The back story of the series is revealed nicely as you go, so even if you haven't played any of the previous games, you don't feel like you're missing anything too important. Justpoint-and-click to navigate and find items to interact with. Items you pick up will automatically go into your inventory on the bottom of the screen, and items marked with a plus sign mean you can further interact with it, or join another item with it. There's not a ton of backtracking, and if you don't know where to go next you can use the map to jump to whichever scene you'd like, and helpfully, areas with something to do are marked with an exclamation point. If I learned anything from playing this game, it's that witches really love their emblems, symbols, and figurines. As you navigate the sometimes surreal landscape your goals consistently require you to discover missing bits of puzzles that have been magicked away or tucked into a hidden-object scene somewhere. The hidden-object scenes mix it up a bit, with silhouettes and mini puzzles stuck in there along with your regular list of objects to find. The game does a good job of making these scenes seem useful, leading you to find the next important thing you need to continue instead of just sorting through piles of trinkets for no good reason. Should you tire of finding objects, you can switch to a matching game instead. And if that isn't enough object hunting to satisfy you, keep your eye out for puzzle pieces and morphing objects in the scenes along the way.

From simple spot the differences to tangrams with a twist, the puzzles are well made and enjoyable, though there's nothing too innovative in the mix. Though why an ancient statue would be hiding a vial of paint thinner is beyond me; such must be the mysterious way of magic users. A nice addition is the customizable difficulty menu. If you don't like any of the preset modes, you can put in your own preferences on how often the hint and skip buttons recharge, and you can change the difficulty at any time. You won't want to use the buttons often, as the game tracks how many scenes and puzzles you solve without help. While the story line and point-and-click gameplay are nothing new, Witches' Legacy: Slumbering Darkness wraps it all up in a pretty package just waiting for you to open and enjoy.

Note: Currently, only the Collector's Edition is available. It contains a bonus chapter, art gallery, strategy guide, and more. Remember that Big Fish Game Club Members pay only $13.99 for Collector's Editions (or 2 club credits), and collector's editions count 3 card punches of 6 total needed for a free game.

Windows:
Download the demo
Get the full version

Mac OS X:
Download the demo
Get the full version