Publisher: Phoenix New Media
Developer: Triple Hippo
System requirements: Windows XP/Vista or Mac Tiger, 1.0 GHz CPU, 128 MB RAM, DirectX 9.0, 193 MB hard-drive space
Genre: Hidden Object Puzzle
Release date: February 19, 2010

One of our greatest fears is the unknown. We sometimes do crazy things to get some knowledge of things yet to come. Whether you believe in tarot cards or not, they are one of the best-known tools to help people in their quest to see what the future brings. The Tarot’s Misfortune is a hidden-object puzzle game from Phoenix New Media with an interesting take on tarot cards in games.

In The Tarot’s Misfortune you play as a fortune-teller named Rosalie. She hears music while reading her own fortune late one night. A mysterious man walks into her home and asks her to give him his fortune. She reveals that the cards tell her he is in danger, but the man tells her that she is the one in peril. She blacks out and wakes up in the town’s jail. All the townspeople are missing, so she must gather clues to find out what happened and save them.

The Tarot’s Misfortune is a hidden-object puzzle game. You must find the listed items in an environment littered with random objects that can range from a small bug to a giant gear. Most of the time you have to take your time and carefully look for each object. Each environment has a set number of things you need to find to progress to the next stage. Sometimes you need to find special objects to open a sealed door, gate or hatch to progress further. In one instance, you need to find a carrot and a stick, combine them, then use the carrot on the stick to lure a stubborn horse away from a door it is blocking. You navigate by pointing and clicking with your mouse to interact with the various objects.

Sometimes the items can be very difficult to locate. The Tarot’s Misfortune includes a hint button. Pressing this button randomly selects an object you haven’t found yet and shows you where it is; a handy feature designed to relieve frustration. Most of the time, when you press the hint button the object is right where you were staring all along.

Many gamers might overlook The Tarot’s Misfortune just because it’s a hidden-object puzzle game, but the genre can be surprisingly involving. If you have free time and enjoy this kind of puzzle, then The Tarot’s Misfortune might be something to check out.