Customer Reviews
Huntsville - Great for everyone!! 
2008-04-07
What a WONDERFUL game!!! Got my whole family - kids, grandkids, in-laws - hooked on this gem. Hope I can find more games like this one.
Hours of Puzzling Fun 2008-03-03
The premise of "Mystery Case Files: Huntsville" is a simple one - there is a crime spree in Huntsville that is baffling police and players need to find hidden objects to solve the crimes. Once enough objects are found in a round, the players have to solve a puzzle that identifies the criminal and they move on to the next round. There are 16 crimes to solve (including the final one in Big Boss's secret hideout); dozens of locations (including Alice's Diner, a Bookstore, Ivan's Café, Pete's Pawnshop, and the Art Museum); and dozens of objects to find like paper clips, marbles, bats, clocks, playing cards, coins and dice. Each level is timed so you have to find the objects before time runs out.
"Mystery Case Files: Huntsville" is the first hidden object game in the Mystery Case Files series, in my opinion the best hidden object series. The games starts off easily enough with two locations, 16 clues to find (8 in each location), and 20 minutes to find them all, and gets progressively harder as the game goes along until the final round which gives you only four minutes to find the objects and solve the puzzle. If you are new to the series, you may find you run of time in the beginning before finding al the objects, but that's okay because you can start over again with different objects to find. Don't click too fast when looking for objects or you'll lose time. Some of the objects are out in the open and easy to find while others are well hidden. If you find yourself stuck, leave the location and go to another one, you'll find objects are easier to find the next time you return to that location. Some of the clues are a bit tricky, for example if you need to find a bat, you could be looking for either a baseball bat or the mammal. Each level has three hints that can be used to either find an object or move a puzzle piece. Make sure you use the hints wisely - sometime you need to find more than one object (like three stamps) and the hint will only show one of these items, not all three.
Since this is the first Mystery Case Files game, it's not as complex as some of the later games in the series (like Madame Fate) and is perfect for people new to the Hidden Objects games. Since some of the locations are repeated throughout the game, you'll be able to locate clues quicker in those locations as the game progresses. It doesn't take a long time to play, maybe five or six hours total, but it can be played over and over again since you need to find different items every time you play. Although this is a single player game, others can sign on in another name and play separately without losing the place you are in. The final level, Big Boss's Hideout, is the most frustrating level since there is only four minutes to solve the whole thing.
"Mystery Case Files: Huntsville" is hours of puzzling fun.
MYSTERY CASE FILES 2008-01-26
The mystery case files are some of the best games that I have played in a long time. I have all three of them and am anxiously awaiting the release of the 4th on Feb. 12th 2008. Everyone in my house is hooked. My mother and aunts are hooked. My sister-in-law and her kids are hooked. If you like a challange. I think you will like these games!
Not what I expected... 
2007-09-06
It's not so much a mystery as a search and find, puzzle solving type game. It only took a few hours to complete... it was fun, but too easy and got repetitive after a short time. I'd play another game in the series, but I certainly wouldn't pay more than 5 or 10 dollars for it.
I underestimated this game. It rocks! 2007-07-12
I bought this game because I love adventure games. When I first started playing it, I thought, what a bummer, it is a hunt and seek game, made for kids, I'll just play it anyway. Boy, was I wrong! This game is super fun and addicting, and actually kind of difficult! You have to find hidden items within a given amount of time, and the artists have done a remarkable job hiding objects within objects. It is an awesome game and if you like puzzles, you will love this game!
A Note in Comparison to "I Spy" 2008-05-16
I just wanted to add a comment for parents whose children enjoy the "I Spy" PC games and want to move on to other "hidden objects" games. In the "I Spy" games you can click over the list of words and the computer will read them aloud to you. In "Huntsville" you are just presented with a list, so if your children cannot read or are not good readers, you will need to read them the multiple lists. I know that I really appreciate the "I Spy" read-aloud feature (as do my children who get to play independently), and I just wanted to point that difference out to anyone who might be wondering if that feature is included in "Huntsville."
Play alone or with a friend! 2008-05-06
My husband bought this game for me, and he and I spent hours playing as a team - we had a great time together and found it very satifying working together (it was amusing to me to discover what my strengths were compared with his, and it was entertaining learning to complement each other with those strengths) to beat the clock and finish a puzzle in time! We both love the variety in different places to hunt for clues, and the challenge of being in the same scene but having different clues to find!
We also play alone, under our own name, and we talk about how much slower it is for each of us to find the clues ... playing on your own is fun (and competing with someone else to see who can get to the next level first), playing as a team is even more fun.
I like how this game encourages vocabulary growth ... I've had to use the dictionary more than once to figure out what I was supposed to be looking for! I don't have much time to play computer games, but I've gotten quickly hooked and sneak a level in whenever I can (it's nice to be able to leave at any point and not have to start all over again later)!
Lot of fun 2008-05-04
This game is lots of fun and some times pretty difficult. The mini puzzles in the game really keep you moving. I enjoyed this game quite a bit.
Good intro to hidden object games 2008-04-28
This opens the way to a series of fun explorations of rooms where you must find the objects and then solve puzzles to achieve the final reward of the games. Others have become more elaborate but this is definitely fun, even addictive. If you want a game without kill'um, slugfest violence, this is a good place to start.
Fun, but not as difficult as other MCF games 
2008-04-28
Love "hidden object" games with beautiful graphics. This one was not as difficult as some of the others - such as Prime Suspects, where some of the locations are only seen through a circle of light or a limited area via a magnifying glass.
