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11 of 12 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
This I tell ya brother, if you've played one, you've played the other..., January 31, 2009
Fun:4.0 out of 5 stars
Customer review from the Amazon Vine™ Program (What's this?)
+ Pros:
+ Very addictive gameplay
+ Builds in difficulty
+ Unlockable awards
+ 3 modes of play
- Cons:
- Repetitive levels
- Game can be beaten in 2-3 days
- A carbon copy of Amazing Adventures: The Forgotten Ruins.
In Mystery P.I., you play the part of a detective assigned to finding an art thief. Each level has a picture with several objects littered throughout it. The goal is to find all the items on the list before time runs out. The time limit is very generous, and there is an option to turn off the timer for newer players.
If you're unable to find an item, a "HINT" option shows the general area to find an object, but using this subtracts points from your final score. Tapping the screen too many times can also subtract points.
At first, the items to find are described clearly:
2 coin stacks
3 lighters
However, as the game progresses, the descriptions become more challenging:
2 Artist's models
Wrist restraints
In addition to the items on the list, each level has a paint brush and a key hidden in it.
Collecting all the paintbrushes unlocks locations in Unlimited Seek & Solve. This mode allows you to visit each location and find every single hidden item. As you find items on the list, new clues take their place until all the items are found.
Collecting all the keys unlocks the games in Mini-Game Free Play.
The Mini-Games are:
Memory Match
Jigsaw Puzzle
Tile Rotate
Mah-Jongg Match
Word Puzzle
Now if you fancy yourself an expert, there are 10 awards to earn:
(1) Golden Key - awarded for finding all 17 keys.
(2) Golden Paintbrush - awarded for finding all 17 paintbrushes.
(3) Golden Painting - awarded for completing "Find the Art Collection" mode.
(4) Golden Magnifying Glass - awarded for completing "Unlimited Seek & Solve".
(5) Golden Sculpture - awarded for reaching the rank of Master P.I. at 10 million points.
(6) Golden Frames - awarded when you reach 15,000 points in Memory Match.
(7) Golden Jigsaw Puzzle Piece - awarded when you get 18,000 points in Jigsaw Puzzle.
(8) Golden Rotating Tile - awarded when you get 18,000 points in Tile Rotate.
(9) Golden Mah-Jongg Tile - awarded when you get 18,000 points in Mah-Jongg Match.
(10) Golden Word - awarded when you get 15,000 points in Word Puzzle.
I must admit, this is a very addictive game. The gameplay is very easy to pick up - I didn't even need to read the directions.
One problem was the repetition. After unlocking the first few levels, I found myself revisiting the same pictures, but with a different list of items to find. This made the game a little boring - not a good sign.
However, my main complaint is that this game is a clone of "Amazing Adventures - The Forgotten Ruins." Both were produced by Popcap, this game came out about one month later, but the gameplay is almost identical. Many of the same objects are found in this game, the same hints, and the same requirements to unlock awards.
If you check the image I uploaded of the instruction manuals side-by-side, they are almost identical. Only two of the Mini-Games were changed.
If I hadn't played Amazing Adventures first, I would have given Mystery P.I. 4 stars without hesitation - but I had to take away another star for the lack of originality.
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