Welcome Back, Will and Anna

The first Hide & Secret adventure was a straightforward, solid hidden objects game with a story similar to something you would see in an Indiana Jones movie. This time around there's a little magic involved, but when it's all said and done, it's another fantastic adventure featuring two of the coolest explorers around, Will and Anna Scout.

Our adventure kicks off when Will, bumbling klutz that he always is, knocks over a priceless crystal ball in a new museum. The ball tumbles down the stairs and gets lodged in the center of a weird design, activating something within. Soon after, a wizard appears claiming to be Merlin, wizard of the court of a Camelot and servant to King Arthur.

It turns out trouble is brewing (who would have guessed?) and he needs your help! Your first stop is Mexico, where an Aztec King named Montezuma used to rule.

Five Star Fun

Hide & Secret 2: Cliffhanger Castle is a classic hidden objects game. When I say classic, I mean that it retains the feeling of the best of the genre such as the Mystery Case Files games. So many games nowadays try to spruce up the action with an annoying amount of bells and whistles, but they just end up bogging it down and making everything a mere shadow of what it could be.

That isn't the case here. Hide & Secret 2 tries to be nothing more than a hidden objects experience, and it ranks up there with the best of them.

Each stage is perfectly and seamlessly written into the story so that nothing feels forced or unnatural. For example, after a somewhat rough landing, Will is robbed of all of his belongings. Conveniently, you then run into a shady market shop that is selling a lot of what looks to be Will's stuff. This is where the first stage takes place. You need to find ten of our hero's items amidst the cluttered storefront.

It's stages like this that really show you how much care went into the game. The developers clearly have a strong passion for what they're doing.

While you're not timed as you hunt for objects, clicking too many times in the wrong spot will get your a stern warning from Merlin, and he is not a man that you want to cross.

Certain stages will give you a list of the objects to be found, but other stages will mix it up a bit, showing you silhouettes of the objects instead. Every now and then you'll also have to complete a "spot the difference" puzzle.

Adventure Awaits

For the avid hidden objects fan, Hide and Secret 2: Cliffhanger castle is a definite must-have. There are a lot of games on the market that exist for no other reason than to make money, but what we have here is an expertly-crafted gem that deserves to be in your collection. I give this product a solid two thumbs up, but only because that's all I have!