The Hidden Objects Game With More

Ever since the Mystery Case Files series of casual games hit the scene, more and more companies have started to develop variants of the popular hidden objects genre. It is because of their utter simplicity that not only can everyone play and understand them, but have a heck of a lot of fun doing it. Think of it as Where's Waldo for the 21st century. The common comment is that many of these offerings are close to being cookie cutter copies of one another, tossing you into slightly different scenarios, but presenting virtually identical gameplay. After all, you are usually shown a (relatively) static scene and provided with the task of finding several items hidden within it. You find all the hidden objects and proceed onto the next level. Thankfully, Private Eye: Greatest Unsolved Mysteries brings a lot more to the table. You still get the same core hidden objects gameplay, but there are countless mini-games and other additions that truly set this title apart from all of its competition.

One of the simplest examples of this is when your cursor is transformed into an eye. This grants you the ability to zoom in on one particular aspect of a particular scene, sending you on a journey to a whole new environment. For instance, you may be able to click on a painting hung on the wall, zooming on its minute details and hunting down specific elements found within the painting itself. Another mini-game that you will encounter will display two near-identical scenes and it is up to you to discern their differences. It is because of all these slight variations and side games that Private Eye offers so much value. The developers have really managed to keep players on their toes, unsure of what to expect around the next corner. Starting to sound like the real life of a detective, isn't it? Well, that may have been the objective all along!

Intrigue and Humor All Wrapped Up in One

Everybody can appreciate a good laugh every so often. Life's too short to be taken seriously all the time and that's why this game's creators have infused so much comedy and humor into the title. The dialogue between the various characters will keep you in stitches, and even some of the missions are hysterically contrived to pull a chuckle or two out of you. You just might have to travel all the way to Venice simply to recover some stolen mouthwash.

At the same time, the compelling story will pull you in, get you to sit on the edge of seat, anxiously awaiting what the next plot twist may be. This truly is a complete package that will appeal to all gamers, young and old, male and female, newbie and veteran.

Can You Solve the Mystery?

With all this variety, all those twists, and all the laughther along the way, it can sometimes be difficult to keep up with it all. You may also want to factor in the fact that this game may have a very easy learning curve, but the challenge increases exponentially after you've been introduced to the basic seek-and-find mechanism. Are you up to the challenge? I know I was, and I had so much fun along the way.