Computer Times
Editors' Choice Game
G.H.O.S.T. Hunters: The Haunting of Majesty Manor
Reviewed by Angie Kibiloski
G.H.O.S.T. Hunters: The Haunting of Majesty Manor (Retail $19.99), by Aisle 5 Games, is a great way for gamers of all ages to perfect their observation skills. It can be found for download at http://www.aisle5games.com. Remember the picture hunt puzzles you used to find in magazines when you were a kid? Well G.H.O.S.T. Hunters is just like that, but much more fun and interactive. You are a paranormal investigator, called to Majesty Manor to solve the mystery of who is behind the recent ghostly activity. Search the rooms of the house and uncover suspects to determine if these hauntings are the work of a ghost, or a hoax.
Beneath the story of the haunting and building your subject list, this is essentially a hidden object game, so the way to discover these possible haunting suspects is to find a bunch of objects hidden within each room. Not such an easy task though. Each room is cluttered with junk, and the items may be hidden in unlikely places. For instance, an umbrella may be an object on the list of things you need to find. This could be concealed amongst a bag full of golf clubs, disguised as a table leg, or even painted into a picture of a man with an umbrella, hanging on the wall. Sometimes, the best place to hide things is in pain sight, and oftentimes the last place we look.
Each day you are in the Manor, you have a set number of rooms you must completely search by the end of the day, so remember that you are being timed. No worries though, the time limit is not so short as to be frustrating or hectic. You can afford to take your time and look at all of the crazy oddities that make up each room. You just don't want to go make a sandwich and forget that your time is ticking by. In each room you are given a list of around 15-20 items to find, and are told how many of these items you need to advance to the next room. You can come back after finishing all the rooms for the day and find the remaining unnecessary items for bonus points. At the end of the game, you race around to eliminate suspects on your list and finally solve the mystery.
G.H.O.S.T. Hunters: The Haunting of Majesty Manor is a nice surprise, and a refreshingly different puzzle game. This game forces you to look at a scene critically and more closely than you normally would. It helps to hone widely unused observation skills and encourages you to think outside the box. I highly recommend this one for kids and adults alike.
System Requirements: