Getting Into The Spirit - Halloween Games!

Halloween is my favorite holiday, well, right next to Christmas that is. I do a lot of work with Adobe Photoshop and similar programs and felt like doing something different for Halloween. My results are below!


I found a few lovely victorian mansions on the internet and decided that they needed a spooky makeover for Halloween! You can click on the images for a slightly larger view.



And after my special treatment:


Example 2:



And again, after I got to it - this one isn't my favorite, but it's alright.



And finally, this one! I worked much harder on this one and really love the results!



And after!



What are you doing to get into the spirit? Why not try some spooky games! Click on the links below to visit the download page for a free game demo!

Diner Dash - Hometown Hero(tm) has a wonderful add-on restaurant, just in time for Halloween, called The Crypt Cafe! Log into your game and go to the shop to check it out!

Daycare Nightmare(tm) is creepy good fun! Babysit a variety of monster babies in this cute time management game. Good luck keeping them happy until their monster parents arrive! Eek!

Mystic Inn is a very atmospheric service oriented game. Serve up magical brews to local witches and wizards while you try to solve the mystery of the inn!

Mystery Case Files - Ravenhearst is a hidden object puzzler (one of the best!) that takes place in a haunted manor. Can you unlock the secrets?

Mortimer and the Enchanted Castle is a Halloween - themed puzzle game that is sure to delight!

Mortimer Beckett and the Secrets of Spooky Manor is hauntingly good fun (and not to be confused with the game above!). A hidden-object puzzler that will keep you on your toes!

If you have any other Halloween-themed games that you'd like to see added to this list, please leave a comment and let me know!

Happy Haunting!

Diner Dash - Hometown Hero - Gourmet Edition

The Diner Dash series set the bar for time management / service oriented games. The latest release in the series is "Diner Dash - Hometown Hero" and it is truly brilliant! A new website, DinerDash.com has been launched with all kinds of great features!

Our favorite heroine, Flo, is back in action in Hometown Hero. She returns to her hometown to visit her grandmother and discovers that the town has gone to ruin. Flo is ready to save the day by restoring the various eateries in town.

The Gourmet edition of Diner Dash - Hometown Hero offers players many new features and improvements over the earlier Diner Dash games.

• The return of "Flo's Closet", though much improved, allows you to dress Flo yourself.
• "My Waiter" is a tool to create your own waiter or waitress and customize their appearance!
• "My Diner" is a tool to create and design your own playable restaurants that you can share online!
• Online multiplayer gaming - even in the demo version! Go head to head with DD experts!
• Fantastic upgrades to customize your gameplay.
• Unlockable expert levels - very challenging!
• Add-on expansion restaurants available.
• Add-on clothing and decor items for your waiter and your diner!
• 50 levels of game play in the standard story mode.
• Play your own personal diner in endless mode.
• Wonderful graphics and music!

Seasoned Diner Dash fans will find a challenge in Hometown Hero, but the game is easy to learn for new players as well! The customizable diners, waiters and add-on restaurants will keep you from getting bored for a very long time. Definitely worth the $19.95!

Here are some tips and tricks that will improve your score and help you pass those challenging expert levels!

• Chain your actions! Whenever possible, fill up the tables then take all of the orders at once, deliver all of the food at once and collect the checks at once. Try not to interrupt those actions with other things! Deliver drinks, snacks, and desserts in between!
• Use the flowers! A new addition in this game - small vases of fresh flowers to put on the tables! Not only do the flowers give your diners a mood boost, but they also give you 100 points per table! That can add up to thousands of points per level!
• Watch the seat colors! The bulk of your points can come from matching diners to the right seat colors. Each time you match the color, the color bonus increases. This can mean HUGE points!
• Abuse the podium! Whenever you have the podium available, make sure you time your actions to allow for a stop at the podium in between! (Take all the orders, stand at the podium. Deliver all the food, stand at the podium, so on and so forth.)
• Beat the waitress? Several levels require you to earn more points than a competing waitress. To do this, ignore everything you've just read! Don't worry about chaining, the other waitress will mess you up at every turn! Focus instead on getting the color matching bonuses, snack and dessert points, and collecting ALL of the checks!

I give this game a 10 out of 10! Love it!

To download a free trial or to purchase this game, please click here!
For more help, please visit the PlayFirst Diner Dash - Hometown Hero forums!