The Wizard's Pen is a fun, breezy twist on the hidden object genre by Pop Cap, maker of Peggle and Bejewled Twist.The Wizard is missing and, with the help of his magical pen, you must conjure up all that is hidden to find him!
Your main task is to go through the Wizard's books, filled with blank pages and, with as few strokes of the magic pen as possible, guess the image that starts to materialize. The fewer clicks you use to guess the more stars you get, advancing you faster through the game. Collect enough stars and you will unlock the wizard's special sketchbooks. After each completed book, you search around the wizard's tower through cluttered rooms that appear as standard hidden object puzzles. Your real task is to find the bits of the objects that are missing and magically restore objects with the wizard's pen.
There are many books to get through, each with its own hidden theme. There are a handful of variations of visual puzzles to keep things interesting, so you won't always just click to reveal portions of the image. There are several special challenge puzzles like scrambled mosaics that become more organized, zoom-outs, abstracts and untwisting of the pictures to bring the objects into focus. One challenge erases the previous guess, so you have to remember what you saw. The number of chances you get on each page of the book is indicated by the burning candle. You must make the correct guess before the candle is snuffed out!
As you advance, you will unlock magic spell potions that are used as different types of hints to help you through the books, like the power of perception which will let you see much larger blocks of the pages, or a crystal ball spell that will reveal a jumbled vision of the next few images you have to guess. You get to select up to three potions for each book. New potions become available as you go along. Each potion is only for a single use, but you can select the same potion again for a later book if you find it useful. Mouse over each potion to read what it does.
Analysis: You can always count on Pop Cap to have strong production quality and enjoyable gameplay. The graphics, art and sound were all quite good. The twist of finding the missing objects makes this game stand out from the endless sea of hidden object games. It can be a bit repetitive, and in particular it would have been good to have more locations for finding objects. The mini challenges do a good job of breaking up the repetitiveness of the sketchbook puzzles.
The game has a high tolerance for how you enter your guesses in the book puzzles. For instance, if the object is sunglasses, and you write glasses, your answer will be accepted. Misspellings and synonyms for the objects work too, which is pretty impressive and keeps the game moving quickly, as you don't get stuck having to be too exact. Things can get a little tricky when you are trying to figure out what's missing in a location, because the word clues provided can be cryptic. Especially if you don't know the names for the items that you can't see to begin with! Some of the clues have clever multiple meanings as well. You might need a hint or two in these sections.
This game may feel too easy for some, but the frustration factor is low, so most of you who like the normal hidden object games will get a kick out of The Wizard's Pen.
Windows:
Download the demo
Get the full version
Mac OS X:
Not available.
Try Boot Camp or Parallels or CrossOver Games.
Walkthrough Guide
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Here are solutions for the Wizard's Pen puzzles.
To consider: Since the themes for each book aren't revealed until after the final puzzle in the book is completed, some people might consider the theme itself a spoiler, so I hid them.
Personally I think that the themes are helpful as a hint guide — since it's a clue to what you might be trying to uncover. So, if you need a nudge, but don't want to necessarily reveal the direct answer, you might check the theme out first. :)
Book and Hidden Object Solutions:
Book 1
Theme:
Fun and Leisure
Pen Puzzles:
Chessboard
Dartboard
Remote Control
Puzzle Pieces
Film
Martini Glass
Sofa
Binoculars
Yacht
Shopping Cart
Poker Chips
Corkscrew
Dice
Magnifying Glass
Pipe
Eight Ball
Hidden Object Scene:
Screenshot - Hidden Object Room 1A
Screenshot - Hidden Object Room 1B
Book 2
Theme:
Fashion 101
Pen Puzzles:
Eyeglasses
Lipstick
Pocket Watch
Ring
Bowtie
Hair Dryer
Belt
High Heeled Shoe
Wrist Watch
Hairbrush
Dress Form
Coat Rack
Iron
Bathtub
Razor
Mirror
Hidden Object Scene:
Screenshot - Hidden Object Room 2
Book 3
Theme:
The Hardware Store
Pen Puzzles:
Tape Measure
Battery
Lightbulb
Padlock
Pitchfork
Axe
Shovel
Handsaw
Recycle Bin
Flashlight
Hammer
Fire Extinguisher
Pliers
Snow Shovel
Table
Mousetrap
Hidden Object Scene:
Screenshot - Hidden Object Room 3
Book 4
Theme:
They Make Sounds
Pen Puzzles:
Guitar
Alarm Clock
Telephone
Compact Disc
Typewriter
Gavel
Phonograph
Drumsticks
Trumpet
Bell
Cash Register
Fried Egg
Microphone
Chattering Teeth
Stethoscope
Motorcycle
Hidden Object Scene:
Screenshot - Hidden Object Room 4
Book 5
Theme:
Moving Parts
Pen Puzzles:
Grandfather Clock
Tarantula
Butterfly
Projector
Hand Mixer
Compass
Bulldozer
Faucet
Fly
Floppy disk
Airplane
Balance
Bicycle
Globe
Mailbox
Service Bell
Hidden Object Scene:
Screenshot - Hidden Object Room 5
Book 6
Theme:
Hot and Cold
Pen Puzzles:
Fan
Candle
Coffee
Snowman
Polar Bear
Ice machine
Fireplace
Gloves
Teapot
Snowflake
Igloo
Ice Cream Cone
Hot Peppers
Thermometer
Lighter
Penguin
Hidden Object Scene:
Screenshot - Hidden Object Room 6
Book 7
Theme:
The Wild West
Pen Puzzles:
Engine
Badge
Harmonica
Horse
Cowboy hat
Campfire
Cowboy boots
Saddle
Skull
Buffalo
Cactus
Flask
Wagon
Handcuffs
Rocking chair
Railroad tracks
Hidden Object Scene:
Screenshot - Hidden Object Room 7
Book 8
Theme:
Sight and Light
Pen Puzzles:
x-ray
lamp
lighthouse
lantern
3-d glasses
desk lamp
moon
sun
torch
telescope
jack-o-lantern
baseball hat
sunglasses
swimming goggles
traffic light
street lights
Hidden Object Scene:
Screenshot - Hidden Object Room 8
Book 9
Theme:
Underwater World
Pen Puzzles:
killer whale
clownfish
diver helmet
flippers
buoy
submarine
anchor
seashell
swim mask
sea turtle
crab
fishing lure
seahorse
seal
treasure chest
shark
Hidden Object Scene:
Screenshot - Hidden Object Room 9
Book 10
Theme:
Things in Your Pocket
Pen Puzzles:
golf ball
keys
safety pins
clothespin
nuts and bolts
button
movie tickets
pacifier
stamp
whistle
calculator
credit cards
ballpoint pens
paper clips
toothbrush
coins
Hidden Object Scene:
Screenshot - Hidden Object Room 10
Book 11
Title:
Fast and Slow
Pen Puzzles:
baseball
cheetah
steamroller
fast food
hockey puck
tennis shoe
drill
race car
roller coaster
jockey helmet
snail
bullet train
hot air balloon
space shuttle
stop watch
speed bump
Hidden Object Scene:
Screenshot - Hidden Object Room 11
Book 12
Title:
Medieval Lore
Pen Puzzles:
Tower
Barrels
Hourglass
Shield
Goblet
Sword
Tent
Skull
Well
Helmet
Pen & Ink
Armor
Crown
Scroll
Throne
Windmill
Hidden Object Scene:
Screenshot - Hidden Object Room 12
Book 13
Title:
Primary Colors
Pen Puzzles:
Taxi
Target
School bus
Phone book
Sunflower
Strawberry
Lemon
Blue jeans
Palette
Fire hydrant
Police cap
Signs
Earth
Ladybug
blue ribbon
Cone
Hidden Object Scene:
Screenshot - Hidden Object Room 13
Book 14
Title:
Wizard's Cookbook
Pen Puzzles:
knives
stove
stool
salt and pepper
glass cleaner
coffeemaker
frying pan
mug
rolling pin
bread
eggs
fork and knife
measuring cup
kitchen sink
whisk
NO SOLUTION: I don't know where this one went, but it is missing from our code file. Please post the answer behind spoiler tags in the comments, and we will edit! Thanks! ~ pineapple
Hidden Object Scene:
Screenshot - Hidden Object Room 14
Book 15
Title:
Romance and Love
Pen Puzzles:
roses
mandolin
love letters
pearl
dove
apple
balcony
candy
cupid
gondola
gift box
grand piano
perfume
park bench
bottle of wine
candle
Hidden Object Scene:
Screenshot - Hidden Object Room 15
Book 16
Title:
Symbols & Signs
Pen Puzzles:
peace
pirates
have a nice day
gold star
radioactive
music
female
medical
fragile
men at work
male
love
no smoking
recycle
hospital
yin yang
Sketchbook Solutions:
Artistics Sketchbook
Cards
Alarm Clock
Music
Car
Screws
Motorcycle
Cash register
Compact Disc
fan
books
joystick
balloons
shopping cart
harmonica
fire hydrant
disco ball
guitar
broom
chessboard
dumbbell
puzzle piece
Miniatures Sketchbook:
Silverware
NO ANSWER -- so sorry, I did not write this one down correctly. Please let us know if you get it.
keys
hanger
fan
pills
drum
lock
button
ticket
piggy bank
blocks
ribbon
rose
phone
mask
fingerprint
present
calculator
baby bottle
paperclip
Swirls Sketchbook
traffic light
stethoscope
eyeglasses
sailboat
pencils
lightbulb
bucket
marbles
moon
staples
spool of thread
hat
boots
globe
binoculars
teapot
corks
handprint
typewriter
chain
anchor
Blockism Sketchbook
corkscrew
paper clip
pencil
newspaper
rubber ducky
flashlight
paintbrush
remote control
hammer
bell
candy cane
monitor
donuts
candle
pine cone
compass
bar code
swimming goggles
iron
rope
camera
Spotness Sketchbook
magnifying glass
wooden chair
envelope
dart
traffic sign
cell phone
holepunch
gloves
ink bottle
spring toy
headphones
comb
pot
pillows
snowman
thermometer
lipstick
pipe
basketball hoop
scissors
pacifier
Angulars Sketchbook
rings
plug
radio
high heeled shoes
inline skate
watch
stamp
record player
razor
mug
screw
briefcase
sun
screwdrivers
lamp
bag
tennis rackets
watering can
thumbtacks
ice skates
safety pin
Memories Sketchbook
film
spatula
sunglasses
stapler
tongs
spray bottle
airplane
tennis ball
stuffed giraffe
speedometer
toothpicks
toy train
scrub brush
bottles
wheelbarrow
whistle
teabags
speaker
toothbrush
microphone
pliers
Posted by: pineapple | March 1, 2009 9:16 PM