The games to read the Crystal Ball and the thrid ring...

CAUTION SPOILER ALERTS MAYBE AHEAD
Okay I am struggling with these two games. I think the instructions might be a bit non-descriptive or I have just missed the point altogether, probably the later but I thought I would ask others how they went... Like mearigold1 I wanted to try to not skip mini games... But (avert your eyes now those who don't want to read any more ) those pink dots had me stumped... Were we meant to put them in one spot or move them around?? The instructions weren't very clear so I kept moving until it solved itself leaving me none the wiser...

As for the book of the Three Gems... Sigh were do I start... I get that the red and blue moved the things and the green spun it... but were we meant to put the white ones in their holes then the red and blue or just the red and blue...Sad to say.... This one beat me, and after a few days doing my new Uni Unit my brain wasn't up to the task... and so I SKIPped...Around about now I'm hoping for a more familiar Mini Game...
Other than that I'm loving the game... Still lugging the Harp (sorry people who didn't want to read that)... It's a lot different than the first game...
CAUTION SPOILER ALERTS ARE AHEAD NOW
One last thing am feeling guilty about is Princess... Which if I remember got her name from the old Statue Maker that took her in (so how did her Mother know her name hhmmmmm ) but my guilt spurns from the ending of the first game I have played it twice so far, as there is a choice at the end to make a decision as to Princesses fate...You could (if I remember rightly) Of to White...

1: Put her in jail... where she becomes rehabilitated (but you think would hate you for everything you did to her)
Or
2: Let her be looked after by the kindly town folk hoping she learned her lesson... but again would think you are not on her Christmas Card list

At least that's how I think number 2 ended you see I planned on ending it differently as I had done option 1 the first run through the game, but I hate naughty braty kids (especially those who bring good statues to life and turn them bad ) So I choose option 1 again Maybe it is I who is not on her Card of friends list

Mind you I did the same thing with Dark Tales: Edgar Allan Poe's The Masque of the Red Death Collector's Edition. Maybe it's just me

I really dislike the crystal ball game with the pink blobs.
The directions don't make sense.....and the tried and true, "fool around until something clicks" only worked on the first pink blob.
Now I have two pink blobs....and sometimes the amount of pictures in the ball gets smaller........and I say "yay!" and then everything comes back.

bad game....frustrating game......needs to be eaten by giant rats.

It took a couple of times resetting but I finally figured out that you are supposed to put those pink dots in one place and leave it. There are 3 levels. The first one has one dot the second has two dots and the third dot has three. You have to just put the dot in different places until things disappear. When something disappears keep the dot in that place and look for the next dot. Then look around again for where it is supposed to go and when you find the place where things disappear again just leave the dot. Same for third level except you have to do it three times.
It is a strange puzzle.

The other game with the green stone that turns the circle around and the blue and red stones that move the color of that circle. Yes you are supposed to place the silver ones first. Then put either the red one or blue one where it goes and put the last one in. It took me almost two hours but I finally got it. Its easier to try to get the silver one with the gold around it that is nearest to the green circle. And then the other one with the gold around it that is next to the other silver one that doesn't have gold around it. Every time I placed the silver one that had no gold around it I had a hard time getting the other silver ones in. So I reset until I finally got all three silver ones in. Then as long as the red and blue circles were on the side where they belonged it was about as easy as it was ever going to get. And believe me there was nothing easy about this mini-game!
I hate skipping a game because of the achievements. But I came so close to skipping and that's when I finally got it. Drove me crazy!

I hope everyone understands what I'm trying to say cause it is very hard to explain these games that are so hard. And I have never played a game like these two before. And hope I never have to again. When I replay this game I will not try for two hours. Since I already got all the achievements I definitely will choose to skip this game.
I hate skipping a game if their are achievements to get.

Thank you CherylParker.

This is a great game, with some really frustrating puzzles.
I am just glad we CAN skip.....because I remember when I first started playing and a lot of games, did not allow skipping as well as having penalties for mis-clicking.
I LIKE to click around and see if anything is going to move or make a sound.