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40 of 42 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Madame Fate Has Seen Her Death--Can YOU Find the Killer Before It's Too Late?, February 12, 2008
Fun:5.0 out of 5 stars
Renowned psychic, Madame Fate, has foreseen her own death in her crystal ball--and you, the super-sleuth, must investigate every carnival worker to know where they will be at midnight, the supposed time of death. In this lavish hidden-object game, you'll find weird side-show employees and a bored carny...but, above all, you'll find hours of engaging puzzles and tricky games!
I have all of the Mystery Case Files games (Huntsville, Prime Suspects, Ravenhearst and Madame Fate), but it was Madame Fate that was my introduction to the Hidden Object game. Briefly, for those who are unfamiliar, the idea behind the MCF games is pretty straightforward: you visit different "scenes" of possible crimes and find the hidden objects listed on the right side of the screen. In the case of Madame Fate, it's different places around Madame Fate's carnival--the Insane-erator Roller Coaster, concession stand, mermaid dunk, merry-go-round and so on. (If your child has the I Spy games, these are a lot like them...but better!)
Of all the Hidden Object games out there, Madame Fate is, in my opinion, the most fun and the most challenging (especially compared to the other MCF games). While Madame Fate features the Hidden Object games you'd expect (e.g. find the ten items listed), there are also loads of tricky mini-games throughout.
For example, there are mysterious changing items throughout the game that, if you spot and click on them, will lead you to other hidden areas. Also, some of the hidden object clues aren't straightforward. One of the clues is "Fighter in the Ring", BUT, in order to complete this "find", you have to "grab" the hand drawn fighter that is at the bottom right side of the scene and place him onto the fighter that is in the ring on the left side of the scene.
In addition to the straightforward (but not necessarily easy!) crystal ball games, other mini-games include:
TEN FROM SEVEN - Form 10 four letter words from the letters that you are given
SIX 2 WIN - Form 6 words that are related to each other in some kind of way by swapping letters around until you spell the correct word.
OPPOSITE ATTRACTION - Form 2 words that have opposite meaning but that share the same letter in the center tile.
SIX WORDS TO WIN - The goal here is to form six- 3 letter words on the puzzle grid (3 vertical and 3 horizontal). The words cannot be formed diagonally or backwards.
(My personal favorite) ROCKET DOG - Unravel 3 mysterious words to gain access to the shady carnival worker. Each carnival worker has various items hidden on or around them and you must find them before time runs out. For example, you may have to find rockets or matches at Bianca the Daredevil Diva, claw scratches or crowns at Tabitha the Lion Tamer, razors, butterflies or combs at Lucy the Bearded Beauty, jelly beans or pies at Franco the Excessive, hooks, stars or M's at Marlena the Mermaid, pills or snakes at Dr. Goodwell's and so on.
In between each of the characters is a thrilling--and sometimes mind boggling--puzzle. Don't worry if you get stuck, though: you can always click on a hint OR click on the black phone to skip the puzzle. However, if you do the latter, there will be time taken off the NEXT hidden object game. (I've only had to skip one the entire game. I'm entirely through Madame Fate EXCEPT for the last puzzle...still can't get it!)
Thankfully, the jigsaw puzzle games from the other MCF games are gone from Madame Fate (never liked those--too simple and too boring), but are replaced by visually stunning, thought-provoking and amusing games and puzzles.
I've owned game systems as far back as Atari and now own several hidden object games (including Poirot, Expedition Everest, etc.), and Madame Fate is BY FAR my absolute favorite game ever! As soon as I figure out the last puzzle, I'm going to play it all over again. The hidden objects are cleverly hidden (much more difficult than previous MCF games), the scenes are a riot of color, and the sound effects of the carnival hubub (carnies yelling, night sounds, distant carny music, etc.) are truly absorbing, you'll feel like you're at a spooky carnival with a wild mix of characters!
If you enjoy hidden object games you MUST get Madame Fate. I know you'll love it! If you're new to the hidden object game genre, give this one a try. It was my very first one, and now I'm a huge MCF and hidden-object game enthusiast. It's a great way to relax (well, not so much THIS particular game!), providing you hours of eye candy, brain teasers and enjoyment.
Highly recommended!
Janet Boyer, author of The Back in Time Tarot Book: Picture the Past, Experience the Cards, Understand the Present (coming Fall 2008 from Hampton Roads Publishing)
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14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
I would buy this one again if the CD got damaged!, July 11, 2008
Fun:5.0 out of 5 stars
I got this game to play with my youngest daughter while my oldest and Dad play Warcraft. While my 8 year old has ebbed and flowed in her interest, she cannot resist looking over my shoulder when I pull this game up for a quick break.
Brief synopsis: Madame Fate wants you to investigate 15 different "cronies" from the Carnival, some of them being the Bearded Lady, Art the Carnie, The Acrobats, The Fat Man, and the Tatooed Man. You are investigating which of these will murder Madame Fate at the stroke of midnight which she has predicted.
The investigation involves a timed (or not it is your choice) search for a specific number of hidden items Some areas have a secret changing item that morphs slowly into another item such as a green apple turning red or a frog changing to a tiger. You know if there is a secret item in an area if a purple question mark appears by the number of hidden items for that area on the map. Once you find the required number of items for cronie,there is a big puzzle to solve before you move on to the next cronie to investigate. The last puzzle is the hardest of course.
I think the story line isn't very important and rather weak but it gets you through the game.
BEWARE there are some slightly scary things in here for some kids such as a severed hand, a bloody leg, spiders, snakes, a three headed beast with what appears to be a dead clown in his cage but it wasn't to disturbing for my 8 year old but I wouldn't play this with a child much younger only because of the these things.
This is a very well executed and entertaining hidden game compared to Mt Everest, which is good but not as good and Abra Academy which is mediocre/very simple. This one has great pictures and requires thinking and even spelling, Sometimes a "B" is a bee.
If you want a game with many levels and a wide variety of challenges, you'll enjoy this. Don't forget that the kids can help. In fact, they are better at finding the hidden item while I seem to master the puzzles. I have been through this more than twice and still find some of the puzzles quite challenging.
I wish they would do more like this one!!!
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10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Wonderful wonderful!, March 10, 2008
Fun:5.0 out of 5 stars
The Mystery Case Files series continues to deliver with their newest installment, Madame Fate. Madame Fate is very similiar to the other MCF games (hide and seek), but has more complex mini games at the end of each chapter, like you would find in the Ravenhearst game. Graphics were amazing, storyline was great, and I really can't wait for the next one! Keep'um coming!
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