But that's just not the case. All you Moms out there know how much of our time is caught up with nagging the kids to get ready for school or some other activity, driving kids to school/activity, picking kids up from activity, etc. And even more time is spent waiting around for school/activity to end. So wouldn't it be great if I used that downtime to get things done? And hey, I could use my iPhone or iPad apps, right?
Nah.
In fact, most of the apps on my iPhone and iPad? Games. I have word games (Words with Friends and Wits), retro arcade games (Pacman, Sonic the Hedgehog) classic games (Battleship and Monopoly), and my latest interest: hidden object puzzle games.
If you haven't tried these, I can highly recommend them for keeping your mind sharp and your interest peaked and, of course, growing quietly frustrated when you can't find an object or figure out what it is you are supposed to do with it!
My newest favorite, which I have played through two times already and going on a third since I downloaded it, because it is so spooky and fun, is Vampire's Saga: Pandora's Box. Here's the game trailer to give you an idea what it's like.
The game is set in Victorian times, with most of the action taking place in an old house and a cargo ship named Pandora (aha! I hear you saying, I see where the name comes from! Points for you).
Here's the synopsis of the storyline:
Join Matthew Ward as he steals aboard a cargo ship to escape the violence of the Spanish-American War, passes out and then wakes up to find himself alone with several sinister-looking coffins. Where did the crew go? Why is Matthew having strange visions? And why does he feel like he's being watched?
There's a mystery that goes along with the game that I don't want to spoil (though I have to say the title gives a lot away right there), and various challenges that require you to find hidden objects and then use some of them in resourceful ways to meet challenges like locked doors for which you do not have a key, mechanical contraptions that need to be repaired, etc.
As I say, I've played it through more than once already, because the hidden objects are tough enough to find each time that you can't possibly remember where they all are, even when you go back and start over from the beginning.
You can find Vampire Saga: Pandora's Box, available for both iPhone and iPad, in the apps store (6.99 for the iPad version, while the iPhone version retails for 2.99, free lite version to give you a taste of the game). I feel it is a good value for the price as I've gotten a lot of play out of mine. It's put out by Alawar Entertainment, who are also the developers of titles like Tank-o-Box (hey, I have that one, too!), Hotel Mogul and Vacation Mogul and Farm Frenzy 2.
I received a voucher for a complementary download of Vampire Sage: Pandora's Box for the purposes of this review.
