This is a HOPA from the makers of the "Nightmares from the Deep" series. Set in 1953, with charming Dick-Tracy-type graphics, the game feels like a cross between film noir and Scooby Doo. The main character is brought to a strange town by a call for help from a reporter friend. The atmosphere in the town is creepy and the inhabitants suspicious-looking. There is a Detective Mode which occurs at times, in which you find clues for your character to investigate; she then provides a step-by-step description of what she believes has taken place, based on the clues. I found the game to be original and engaging...a wonderful example of escapist entertainment. It is not a particularly difficult game, so those looking for great challenge might not enjoy it. Its appeal lies largely in its ambience, though I thought the puzzles and hidden object scenes were quite fun. If you are looking for a casual game with character and atmosphere, give it a try.

For the first time in awhile I've been excited about a game from the time I started playing it, especially a SE. Essentially it's because of the "basics", the storyline and gameplay, and not the extras. While playing the 9 Clues demo the hour mark snuck up and it shut off on me and I said, "What, NO!". Lol. THAT hasn't happened for awhile either. :) You are a paranormal private investigator that is going to save your reporter friend. When you show up in the town you encounter serpent-looking entities and humans that are just not......right. Your friend is missing, so you begin your search. You have a map that is not interactive but tells you where new areas and objectives are, there are 3 modes of play, and the hint is helpful. Or it was to me, I was playing on Advance. There is a journal at the bottom that keeps track of the people you meet, and the objectives you must reach. There are the normal HO scenes. Then, and this is what I thought was really cool, there are scenes where you pick out what objects were used in the commission of a crime. Your character then "investigates". The puzzles did not seem to be too hard. Visually the graphics were ok. When characters talk to you they do not pause, you do not click to get them to continue. I found if you click on them you will miss something because you will click through their speech. So be careful! Your character does not talk back. I turn off the music when I play so I cannot remark upon that. I think that this game is well formed and thought out especially for a SE. As always try it yourself first to see if you like it! Happy Gaming! Thank you BigFish for a different storyline!

Outstanding! What wonderful creepy fun. Marvelous graphics, especially in the iHOS, where everything is so clear and easy to find. The dialogue runs smooth as silk and is excellent - quite hard hitting and really well written. The navigation is top notch. Not a lag in sight. Really good music. A jump map with action indicators. Voice overs are brilliant. 4.5 hrs of really good entertainment. The story, though ludicrous, is so well presented that I got pulled in and engrossed to find out what happened next. Of course, we never suspected the Mayor, did we now? No, of courssse not! Nevertheless, the content and inclusions in the story are well thought out and interesting. Do not know these devs, or been so long cannot remember them, but their hint of a sequel pleases me and I look forward to it immensely. Well done.

From the makers of Nightmares of the Deep comes this gem. This game was awesome, absolutely awesome. I bought this game from the devs and I don't regret it in the least. I enjoyed this game from the beginning to the end. Story: This investigator gets a call from her friend Helen who is a news reporter saying something weird is going on in the town of Serpent Creek and Helen needs her friend's help to get her out of dodge. As she arrives at the hotel, some alien looking dude hits her car and naturally wonders what that heck that was. Then the manager of the hotel is also acting strangely. After the investigator checks in she goes to her room and that same alien dude leaves her a note, "Don't drink the Mamba". The hotel manager comes into her room and asks what went on and gives the investigator a gate key and kicks her out of her room. She goes looking around and sees everyone is a zombie like state and the story continues... Graphics: Awesome! This team does have a top notch art team. Music: Beautifully done. I enjoyed the music. Fit the game just right and in fact I let the credits roll a little bit just to listen to it. Mini Games: Not too hard or easy just right. Hint System: Awesome. I didn't use it in the H0GS, but when I need it on the outside it was great. You don't need a walkthrough with this game. Map: Jump map. This was very useful especially later on in the game. Kudos again to this team for a job superbly done!

This is a fun game, a mystery, detective game, who-dunnit-type game. While writing reviews, please remember that some of us read the reviews PRIOR to playing the game and would like to find out for ourselves any game surprises or endings. A HOPA-- hidden object, part adventure which I find humor in the fact that hog lovers don't especially like to have to hunt down the hidden objects which is the whole basis of hidden object scenes--emphasis on the word "hidden". Anyway, gamers can fly through these as the objects are large and in plain view so as to not to annoy getting on with the real gameplay and that is finding out what exactly is going on in Serpent Creek by following the clues so cleverly created and left by Tap It Games. Was an immediate purchase for this gamer especially as a standard version! I actually gave the 5th star for review(s) with too much information! Thank you BFG! Thank you Devs! Enjoy! -Mama Mia-

This is a mystery/science fiction story and is quite different from recent offerings. After all the many medieval castles and snowy vistas featured in so many recent games, this one, which takes place in a small western-style town, is quite different. While neither the puzzles, nor the IHO's are particularly difficult, the storyline and the characters more than make up for it. There are also a few unique puzzles included that are rather interesting. The action is fast-paced and the graphics are quite clear and well done. There's a jump-map for convenience, appropriate voice-overs and a quick refillable hint button, should you need it. Try this game if you're looking for something a bit unusual. It was a lot of fun without a moment of boredom. (Warning: Snakes play a central role in this game.)

This game is a lot of fun! Storyline is nothing new, with the "rescue" theme, but still quite enjoyable. There's a type of diary, with notes on clues, characters met so far, objectives, and a map, which is interactive - just mouse over to get names of locations, and click to transport to that location. I enjoyed the storyline so far, completing the demo in under an hour - but I used the "Casual" setting which made things quite easy. I was tempted to change the difficulty level, but didn't because I wanted to see if there was a limit to the demo [besides the time-limit]. Well, now I know! The game would be great for beginners to the HOPA genre, since the Casual setting spells things out readily; the Hint feature works outside of the Hiddent Object scenes also. I found the graphics to be a bit simplistic - I like more detail - but they were ok. The HO scenes had easy-to-find items [list type], with a couple interactive items thrown in. These were easy also. I doubt these scenes would be made any more difficult in the other two difficulty levels - just misclick penalties, longer time for Hint to re-charge, etc. Overall, seems like it will be a fun game to complete! The other games by this same developer can be looked up thru this game - I was surprised how many of the others I had played and greatly enjoyed; I just didn't realize they were from the same developer. Since I have most of those games, and have really had fun with them, looks like this one will be a great addition to the family! Speaking of family: there are snakes to eliminate, but so far nothing any more "scary" than that, if you don't care for snakes! No black magic, etc., and the snakes are easily sidetracked. Spoiler: one is chased away by a mechanical mouse you need to assemble, which was a different puzzle than I had ever completed before - quite creative! Thanks to the developer, and BFG, for bringing another great HOPA game to us....

Fantastic mystery game. Thoroughly enjoyed it. Wonderful HINT system.....walkthrough is not needed. Good mix of HO Scenes and Mini Games.

I loved this game. It has an interesting story line, great graphics, and was kind of creepy too. Voice overs were very good . Not too challenging but challenging enough for me. This is a buy for me! A reporter need help in a strange town because something is not right in Serpent Creek. It is a thrilling story that kept me hooked right from the start.

I actually enjoyed THIS game more than the newest Nightmares from the Deep CE from the same developers !! Certainly not the longest game but long doesn't always mean fun. It was a bit of a challenge, too and found I had to resort to the hint system to help me out of a tight spot or two. Sometimes it's just fun to go back to the cartoon style "campy" games.