Maestro: Notes of Life Collector's Edition

[b]Maestro 2: Notes of Life[/b] (IHOG) Although [i]Notes of Life[/i] is a continuation of the first game, [i]Music of Death[/i], the backstory is handled in a way that does not give spoilers, so you *can* play them out of order if you wish... I just don't recommend it ;) Options include separate sliders for Music and Sound, Full-screen, Widescreen and Custom Cursor. Choice of three difficulties, which can't be changed once you start playing. [b]Story[/b]: A young girl is abducted when she searches for the source of some mysterious music, and it's up to you to find her and bring her back home. There are some confusing moments RE: the storyline, but this is intentional - rest assured that everything will become clear as you progress. Our [b]Journal[/b] documents any clues we come across, and also adds some extra depth to the story. [b]Gameplay[/b]: There are some leaps of logic in this one, but nothing [i]too[/i] far-fetched. We have no [b]MAP[/b], nor any form of instant-transport, but once again the devs kept the backtracking down to a minimum. Using a [b]HINT[/b] during the adventure portion of the game will either point you at an area of interest, or tell you that there is nothing to do there. There is no directional hint, but sections of gameplay tend to be contained in a small enough area that usually you're not going to have to go very far to find what you need. The [b]Hidden Object Scenes [/b]are your standard find-by-list, with items bordered in orange needing some kind of interaction before you can locate them. These scenes will repeat once, but the things that you find the first time around will stay gone. It felt like there was a better balance between adventuring and HO-hunting this time, but it's probably just as HO-heavy as the first game. Most of the puzzles were interesting, and not just the standards that you usually find in IHOG's. [b]Sights and Sounds[/b]: Although there is definitely a creep-factor, the graphics are much more vibrant in this installment, are are at times quite beautiful! WARNING for those sensitive to such things: There is both a giant, angry snake and a scene full of spiders. I don't have a problem with creepy-crawlies, but even I got the heebie jeebies! lol~ The music and sound effects were very good, and one SFX in particular was really freaky! [b]CE Content[/b]: [list] [*]Integrated Strategy Guide [*]Bonus Chapter [*]6 Wallpapers [*]24 Concept Art [*]4 Music Tracks [*]3 Screensavers (I installed one of them - my favorite scene - and it has black borders on the sides, but it still lovely!) [/list] [b]Bonus Chapter[/b]: Although the main game was fine where it left off, I feel that the bonus gives us a much more complete ending. There's actually a small segment in there that you won't want to miss if you're planning on continuing the series, so be sure to check it out! Gameplay in the bonus was just as good as the rest of the game, and took maybe an hour and a half to complete. [b]Verdict[/b]: This second game isn't as creepy, overall, but still had a couple of frightening moments in it. The locations are rich and varied, the voice overs nicely-done and the overall gameplay still HO-heavy, but well-balanced with the adventuring. Recommended to IHOG-lovers!

It took me 6 hours to play both main and bonus chapter, so a reasonable length. This is the sequel to Music of Death, but it lacks the creepiness of the previous game. The music was more jaunty and the quality of the graphics was greatly improved in this game. Some scenes were gorgeous. One scene was full of spiders, and there was one jump scare. A young girl with her friend was drawn to the source of some music and she was kidnapped. Your role is to return her to her family. The game has no map, but back tracking is kept to a reasonable length. Some puzzles are music based, so if you're like me, you may find them difficult. But most of the puzzles were doable as I didn't skip any, but you may have to write things down as you have to memorise positions on the puzzle. This is pretty HO heavy with the normal lists, but it is done in a clever way so you don't feel overwhelmed. Some items need interaction. No bugs. Buy on sale. 7/10

[h1]Like it's predecessor...[/h1] Only that this game just starts off, where the first part of Maestro left the unfinished business. This part is a bit more explorative, yet it still feels like an unfinished part of the whole story. It offers some twists and turns, and some unexpected betrayal that give this story a very specific feel. Yes, it is better than the first part, yes, the HOG-Scenes are pretty well done, they are yet on the easy spectrum of the genre. So the whole series is more like a beginner, or starter game. The Riddles and Minigames put in here are pretty simple, and mostly you don't need to skip one of them - since they are pretty well known, most of them at least. Question still is, is it recommendable. Yes, if you own the first part, and hate lose ends like myself, you might want to get it, yet... it still has some lapses in logic, which might give you a headache. I can conditionally recommend this game, for players who like Hidden Object games, that are more on the "Adventure Light" side of the spectrum. Try to get it cheap, since 9,99 Bucks is a tad overpriced.

Tolles Spiel macht einfach nur Spaß ganz liebevoll gemachte Graphiken und Handlung das einzige ist ,was mich stört, dass in allen WBS ganz viele Gegenstände in den dunkelsten Bereichen gesucht werden muss anstrengend ..... Ansonsten .. Das Spiel ist ein Muss

I would recommend this game to anyone. 5 stars.