Download Size: 740 MB
Time Played: 4 hrs.
What I'd Pay: $10
Steam Price (4/1/12): $14
Haunted Houdini combines hidden object pictures and Layton-style puzzles into an adventure game that doesn't strain the brain cells too much, but is still an entertaining way to pass a couple hours. Your paranormal investigator travels from Boston to England to Canada and back again, trying to figure out why Houdini's spirit can't contact his wife's ghost. The plot itself is nothing special, but it does a good job of combining a conspiratorial secret society with a conflict between two prominent historical figures to keep you interested for a few hours.
The hidden objects that make up the majority of the gameplay are irritating, but the game provides unlockable hints (and even a full ingame strategy guide) that you don't stall in frustration just because you can't find that last key. My favorite part of the game was the puzzles it occasionally throws out. They were challenging but not frustrating, except for one puzzle in particular where you need to build a platform for a crate out of barrels & wooden beams. I never knew you're supposed to lay barrels on their side for a stable platform...
Unfortunately, that same challenge doesn't extend to the old adventure standby of "figure out what items to use where". You usually have just a few items at any time, and they're mostly used for practical purposes. I usually had more trouble finding the item than figuring out where I was supposed to use it. When I couldn't figure out what items to use, or where they were, there was always the hints and the guide. (The guide's a test of willpower, but including a way for players to just read the solution if they get too stumped is a great idea. I honestly wonder why more games don't do this.)
By the end, I was pretty satisfied with my time on the game, and although it isn't something I'll scream from the rooftops about, there are worse ways to spend a few hours.