Cassandra’s Journey: The Legacy of Nostradamus

Wouldn’t it be great if you could call upon a deceased brain box the next time you find yourself in a tight squeeze? For example, if you were having trouble locating a destination, you could summon Christopher Columbus to render some assistance, or if you were unsure of where to place a pond in your garden you could appeal to the spirit of Lancelot “Capability” Brown to pinpoint the perfect spot.

Sadly such a talent seems reserved for the likes of Cassandra - the titular heroine of Avallon Alliance’s follow up to hidden object game Stone of Destiny - who in her moment of need summons the famous seer Nostradamus.

Cassandra has taken over her deceased mother’s mystic business, but things aren’t going too well. Just as she’s about to assist a new client in the search for her missing brother, Cassandra discovers that a magical ring bequeathed to her by her mother has vanished.

Thus, an adventure is ensues that sees our gutsy lead solve puzzles, complete scrambled pictures, and locate a staggering number of hidden objects.

Locating objects couldn’t be easier: you move around each scene using a finger. It’s sometimes necessary to zoom in for closer inspection, which can be done by double-tapping anywhere on the display. Selecting an item just requires a quick tap.

What makes Cassandra’s Journey unique is the way in which other casual classics have been cleverly mixed in - most notably a match-three puzzle game that bears more than a passing resemblance to Bejeweled.

In addition to this, there are picture puzzles, word games and even magical tricks, with the latter portion of the game being resided over by Nostradamus himself. While the tricks themselves possess a rather tenuous link to the plot, they’re entertaining nonetheless.

The biggest issue with Cassandra’s Journey is the sternness of its challenge. None of the puzzles presented here will cause anyone any trouble: it’s impossible to fail on any of the hidden object levels because you can repeatedly resort to using the hint option (which displays the location of one object per use).

Similarly, other events in the game are merely played against the clock. React quickly and you’re rewarded with a decent points bonus - take too long and your only punishment is a smaller score when the stage is successfully completed.

Another problem is the rather goofy storyline. If you thought that resurrecting one of the world’s most notable prophesiers in order to help you find a piece of missing jewellery is pushing the bounds of realism then wait until you reach some of the later portions of the game.

The plot borders on the hilarious at times, but judging from the rather awkward dialogue we’re guessing that many of the laughs aren’t actually intentional.

Still, fans of the genre will easily overlook these problems. The bottom line is that Cassandra’s Journey provides plenty of enjoyment for fans of this type of caper. Considering the reasonable nature of the price tag (£1.19/$1.99 at the time of writing) the game represents excellent value for money and the mixture of different game styles works surprisingly well.