Everything a Hidden Object Game should be

The Stone of Destiny is my third HOG, after the super-polished "Buckingham Palace", and the unfortunate "Sprill". Since I had read that SoD was the very first such game for the iPhone, frankly, I was not expecting too much. What a surprise! This game is OUTSTANDING.

The Indiana Jones-like storyboard which sets up each of the scenes is satisfying enough, but its the mini-puzzles that will grip your imagination. After each turn, you are given a drawing to do inside a "fire well", which you must replicate without lifting your finger. It sounds easier than it is, and though I attempted it as much as 5 times without penalty, I think I looked forward to this part of the game more than the actual touching of the objects.

(Perhaps this could be a suggestion to the developer. Why not add penalties for drawing the hieroglyph wrong? The gamer could have up to 3 turns, and if on the last s/he doesnt get it right, they have to re-do the last scene, or so)

The positioning of the objects is similar to any other HOG, but unlike say even the highly touted "Everest", when you expanded the screen, they were not blurry, but also, they werent always easy to spot. You will be using that Hint button.

If only for the mini-puzzles, I rate this higher than Buckingham Palace, though the latter is more intricate. Gaming about an hour per day, this will take you roughly 5-6 hours to finish, so thats very good return for your investment.

I think its a steal at $1.99 (the price I purchased it at), so dont hesitate to buy it at full price. Elegance has no price.

vbspurs about The Stone of Destiny