I am a little concerned that Big Fish Games will cease to offer large file adventure games because so many people who seem to dislike many of the characteristics inherent in large file adventure games TRY TO PLAY large file adventure games and then complain "it acts just like a large file adventure game. I HATE IT!"

While the Delaware St John series may not be the cream of the adventure games crop, many of the complaints I see here for The Town With No Name are coming from people who don't seem to like adventure games anyway (And Return to Ravenhurst, while a very nice game, is NOT an adventure game such as those in the spirit and style of the Myst Series, or the Sherlock Holmes games, etc.)

I prefer large file games to other games. As a result, it's unlikely I will go onto a Hidden Object game forum or a Time Management game forum and write "hey, there's no exploring or collecting inventory, or talking with a variety of characters to solve a mystery, or hours of wandering in interesting environments here! What a terrible game."

My opinion is that some of the complaints registered here about this specific game are valid, but some complaints seem to be coming from people who don't understand the fundamental characteristics of adventure games, and don't like adventure games anyway, because they do not "move" fast enough, and require patience and a certain mindset. To complain about an older game as though Big Fish Games made it (the adventure games "industry" has been around for 25 years, BFG did NOT make the Delaware series), or to because you don't like exploring, or because there isn't a built-in "hint" system, or because it takes patience and time, is ridiculous to me.


Please Big Fish, do not stop offering these games.

Charlene- did you scrape enough away on the mausoleum so that van Helsing says "Good" or something like that?

I would try that if I were you. Until that happens, van Helsing does not "recognize" that he knows the numbers.

Hi Poodle,

I know of a place where you can download Syberia 2. The site "Adventure Gamers" has a shop where you can download it.

Good luck on White Wolf. I didn't enjoy that game very much - too many "arcadey" elements for me. I prefer puzzles to arcade action. Sorry to hear about your troubles with "Danger on Deception Island" and "Haunted Carousel".

Have fun with Time Stand Still! It is a very pretty game in my opinion. And I really like the music in the Carol Reed games too.

Hi Beth,

I have played all Nancy Drew games except the first three ("Secrets Can Kill", "Stay Tuned for Danger", and "Message in a Haunted Mansion"). I definitely enjoyed some Nancy Drew games more than others. In my opinion, the best ones were: "Secret of the Scarlet Hand" (the Mayan theme was very interesting to me), "Secret of the Old Clock" (takes place in the 1930s, and I am a huge fan of old movies, so I liked this theme), "Last Train to Blue Moon Canyon" (takes place on a train and has an old west theme), and the "Legend of the Crystal Skull". I also enjoyed the "Curse of Blackmoor Manor", especially because it was the most challenging, even though it wasn't my favorite in terms of theme (Haunted/cursed house). I like exploring outdoor scenes, and "Blackmoor" didn't have any. "Ghost Dogs of Moon Lake" was nice in that regard-lots of outdoor time.

I think on my newer computer, I might have problems playing the first three games. Many older games are sluggish or unplayable on my newer computer. Since there are so many great older games, that is kind of disappointing. With regards to Nancy Drew games, I have been able to play all but the first three - even on Vista; (I can tell you how you can do this if you need to know).

Glad you liked the "Syberia" series! I loved it. I also highly recommend Return to Mysterious Island. EXCELLENT game. Journey (to the Moon) was also memorable. Nibiru is not bad, but has some language/actions I would not recommend for young people. The Agatha Christie games ("And There Were None" and "Murder on the Orient Express") and "Sherlock Holmes: the Awakened" are nice, but due to some themes, perhaps also for older players. "Bone: out from Boneville" is really cute, and great for kids too.

I've played other games, so if you have a question about a game you are interested in, let me know. Perhaps I've played it or know someone who has.

The reason that Big Fish doesn't provide a demo for some games is that some game developers never made a demo for that particular game. If a demo is not available, there is nothing Big Fish can do to re-engineer the game to create a demo.

I finished the game and posted a review with general tricks and tips in "point and click adventure fans" post here on the "Time Stand Still" forum if you'd like to check it out.

Hey everyone,

I finished the game and I posted a review in the "point and click adventure fans" post here on the "Time Stand Still" forum. I included a few general tips there too. I can help if you need it.

Walk straight up to the flagpole in the Herb garden, then keep walking straight ahead. You see him in two or three more steps straight ahead.

P.S. If I were to actually give this game a grade, it would be a B-/C+. Not as good as Nancy Drew games, and nowhere near games like Syberia, Return to Mysterious Island, or Journey. I consider Syberia one of the best games I've ever played. I'd give that game an A. I'd give the best Nancy Drew game a B+.

Have fun!

Hi Poodlebear,

I finished this game and here is my review.

This is my third Carol Reed game. My favorite thing about these games is that the scenes/backdrops are detailed and interesting and sometimes beautiful (sometimes "dirty and gritty" too.) Unlike Nancy Drew games (which I love!), the scenes are not drawings, but photographs. "Time Stand Still" is no exception, with many places to explore including lovely nature and garden photographs.

The voicework by the actors is fine. Nothing extraordinary, but okay, and does not distract from the story. It takes place in Sweden, so some people have Swedish accents. (Some also, interestingly enough, have English accents.)

Game mechanics is not bad. Figuring out how to navigate through the game is not too difficult if you have any experience with point-and-click adventures. You can move in any direction where you see an arrow (instead of just a red dot). There will be places where you can only move in one direction. There will many places where you can move to or through but there isn't necessarily anything to do or collect there.

There are about 8-10 puzzles. Some of them are more "puzzley" than others. Usually they are mechanical or inventory-related.

The worst things about this game are that sometimes you need to really hunt around every corner and in every direction to proceed. The game is pretty linear, so if you find yourself going in circles for awhile, it may mean you missed one tiny thing in one place. That can get annoying. Also the ending is terrible in my opinion. Very abrupt and unexpected. In fact, the worst thing about this game is the ending.

Tips:
You will actually need to "collect" the magnifying glass early in the game - you will find it soon
Talk to characters when you get stuck (or even when you're not), it will open up new locations and give you insight into inventory items you've collected)
Go to the library to do research on historical topics/people
Move your mouse up to the top left of the screen to see your inventory bar(be sure to really look at the item by clicking on the magnifying glass and moving it over an item)
The appearance of a hand or magnifying glass on your screen tells you when you can interact with something
The appearance of two gears (one blue and one red) tells you when you need a tool to do something in that place

Let me know if you need more info!

Mspkrfan,

If you like the ocean/nautical theme, a couple match three games that I liked were Big Kahuna Reef and Big Kahuna Reef II. Fishdom and Hidden Wonders of the Depths were also cute.

Other games I have liked include Atlantis Quest and Monarch the Butterfly King.

My favorite match 3 games (regardless of theme) so far are Cradle of Rome, Cradle of Persia, and The Treasures of Montezuma

Of all those above, Atlantis Quest (you can actually lose lives in this one) was the hardest for me, followed by Treasures of Montezuma.

The two "cradle" games are cool because you are building a city, so you accumulate a nice variety of supplies, tools, food, and so forth to build the city. The Monarch game can be played in timed or no time limit mode, and it is a really pretty game, though seeing the same flowers for a hundred rounds can get monotonous. But it has ALOT of cool bombs and explosion effects. Treasures of Montezuma was an exceptionally well-designed game, in my opinion, even though the board is a simple rectangle each time with the same colors of stones, the gradual increase in difficulty and the availability of cool bonuses (such as an extra time bonus) was what made it a very good game for me.

Right now I am playing a game not available on BFG that is quickly becoming one of my favorite match 3 games. It is called "Pastry Passion". The name sounds corny, but the graphics are beautiful (highly-detailed and rich, sort of cartoonish, but not annoyingly so), it is well-written (some cute humor), and has a lot of variety in, as you might have guessed, dessert ingredients! Who doesn't love dessert! It also gets gradually more difficult and there is a stand-alone arcade minigame included.

Have fun!

Hi Mags, Sorry to hear you keep getting kicked out of the game. That is really annoying when that happens. It hasn't happened to me in this game so I have no advice on that.

Good suggestion to go back to lower levels to get more tokens. i tried that and I did earn tokens for finishing a lower level, but after I successfully cleared that lower level, they took away the tokens I had earned on that level! So, I don't think there is a way to get more tokens. I cannot remember what round the hourglasses started (maybe round 60 or so?), but I only saw them maybe every 5-6 rounds. If they showed up in every round, I might have a chance.

So, I am still stuck at level 88. 112 more levels of this? No thanks.

Good luck. If you can figure out any tricks, I would love to hear them!

Horsedancer and others playing this game: this game is very hard. I have played and beaten many match 3 games and this is the hardest one for me. You just have to keep trying and try different combos of powerups to beat the round. I don't remember specifically what combos I used to beat round 43. There are no ways to get more time or bombs, except the one (very expensive) powerup that will drop bombs, but I don't think I had enough coins to buy it until round 50 or so. In a few rounds there are little hourglasses you can click on to give you more time, but those are not available every round and unfortunately there are no extra time powerups.


I am stuck at level 88. I have tried every powerup combo I can and cannot get past it. I won't be able to finish the game - it is hard for me to believe it is this difficult and I am not even halfway through.

Good luck! It is a cute game but I cannot recommend it if you actually want a game you can finish.