The Wizard’s Pen

OS: Windows XP/Vista
CPU: 800 Mhz or faster Processor
RAM: 256 MB
Hard Drive: 50 MB

The Wizard’s Pen review

There have been a lot of games in the hidden games genre that were copies of previous original games. The one thing that we game reviewers miss in this genre is the regular flow of original games; tolerating the huge deluge of games with same feel and game play will one day take a toll of our patience. But I was pleasantly amazed when I played the Pop Cap’s The Wizard’s Pen. The Wizard’s Pen is one of the finest hidden objects game that I have played or for that matter of fact reviewed.

So, was it a completely unique game? No, it is not unique but has got all the elements that can keep a gamer glued to their seats. It weaves a unique spell around the old format of hidden object games and ends up making one of the best hidden object games of all time. Pop Cap has shown that you can even spruce up old things if you can infuse some new elements into it. It is entertaining to the tee and leaves behind a real good taste in the mouth of a gamer who had tasted all the drab tasting hidden object games in the last few months.

You are a gamer who is an assistant to a wizard and suddenly find out that he is missing. The sketchbook of the wizard can be of great help to you, but you find out that all its pages are blank! The magic pen of the wizard can help you to dig out some clues from the pages by redrawing the text or photographs present on the pages. This is the only way how you can get closer to finding the wizard.

Well, there are two sections in which the puzzles are divided in the game. One section of the puzzles tests your guessing power and the other is the old classical style of finding hidden objects. The first style of the puzzle requires the player to click on any part of the sketchbooks page and slowly the pictures are revealed with each click. You have to guess the object on the page and then write its name in the text box given below. If your guess is right then you gain stars, but with every click the flame of the candle beside the book comes down. You are given the opportunity to click only eight times before the flame goes off and you lose the stars. You will have to guess anything from a looking glass to a pipe so be prepared for the variety.

Conclusion: The Wizard’s Pen has a lot of room for laxity and it can range from typing mistakes to the time spent guessing an object. After you complete a particular section of the book (16 pages), you will be thrown in the old hidden objects challenge and here, you need to only click on the missing objects instead of finding them out. You have the usual hints along with the special facility of increasing your guessing ability with the use of potions. The sound as well as the graphics of the game is very refreshing.

The Wizard’s pen is like a gust of fresh wind among hordes of stale games. Well done Pop Cap!