There's something to be said about a casual game that makes you wish you paid more attention in your 11^th grade English class.

For me, my efforts were much better spent on finding ways to convince the blond in the front row that this acne-laiden, repressed nerd in the back row wearing the three-years-too-late-to-be-cool Joey from Blossom flannel shirt tied around his waste was the man of her dreams while avoiding direct eye contact with the teacher for fear she would discover "No, I didn’t read the 300 pages of Tale of Two Cities you assigned last night." Friends was on, and, besides, I'm a slow reader.

Midnight Mysteries: Salem Witch Trials is a surprisingly complex, riveting, incredibly challenging adventure, hidden object, puzzle game teeming with breathtaking graphics, engaging gameplay and a thrilling storyline with a complexity rarely rivaled in casual games while feeding the need for otherworldly-themed mystery and intrigue at the heart of the current Halloween season. At the behest of the restless ghost of Nathanial Hawthorne, himself, answer the questions surrounding Hawthorne's mysterious death, while uncovering intricate conspiracies and unveiling mysterious curses dating back to 17^th century colonial America Puritan society and the real motives behind the witch hunts of the time.

It's challenges go well beyond the usual hidden object and puzzle games to tell the tale of the truth behind the questionable circumstances circling Nathaniel Hawthorne's own death while interweaving an unexpected, but incredibly elaborate, storyline involving classic literature, America Civil War history and the plagued Hawthorne family lineage - dating back to the real Salem Witch Trials. Personally, I particularly enjoyed the introduction of actual dialog as gameplay to the standard hidden object, puzzle, adventure game model, which significantly upgraded the level of player interactivity beyond the mundane point-click-puzzle-click.

Unlock an Unlimited Hidden Object mode (for those of you who just can't get enough hidden object games), replay to master over a dozen different achievements (yes, I take pride in reaching Golden Geek status) - including several mysterious achievements which don’t get unlocked until later in the game, and amass an army of ever-so-slightly concealed ravens to rack up more hints for use along the way (trust me, they'll come in handy).

And, because Midnight Mysteries: Salem Witch Trials is one of the best casual adventure, hidden object, puzzle games I've played to date, I refuse to jeopardize the excitement of the experience for anyone else by unintentionally revealing any secrets, plot twists or surprises by discussing it any greater detail.

So, go, play, enjoy (trust me, you will).

But, just in case you spent 7^th period English in 11^th grade training yourself to sleep with your eyes open, here are a few Hawthorne links that might come in handy:

The House of Seven Gables
Young Goodman Brown

Wikipedia: the Cliff's Notes of today's youth. (Speaking of, who is this Cliff and how can I thank him for that 'A' I got in Honors English?)

Want more of the Mumbo Jumbo Mocha-licious Midnight Mysteries? Try the precursor to Midnight Mysteries: Salem Witch Trials, Midnight Mysteries: The Edgar Allan Poe Conspiracy. (Is it just me? Or is there a recurring theme here involving 19th century authors as central plot points of casual adventure games? I look forward to Midnight Mysteries: The Jane Austin, Mark Twain, Charles Dickens, Victor Hugo Conspiracy coming out next Spring.)