Product Review

Product Information Big Fish Games's long-running hidden object series returns as gamers head to the fictional town of Bitterford, Maine (not to be confused with the real town of Biddeford, Maine) to investigate a disturbing legend in Mystery Case Files: Shadow Lake. Players join psychic Cassandra Williams, played by actress Lea Thompson, and ghost-hunting TV host Jack Talon as they try to figure out what happened after an unsuspecting prisoner dug up a mysterious relic in 1973. Williams produces sketches of areas of interest, and it's up to gamers to explore the town and find each area. Instead of packing all of its items in a series of static scenes, Shadow Lake presents lists of objects that are strewn about the game's various locations, and players are given the freedom to track them down in any order they please. The story unfolds over ten chapters, with gamers collecting hundreds of hidden items, solving a variety of inventory puzzles, taking on mini-games, and eventually discovering the truth.