Winter Wonderland

5 star: (8) 4 star: (18) 3 star: (14) 2 star: (1) 1 star: (0)

Average Rating: Number of Ratings: 41 Write a review

- Nathanial, May 27, 2011

- Rotonoto (Albuquerque, New Mexico), May 16, 2011

- Mr. Patient (Saint Paul, Minn.), February 12, 2011

- snickerdoddle, January 27, 2011

- Karl Ove Hufthammer (Bergen, Norway), January 12, 2009

- Audiart (Davis, CA), January 8, 2009

- Ikram (Swaziland), November 3, 2008

- Linnau (Tel-Aviv, Israel), October 31, 2008

- Yigit Akkok (Ankara, Turkey), October 9, 2008

- hywelhuws (Clynnog Fawr, Wales, UK), September 19, 2008

I never understood how "Winter Wonderland" got first place in '99. For a puzzle-piece it does have it's charm, and it is very well implemented, but I found the map flat, and mostly just unsatisfying, the character interactions were shallow and grating. The treacle story and prose have been commented on in other reviews, and indeed, it only exasperated my distaste for this one.

This might be of interest to puzzle aficionados and children, but probably too difficult for the latter and bit ordinary for the former.

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This is an immensely enjoyable game. I played it a few years ago but I still remember how much charm it had.

The game's definitely not very hard (remember, pencil and paper is your friend if you get confused). but it should not harm your experience if you resort to the hint system when you're stuck because the best thing about it is the magical atmosphere and charming setting (unless you're a puzzle nut, but in that case you wouldn't consider the hints anyways).

When I first tried it I half-expected to be bored by some generic children's storyline but it definitely transform the ordinary (theme, settings, characters and story can't be said to be really that original) into the extraordinary (charming and enjoyable). It does not try anything radical, but for what it aims to be it works very very well - telling a children's tale that appeals to the inner child in adults as well.

It is a great game to settle down with and bring a smile to your face.

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This is definitely the best non-cmmercial IF game I have played.

The writing is evocative and the puzzles are perfectly matched to the theme of the story. None of the puzzles are very difficult but neither are they completely straightforward. I consider only one puzzle to be slightly unfair - (Spoiler - click to show)the icefloes. I knew what I wanted to do but the location descriptions were a tad unclear, and I had to eventually consult the walkthrough for this. If it had not been for that I might have awarded 5 stars.

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- brattish (Canada), February 26, 2008

- Michel Nizette (Brussels, Belgium), January 18, 2008

- anj tuesday, November 18, 2007

- Michael R. Bacon (New Mexico), October 26, 2007

Baf's Guide

You're a little girl concerned about your ailing brother, and you're heading into town to buy a candle so that your family will have something to put on its solstice tree--but you stumble into a fantasy world. Thoroughly described and charming, though not necessarily to everyone's tastes--the sweetness quotient is high--and the writing is solid but sometimes gets a bit carried away. Several clever puzzles, but there's one rather unfortunate one in the latter stages of the game that most people have found frustrating. This would be a a good one for children (with the exception of the abovementioned puzzle)--there's a hint menu to help kids through the puzzles and the content is pretty benign. Includes ASCII graphics that can be disabled.

-- Duncan Stevens