It Starts with a Celebration

Little Tim is celebrating his tenth birthday at his grandpa's farm in the countryside. He has invited 19 of his closest friends and it seems like everyone is having a good time. It is a birthday party after all, filled with balloons, games, and all sorts of great fun. Tim's grandfather, Albert, is glad that the kids are enjoying themselves, but he doesn't want to impose his presence on their party.

To keep out of their way, Albert finds himself in the barn working on his latest invention. Albert is a bit of an eccentric type, so he does build some rather interesting gadgets from time to time. His newest invention is clearly not a toy for children, so when Albert stepped away from the barn for just a moment, he hoped that the partygoers would not go to investigate. The curious young ones being who they are, they just couldn't help themselves and they quickly ran over to the barn to check out what grandpa had been working on.

By the time Albert comes back, accompanied by Tim's mother and the birthday cake, the children were missing. Where could they have gone?

Children Lost in Time

Ah, the question is not as much a matter of where as it a matter of when. As it turns out, Albert's latest invention is a time machine and the children have now been scattered throughout history. It is now up to you to first find the children and then bring them back to where (and when) they belong.

Over the course of your time-traveling adventure, you'll have the opportunity to visit the Trojan Horse from 1275 BC, the famous artist Rembrandt from 1662, and even the Gutenberg Press from 1440. It doesn't get much more exotic than traveling to these fantastic locations through history. The visuals in this terrific story are simply stunning.

Can you save all 20 children? They've hidden themselves quite well.

Leaving No Evidence

Arriving at the different time eras, you will be presented with a series of different tasks. For example, you may find yourself on the set of the world's first television show and then you must find everything that is out of place at that location. It doesn't make sense that there could be a small digital camera there, right? Depending on the location, you may have to seek out as many as 10 hidden objects that do not belong in that era.

Another task involves finding a series of items that are listed at the top of the screen -- umbrellas, telephones, animal skulls, and so on -- and then you must place these items back in the scene where they belong. The children have been mischievous, so they have misplaced several items where they have thrown through time. By moving these items, they could be initiating a butterfly effect that will profoundly change the course of history.

Four Levels of Hints

To assist you in your journey, there are different hints that are available. Looking to the top right of the screen, you will see there are four levels to the hint tool. The more powerful hints require more energy and thus take longer to generate. The first level is a compass that points to a quadrant. The second level narrows down your search to a large circle. The third level is a smaller circle. The fourth and highest level provides a very specific spotlight.