Spirits of Mystery: The Silver Arrow Collector's Edition

The Silver Arrow is the fourth game in the Spirits of Mystery HO game series. I didn't bother to review the third game Dark Minotaur because it was so similar to the first game Amber Maiden in make up and was very short (4.5hrs). This game sees the quality being ramped up considerably and new elements introduced. At last you have a map where you can fast transport to a scene and active areas show on the map. There are only in house achievements, so no Steam achievements, cards or emoticons attached to this game. There is an achievement room where you can view your achievements. You have three settings, casual, advanced or brave princess, which impact on the mini-games. No morphing objects or collectables in this game apart pearls which I mention later on. You are the princess of the realm, the grand daughter of the original princess in the first game Amber Maiden. Interestingly, you still have the same nurse your grandmother had!!! You have inherited similar gifts interacting with the animal world. You are waiting in your castle for the silver arrow to arrive which the prince from a neighbouring realm will shoot to you, designating you as his chosen bride. Someone else wants that arrow and you have to fight to get it back from a mercenary shape shifter whose favourite form is a burly black panther. Prince Charming is an active and believable hero who fights for his right to marry you. Nothing wishy washy about him. I think I fell in love with him a bit!!! [blushes] Story is interesting and clips along in a steady pace. This game is delightfully populated by fantastical creatures and talking animals. You have an interpreter in the form of an adorable ball of fluff who is quite comical and brings relief to the intense story. A griffin is your protector, but gets very hungry. Every scene either has an animal character in it or buildings/statues are in the shape of an animal. Graphics are really good and very imaginative. The HO scenes aren't dark like they were in previous games and are quite pretty too. They are mainly match pairs or silhouette format with one or two ordinary HO scenes. This series has a lot of potion making which isn't a favourite of mine....having to search for all the ingredients. Mini games are good and varied. I didn't skip any and a couple were quite hard and convoluted. Music and sound effects were adequate, but there is a continuing theme with all of games which is wearing very thin by this time. Throughout the game, you will collect pearls which will pay for the renovation of a dilapidated tower. You decide what you want done and once renovated, you add furniture and can choose the colour scheme. I had a lot of fun doing that! Sadly, I wanted to change a few things at the end, but you are unable to change your mind. So choose wisely!! Took me 7 hrs to play main game and bonus chapter, so it is the longest in the series so far. Very enjoyable. Recommend to buy when the whole series is on sale. 9/10

Very enjoyable 4th entry in this series, as once again you set off to save the kingdom and rescue your prince. The protagonist in The Silver Arrow is a descendant of both the princess in the original game in the series, and the princess in the previous game (The Dark Minotaur). As in prior games, you come across portraits of your "famous" ancestresses, which is a nice touch of continuity. The villains of the piece also continue over from earlier games. Pros: - choice of three difficulty settings - first game in the series available in widescreen - first game in the series to have a map (and it is fully interactive) - lovely art and good story - excellent bonus chapter - music is improved from the first three games - puzzles are varied and interesting (difficulty can be selected for some puzzles) - in-game achievements and an "achievement room" - hidden pearls that can be used to upgrade your personal tower room (I enjoyed this) Cons: - too many HO scenes require you to find "pairs" or "connected pairs" of objects; too few regular or shape-based HO scenes (although some of the interactive HO scenes are quite good) [b]Overall:[/b] This is an excellent series, despite the first three games having a distinctly older look and feel. This game is the best in terms of graphics, options, and bonuses. My only disappointment was with the "matching objects" HO scenes. I'm surprised the series doesn't have more reviews on Steam, and I'm glad I decided to try it out. Well worth adding to your HOPA collection, although I'd always suggest buying on sale or at least in the bundle.

Another princess story. In this one, you have just received the mystical arrow of the Pearl Prince, when it is stolen right in front of you by a shape-changing mercenary. And by shape-changing, I mean into animals. (The series really likes panthers.) Anyway, you have decided to reclaim what is yours (since you need it for the wedding the next day), no matter the danger. HO scenes are fun, Plot is interesting, and the minigames exciting. Recommend purchasing in the bundle.

I enjoyed playing this game as I am sure I will with the other ones I got in the Bundle. I have played many different types of hidden object story based games over the years and I love the graphics of hoe they represent the game's overall appearance.which makes it all the more eye catching to anyone who believes in the magic of a good old fairy tale based story line. I am glad I purchased this long awaiting game that was on my wish list for so long. The mini games are fun but not always easy so that makes it good for a challenge of puzzles and good times to be shared with others,if they also wish to join in the game play(family members for example)