DS Game Review: Salem Secrets

One of the most recent DS games that I have played has been Salem Secrets, a hidden object game featuring additional puzzles and minigames, surrounding the suspicions of witchcraft in Salem in 1692.

I enjoyed this game from the start, the level of difficulty of the hidden objects scenes was just about right. Items could be realistically found, without it being too frustrating, or all of them being obvious. Some of the objects that you find are kept for future use, you just have to determine where and how to use the items, with some being more apparent than others.

There were some great puzzles throughout the game too, although a few instructions for some of these would have been nice. Although I mostly managed to work out what was required, in a couple of cases it was trial and error, before the penny finally dropped. One particular puzzle I never did quite get the hang of, but it is possible to skip puzzles that you can’t complete. Personally, however, I would have preferred some guidance or the chance to see a solution, rather than just pass a puzzle by.

I really enjoyed this game, which had enough of a story, without all the time being taken up telling it, but my main criticism of the game is that it was actually too short with a very abrupt ending. Having found all the missing girls in the story, its main aim, I thought I would then have to battle the witchcraft element a bit more. But no. One minute I thought I was entering a whole new part of the game, the next the credits were rolling.

Verdict: great game, shame about the length.

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DS Games Review: Mah Jong Quest Expeditions

I’d never played the game of Mah Jong until I played it on a DS game a year or so ago. It appears as a minigame in James Patterson Women’s Murder Club, Games of Passion – a feature that I’d really enjoyed. So when I spotted Mah Jong Quest Expeditions I decide to give it a go.

For those of you who have never played Mah Jong, it is a tile matching game. The trick is to match and remove the tiles in the order that enables you to clear the whole board.

You can play three different versions of the game in Mah Jong Quest, with different modes available in each. In Kwazi’s Quest you don’t have to clear the whole board, just sufficient to match the black and white hat tiles, and there are all sorts of special tiles available, to enable you to make additional moves in order to clear more tiles. You play against a timer, work your way through a number of levels collecting points and have a limited number of lives available (you lose one whenever you run out of time) but do collect more along the way. Some of the boards in Kwazi’s Quest are quite challenging, but that’s what makes them so good.

If you choose to play the puzzle game, you a presented with a series of boards of increasing size, that don’t have to be completely cleared, but once again you need to match the black and white hat tiles.

The classic game is completely what you would expect, the traditional game of matching tiles to clear the board.

I really enjoyed the challenge of the game, with Kwazi’s Quest being my preferred method of game play. You do have to be a fan of Mah Jong however, as there is nothing else involved in this game – no other puzzles, no hidden object scenes – it’s just Mah Jong in all it’s glory.

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DS Games – Jewel Quest Mysteries 2

In my first DS game review of 2014, I’m looking at Jewel Quest Mysteries 2, ‘Trail of the Midnight Heart’.

I’d thoroughly enjoyed playing the original Jewel Quest Mystery, ‘Curse of the Emerald Tear’, which combined hidden object scenes with jewel matchboards, as opposed to Jewel Quest games that only have the jewel boards, such as ‘Expeditions’. As Trail of the Midnight Heart offers the same kind of game play, I was eager to give it a go.

However, although the game did indeed contain some of the very elements that made me enjoy the first of its kind, I was disappointed that the inventory lists on the hidden object levels appeared somewhat shorter than on the previous game, meaning that I was able to complete them that much more quickly. I also found the objects themselves easier to find as the graphics did not seem quite as detailed as in the earlier game.

However, I did like the new addition to the game,  the moving scene where you have to collect 20 versions of a given object. This at least presented a new challenge, which I found a little tricky at first, but improved at as I progressed through game.

As with the first Jewel Quest Mystery, you collect jewels and coins as you progress, which you can use as hints and to boost your points.

I did still enjoy ‘Trail of the Midnight Heart’, but have to say I found it that much less of a challenge, and finished it in a shorter time than the previous game, If a third version is made, I would like it to contain the best elements of the two versions to date combined.

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So That Was 2013

“What have you done, another year over and a new one just begun…” to quote John Lennon. Indeed another year seems to have whizzed by, and now is the time to look back on its highs and lows and think what we would like to do differently, or perhaps more of next year.

Collectively we welcomed the new Pope and the newest addition to the Royal Family, Prince George, and said goodbye to the legend that was Nelson Mandela. Goodbyes were also said to Lady Thatcher amongst much controversy: I may not have loved her politics, but at the end of the day, I held on to the thought that she was a mother too, much missed by her family.

Across the world there was cause for sadness and shocks, as we witnessed some awful human acts and natural disasters that sometimes claimed lives. However, as is often the case in these situations, we must take comfort from the way ordinary people pull together, raising funds and supporting aid charities to help where possible.

On a personal level I celebrated a ‘milestone’ birthday, saw the birth of my first grandchild (a gorgeous little boy), questioned Ofsted and complained at the loss of Hypermobility classes from my local NHS physiotherapy department.

My blog looked at a range of products and services including make-up, cleaning products, toiletries, DS games and supermarket cafés. I looked at the whole issue of supermarkets using meat from sources other than the UK or even the EU, something that I’m still keeping an eye on.

Next year I’ll be reviewing a whole new set of products and services, continuing my ‘Random Thoughts’ and generally offering up my opinion on shopping and consumer issues.

But for now here are some of my winners and losers for 2013:

A Shoppers’ Joy thumbs up for: Tesco Clubcard, EDF Complaints Resolutions Manager, Max Factor Eye Brightening Mascara, the staff at the Morrisons café Cambourne, Avon Solutions Ageless Bloom Neck and Chest Treatment SPF15, the staff at Travelodge Middlewich, the Tower of London and the Nutmeg clothing range at Morrisons.

A Shoppers’ Joy thumbs down for: ‘Which?’ magazine’s subscription department (and the magazine come to that), Aldi, companies that make money from your PPI claim (you can do it for free yourself), Ofsted, people who speak loudly on their phones on public transport and the poor service I received at the Marks and Spencer café at Hempstead Valley.

Who will be in my good and bad books for 2014?

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DS Games – Professor Layton vs May’s Mysteries

Regular readers to my blog may know that I’m rather partial to puzzles and DS games, with DS puzzle games the ideal combination. It’s some time since I wrote a review on any games, so I thought it was time that I reviewed and compared a couple of my favourites.

Many of you may be familiar with the Professor Layton series, where the animated Prof and his trusty assistant (or assistants depending on the story) set off to solve a mystery and encounter many puzzles along the way. I’ve played most of the Professor Layton games, with the exception of the most recent, as I tend to wait for the price to come down – I’m always after a bargain!

I really love the puzzles in Professor Layton games, but I have to admit to finding the stories a little long-winded and tedious, not to mention a tad bizarre. I play for the puzzles themselves, not for all the weird chitchat. I also find it a pain tapping on all the scenes to find hint coins, although I do to try to avoid using these if possible. There are some great puzzles in the games, and I like the fact that they are of different levels of difficulty, worth different numbers of points. Of course, once you have played a game all the way through, you can replay the puzzles without the story, and there are bonus puzzles too.

I also really like some of the fun minigames in Professor Layton, such as creating cunning rail tracks and assault courses for a pet hamster. Despite the dodgy storylines, I am a fan of Professor Layton games.

I was interested, therefore, when browsing on Amazon, to discover another game called May’s Mysteries, which was billed to be another Professor Layton. I promptly ordered ‘The Secret of Dragonville’ at the bargain price of around £3, and was not disappointed.

The game very much has the feel of a Professor Layton, but I found the storyline didn’t drag on so much – there were fewer tedious conversations with characters. There was none of the silly tapping for hint coins either; you earn hints by completing the bonus puzzles that you collect along the way. Many of the puzzles were of a similar type to those in Professor Layton, but there were some interesting additions, such as ‘Hidden Picture’ puzzles, which are somewhat like Hanje puzzles (where you logically work out which squares to shade in to form a picture) and hidden object scenes.

There were a few downsides to May’s Mysteries, however. All puzzles are worth the same number of points although some are so much easier to solve than others. One of the so-called puzzle-types irritated me terribly – the rhythmic game, where you have to tap along in time with a tune. It was the ones where you also had to slide your stylus that got me and I ended up skipping most of these.

But over all I loved May’s Mysteries and will be looking out for more stories.

Can you recommend any good DS puzzle games?

DS Games: Cate West Vanishing Files

It’s been some since I last reviewed a DS game, but today I’m looking at one that I’ve played and replayed several times over – Cate West Vanishing Files.

Cate is a writer who has ‘visions’ that help her to solve a series of crimes occurring in the city of Arcadia.

As with so many of these games, hidden object levels features heavily, but with this game the graphics are good with many of the objects cleverly, though not impossibly, hidden.

Other levels in the game include spot the difference, a ‘replace the objects’ level that is a bit like spot the difference, but you replace the missing objects in one of the pictures, and a game that involves eliminating possible suspects using given clues. The worrying thing about that level is that one of the suspects looks alarmingly like Jimmy Carr, which was a bit unsettling.

I do enjoy playing this game, as it’s a bit more challenging than some, with a bit of variety too. I really recommend giving this game a go.

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Good Old-Fashioned Fun

I do love a good, old-fashioned slot machine at a seaside arcade.

When I was a child, each school summer holiday my mother would buy us a week’s runabout train ticket (allowing us to travel anywhere in our region). Every morning she’d ask, “Where shall we go today?” to which I’d reply, “Margate”, and off we went.

I loved Dreamland, a proper old fun fair with rides and games, and all the arcades with their (literally) penny machines. The fun you could have with just a few pennies – or better still the 1/2p machines on Margate’s Sun Pier (long gone). These may have been the most annoying little coins ever, but you could have an awful lot of goes on the machines with them for very little money.

I still believe that seaside arcades are a good source of family fun, even though the cheapest machines you find these days are 2p – happily you can find quite a few of these. We sometimes visit one as part of a weekend outing, sharing a couple of pounds worth of 2p pieces, which we eagerly feed into the slots. Many of these machines now contain small prizes, adding the extra challenge of trying to win one of these, in addition to the hoped-for shower of coins. A recent trip yielded a set of little wind-up teeth, which provided a great source of amusement for my son.

On our trips we always restrict ourselves to the 2p play machines (with the occasional exception of a ‘prize every time’ crane) and limit the amount we spend to just a couple of pounds. This gives us a lot of fun for a little cost, and means we don’t get too compulsive in our play.

Even more fun are some of the ‘old penny’ machines, dating back to the days before decimal currency and computerized games. At arcades containing these machines you can ‘buy’ a bag of old pennies to try your luck at the machines of yesteryear, some of which are much more fun than their modern counterparts. We particularly love the two-player games, where you each turn a handle at top speed to be the first to complete a cycle race/horse race or drain a baby’s bottle and my son simply adores the ones where you guide a ball through a maze.

Do you enjoy a good seaside amusement arcade?

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DS Games – Big Word Puzzle Book

I really love a good word puzzle – in fact I just love playing with words – so as I’m also a fan of DS games, the Big Word Puzzle Book is a firm favourite.

The game features eight puzzle challenges, each of which can be played at four different levels- easy, medium, difficult and expert.

 

Some of the word games are old favourites, such as hangman, word search and codeword (substituting numbers with the correct letters), whilst others are a bit more unusual.

I love playing Guessword, where you literally have to guess a random word through the process of elimination. With careful thought it\s amazing how few guesses it sometimes takes to be right.

I also enjoy Combinates, a kind of scaled down Scrabble board where you aim to get the highest score possible using all the given letters.

Other games include DIY Crossword (place words in the grid provided), Spellitaire (a quick-fire word making game) and Pop-Up Garden (an anagram game).

This game allows you to save four profiles at a time and you can play in single or multiplayer mode.

Highly recommended for all word puzzle fans.

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DS Games – Amazing Adventures The Forgotten Ruins

Another day, another hidden object game – this time levels alternate with some fun minigames including ‘spot the difference’, ‘memory match’, ‘tile swap’, jigsaw puzzles and, my favourite, Mah-Jong.

The mix of games is really quite good and the hidden object scenes are clear, with a good assortment of objects to find. During the course of the game you also need to find 17 jade masks and 17 glyphs in order to unlock the unlimited ‘seek and solve’ and freeplay minigames.

This game has a good, clear layout, the option to save 3 versions of the game at a time and you can achieve different ‘levels of player’ as you progress through the story.

I’ve actually played this game a few times over now, but still enjoy it just as much as I did the first time through.

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DS Games – Mystery Tales Time Travel

This wins the prize for the most frustrating DS game that I have ever played! Why? All will be revealed shortly.

The blurb made the game sound interesting, spanning settings across France, China, Egypt, Rome and so on. It’s basically a hidden object game once again with the added twist of ‘casting spells’.

In addition to finding listed objects, you need to find frogs, eyes, jewels and feathers, which combine to make ‘spells’. What you actually do is join some dots to make a shape, releasing a hint, some extra time or whatever. Drawing the shapes becomes very tedious and several times I got over-enthusiastic and started to draw too early, failing the task, which meant I had to repeat it – maddening!

You are also meant to collect jigsaw pieces throughout the game, but I often forgot to look for these.

The first few levels were fine to play, some things were a bit tricky to find, but it’s boring if you find everything easily anyway. But then I got to the Sacrificial Altar level and things started to get very frustrating.

I spent ages trying to find the numbers and arrows requested, eventually finding the first few, before becoming completely stuck. Even returning to the level over a series of days got me nowhere, partly because the graphics in this scene are not at all clear. In desperation I turned to the Internet for help – something I never normally do. One suggestion was to turn the brightness up on the DS, but this didn’t help me. Another was to use a spell, but either this is only possible on certain versions, or my game had a ‘bug’ preventing me from doing so. In the end I resorted to random tapping, which meant time penalties, but with perseverance and restarting the level several times over I go there in the end. A very haphazard method that I went on to use in another couple of frustrating levels.

Another really annoying thing about this game is that you can only save one version of the game at a time, and when you load story mode ‘new game’ appears top of the list, meaning it’s very easy to click on it by accident as opposed to ‘continue’ and lose all your game so far.

Despite all the setbacks, I managed to get to the end of the game – I must be a glutton for punishment, are you?

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DS Games – Vampire Moon, The Mystery Of The Hidden Sun

Vampire stories have become increasingly popular over recent years, with this Transylvania-based DS game following the trend.

News reporter, Emily Davis, sets out to solve a mystery, but as with many games of this type, I tend to skim the story and get down to the business of actual game play.

Once again, the game consists of hidden object levels, putting a few of the objects to minimal use along the way. The hidden object scenes are quite average, although you do need to find some notes and jewels in addition to the listed objects.

There are a few minigames, but these are quite basic and easy to complete. I found the labyrinth games the easiest I’ve solved and there is a game that just involves rubbing your stylus over the screen, to reveal symbols – like the old ‘magic drawing’ books I had as a child.

Although I would only rate this as an ‘average’ game, there is still some enjoyment to be had from it.

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DS Games – Murder In Venice

The latest of my DS game reviews looks at Murder In Venice, yet another hidden object game (well so many are), which features some novel minigames.

The story switches between 1967 and 2010 and follows a tale of murder, intrigue and a KGB plot of the Cold War era.

Progress through the game by solving hidden object levels, interspersed with a selection of minigames, my favourite of which is ‘gear code’, matching combinations of coloured balls (not unlike Jewel Quest/Jewel Link boards).

In addition to the lists of hidden objects (some of which you use) in each level, you need to find a chess piece in order to collect a full set. You can also earn a number of awards on the way for completing certain tasks to certain standards.

Once you have played in story mode, then you can play the full range of ‘Hidden World’ (hidden object scenes) and ‘Minigames’, which include extra levels not available in the main game.

I enjoyed playing this games, despite it being similar to many others that I’ve played. The picture quality was good and there was a reasonable assortment of activities.

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DS Games – Millionheir

In my latest DS game review, I’m looking at a hidden object game with some interesting twists – Millionheir.

The aim of the game is to solve the mystery of the missing millionaire, discovering the heir to his fortune and the identity of the villain along the way.

You can play the game in three modes within the single player option – rookie, detective and gumshoe (which has to be unlocked by playing the game). Each mode has a different time limit and number of hints available. There is also a multiplayer option, which can be played in hot-seat mode or wireless communication, though I’ve not tried this.

You progress through the game by finding hidden objects in various settings, meeting a number of characters along the way. To add interest in the hidden object rounds, there are additional tools to use such as an x-ray device and underwater goggles. It’s sometimes necessary to interact with objects too e.g. you may be asked to find a lemon slice, but in fact you have to find a whole lemon and ‘slice’ it with the stylus.

In addition to the hidden object rounds, there are spot the difference pictures, jigsaw puzzles, a DNA game and a fingerprinting activity, which offer some variety.

What I really like about this game is that you can play it over and over again, with different outcomes, so you never know who the heir and villain will be.

Once you have solved the main game, you can also play the Treasure Hunt game, in addition to replaying the whole game on a different level.

Millionheir is definitely a game I’d recommend.

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DS Games – The Last Window & Phoenix Wright

For the latest in my DS reviews I’m looking at two games that combine searching for items with interviewing characters,

The Last Window: The Secret of Cape West

In this game you play as Kyle Hyde, ex-cop turned salesman, trying to unravel mysteries from the past, connected to the apartment block (formerly Hotel Cape West) where he now lives. In the very early stages of this game I got a little bored, as the conversations seemed a bit slow and the tasks few and far between. However, once the characters and storyline had been established, the game became more enjoyable. In addition to finding and using objects and selecting questions to ask fellow residents, you get to play an ‘arcade-style’ game, a bar game, draw a portrait and solve puzzles. As you complete each chapter of the story, you can read a detailed version in the ‘book’ section of the game. I actually really loved this game in the end and am off to find a copy of Hotel Dusk, the forerunner of The Last Window.

Phoenix Wright Ace Attorney: Trials and Tribulations

The idea of this game is to collect evidence and question suspects and witnesses, then produce the evidence and further question characters in court. The concept of this game is really good, as it takes thoughtful consideration to produce the correct items and choose the right questions at the appropriate time. Some characters totally ‘lock up’ when quizzed and you have to endeavour to break open their defences. However, what really annoyed me about this game were the irritating mannerisms and reactions of certain characters. In fact, many of the characters were painfully annoying. Prolonged sneezing, contemplation of coffee, exclamatory shrieks and repetitive phrases really detracted from the game itself – it would be greatly improved if a lot of these quirks were removed. There are more games in this series, but despite it being a good, long game with some nice ideas, I’m not sure that I can stand any more of the craziness!

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Online Shopping – My Way

I’m a big fan of the actual ‘shopping experience’, i.e. browsing the shops, touching, trying and comparing potential purchases, before making my eventual choice. However, I have been known to buy a few things online, if only selectively.

When buying toiletries or make-up that I have used before, so that I don’t need to try out the colour/texture/fragrance, I have made the odd online purchase. I’m a big fan of DS games (see my DS game review blog posts) and find that Amazon is the best place to find all the titles I want at really good prices, so I always get these online.

But when it comes to clothing, I have a different approach. I do order some garments online, but I just hate having to search through a multitude of internet pages in a quest to find something suitable. That’s why I’m a fan of the good old-fashioned catalogue.

I love to curl up with a mug of something sweet and hot and browse the glossy pages of a catalogue – it’s a really comfy way to shop. Once I’ve made my choice I’ve nothing against actually placing the order online, in fact it’s extremely convenient, as I can instantly find out whether an item’s in stock and when I can expect delivery. It just wouldn’t be the same if I didn’t have the chance to peruse those glossy pages first. It’s much the same as me preferring to hold a book in my hand rather than read from a Kindle.

Now it has been reported that Argos plan to reduce circulation of their catalogue and overhaul their ordering system. A bad move in my book (pardon the pun).

So please home shopping companies, don’t ever dispense with your lovely catalogues, (I do recycle them) – online shopping just wouldn’t be the same without them!

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DS Games: CSI

This series of games is based on the TV series by the same name (which I admit to never watching) and revolves around collecting evidence to solve a series of crimes. You use various forensic tools to connect suspects to the crime scene and are ‘marked’ on your performance.

I’ve played three CSI DS games with each following the format of examining crime scenes, collecting and processing evidence and interviewing suspects, although they all vary somewhat with regard to animation, employment of tools and interviewing technique.

Dark Motives The first game I played and the first chronologically too. The graphics are a bit grainy and not as clear as I would like. To move around the scenes you guide an arrow cursor, which turns green over items of interest. This can be a bit erratic to control, sometimes zooming in on objects that you don’t want it to. I really wasn’t keen on the menu setup on this game either, there are tabs at the bottom of a screen that you click on to reveal subheadings, which just makes the whole screen feel a bit crowded. Usage of tools is basic, just click on the one you want and hold it over the item you want to use it on, without actually doing anything with it – what is a pain is trying to put back a tool you don’t want to use! Another problem I found is that you only get one save file, meaning that only one player can save games at a time, which is a bit annoying. I liked the idea of the game, rather than the game itself.

Deadly Intent, The Hidden Cases I noticed a big improvement in this game, although I found the animation a little ‘cartoony’. You are given three separate save files, allowing more than one player to have a game in progress. The cursor system works better, you move a circular icon, a bit like a gun sight around the scene and it flashes over points of interest. In this game you feel that you actually get to ‘use’ the tools e.g. move the stylus across an object to dust for fingerprints, then blow into the microphone to remove excess powder. Processing evidence in the lab becomes more involved too, performing puzzle-type tasks. The menu setup is clearer, the interview technique better and the game generally has a nicer feel than Dark Motives.

Unsolved! This has all the best features of Deadly Intent, but with nicer graphics. This was by far my favourite version, combining all the best elements – three save files, ability to use tools, interesting tasks to process evidence and taking part in interviews where you can so easily go wrong if you don’t think things through carefully. If I repeat any of them, this will be the one.

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DS Games – Secret Files

Continuing with my review of mystery, puzzle DS games, today I’m looking at the ‘Secret Files’ series.

Secret Files: Tunguska The first of the ‘Secret Files’ games sees Nina Kalenkov embark on a journey to discover the mystery behind her father’s kidnapping. The game moves through a variety of interesting locations across the world, in which you collect objects and use them in inventive ways to reach your end goal. There were times when I got really stuck with the combining of objects, as they were not always used in the way that you would expect, sometimes involving quite a lengthy sequence of events, but the level of thought needed made the game really interesting. Hints and help functions are available if you get really stuck, but avoid using these if  you can, because you will get there in the end if you think laterally. I actually loved the challenge of this game, which kept me busy for some considerable time, and would rate it amongst my favourite DS games to date.

Secret Files 2: Puritas Cordis This follows a similar format but with a brand new story. This time Nina endeavours to track down an extreme secret society intent on destroying the world. I don’t know whether it was just because I’d already played the first game and was starting to see how things worked, but this seemed easier to solve and I completed it much faster. I was disappointed to reach the end so abruptly, when I felt that I should have had more left to solve. The question is if I hadn’t previously played Tunguska, would I have found this harder? I will never know.

What games would you recommend? comments@shoppersjoy.co.uk

DS Games – The Jewelled Collection

There are a fair number of DS games around that involve matching rows of jewels on a board, until the whole area has been covered (simplified explanation). In some cases, jewel boards form a small part of a wider game, but in others the game consists of little else.

So far in this category I have played:

Jewel Quest Mysteries, Curse Of The Emerald Tear This is the first ‘jewel’ game that I ever played, one of many available in the ‘Jewel Quest’ series. I really enjoyed this game as it alternates between hidden object scenes and jewel boards, offering a bit of variety. It also has a separate bonus game, Mysteryville, a hidden object game with a few twists, further increasing playing time and options. The hidden object levels are really well done, having lots of detailed scenes that are also clear. By finding jewels and coins in these levels, you can ‘buy’ extra help features to use if you get a bit stuck. The jewel boards progress in difficulty throughout the game, increasing the challenge. Overall a very good game.

Jewel Quest Expeditions Having thoroughly enjoyed the first Jewel Quest game I’d tried, I was keen to give this one a go. As it was described as a ‘game adventure through Africa’, I presumed that it would include some appropriate game play in addition to jewel boards. However, apart from a series of rather unsatisfying story screens that I decided were best ‘skipped’, it comprised of just board after board of jewel puzzles. Admittedly, the boards become progressively harder, sometimes involving new twists to the game, but I would have preferred to have some mini games or hidden objects scenes to break the monotony. One of my biggest complaints is that although you can strive to accumulate what looks like an impressive score, there is no way of saving scores and comparing them, making it all seem a bit pointless. More variety definitely needed in this one.

Jewel Link Mysteries, Mountains of Madness The only game that I’ve tried so far from the Jewel Link series. This one again mixes hidden object games and jewel boards, with an extra ‘combination’ level in between. This level allows you to use some of the objects collected, be it in a basic way. It’s also possible to accumulate various bonus features during the course of the game to use to assist in the jewel board levels. I quite enjoyed this game, although I found the hidden object levels not as clear or as interesting as in other games I’ve played.

What games would you recommend? comments@shoppersjoy.co.uk

5 Ways To Cut Household Bills

With the cost of just about everything constantly rising, we all need to find ways to save money. By making a few adjustments it’s possible to reduce some of your household bills and save those vital extra pounds.

1. Ditch your satellite/cable TV provider and opt for Freesat or Freeview instead. After the initial outlay, there are no more monthly costs to find, yet you can still receive a decent number of channels. How many channels do you pay for, but not watch anyway? I changed to Freeview four years ago (following bad service from a provider) and invested in a Humax box – I haven’t looked back. I can pause, rewind and play live TV (as with many subscription packages) and record two programmes whilst watching a third – but without the monthly fee!
2. Pay your bills by direct debit. If you don’t do this already, arrange to pay all your bills this way, as there is often a discount awarded for this type of payment. By paying all bills monthly, you also avoid being sent a huge bill in one go.
3. Take out a dual fuel option. Many providers offer a discount if you have both your gas and electric supplied by them as one package. Search online or get recommendations from friends to find a good deal that suits you. Never sign up with a supplier on impulse without researching the deal properly first.
4. Watch your water consumption. With water meters very much the norm, be aware of your water usage. When we first changed to a meter our monthly payments took a sharp rise, but with careful thought we have now brought them back down to almost what they were before. To save water: collect rainwater to water plants and lawns; avoid using running water to wash vegetable, rinse dishes etc – always use a bowl of water; do not leave the tap running when cleaning your teeth; shower as routine, reserve an occasional bath as a relaxing treat; only use the washing machine with a full load.



Watch your water usage

5. Remember to use the ‘off’ switch. It may sound obvious, but it’s so easy to get into bad habits with electrical appliances, leaving them on unnecessarily. Remember to actually turn off the TV instead of leaving it on standby, which can use as much electricity as watching it. Turn off lights when leaving a room and switch off the computer/games console etc when not in use.

How do you save money on your household bills? comments@shoppersjoy.co.uk

DS Games – Ghosts and Rooms

I’m a big fan of DS games, chiefly of the mystery/puzzle genres, and find getting ‘lost’ in a game is a great way to unwind.

Almost all my games have been bought from Amazon – either new or used but in excellent condition – where I can find almost every game imaginable at a reasonable price.

Many of the games I play contain a ‘hidden object’ element, often with added minigames and features, but there are some that are really quite unique. In the first of my DS game reviews, I look at some of these more novel games.

Ghost Trick (Phantom Detective) – An odd concept, but certainly a different game. The story starts with murder of the character that you then play as, which you attempt to solve, in addition to other mysteries, in the form of a ghost. This allows you to ‘inhabit’ various objects and manipulate them to change the course of events. Some of the sequences that you need to perform take quite a bit of working out, but in a challenging rather than a frustrating way. I really enjoyed the game, despite its odd quality and the irritating character in the white coat, as it’s just so different from others I’ve played, and lasted longer too. I can certainly recommend Ghost Trick if you enjoy a bit of problem solving.

Rooms – An interesting take on traditional sliding puzzles – where you rearrange squares to form a picture – with some unusual twists. Your aim is to make your way to the exit of each set of rooms, with the difficulty level increasing all the time. Extra features include finding keys and explosives to use, swapping the location of rooms and ‘travelling’ through a ‘magic’ wardrobe. I did find this a little frustrating in the later stages and thought the underlying story a bit strange, but enjoyed the individual puzzles at face value. Certainly a challenge!

Zenses (Ocean and Rainforest editions) – I love the somewhat simple concepts of these puzzles, which are anything but simple to master. If you do find a few of the puzzles a bit too easy, just up the difficulty level for more of a challenge. Activities include combining patterns, matching shapes, building stacks and clearing boards of patterns, interspersed with memory challenges. It’s difficult to do these puzzles justice with words, as they are really quite clever – you just have to play them to appreciate them. I definitely recommend Zenses if you love a good, visual puzzle.

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