Sherlock Holmes: Trap for the Hunter. Hidden objects is a short, but fun hidden object with some peculiar characteristics.

Traditional games of this genre usually combine hidden object scenes with other mini puzzles into a bigger puzzle adventure. As opposed to that, Sherlock Holmes: Trap for the Hunter. Hidden objects is completely stripped of the "adventure" part: there is no going back and forth between different locations, there's no map with fast travel, there are no collectibles. Instead, the game is built of 31 levels that are unlocked progressively, one by one. Solving one level will grant you a specific score, which is directly influenced by the time you spend dwelling on the puzzle or how many mistakes you make. However, it is possible to replay the level for a higher score and respectively, a higher position in the leader board attached to it.

There are four main types of puzzles:

• Hidden object scenes, both with lists of objects but also with items' silhouettes; finding multiple objects one after another grants a multiplier, thus increasing the score considerably; on the other hand, misclicking will decrease the total score. Using one of the two types of hints available (one that shows the location of the first object from the list and the other one showing the silhouette of an item that you can select from the list) also affects the score and how many stars you get in the end. Even with these limitations, it's fairly easy to get 3 stars while repeating the level, since the item list is not randomly generated (you will have to find the same objects).
  
• Spot the differences between two identical images
  
• Find the pair puzzle - finding pairs of complimentary symbols
  
• Picture puzzle with rotating tiles - the picture is already assembled, but the titles are rotated

The hidden object scenes and spot-the-differences puzzles provide the option to zoom in a part of the scene, for a more detailed view. This is extremely handy, considering that in the hidden object scenes the items are pretty well camouflaged and some of the distinctive elements in spot-the-differences puzzles are very hard to notice.

The levels are tied together by short cutscenes that appear either at the beginning of the level, or at the end of it. The cartoonish graphics tell the story of a valuable gem, The Third Eye of Kali which has been stolen from Lord Crowley's collection. Sherlock Holmes and Watson are hired to find the thief, the location in which he hid the jewel and to recover it.

I find the asking price of 2,49€ to be extremely fitting for the game. The story is outstandingly enjoyable and the cartoonish cutscenes are really nice to watch, but the game is rather short - it can be finished in around 1 hour, therefore the price seems to be appropriate for the content provided. The graphics of the objects to find are not top-notch, but they skillfully blend with the background - which is the fun element in HO scenes. It's worth buying for the good story design, enjoyable puzzles and easy achievements.

Sherlock Holmes: Trap for the Hunter is not a top-flight game, but the game does have some highlights despite some glaring weaknesses. I have completed the game and can say that the HO scenes are well done, items are placed in tough to find spots and the real look items are a big plus. The spot the difference scenes are also designed well. I don't mind the cartoonish characters, although I was annoyed with the greenish tint that Sherlock had.

There is practically no story. Also, let's talk about the music, or really lack there of. It's basically just a few bars of the same melody played over and over again throughout every scene. I advise shutting it off. There are a few puzzles in the game that are insanely easy.

The game does have a nice feature that I am not used to seeing a HOG have, Leaderboards! There is a score cap though so eventually there will be many people tied at the top of the leaderboard.

I will give this game a 6 out of 10, recommending it for the well designed HOG and difference scenes. A game not to be taken too seriously but that will give you a relaxing time of just finding objects in well designed scenes. It's worth the current price of $2.99.

Sherlock Holmes: Trap for the Hunter (HOG)
Game provided for Curator review

This game developer - formerly known as HdO - has a long-standing history of producing hidden object games with low-quality graphics and poor English. This title is no exception, but it does have a couple of things going for it, which I will explain in a bit.

Let's start at the beginning, shall we?

The only option is to turn off the sound effects and music. Hidden object scene scrolls a bit; either up and down or left to right, and if you're having trouble seeing something, you can use the mouse wheel to zoom in/out.

Every item you find will give you points, and there is a score-multiplier for finding items quickly in succession. Likewise, you will lose points for mis-clicking too many times in a row. Points are tallied up at the end of each level, and there are leaderboards that will show you how your score compares with other players. You can re-play each level as many times as you like to try and get a higher score, and you can easily come back to any level you've unlocked if you'd rather move on.

There are two types of hints you can use: The first will show you what the item-of-your-choice from the to-find list looks like, and the second will actually show you where a random item is. There is no loss of points for using a hint, but the insta-find type takes 30 seconds to recharge.

Most of the HOS are done via list, but there are also some that you find via silhouette.

In addition to hidden objects, there some basic puzzles (again timed with points and leaderboards) and spot-the-differences scenes.

The characters are kind of cute and cartoonish, and the gameplay graphics very basic, with items that are recycled and used in multiple scenes.

No voice-overs; sometimes good, most times terrible English; and a short snippet of music that cycles endlessly. There really isn't much of a story.

There are 31 levels, total (includes puzzles and spot-the-differences), and I am a little over half way through. My time so far - replaying levels as I go to get better scores - is 1.5 hours, so the game length is pretty short.

This is a low-quality offering that is made more fun by the presence of achievements and leaderboards. It's not something that one can play for long periods, but it's nice to play a few levels, try to get a better score, then come back to later. Recommended for those looking to enjoy a simpler game style and for die-hard hidden object fans.

I like the HO part it is well done relexing little game.

Sherlock Holmes: Trap for the Hunter:
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The third eye of Kali, the Goddess of death has been stolen from Lord Crowley’s stunning collection, right in the middle of London. The only hope Lord Crowley has to recover this unique artefact is to call upon the greatest detective of all times. You guessed it, the one and only Sherlock Holmes and his faithful companion, Mr. Watson, have been asked to take up this challenging case. So, Mr. Watson, any suggestions?

Sherlock Holmes: Trap for the Hunter is the latest Hidden object game from Crisp App Studio where you follow the steps of the Famous detective Sherlock Holmes and his companion Mr. Watson.

This adventure will start at the residence of Lord Crowley in London from whence the artefact has been stolen. From here, you’ll have to successfully resolve all the puzzles which will lead you all the way to an underground temple in Calcutta, India.

There are over 30 puzzles to solve, divided into four categories, including: 1. finding well-hidden objects within a picture (you basically have to identify as many objects as possible from a given list) 2. Pairing objects, 3. Finding the ever-so tiny differences within the same picture side by side, and 4. Reconstructing an image as fast as possible in order to earn the maximum number of points and see your name on the puzzle leader board. As soon as you click on the first object, the point system starts. Then you have a few seconds to either find the second item, find the second half of a pair, or identify the differences in the pictures, in order to multiply your points, and so on and so forth. If you don’t, the counter will restart from the next item. For the reconstruction puzzle, you need to work as fast as you can in order to receive the maximum number of points. At the end of each puzzle you’ll be awarded with up to three golden stars, the number of which will depend on how many points you scored. For each of the stars you will acquire one extra point, which can be used in the next puzzle, to show you what an object on the list looks like if you’re unsure. An additional feature is the zoom function, which will help you to discover well-hidden items.

What I really enjoy in this game is the cartoon characters telling the story between each of the puzzles. It’s just fun, and the story is quite good. The entire game will probably take you around 60 minutes to complete in your first play through. Then it will be very quick on the second if you decide to play again, the only difference being a slight change to the position in which an item is listed.

Nice graphics and the game runs very well. A good combination of puzzles. The game is fairly short but very enjoyable.

Positives:
~~~~~~~

+ Nice graphics
+ Over 30 puzzles to solve
+ Fun little story
+ Achievements

Negatives:
~~~~~~~~

- Fairly short
- No trading cards as yet

Give a hand to the greatest detective of all time to recover the third eye of Kali. An enjoyable Hidden and objects game.

6/10

Key provided by developer/publisher for review purposes. Any opinions expressed are entirely my own!

EPIC “THE CPT FROGGY” REVIEWS UP NOW ON ZEEPOND, THE HOME OF THE ALMIGHTY FROG![www.zeepond.com]

FOLLOW THE CPT FROGGY CURATOR PAGE HERE

SUBSCRIBE TO THE CPT FROGGY YOUTUBE CHANNEL

The game itself wasn't very good. HOG's became pixel hunts and that's never fun. Most of the other puzzles weren't extremely hard, but the "spot the difference" ones were somewhat painful because the differences could be extremely small and hard to notice. Plus, some things were hidden by the score for each puzzle in the upper corner. Remember that you may need to move the picture around literally to see other areas that are hidden from view.

But, even then, the biggest issue with this game was how badly the dialogue was written. I get that they probably weren't native English speakers, but they seriously needed to hire someone who could help with the grammar. It was painful to read that.

If you can get the game for really cheap and you like extremely difficult pixel hunts in HOG's, go for it. This is especially true if you're not concerned at all with the writing being horrendous.

Otherwise, I would not recommend it.

This game is fun and interesting. It does require patience to complete, but it is short in duration. It's cool to see how the story progresses throughout the game, which eventually leads to what map you'll continue onto. For the type of game that it is, it's decent and pretty entertaining. Although, it's not a game that'd suit everyone. It does require an extreme amount of patience and careful attention. For the detail-oriented players that like mystery themes, this game would be lots of fun.

Another game from Crisp App Studio and it's once again top-game! Levels are really interesting and exciting: different countries, good graphics and locations worked out to the last detail - all this gives pleasure from the game! As a result I can say: If you like hidden objects genre (or if you just want to try to play in this genre), you SHOULD buy it!

I love hidden object games; I love Sherlock Holmes games. This game was not enjoyable very long, it got very boring very early on, and I didn't have a desire to finish it.

First off, it goes straight into the game: no preamble, no cutscene, no opening dialog. Just a bubble of text or three from the 2 main characters (Holmes & Watson) and you're instantly in the puzzle section. Now, this doesn't sound like too bad of a thing, but most of these games at least have a few lines of dialog and a custcene to get things started.

And the puzzles: there are 3 basic types, with 2 being very similar. Standard fare for the Hidden Object type games, but there's absolutely no variation here, and I soon lost interest. I have played lots of HOGs that were engaging from start to finish, with several cutscenes to drive the narrative. Not so with this one; just match up the objects, or find them all, and you get a couple of bubble texts over the character(s), then off to the next puzzle. Just very uninspired.

And before anyone says, "Well this must just not be the type of game for you..". I have played TONS of HOGs and none of them were even close to this level of boringness. I think the backing "soundtrack" instrumental theme had a grand total of 7 notes in it, because I listened to them for a few hours before finally running my own mp3 player in the background.

Sadly, not even worth a $1, and I don't say that lightly. I can't recommend this game, no matter how much I wanted to like it. I hate giving negative reviews, but this one sadly deserves it, and I hope this company does better on the next outing.

The graphics leave much to be desired, but for such a game it is quite normal. You are passing this game in one breath, but it is a pity that there are too few levels. If the game was worth more, then I would not take it.