This is one of the best games I have ever played, graphics are clear and crisp, HOG scenes are a bit different at the beginning the go back to regula HO as well as IHO, music is calming and non intrusive, you always have the choice of mutting. Puzzles are different and some more challenging than others, VO are very well done and add to the game as well. Overall a Fantastic game you should give it a try, bought the game 1/2 hr into the demo. Looking forward to finishing! Happy Gaming with this one :)

This review is based on the CE version, which I played in Casual mode. There are 3 gameplay modes. There is a choice of custom and system cursor. There is voice-over. There is a Journal, but no Map. There is a Phoenix ring next to the Journal, which you have to use from time to time to get rid of dark magic. There is widescreen (for those who can get it). The iHOS (interactive hidden object scenes) are silhouetted, but in a really great and fun way. Also, these HOS are different from what you usually get, and are highly interactive. The HINT button, which also works outside of the HOS, takes almost a minute to refill in Casual mode. The graphics are of the usual ERS standards. Puzzles can be skipped. SKIP button takes a while to fill even in Casual mode. --- --- --- This is one of ERS' best games, IMO. I love the new hidden object scenes, and gameplay was fun and interesting. I bought the CE, and for once enjoyed the bonus game as well. It had the perfect ending to a perfect game.

Eye catching graphics, beautiful music, captivating story line. What more can I say! Romance, intrigue, mystery, and happy ending, for me it was superb. Nice long play time, puzzles were hard, I play in casual mode! Objects easy to find, silhouettes were tricky, journal helpful, and hints recharge quickly. I would have played longer if the storyline had not ended...love to play the longer games....Good job BFG! Not to dark, dreary, rainy, or spooky. Just good fantasy fun!

As far as I am concerned, this classifies as one of the very best games I have ever played! The game took me several hours to play and I did get my $ worth, no doubt about it, however, I was still sad to see the game come to the end...I wanted it to just go on and on... Most of the time, I need to refer to the WT more than I would like to. Playing this game, I did need to use the WT, but I found that I didn't need to use it nearly as much. The game is exciting and the graphics are great. The dev's of this game did a great job in creating some new HO games that were imaginative, impressive and different which I found very refreshing. I am seriously contemplating getting the CE version and see how it is different from the standard game. This will be a first as I normally don't purchase the CE series. Give this game a try. I think you will be pleasantly surprised.

I've probably played 100+ HO and Adventure games since joining BF and own more than 3/4 that many. Playing a game and enjoying it as much as I did this one means that it has found unique ways to make the genre different. ERS creates many games and seems to have a formula that works but the desire to create something new. While the story was familiar, the trek to the end did involve beautiful games, games that were new, gorgeous scenes, wild characters, thinking puzzles, and down right fun. Give it a go, you will have a great 5+ hours.

Where to start... great sound & music. Gorgeous graphics. More puzzles than HOS but the quality of the HOS was great. Items are hard to find but not hard to see and not so hard that you have to rely on lots of hints. Enough things to do in scenes(I hate when there's just one thing to do in a scene.# Story line is traditional but the quality of the voices adds greatly to it. I did have to use a walkthrough in a few places but most of the time, it was appropriately challenging without being discouraging. Details, details, details! Wonderful. Even non-important creatures respond to clicking. Instead of the snail door just opening when you solve the puzzle, the snail oozes from its shell and glides away. There is some humor #i.e. the solution to the smoke in the kitchen). Many, many puzzles and again the graphics in these are great and each is a little different. Several of types I've never seen before. LOVED the double sided puzzle, pretty much loved them all, even the ones that I eventually had to skip. There is a lot of walking around and I know people complain sometimes about that, but there is a sense of purpose and accomplishment when you remember where you saw something and going back through the scenes you get to appreciate the visuals besides, I don't want to race through a game snatching up things just to get to the end. I want the adventure of figuring things out and appreciating the trip. and did I mention the graphics. :-) And it has a satisfying ending with enough whoop-tee-do to make you feel like you accomplished something. All in all a wonderful experience. This has moved into my 'favorites, worth replaying some day' folder, and I'm impatient to see what ERS does next!

Wonderful game, nice to have a bit of everything in the HOGs and the puzzles. The story line was captivating, the graphics enjoyable, as was game play. I wish there were more games like this. It was a nice change, especially not to have too many of the same old hidden objects. This was much more of a puzzle game than a HOG. Buying this game was not money wasted. I highly recommend this game.

Both of the spirits of mystery are great games. Fun to play and not difficult to keep going and find the clues. Good HO games and puzzles. Good storyline. I like that you do not have to spend time going all over the place looking to complete and find clues.

Test your memory and your observational skills. Different types of puzzles and good use of old favourites linked to new uses. Music not bad, quality graphics and excellent, old fashioned, good v evil story line.

Review based on completed game in 2nd of 3 modes of difficulty. Like the other 96 who have reviewed this one it is a winner, setting a standard by which other games should aspire. ERS games are a cut above the rest, but they have outdone themselves with Song of the Phoenix. OVERVIEW This game is stunning with beautiful, detailed, original graphics, the storyline is well told without being sappy, the music has a lot of variety adding to the atmosphere, the mini-games were plentiful and among the best executed I have seen. For me there was just the right sprinkling of HOS. These were a combination of fragmented object (find the shapes shown and then use them to find other items) and the standard list. All were highly interactive, well thought out and a joy to play. I never thought I'd write that about a HOS. I like them in doses, but these I looked forward to. Even though the storyline is similar to others we've seen, with castles and dragons and evil minions, it is very freshly presented without getting sticky and sloppy with sentiment. All the news is outstanding on this one - I highly recommend. It is the only game I can see myself playing more than once. ADDITIONAL DETAIL MINI-GAMES: These offered a wide variety of ones we have seen and some new and the level of difficulty varied as well. I even skipped one and I hate to do that. I was anxious to find out what came next, and getting that last little tile to fall into place was taking too long..... :) HOS: As previously said these were all very well done, highly interactive, original, and just plain fun. Also a handy feature, many times a revisited HOS would be in the same state left from the previous HOS. ***Also on HOS - even in challenge mode there were shimmers indicating the location for each new scene. THANK YOU! It's better to know there is a HOS to play then having to back track wondering if one has been missed because they aren't marked.*** MAP/AREA COMPLETE: This game offers neith