Mrs. Pepper's Nasty Secret

Mrs. Pepper's Nasty Secret had very challenging puzzles that made us think. It took us 2 days to finish. The puzzle of getting in the house was very difficult and took us a lot of time to figure out what to do.

The garden elf was really cool. We liked that instead of feet he had roots. We really liked that you had to put on (Spoiler - click to show)different colored wigs to do different things.

The elevator was a creative idea even though we had trouble using it at the end of the game.

We never figured out what Mrs. Pepper's Nasty Secret was, it never told us. We didn't like that. (Spoiler - click to show)We were really hoping that she wouldn't come back and catch us in her house and we were glad she didn't!

The water puzzle was really cool, we were stuck for a while and had to use the hints.

This was a very interesting and challenging game.

Raquel & Liza
Age 10

This is an ideal game for beginners, serving as a gentle introduction to IF. It has examples of most of the standard puzzles found in IF (using magical items, repairing machinery etc).

I thought all the puzzles were fairly straightforward for a beginner, apart from the very first one - how to get into the house. This may possibly deter newcomers from persevering with the game, which would be a great shame.

The player has a definite goal at each stage of the game, which means that they have something to concentrate on without any distractions following up red herrings (although the game also has those!)

The only minor niggle I have is the ending, (Spoiler - click to show)I was hoping for the eponymous Mrs Pepper to get her come-uppance.

Initially I was put off by the fact that this game was labeled as a children's game. Seeing that the reviews emphasized it's appropriateness for beginners, I wasn't all that interested in playing it. However, the title had intrigued me enough that one day I decided to give it a try anyway. I'm glad I did! I liked this game. It was fun to play and very well implemented. The descriptions of rooms & objects and outdoor scenery made me feel like I was right there in the story. (It's actually been a few months since I played the game & I can still picture every room. This is also helped by the fact that, in it's entirety, the area to explore was limited to a house and yard... a fact which I thoroughly enjoyed. No getting lost in this game!) Playing & experimenting with objects was fun... it's clear that the authors paid much attention to detail when implementing the game. I also enjoyed the fantasy/magic aspect. While, in an actual fantasy game, the events in Mrs. Pepper's Nasty Secret would be quite commonplace & possibly even blasé, when placed within a modern-day neighborhood setting, the odd magical elements are mysterious & rather exciting. I recommend this game to beginners & advanced players alike. It may not be challenging for everyone, but it's worth a play anyway, if simply for the sake of the story and the fun interactions within it's setting.