Mystery Case Files Dire Grove Game Review

Mystery Case Files Dire Grove, the much anticipated sequel to MCF Return to Ravenhearst, has finally been released to a fanfare worthy of a royal visit, then proves itself equal to, if not better than it's predecessor. Mystery Case Files Dire Grove takes you on another chilling adventure that will certainly raise the hairs on the back of the neck.

Set in an unseasonable and unusual snow storm, you once again take the role of the clever detective who is happily returning home after solving the Ravenhearst puzzle. The road ahead is blocked, so you take a lesser country lane to bypass the obstruction. Nearing the resort village of Dire Grove, which is deserted during the off season, your inherent detective instincts are prickled by a car that is abandoned. You stop and investigate, finding nothing but a video camera, tape and a cryptic note. You look at the tape, something tells you that not everything smells like roses in the deserted town of Dire Grove.

This sets in motion a truly fascinating story of 4 graduates who are trying to prove, or disprove, an old myth surrounding Dire Grove, a Celtic legend considered by many as a fairytale. A tale scary enough, that when told to children, it was enough to assure that they would stay in bed at night. You find other tapes that confirm the graduates have mysteriously disappeared. Can you find them and perhaps solve the myth of Dire Grove once and for all?

Mystery Case Files Dire Grove takes the game graphics to another level and is certainly an improvement over previous MCF games in that regard. The usual game play is involved, where you search hidden object scenes, with one object on the list placed into inventory for later use. Scenes take on the same interactive elements as other games, where your cursor will change giving you clues what should be looked at, touched, poked, prodded or used in some way to further your investigation. If you don't know the Mystery Case Files format, then it's time you got with the program Shirl. :)

Mini games are the usual mix of challenging puzzles, without any being unique or ground breakingly new. In my mind MCF Dire Grove is not as good as Return to Ravenheast, by a cat's whisker, only because those mini games do seem familiar and game length is shorter. Having said that, MCF Dire Grove certainly does take the cake over it's predecessor, for graphics and musical score. The scenes are absolutely gorgeous and the length is still reasonably long enough for many hours of challenging detective work.

Mystery Case Files Dire Grove is a must play IHOG and a worthy addition to the MCF series. I'll let you decide if it outranks Return to Ravenheast, but for me it is just one point of a star behind in total enjoyment. I give Mystery Case Files Dire Grove 4.49 stars from 5.0, where Return to Ravenheast was a definite 4.50 stars.

Download and play Mystery Case Files Dire Grove hidden object game free for one hour.

Purchase full game. Play Mystery Case Files Dire Grove for unlimited time.

 

Mystery Case Files®: Dire Grove Collector's Edition

• Bonus gameplay that reveals MCF “secrets”
• A new Challenge and Achievement system
• Collect over 50 hidden objects that continually change shape
• A Deluxe Strategy Guide, integrated into the game