? Warning signposts? Nothing! If you don't mind revisiting a few hidden object scenes several minutes after you've completed them (with new items to find, of course), backtracking doesn't bother you, and you don't want your hand to be held at every decision in the game, The Fool is the perfect casual adventure/hidden object game for you. Seriously, you'd be a fool not to play it. (Or would you accept 'I pity the fool that doesn't play this game?')</blockquote>
<blockquote>Reference accessed <a href=http://jayisgames.com/review/the-fool.php"" rel="nofollow">HERE</a>. 11th August 2016, original review written by JohnB April 2011</blockquote>

<blockquote>In classic fairy tale form, a kingdom is threatened by a ferocious dragon and it takes a clever fool to save the day.</blockquote>
<blockquote>Moldovan developer Magic Indie Softworks, known for its successful Robinson Crusoe games, continues its winning streak with fanciful hidden object adventure, The Fool. Drawing upon classic fairy tale themes, the game tells the story of a kingdom ravaged by a powerful dragon and demonstrates that sometimes brains are better than brawn when a kingdom is in peril. Offering beautiful art direction, unusual puzzles and a handful of interesting locations to explore, The Fool proves it’s not just another fairy story retread.</blockquote>
<blockquote>The story starts with a clueless young man—of the scrawny, 98-pound weakling variety—showing up and enthusiastically proclaiming his intention to take on the dragon. Considering the reward (the princess’s hand and half the kingdom) no one’s surprised he’d want to attempt it, but since many a proper hero has already tried and failed, no one expects him to succeed. The nameless, carrot-topped Fool’s first task is to cobble together a suit of armor. He sets about scouring the nearby town for the pieces, along the way running into the king, the princess and a nasty, albeit helpful dungeon inmate.</blockquote>
<blockquote>The armor search marks the start of a mechanic not usually seen in hidden object games: costume changes. The Fool’s portrait hovers at the lower left of the screen throughout the game and when he comes across something he can wear, a window pops up allowing you to dress him in it. Whether it’s armor, a ghost outfit or a baby dragon disguise, the portrait then changes to reflect the outfit he’s wearing, thus enabling him to access things he previously couldn’t. It’s a fun little role-playing element that definitely adds something to the game. Also unusual are the game’s puzzles. While some of them certainly will be familiar to adventure fans, a good number of them rely on a creative approach to shape recognition (one standout is a cool constellation puzzle) that’s different than what’s commonly seen.</blockquote>

<blockquote>In addition to some diverting twists on familiar game play, The Fool also offers some nice 2D story cinematics and beautiful 3D environment art. While the 3D characters can be a little odd looking, (the Fool himself is fairly scary at the start of the game) the environments are great, and offer more variety than usual. Most hidden object adventures tend to stick close to one location—a spooky house or an abandoned village—but The Fool takes you to a series of different ones, starting with the initial charming village and moving on to a creepy mad scientist’s castle, a steampunk city and a kingdom in the clouds. Although the game’s sound is limited, with only a few brief cinematic voice overs, its music is light, melodic and evocative. Add to that some fairly hilarious writing, (such as the princess telling the Fool, “You have the eyes of my beloved hamster. I love hamsters.”) and you have a recipe for great entertainment.</blockquote>
<blockquote>Looking for something negative to say about The Fool, it’s tough to find anything about it that outright begs for improvement. Really, the main problem the game has is that it feels way too short. Even though you’re allowed to visit many different locations, you don’t spend enough time at any one of them and instead are swept along to the next after only a couple of hidden object sequences and situational puzzles. It’s really too bad because within each location are many interesting, carefully-rendered areas just screaming with unrealized game play potential.</blockquote>
<blockquote>Despite this, and in keeping with its previous offerings, Magic Indie’s brought us another quality hidden object adventure. Although the game’s a bit on the short side and the story is not the most original, the game play does a lot to make up for it. Building on solid hidden object mechanics, The Fool spices things up by adding a smidgen of role-playing, a dollop of creative custom puzzles and a smattering of beautiful, interesting locations; the end result is a fascinating and tasty concoction.</blockquote>

<blockquote>Reference accessed <a href="http://www.gamezebo.com/2011/04/05/fool-review/" rel="nofollow">HERE</a>. 11th August 2016. Original review posted April 2011 by Neilie Johnson</blockquote>

Other Reviews, Walthroughs and Videos:

<blockquote>You can see other reviews of The Fool<a href="http://www.bigfishgames.com/games/6654/the-fool/" rel="nofollow">HERE</a>, <a href="http://store.steampowered.com/app/334490/#app_reviews_hash" rel="nofollow">HERE</a>, and more information about the game in the Big Fish forums <a href="http://forums.bigfishgames.com/forums/show/2242.page" rel="nofollow">HERE</a> (over 170 questions about the game, if you are stuch in a particular spot, you may find the answer here or via one of the walkthroughs of 'The Fool', which you'll find 294 <a href="http://www.bigfishgames.com/blog/walkthrough/the-fool-walkthrough/" rel="nofollow">HERE</a>, <a href="http://www.casualgameguides.com/games/guide/game_guide.cfm/The_Fool-Walkthrough/Cheats-1/game_id-8739/#.V9Ke0hGPuiw" rel="nofollow">HERE</a> and <a href="http://www.gamezebo.com/2011/04/07/fool-walkthrough-cheats-strategy-guide/" rel="nofollow">HERE</a> (The game is over 5 years old) and if you want to see some game play you can see a couple of videos of game play <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s_wV4Pb7uhE" rel="nofollow">HERE</a> and <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aVTtn9audeI" rel="nofollow">HERE</a></blockquote>

<a href="" rel="nofollow">HERE</a>,

Conclusion:
<blockquote>A well made Adventure Hidden Object Game, with lots of unusual interactive puzzles with five different locations to explore. A decent game for the whole family. </blockquote>

<blockquote>I'd like to take this opportunity to thank MyPlyCity for giving away The Fool minus the checkboxes and also to the game giveaway team, as always, for providing a safe environment to download free games.</blockquote>

Useful Information not related to today's game giveaway:
<blockquote>The problems section that used to be posted here in the Game review is now included in the Game Discussion FAQ's thread; which you can find <a href="http://www.giveawayoftheday.com/forums/topic/11647" rel="nofollow">HERE</a>.</blockquote>
 <blockquote> I've updated the games section that used to be posted with the review. The thread is now called 'Weekly round up of game deals', formerly the games section of the weekly reviews. You can find the new thread (which I've posted in the sticky section of the game discussion forums to make it easier to find if you are perusing the game discussion forums) <a href="http://www.giveawayoftheday.com/forums/topic/458939#post-569898" rel="nofollow">HERE</a>.</blockquote>

<blockquote>If today's games were not to your liking, you may find other games either free or for less than the price of a cup of coffee (from your favorite coffee house) via the 'Weekly Roundup of Game Deals' thread which I've posted a link to above, or <a href="http://www.giveawayoftheday.com/forums/topic/458939" rel="nofollow">HERE</a>.</blockquote>. <blockquote>The latest free game over on Origin is still Nox. You can get it <a href="https://www.origin.com/en-gb/store/free-games/on-the-house" rel="nofollow">HERE</a>. Also for a very short time Origin are giving away the add-ons for premium FPS game Battlefield 4 for free. Battlefield 4 is a premium FPS game released almost two years ago. If you like FPS games I highly recommend getting this game. You'll find it <a href="https://www.origin.com/gbr/en-us/store/free-games/on-the-house" rel="nofollow">HERE</a>. Please note that you do require the Origin game platform to be able to download and install the game. You can still get the add-ons without the game, but you won't be able to play them till you buy the main game. Origin often have excellent sales. With Battlefield 1 soon to be released (a WWI shooter) I reckon you'll see Battlefield 4 heavily reduced in price. The previous Battlefield 3 has already been given away previously as well as been in a couple of game bundles for only a few dollars together with several opther premium AAA games. it's also been on sale for as little as £5 during sales over the last year. I reckon we will see the same with Battlefield 4 soon, so I advise grabbing the free dlc for the game before they remove it from the free stuff.</blockquote><blockquote> Also, the PC version of ALERT: SECTOR 8 (a traditional Shoot Em Up)is also still available over on Failmids Shareware-on-Sale site <a href="http://failmid.com/game/alert-sector-8-100-discount/" rel="nofollow">HERE</a>, also available via Failmid's site are the arcade game <a href="http://failmid.com/game/lexica-100-discount/" rel="nofollow">Lexica</a> (ends Monday 19th Sept) and the open world racing game <a href="http://sharewareonsale.com/s/free-the-crew-100-discount" rel="nofollow">The Crew</a> (ends Monday 3rd Oct). You will need the uPlay client for The Crew. To get the game you have to log into your uPlay account, then click on the banner that says Ubisoft turns 30. This should open a new page where you can get The Crew added to your account. The Crew is also a premium AAA game and well worth getting, especially if you like open world racing games. To get The Crew the shareware link I've provided above isn't actually necessary. You just have to sign into your uPlay account and look for the Ubisoft turning 30 link, or if you don't have a uPlay account create an account <a href="http://uplay.ubi.com/" rel="nofollow">HERE</a>. Click on the green Join the Club button, get your free account, then get your free copy of The Crew.</blockquote>

<blockquote>If you spend over a dollar in the Indie Gala store (they have some excellent bundle deals, but these are excluded from the offer) you will also get a free copy of the excellent trials bike racer <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FMzJmrA03ds" rel="nofollow"> Nail'd</a></blockquote>
 <blockquote>DIG are still offering free Steam keys for Hacker Evolution Time Dimensions and Crystals of time. To get keys for these two games you will have to do similar activities as you do for those Steam games that have been offered for the past several months over on the game giveaway site. You can find those free Steam key deals <a href="http://www.dailyindiegame.com/content_contesthe.html" rel="nofollow">HERE</a> (Hacker Evolution: Time Dimensions and <a href="http://www.dailyindiegame.com/content_contestcot.html" rel="nofollow">HERE</a> (Crystals of Time).</blockquote>

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Reply | Comment by Whiterabbit-uk – 8 years ago – Did you find this comment useful? yes | no (+7)

#26

thanks for all your replies to my issues - I eventually downloaded it from Playcity, but will try scanning it like suggested here next time.
Enjoying the game so far, on Win7 laptop.

Reply | Comment by sheamurai – 8 years ago – Did you find this comment useful? yes | no (0)

#25

I'm really unhappy, not sure what happened! I downloaded the game, and then I went to MyPlayCity and downloaded some DreamDay HOGs, and every last one of them, including the game from here (!) was Lost Lagoon 2, when I went and opened them! :(

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

Try clearing out your internet cache. sometimes cookies can become corrupted d cause problems. Never heard of this problem before. Try re-downloading today's game then make a note of the file name as it is being installed and the position it is being installed to. I've mentioned in my review where The Fool should install to.

Reply | Comment by Juliette – 8 years ago – Did you find this comment useful? yes | no (-1)

#24

The Fool
A HOG from MPC that downloaded and installed well on a Win10 64Pro system. Very nice graphics and a much deeper HOG than the usual fare, at least it seemed that way to us. And full disclosure am not usually a fan of HOG and neither is my daughter normally, but she played this one more than I've ever seen her play one. Nice work by the game developer, and by GGOTD and My Play City for this one ;) Am bummed a bit that I can't even try and get Whispering Willows from yesterday as I'm not on social media because of work., Wish they would come up with another way to enter the contests for people like us.

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

Hi JBurt, Thank you for your feedback. Regarding Whispering Willows, it was on offer at 80% off via GreenManGaming over the weekend, costing around $2. It may still be available. I've linked to the offer at the beginning of my review

Unfirtunately it's become much harder to get games free from developers, which is why the giveaway team have resorted to the use of social media. The more people who join the giveaway community, the better developers like it becasue they know a percentage of those community members will come back and buy from them. Spreading the giveaway work via social media can be very effective, especially if you have a lot of friends tied to your accounts. There will always be traditional giveaways as well, just not as many as there used to be. I'm still hoping to see the return of Alawar and Playrix, but so far I've not seen any sign of them. One of my friends knows one of Alawar's people and was told they haven't left. Alawar gave games away to this project right from the outset and I remember them taking a break from the project for a bout a year. I used to beta test for Alawar back then and asked if they would be giving more games away and was told they were just taking a break, so it seems they are just repeating that break again. As for Playrix, we received giveaways from them for several years on a regular basis, but haven't seen them since the site changed back in February, seven months ago.

The Fool
A HOG from MPC that downloaded and installed well on a Win10 64Pro system. Very nice graphics and a much deeper HOG than the usual fare, at least it seemed that way to us. And full disclosure am not usually a fan of HOG and neither is my daughter normally, but she played this one more than I've ever seen her play one.  Nice work by the game developer, and by GGOTD and My Play City for this one ;) Am bummed a bit that I can't even try and get Whispering Willows from yesterday as I'm not on social media because of work., Wish they would come up with another way to enter the contests for people like us.

<ul><blockquote>...........................Moderator Comment................................</blockquote></ul>

<blockquote>Hi JBurt, Thank you for your feedback. Regarding Whispering Willows, it was on offer at 80% off via GreenManGaming over the weekend, costing around $2. It may still be available. I've linked to the offer at the beginning of my review</blockquote> <blockquote>Unfirtunately it's become much harder to get games free from developers, which is why the giveaway team have resorted to the use of social media. The more people who join the giveaway community, the better developers like it becasue they know a percentage of those community members will come back and buy from them. Spreading the giveaway work via social media can be very effective, especially if you have a lot of friends tied to your accounts. There will always be traditional giveaways as well, just not as many as there used to be. I'm still hoping to see the return of Alawar and Playrix, but so far I've not seen any sign of them. One of my friends knows one of Alawar's people and was told they haven't left. Alawar gave games away to this project right from the outset and I remember them taking a break from the project for a bout a year. I used to beta test for Alawar back then and asked if they would be giving more games away and was told they were just taking a break, so it seems they are just repeating that break again. As for Playrix, we received giveaways from them for several years on a regular basis, but haven't seen them since the site changed back in February, seven months ago.</blockquote>
<blockquote></blockquote>

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Reply | Comment by JBurt – 8 years ago – Did you find this comment useful? yes | no (+1)

WR, really hope Alawar and Platrix come back too, as I'm a big fan of some of Alawar's titles, maybe they will see the positive change here compared to what happened when the format first happened.
I do share the GiveAway site on forums I participate in, which is often looked at more than just a 'like' on social media, and for those of us that can't or don't participate in Social media (and there are many) it does feel like we're being slighted a bit not being even able to compete for the games from STeam and elsewhere. Did see where you had linked to the low price for Whispering Willows, but as things are very tough for us right now, can't even justify that expense at this time, wouldn't even have this nice computer if we hadn't won it in a contest :), as things are that tight right now.

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

Sorry to hear of your situation. As I said, I'm lucky that I can afford. Still, even though I already have the game I still applied for a license, which if i win you can have. i was intending to give it to my daughter, but hey, she's got a lot of games and I've just spent a small fortune on two dragons for her.

Reply | Comment by JBurt – 8 years ago – Did you find this comment useful? yes | no (0)

WR, 2 dragons? Hopefully you mean a type of lizard! lol, and don't let my daughter hear of this, she'd like 2 of the larger kind! Even though she is wheelchair bound, she writes fiction often with mythological elements (on an adaptive tablet on the computer) in them like that, who fly her around that, and the stories are getting quite good, might contact a publisher and see if there is any interest soon.
That is kind of your offer for Whispering Willows but would probably prefer shooter type games as she has quite a few from MPC I've downloaded, and she can only play for short periods of time as it is.

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

Sadly no. We've considered buying reptiles, but as our daughter whose wanted all of the pets we have, never actually looks after them. That is left to my wife and I. (Cat, two dwarf rabbits and several freshwarer fish). We'd love a dog, but becasue i'm virtually housebound it wouldn't be fair on the dog. The rabbits have the whole garage plus a small snug room that connects to the garage that's about 13 by 13 feet that we originally intended to use as small gym. Thery have quite an amazing space (according to the RSPCA who we got the rabbits from).

The dragons I refer to are statues. The best one ios called 'Vigil at the Dragon Shrine'. It's no longer made as it wa slkimited to one year of orders, but can still be found on places like ebay, for example HERE. Those images don't do it justice. It's also extremly heavy. The other dragon appears to be carved from wood and has been hand painted. It includers a silver sword, which looks like it's meant to be used as a letter opener.

Reply | Comment by JBurt – 8 years ago – Did you find this comment useful? yes | no (0)

#23

This is a pretty fun game if you like HOG's.

Reply | Comment by gpc111 – 8 years ago – Did you find this comment useful? yes | no (0)

#22

Gotta say, not a big fan of this game.

The good:
Nice graphics
Different mini-puzzles than many other HOGs
Characters that have interesting things to say when you click on them multiple times. I have a feeling that hamsters are going to come up frequently.
The soft humor (i.e. Loading = Fooooooling)
I am not sure but I think that the things taken from the hidden object scenes are actually gone the next time you visit them again.

The not good:
No hints outside of the hidden object scenes
No map to tell you what locations have things to do
No map to make it easy to go from one place to another
(Personal pet peeve) Princess needs to be saved and she is used as as part of the prize for defeating the dragon.

I imagine I am going to get real tired of trudging back and forth between tasks and when it is not obvious what the next step is or where to get a needed item. I just don't have that type of patience and I don't consider it fun. I don't like needing to resort to a walkthrough because sometimes I get more than what I was looking for. But I do use them when I am completely stuck just to get past a point and then I can keep going.

Without a walkthrough, none of the good of the game will be worth enough to not say bye-bye Fool.

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

Thank you for your feedback Gina :)

Reply | Comment by Gina – 8 years ago – Did you find this comment useful? yes | no (+1)

Well, I was going to make a post of my own now that I tried the game, but after reading this I will +1 it. In my opinion, this game is quite average- I've played better and worse HOGs. Gina's con list is pretty much spot on to what I was thinking, and I agree with most of her pros. Also, though the mini-puzzles are different from some other HOGs, so far I didn't really like a few of them that I have so far played. But they are there and as she says, different, so it is still a pro.

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

Thank you for your feedback Qun Mang :)

Reply | Comment by Qun Mang – 8 years ago – Did you find this comment useful? yes | no (+1)

#21

Win10 64bit Home. Game loaded fine and played well. There were a couple of times where I thought, what do I do now, but just going here and there got me through. Would have been nice to have the Hint button the whole way through.

Reply | Comment by Suzanne – 8 years ago – Did you find this comment useful? yes | no (0)

#20

What is wrong with this picture. I downloaded this game and last weeks and when I click on the icons to play I get "Odysseus" Long Way Home. (I hate that game and certainly don't need two more of them) I'm running Win 8.1, is that the problem? Can someone please help?

Reply | Comment by Terri – 8 years ago – Did you find this comment useful? yes | no (-1)

Terri, not sure this is the answer, but if you allow the install to create desktop icons (you have a choice), it creates icons to way more than that day's game. I'm thinking it might have created an icon for the Odysseus game, too, and that might be what you are clicking on? Look in the installation folder (I change the default to one called "games", but you should look wherever you had it install) and double click either game.exe or engine.exe and see if that starts the right game. Hope this helps!

Reply | Comment by neme – 8 years ago – Did you find this comment useful? yes | no (0)

#19

"Also for a very short time Origin are giving away the premium FPS game Battlefield 4 and all of the add-on packs for free."

Thanks for the notification on this, but this isn't quite correct as far as I can tell. The base game is not free, only the expansions. I did add each expansion to my library though in the event I actually get the base game one day. I will just have to take it on faith that it worked though as my library doesn't actually show them after adding them.

As for the game this post is supposed to be about, it looks good. I am downloading it now. Once I play it I will make a post, assuming it's not too late (and that I don't forget!).

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

Ah yes, i forgot to edit that mistake, I'm, sure i saw the main game as part of the deal, but i think it was a mistake and was taken down by Origin very quickly. when I first posted details on Friday i did change it to add-ons only, but didn't edit the document I'd made which I'd then copied the extra bits over to today's game. sorry about that.

Reply | Comment by Qun Mang – 8 years ago – Did you find this comment useful? yes | no (+1)

#18

The previous day giveaway was a Steam key. I checked this game and it is also available on Steam. Thought it would be another Steam key.

Reply | Comment by wildgoosespeeder – 8 years ago – Did you find this comment useful? yes | no (-1)

#17

Great fun so far! Nice variety of puzzles, not just HOGs; some actually have challenged me to think which is always a good thing :). Little nitpicks: first, even in full screen mode with wide monitor checked, it plays with the active game area in a window (not the game itself, just the playing area surrounded by a border.) Second, while there are hints for the HOGs (which so far I haven't needed, but it's early days...), you can't use hints to tell you where to go next as with many games like this, so you sometimes are stumped. So far, just exploring has gotten me out of any such jam, so not a big deal, but I do kinda like being able to occasionally hint for navigation (or at least a map that shows areas that still need tasks done). Overall, a BIG thumbs up, and thanks!

Reply | Comment by neme – 8 years ago – Did you find this comment useful? yes | no (+3)

#16

Today worked much better than yesterday. Downloaded to my Vista 32-bit system using Opera, download took less than a minute. I extracted the files to a new folder using 7-Zip like I always do, and my Avast! antivirus did not get in the way (it never has - I have the Web Shield and File System shield enabled, but not the Mail shield). Ran the Setup.exe file, changed the folder to location to where I wanted it, and everything installed fine. Haven't tried running it yet, that will be later when my granddaughter arrives!

One odd thing I've noticed is that every time I install a GAOTD game from My Play City, my Steam client runs. Not a big deal, I can close it if I won't need it for a while, but it adds an extra 30 seconds or so to the install time, and I don't know why it should happen.

Thanks My Play City, GAOTD and WR for another good day!

Reply | Comment by Mr.Dave – 8 years ago – Did you find this comment useful? yes | no (+1)

#15

Thank you for this fun game. I had no trouble downloading and setting it up on my Win 10 computer! I love HOGs and this one has a lot of interest for me. A great way to spend a few hours on a Sunday!! Everyone enjoy your day!

Reply | Comment by Judiboy in North Carolina – 8 years ago – Did you find this comment useful? yes | no (+2)

#14

A DELIGHTFUL game and one reminiscent of Kings Quest ( longtime fav of mine). Sometimes you just don't need things so over done that they are distracting to game play and this game is one of them. Funny with corny comments (this is a game right?), SUPER side games that can test the brain. Just love the Mystery Case File side games and this game has similar ones, not the repetitive HOG over and over, nor the long wandering boring hunt to try and find things. MANY thanks WR, GGOTD, My Play City and most of all to the developers. So far in the game I personally would not change a thing.

Reply | Comment by laura – 8 years ago – Did you find this comment useful? yes | no (+5)

#13

Downloaded/installed with no problems on my Win 10 64 bit. Because it's a MPC game, you get the usual extra icons on your desktop to try new games, get to MPC etc. Other than the shortcut for the game, everything else goes into the trash immediately! One thing that's developed since the latest Win 10 updates - although maybe it is my security program since its latest update - is that I get a box after I close the game asking me if I want the link to open that always opens when you finish a MPC game. I do a cancel and it's gone.
The game itself is a very nice HOG. This happens to be my favorite kind of game. The graphics are extremely well done, the areas where you look for hidden objects are not too dark (as a lot of them are and make it very difficult for my old eyes to see things) and the music is quite pleasant. There are a few added little things that make this game slightly different from your "normal" HOG.
This one is definitely a keeper for me, unlike yesterday's. Thanks GOTD team and MPC for another great game!!

Reply | Comment by granny483 – 8 years ago – Did you find this comment useful? yes | no (0)

#12

I started playing and discovered that there is no "Hint" button. Even when I enlarged the screen, it wasn't there. I clicked on "Casual" at the beginning, but the Hint button, just isn't there.

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

Not all of the screens have hints, but the Hidden Object panels do. You'll find the hint button in the bottom left of the screen. It's the owl. when the hint button is active you'll see the word hint under it. :)

Reply | Comment by Robert – 8 years ago – Did you find this comment useful? yes | no (+3)

#11

In the first section it says to click on the town signs to proceed. There is a flash from the signs but clicking on them doesn't bring you to another town. Follow the arrow curser. When it points straight up click and you go to the next town.
Thanks GOTD and My Play City.
Sorry about yesterdays rant.
As the guy said when they were about to throw him on the wagon (bring out your dead) "I'm feeling better".

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

:)

Reply | Comment by skybase – 8 years ago – Did you find this comment useful? yes | no (0)

skybase, I'm still on the wagon. I tried all night up to the end to try and get a key after going through the rigmarole of installing steam. Nothing was ever available.

Reply | Comment by Scott – 8 years ago – Did you find this comment useful? yes | no (+1)

#10

おいおいこいつはDRMフリーのゲームなのかい？
スチームキーも何もないが

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

Translated using Google - Hey guy is whether a DRM-free game ? Although there is nothing a steam key:)

モデレータからの返信

こんにちはあ、いや、今日のゲームはMyPlayCityからのものであり、スチームキーを必要としない、あなたは、一度解凍し、ラップされたファイルから直接ゲームをインストールすることができます。フールも同様にスチーム上で利用可能で、見つけることができますここに

Reply | Comment by あ – 8 years ago – Did you find this comment useful? yes | no (-3)

#9

Same issue here - being told setup files are corrupt even after unzipping to two different places. I really want the game :(

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

Please read my repies to sheamurai. Hopefully one of the fixes i mentioned will work. I already purchased this game on Steam, but I have just downloaded the game onto two different systems to see if I had any problems installing the games. On my main computer that has Win 10 64 bit my security blocked the installation, so I turned it off via Task Manager and the game installed perfectly. On my older Win 7 64 bit computer with only Security Essentials installed, (my main security is configured not to turn on at start up as I prefer a manual start up (I get a faster boot up). I didn't bother turning on the main security and the game iperfectly first time, so it's most likely the Themida code that is the issue.

Reply | Comment by Asia Kovarsky – 8 years ago – Did you find this comment useful? yes | no (0)

Thanks, it must have been the antivirus issue. Installed it on another laptop and it was fine.

Reply | Comment by Asia Kovarsky – 8 years ago – Did you find this comment useful? yes | no (0)

Hi Asia Kovarsky. :-)

What antivirus are you using?

Reply | Comment by xilolee – 8 years ago – Did you find this comment useful? yes | no (0)

#8

After the long wait for the download, I must say that this game is well-worth it. This is the best HOG that I have had in awhile. Thanks GAOD for having this available today and My Play City.

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

:)

Reply | Comment by mardel – 8 years ago – Did you find this comment useful? yes | no (+1)

#7

I also got corrupt setup files error. which is a shame, I was looking forward to this game, but I don't have unlimited bandwidth and can't afford to download a game this size two or three times until I get a clean copy :(

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

The corrupt set up files is the message usually given when your security has flagged the files as a problem, thus blocking the setup. v The file you downloaded is perfectly okay. The reason it's being blocked is likely your security is set quite high. The giveaway setup file is protected by a wrapper containing Themida code, which is often seen as a threat by some security suites because Themida code is also used to hide malware; but, in this case the coe is being used to protect the game from being ripped off. Previously before the code was added some community members would upload the unprotected game executable onto peer to peer sites where anyone could download the game any time they wish after the giveaway was over. Also some community members posted details of how to rip off the game on gaming sites and created videos showing you how to on You Tube.

There are three ways to get the game installed:

1) ... Configure your security to allow the setup file to be opened.

2) ... Temporarily turn off your security until the game has been installed.

3) ... Download the game from MyPlayCity (see my review for links to the download page).

If you don't want to turn off your security, even for a few moments and decide to download the game from MyPlayCity, make sure you uncheck the check boxes during installation. Also whenever you boot up the game again after the first time you may need to uncheck at least one checkbox, (though they haven't added this to every game), otherwise you may find your browser provider changed, your home page changed and/or tool bars installed to your internet browser.

I also got corrupt setup files error.  which is a shame, I was looking forward to this game, but I don't have unlimited bandwidth and can't afford to download a game this size two or three times until I get a clean copy :(

<ul><blockquote>...........................Moderator Comment................................</blockquote></ul>

<blockquote>The corrupt set up files is the message usually given when your security has flagged the files as a problem, thus blocking the setup. v The file you downloaded is perfectly okay. The reason it's being blocked is likely your security is set quite high. The giveaway setup file is protected by a wrapper containing Themida code, which is often seen as a threat by some security suites because Themida code is also used to hide malware; but, in this case the coe is being used to protect the game from being ripped off. Previously before the code was added some community members would upload the unprotected game executable onto peer to peer sites where anyone could download the game any time they wish after the giveaway was over. Also some community members posted details of how to rip off the game on gaming sites and created videos showing you how to on You Tube. </blockquote><blockquote> There are three ways to get the game installed:</blockquote>

<ul><ul><blockquote>1) ... Configure your security to allow the setup file to be opened.</blockquote> 
<blockquote>2) ... Temporarily turn off your security until the game has been installed.</blockquote> 
<blockquote>3) ... Download the game from MyPlayCity (see my review for links to the download page).</blockquote></ul></ul>

<blockquote>If you don't want to turn off your security, even for a few moments and decide to download the game from MyPlayCity, make sure you uncheck the check boxes during installation. Also whenever you boot up the game again after the first time you may need to uncheck at least one checkbox, (though they haven't added this to every game), otherwise you may find your browser provider changed, your home page changed and/or tool bars installed to your internet browser.</blockquote></ul>

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Reply | Comment by sheamurai – 8 years ago – Did you find this comment useful? yes | no (0)

waited a bit, and downloaded a second copy - still corrupt files. :( That's almost half a gig of wasted download for me. I'm quite disappointed, it looked like a fun game.

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

If you still can't get the giveaway version of the game installed, check back later just in case I or other community members have come up with other solutions. Failing that, i suggest trying the MyPlayCity version. It's basically the same game as the giveaway version, except you have to make sure you uncheck the check-boxes which have been removed from the giveaway version.

Reply | Comment by sheamurai – 8 years ago – Did you find this comment useful? yes | no (+1)

I paused Kaspersky, but still got setup error.
(thanks for reply, Stephen)

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

There are other reasons the setup files may be throwing up a corrupted message, one could be the cookies used for the game giveaway site have become corrupted. You need to delete the game giveaway cookies. If you're not sure how to do that it's better if you google how to do it becasue it may be slightly different depending on which browser you are using. > It is a simple matter to delete them. I have included a section that talks about corrupted giveaway files in a FAQ's thread over in the Game discussion forums. It can be found in the sticky section find HERE. I also include the link in my review above. Although a long shot it could also be a problem with the unwrapper you use. I once purchased an expensive game from direct to Drive. when I downloaded it and then unpacked it, I kept getting the message the file was corrupted. I downloaded the game several times and each time got the same message. I contacted direct to Drive and they said they had tested the file and it was perfectly okay, so i downloaded the file again and got the same message yet again. I don't know why, but I tried yet again, but the only thing i did differently was use a un-wrapper which I think it was 7Zip and it worked. I've suggested this here in the past and some community members have said it worked, so I suggest you try a different un-wapper to the one you usually use. i have linked to several free ones in the FAQ's thread. finally, if none of the above work, instead of just pausing your security, turn it off completely via Task manager. Then turn it back on after you've tried installing the game again. Today's game is actually much better than a lot of HOG's given away here. The puzzles are interesting and the graphics are excellent, so it may be well worth the effort. Failing the above, the files downloaded from MyPlayCity (MPC) are not infested with Malware, just a little adware, but that can be avoided apart from your browser being opened to MPC's site (Even that can, if you delete certain files from the game, but as I've, said before, stopping your browser opening to MPC's home page stops MPC from earning cash, part of which is given to the developer. If everyone started to delete those files to get a clean game, MPC and all the other free sites would firstly not be able to afford to pay the developers, so games would be removed from their libraries. Eventually it could see those sites closing down.

Just an afterthought......... It could be another program you are running in the background that is conflicting with the giveaway and causing the problem. There are a couple of ways around this. You could turn off back ground programs that are not necessary for windows to function via the Task Manager; after each program is turns off try and install the game. Or you could install Game booster that is free HERE from Razer. That automatically turns off all unnecessary system files and you can configure it to turn off non system files. The beauty of this program is, that at a click of a button Game Booster can be paused or turned off and all programs that were halted will be turned back on

I paused Kaspersky, but still got setup error.
(thanks for reply, Stephen)

<ul><blockquote>...........................Moderator Comment................................</blockquote></ul>

<blockquote>There are other reasons the setup files may be throwing up a corrupted message, one could be the cookies used for the game giveaway site have become corrupted. You need to delete the game giveaway cookies. If you're not sure how to do that it's better if you google how to do it becasue it may be slightly different depending on which browser you are using. > It is a simple matter to delete them. I have included a section that talks about corrupted giveaway files in a FAQ's thread over in the Game discussion forums. It can be found in the sticky section find <a href="http://www.giveawayoftheday.com/forums/topic/11647" rel="nofollow">HERE</a>. I also include the link in my review above. Although a long shot it could also be a problem with the unwrapper you use. I once purchased an expensive game from direct to Drive. when I downloaded it and then unpacked it, I kept getting the message the file was corrupted. I downloaded the game several times and each time got the same message. I contacted direct to Drive and they said they had tested the file and it was perfectly okay, so i downloaded the file again and got the same message yet again. I don't know why, but I tried yet again, but the only thing i did differently was use a un-wrapper which I think it was 7Zip and it worked. I've suggested this here in the past and some community members have said it worked, so I suggest you try a different un-wapper to the one you usually use. i have linked to several free ones in the FAQ's thread. finally, if none of the above work, instead of just pausing your security, turn it off completely via Task manager. Then turn it back on after you've tried installing the game again. Today's game is actually much better than a lot of HOG's given away here. The puzzles are interesting and the graphics are excellent, so it may be well worth the effort. Failing the above, the files downloaded from MyPlayCity (MPC) are not infested with Malware, just a little adware, but that can be avoided apart from your browser being opened to MPC's site (Even that can, if you delete certain files from the game, but as I've, said before, stopping your browser opening to MPC's home page stops MPC from earning cash, part of which is given to the developer. If everyone started to delete those files to get a clean game, MPC and all the other free sites would firstly not be able to afford to pay the developers, so games would be removed from their libraries. Eventually it could see those sites closing down.</blockquote>

<blockquote>Just an afterthought......... It could be another program you are running in the background that is conflicting with the giveaway and causing the problem. There are a couple of ways around this. You could turn off back ground programs that are not necessary for windows to function via the Task Manager; after each program is turns off try and install the game. Or you could install Game booster that is free <a href="http://www.razerzone.com/cortex/boost" rel="nofollow">HERE</a> from Razer. That automatically turns off all unnecessary system files and you can configure it to turn off non system files. The beauty of this program is, that at a click of a button Game Booster can be paused or turned off and all programs that were halted will be turned back on</blockquote>
<blockquote></blockquote>

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Reply | Comment by sheamurai – 8 years ago – Did you find this comment useful? yes | no (0)

shut off Kaspersky entirely, re-extracted file, still corrupt set up message....

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

Do you have any other security running such as Microsoft's Security essentials or an adware blocker such as Adaware? Because the MyPlayCity games have a mild form of adware included, it may alert your adware program which then blocks installation.

Reply | Comment by sheamurai – 8 years ago – Did you find this comment useful? yes | no (-1)

sheamurai,

"I paused Kaspersky, but still got setup error."

"shut off Kaspersky entirely, re-extracted file, still corrupt set up message...."

There are quite a few threads in the forum re: Kaspersky blocking GOTD setup.exe -- it's the most often mentioned if not the worst offender in this respect. From what's been posted in those threads, the work-a-round is either install the GOTD while running in Safe Mode with networking, or turn off Kaspersky from auto-starting while in Safe Mode & then restart to go into Windows normally.

Reply | Comment by mike – 8 years ago – Did you find this comment useful? yes | no (+5)

mike, When I had Kaspersky I would run into the same problems. Found I had to close it out, stop it from running on computer start-up and restart my computer. I was then able to download the GOTD games. This was one of the biggest reasons I got rid of Kaspersky, even before my subscription ran out!

Reply | Comment by granny483 – 8 years ago – Did you find this comment useful? yes | no (0)

sheamurai, Try scanning the setup file before you run it. That has worked for me.

Reply | Comment by Margaret Fisk – 8 years ago – Did you find this comment useful? yes | no (-1)

#6

Thank you for the awesome game. These type of games are my all time favorite.

Reply | Comment by Kim – 8 years ago – Did you find this comment useful? yes | no (+2)

#5

This is a brilliant game, worth downloading. The graphics are very nice, the hidden objects are fun to find, and the mini puzzles are different and very pleasant to play.
I just got stuck once, not realizing that a sleeping guard can be passed without any other action. But I found out in the end.. ;)

Thanks a lot for this nice game.

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

Thank you for your feedback Irene :)

Reply | Comment by irene – 8 years ago – Did you find this comment useful? yes | no (+2)

#4

I'm getting the 'Setup files are corrupt' error even on another Win10 64-bit Pro with Symantec and both Waterfox and Chrome downloaded and extracted. My PC Win10 64-bit Pro with Kaspersky throught Waterfox. I think this is the first time with the Symantec PC I'm getting this error. Anyone else experiencing this issue?

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

Hi Paul, please excuse the late response. Check my replies to other comments. Others have had the same problem, so i'm suggested various fixes. Most of which can be found in the FAQ's thread which I link to in my review. :)

Reply | Comment by Paul – 8 years ago – Did you find this comment useful? yes | no (0)

Paul,
Did you extract the files? Normally I can install without doing that, but this time the error 'setup files are corrupt' showed up with me as well. Extracting them to a different folder solved the issue.

Reply | Comment by irene – 8 years ago – Did you find this comment useful? yes | no (0)

irene, I extracted files to a different folder after first error, and still no luck...

Reply | Comment by sheamurai – 8 years ago – Did you find this comment useful? yes | no (+1)

Hi Paul :-)

Users reported problems with these antiviruses, in past months/years: Avast, Avg, Kaspersky, Norton/Symantec.
If you have one of those AV, you could try these possible solutions:

1) After you downloaded the package, put the setup.exe in the whitelist of your antivirus (this in case the package has been correctly downloaded)
2) disable the real-time/on-access scanning, just the time to download/install the software (then re-enable that function)
3) disable your AV completely, just the time to download/install the software (then re-enable it)
4) boot windows in safe mode with networking, just the time to download/install the software

Hope this helps.

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

Thank you for your comment Xilolee, appreciated.

Reply | Comment by xilolee – 8 years ago – Did you find this comment useful? yes | no (+2)

Paul, I had to shut off my virus protection to get it installed which means I'm putting a LOT of faith in Game Give Away of the Day that there are no problems hiding within the setup. I also had to extract the files before installing. Keep your virus protection on until the file is totally downloaded. :-)

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

The game giveaway team always thoroughly check all files with several anti malware programs before they are allowed in the download servers to ensure they are free from malware. Since the game giveaway site started operating Dec 2006, they have given away well over a thousand games and no game has ever been shown to be infected.

Reply | Comment by Marcy – 8 years ago – Did you find this comment useful? yes | no (0)

I know all that since I've been getting games here since you began. I was just trying to convey that faith is needed that you all have done what I know you all do all the time to protect us. :-) :-) I also want to add that I'm impressed with this games' graphics and makeup. Only played a little but it should be up there with some of the better HOG games out there. :-)

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

Hi Marcy, Sorry, the post wasn't actually directed at you. I assumed you were already aware. I just wanted to let the community know as we are always getting new members, who haven't seem my previous posts on the matter. Maybe I could have worded it better. :)

Reply | Comment by Marcy – 8 years ago – Did you find this comment useful? yes | no (+1)

Paul, I also had trouble with corrupt files message, and also use Kaspersky. I ended up downloading direct from myplaycity as per Stephens post...game installs/runs fine. Tho for some reason I can't see my comment thread anymore.

Reply | Comment by sheamurai – 8 years ago – Did you find this comment useful? yes | no (+1)

#3

My only comment regarding this game offer today is that I have a FIOS hookup that gives me 75/75 speed. I have tested this quite often and it is right on the money. I started downloading this game about 10 minutes ago and I have only downloaded 26% of the total. It is taking about 30 seconds for each second of download. Remaining time as I am typing this has gone from 15 minutes to 10 mins 10 seconds. Either everyone and their brothers and sisters too must be downloading at once or GAOD needs a better server.

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

Hi Mardel, the download speed is not dicated by the speed of individual broadband speeds of each community member, but by the amount of bandwidth the giveaway servers have. Depending on how large a file is, there could be 30 or more community members downloading at any one time. As this game is getting very positive reviews, it's likely the number of community members downloading, especially in the first half of the giveaway period could be much higher. Every additional community member downloading at the same time reduces that speed by a percentage, so if 100 community members were downloading the file, you would get speeds that were 100th the usual speed. I downloaded the file on Tuesday (I get early access) and it took less than 20 seconds to download on a 100MB broadband connection (I don't get full speeds being quite some way from the hub) I usually get around 14MB per second, sometimes slightly higher. The fastest I've seen this particular connection was 17MB per second. :)