10 out of 10 for this installment of Mystery Case Files. If the series was excellent before, now it got even better with this superbly conceived gem of a game. Real actors, good acting, exceptionally crisp graphics and videos, a real life map, difficult mini puzzles, a clear strategy guide, all of it polished up to the extreme. I love it!

Wow, I am SO surprised by the negative reviews on this one, because I'm here to tell you...it is AWESOME! I have not finished the game yet, so there is a possibility it turns horrible past where I am, but I kinda doubt that. What is most impressive about this game is the organic feel it has. By that, I mean it feels like you are actually trying to solve this mystery. It does make sense that you would have to look through several rooms to find a list of objects or that you would have to move stuff around to get things to look like they did. (I've played other HOG/Adventure games where you go to a place from history...and IT'S EXACTLY THE SAME AS IT WAS 100 YEARS AGO! Huh??) If you have to open a door, it makes sense that you would have to fix the lock, as opposed to doing some random puzzle. Or rewiring a fuse box by actually rewiring it, instead of playing some wire-based pipe puzzle. No, these aren't the hardest puzzles I've encountered in these games (EFR had one I didn't even know WHAT to do, much less how to do it), but they make sense in the story that's being told. And yes, the harder ones do have instructions, they just don't automatically pop up. You have to click the question mark. I found the hint system very helpful actually in that that's exactly what it was; a HINT. A push in the right direction. Its recharge time (on Casual anyway) was quite fast; there's nothing I hate more than being stuck and having to twiddle my thumbs waiting for the hint to recharge. And while there are some sparkles on Casual, they didn't scream at you like they do in some games. I've not had to use the Strategy Guide, but I did take a look at it, and I can see why some people wouldn't like it as it's not a straight-up walk-through. Like the hint system, it tells you enough so you can move on. I know this was an issue in EFR; but, like I suspect will be true in this case, I found it to be enough for my needs. I needed a STRATEGY to get out of the spot I was in, and it gave me that. In some ways, I like it a lot b

Yes! Yes! Yes! Being a huge fan of the Mystery Case Files series I've bought this 9th one unseen the moment I saw it appear as the Tomorrow's Game Today. And it surely meets my high expectations! - Real actors doing a terrific job - Crystal clear graphics - A thrilling storyline - Interesting minigames - Excellent guidance by the Strategy Guide 5 stars out of 5 A game worth every dollarcent spend! Happy Gaming!

I'm surprised to read so many negative reviews of this game. I absolutely loved this one. Loved the comic performances by Lea Thompson and the reality show team. I was completely engrossed in the story. It could have been longer, but I think that's because I enjoyed the game so much I wanted it to go on longer. This is in contrast to Escape from Ravenhurst, which I finished but only because I had spent the money for it and so felt obliged. I was tired by EFR's overly serious atmosphere and the puzzles seemed tedious. Anyway, for Shadow Lake: I loved the variety of characters -- check out the credits, there were a lot of characters in this one. I loved the puzzles -- having the psychic ask you to find various objects for their psychic energy helped integrate the puzzles into the story. Graphics were beautiful. I loved the fog and the atmosphere. As others have said, this wasn't the most difficult game but it wasn't embarrassingly easy either. This was right up there with Dire Grove for me, if only it had gone on for a bit longer.

I seriously dont understand how so many have rated this low. I bought the game anyway even with the reviews. I read some that had more positive things to say and even though the demo only had a couple spooky things, if you like SUDDEN SCARES like things jumping up at the screen and fast shadows shutting a door to a room as soon as you go into another, BUY THIS. I LOVE games that have sudden scares every so often, like something jumping at the screen when you come in a room or looking in a camera or mirror or window and something jumping up or quickly appearing out of no where. I really really am shocked by the low reviews by so many but there are alot of high reviews too. There is much more to the game than what the DEMO holds, If you like sudden scares Believe me. I also loved the real actors and I like Leah Thompson to begin with but even if she wasnt in it the game is great in my opinion,. NOT sorry I bought it in the least. I am midway through the game and going to bed at the moment, have to get up early, heading to my grandmothers for Thanksgiving dinner so I cant play anymore tonight. Defiantly playing more tomorrow night when it is dark o its more creepy and will have my speakers up. I recommend the game very much and even though I know you cant please everyone, and all no game has 100 % great reviews, but I honestly dont understand the number of 1 and 2 stars. AGAIN, if you LOVE SUDDEN SCARES every so often, this is the game. I literally a couple of times each location jumped back and uttered certain words I will not type on this review, when stuff happened.

Truly this is a CE game but its CE aspects (extra bonus game, wallpapers, etc) aren't worth the name, BUT the game itself was released as part of a promotion giving you the chance to buy any CE at half price. Played well, this promotion can make the real price you end up paying for this game more close to an SE's. In addition the game itself is a really interesting experiment towards what I could name Interactive TV. Really good quality spots of real actors acting, a new way of hidden objects chasing across several scenes and areas, spotting areas to match across several locations and most importantly fitting logically with what is going on with the story. The story itself ties in very well with the game. All the elements work together and provide a new level of immersion that sets new standards in the HOG genre. Because of its immersion I found that the fact that it didn't have achievements to chase was actually good. The whole game took me more than eight hours to complete so I found its length very satisfying too. In my opinion the game is worth the CE price despite not having the CE additions of other games and a lot of the criticism it receives is because of the attempt to fit it in what is usual for other games with which however it does not belong to the same category. I recommend that you try it and see for yourselves.

It's a pity that there are so many negative reviews because I thought that the game was very well done! Beautiful graphics - probably the best I've seen from BFG on this series! Lots of 'scares'; a little humour, (LOVED that book on auto repair!) and what I thought was a perfectly adequate SG! I'm only about 60% of the way through the game, but I'm loving it! The MCF series, (from RTR onwards), will be amongst my most treasured gaming 'possessions' for the rest of my life I think. Each year there is something new, (and something old!), and more challenging about the games - it's as if we're all 'growing' together. Can't wait to see what comes next year! Well done Big Fish!!

Very good production values. The MCFs keep getting better and this is the best one yet. They?ve come a long way since Huntsville. You can play casual or expert modes, in high definition and with subtitles. You have separate volume controls for sound effects and the environment. Music is relaxing. You have a map and a case book which lists your tasks and your notes on the case. For once, we have cutscenes with good live actors who act and sound natural ? it?s about time! Delve into a good well thought-out and interesting plot. Adding the ghost hunters is good -- more mystery is added as to why they took off so fast, while leaving quite a bit of their equipment behind. Very good graphics.

The last thing we need is yet another review, right. Well I could not resist. I live in Maine in a town next to Biddiford Maine. I was laughing from the start. They even used the Maine zip code series. I love that attention to detail. I suspect someone on the staff is from Maine. That aside, I think this is a great game, funny, full of little touches that make it special. I loved the acting, the map, the story, the strategy guide. The whole thing. I think it is a shame that so many of the reviewers chose to pick the game apart instead of relaxing and enjoying it. If this game had come from a different developer everyone would have raved about how innovative it is. But because Big fish has raised the bar so high, they have created this atmosphere of judgement around their games. Well guess what, they are one of the best developers out there and they are in the US for a change and we should all appreciate the efforts they have to go to make such great games for all of us at a bargin price. I for one loved the game and love BFG. Sorry negative reviewers, perhaps you want to go back to mediocre games but I do not.

I can't believe a year has gone by and finally , just in time for my birthday, the new MCF game has arrived! After playing 30 minutes of the demo, I realise that the folks at MCF have come up with new game features and really upped the ante on Visuals and Sounds; no surprise there. Live actors who really act, stunning graphics, great sound effects and voice-overs. The storyline is creepy and enganging which I love. Detective out to investigate a cursed town and also assist Cassandra, the famous Psychic Detective. Lots of spooyeffects and startling moments. Are there somethings I would have changed? definitely! For one; what is up with that SG? It did put me off and I am not quite sure that I am liking it. The HO scenes are a bit bizarre and took a while to get use to. According to rumours, there are morphing objects but I have yet to spot one during the trial, therefore it will be a chanllenge to find them. There are puzzles and mini-games which are basic, not too hard but cleverly designed. Where are the achievment? That is a major disappointment because I love the achivements in MCF games. ALso the extras are locked which also has miffed me a bit. I can go on and on about what I liked or didin't. And I can imagine that there will be great discussions on this game in the days to come. However all I can say is; its MCF so obviously it is going to be a fantastic ride no matter what. During the demo, there are things that I loved and some game mechanics that took me time to get use to. So far from what I played, I dont think that this will be my favorite of all the MCF games, (my number one favorite is Return to Ravenhearst which in my opinion is one of the best games out there) but I am very much impressed with some of the technical features and the visuals in this game and am very anxious to see where this adventure will take me. Bravo to the MCF gang for something completely new and thank you BFG for starting our week with this surprise.