Haunted Castaway Island

http://slurl.com/secondlife/Dream%20Island/122/189/22

Rating:✭✭✭✭1/2

Fun is waiting to be had at every corner of the Haunted Castaway Island half-sim attraction.  The prevailing theme is of course Halloween, but this island has that and so much more.   I found it hard to believe as I was touring the location that it was ONLY a half-sim.  Despite the fact that there is no shortage of things to do here, everything was really well spaced and easy to get to.

Yeah...but it gets GREAT gas mileage and I can park it in the bike racks!

Gabs and I were laughing almost immediately upon landing as we found this super fun car at the landing.  The animation for this car is positively brilliant, you'll be giggling as it squeezes you, somehow, inside the car.  Even better...you can drive it once you are in!  I'm pretty sure I still have tire tracks up my back!  Co-located at the landing zone is a graveyard with lots of great animations for wonderful photo opportunities.                                                                                                                

What? Do I have something in my teeth....?

After having a blast in the car and graveyard, Gabs and my next stop was at the Haunted House itself.  It was, of course, full of fun and hilarious animations...but one thing that I really liked about this house was how easy it was to navigate.  I don't think either of us even once complained about having a bad camera view.  Just inside the door to the left is a fantastic dinner table with a delicious looking entree served up ..lol!  

Hmmm...perfectly color-coordinated monster tentacle...only you baby

With all the great things arrayed around the living room, be sure you don't forget the upstairs or den just to the left of the staircase.  The kitchen is also a blast...I VERY strongly recommend taking a peak in the fridge for leftovers ;)  

Holy Crap!!! No wonder my kid is hysterical if we don't get the newest cereal at the store!

Once you are done with all the kitchen, look in the middle of the floor for an animation to take you into the basement where the fun continues.  Giant spiders, floating ghosts and a hallway from hell await among other things.

Insert applicable "prick" joke here....

As I mentioned earlier, the Haunted House is just part of the fun and good times to be had.  Walking along the shore presents more great items to play with.  My personal favorite....the giant Crocodile.

Oh great!....She had the damn keys!

A little further along the shore brings you to an eerily beautiful fountain.  A great place to stop and get some snuggles and of course pictures.  Who doesn't enjoy snapping some pics with their special someone?

After such a traumatic series of events, who couldn't use a little cuddle?

Smack dab in the middle of the two major attractions of the half-sim is a VERY picturesque are with trees and flowers exploding with color.  A great place for pictures once again.

....or two (who says cobwebs can't be romantic)

Proceeding to the other side of the sim takes you to a grand, almost Mediterranean style building that is once again packed full of great things.  Chairs and lounges that attack as well as a psychiatric couch for those just needing to get something off their chest

Zhoooo...vhen you avaken, you vill no longer have a dezire for more zhan 2 pairz of zheos...

Arrayed across the beach outside of the Med building is a collection of even more (catching the "tons of stuff to do" theme here?) fun animations to play around with.  The knife throwing....OMG...hilarious!  Don't worry, Gabs has fully recovered from her wounds

ummmm....I'm guessing I get the couch tonight baby?

And...WOW! Did I ever pay the price for my poor aim....

No level of preperation is too extreme when trying out for the Venice Boys Choir

I almost completely missed one of the coolest areas for photos on the whole island, fortunately Gabs didn't.  The Seagulls fluttering around made for both a great photo, as well as a desire to toss out birdseed...lol!

Mine!....Mine, Mine, Mine.....(extra points to those that recognize the reference)

Final Thoughts:  Both Gabs and I had a blast on our trip to the Haunted Castaway Island.  With a winning combination of not only fun items but also outstanding layout of the Sim itself...you wont find yourself lacking for things to do.  While it may not have the sheer size of the previously reviewed GAFL Haunted house, it definitely has every bit of the same quality.  Totally worth a visit before it disappears on November 1st...and a great way to spend some time with friends or your special someone!

Additional Pics below:

Baby, who come your mud-bath was in a spa and mine...well....

NOT the car you want to be stepping out of on the day you decided to be sexy and go commando

Hmmmm......oh, ummmm, I mean, sorry........."COMING DEAR!"

OK, I know they say books help your imagination take flight but....really? I mean....REALLY?

BE RIGHT OUT!!!!  geez, can't a guy get any privacy in the bathroom?

Soooo...are you sure this wont fit in the bedroom babe?

yeah, ahh...see the above caption....

OK, OK...I will call Roto-Rooter tomorrow!

Awwwww....I am SUCH a lucky man :))

Halloween Town 2012

http://slurl.com/secondlife/Elizabeth%20Town/197/211/23

Rating:✭✭✭✭✭

Anybody that has been in SL for some time has probably come across one of Laura Liberty's holiday themed attractions.  They have long been a favorite of both Gabs and I and the Halloween Town 2012 attraction once again delivered BIG TIME!  Upon landing, the first thing that you notice is all of the fantastic, bold colors that have been used on this Sim.  This is the way I would imagine Halloween Town in my most vivid thoughts from my childhood.

Hmmm...do you suppose this is a fire hazard?

The avenue that you land on is littered with great shops with tons of amazing Halloween themed items that you can pick up for your home or Sim.  Make sure to have your sounds on as well, the voice begging you to "FEED ME!" is hilarious.

Okokok....much closer to cute than it is scary ;)

The haunted house is fantastic, but you will have just as much fun playing with all the fun stuff in all the shops....Let's see, should I play on a hippity-hop pumpkin?

The underground world of high-stakes pumpkin racing is not known to many...

or...do the monster mash line dance...

Baby...Does this outfit make my butt look big?

or...cuddle with someone special (personal favorite)...

My pulse was STILL racing....

As you can see, there is no shortage of great photo-ops just in the street and shops themselves.  Then it gets even better once you enter the skull front door to the haunted house.  One of my favorite things about the haunted house, besides of course the animations, was how easy it was to navigate.  Simply follow the arrows and enjoy.  My hats off to Laura for not making this harder then it needs to be.

"Here's Johnny!!!"

I absolutely love the tie-ins to some of the all-time terror movie greats.  The Shining, Blair Witch Project, The Exorcist and Jaws are just a few of the fantastic films represented.  I totally loved how Laura utilized the "walk through the screen" effect for some of the different themed areas in the haunted house.

OK, lesson learned...avoid the new Oriental takeout place from now on..

The exit takes you back out behind the main avenue where you can join in the dance craze that has taken the globe by storm..."Opem Gangnum Style!!" 

"Heyyyyyyyyy, Sexy Lady......."

Not only are their poseballs for yourself and friends, but some hilarious characters as well to serve as a backdrop for photos.  Speaking of photos...Miss Liberty has a board set up for pictures that people take as they make their way thru the haunted house. To get them posted simply send a full-perm copy to Laura directly, no messing around with notecards.

OMG! The new Truth hair has been delayed indefinitely.....AHHHHHH!

Final Word: Laura Liberty has always been one of Gabriella's favorite designers in second life . As I was putting this together she told me a great story about an encounter she had with Laura very early in her time in SL..."I remember the first time I spoke to her, she had an ice skating rink and an ice castle that she just finished setting up and I remember asking her about her awesome snowflakes and she let me buy them.  She was so nice."  Both Gabs and I always look forward to each new season's themed attraction from her and Halloween Town 2012 did not disappoint.  We strongly recommend a visit and be prepared to have a blast!

Additional pics below:

ummmm......no comments please

All these pumpkins and not a slice of pie to be seen...hmph!

Grrrrrr...I know my keys have GOT to be around here somewhere...

Not gonna look...not gonna look...not gonna......AHHHHHH!

Awwwww....SCARY cute ;)

SMORE'S!!!

soooo.....how long have you had this irrational fear of spiders?

Nooooooo....why now....WHY??? The injustice of it all....Now who will help me match my clothes...

Puts "leave pile" on the shopping list

God she makes this look soooooo much hotter than I do

ummmm....Who's brat is that?

Babe? Ever get the feeling that the neighbor is spying on us?

Fine! I will take the damn fish off the hook next time...

I KNEW there was a reason I didn't like sushi!

breaks into song....."I only have eyes....for you"

Wilbers Whimsical Wonders

http://slurl.com/secondlife/Eclectic%20Diversity/135/129/21

Rating (out of 5 stars): ✭✭✭

Our latest review brought us to the incredibly random Sim known as Wilbers Whimsical Wonders.  Whimsical is certainly a very appropriate name for it.  Looking up the word "random" in the SL dictionary would lead you to a page with this place pictured prominently on it.  Upon landing in the Sim you find yourself in the middle of a carnival-like boardwalk full of games.  Fortunately, we were spared the unwashed toothless Carni's one usually find lurking about in this sort of setting in RL.  The games themselves were fairly entertaining, and the prizes...while being carni cheap and goofy, were entertaining.

Gabs mad skillz on full display

All the usual games were represented....dart throw, ball toss...and what carnival would be complete without the hammer game?  After a few rounds of games, both of us were sporting some pretty sweet swag for out efforts.

showing off out goodies...oh, stop it! NOT like THAT...

Following the boardwalk brought us to a fun little area where it was time to relive our childhood. The Duck and car rides were a great place for a photo.  As an added surprise....the car actually gives you your very own car that you can zoom around in.  Just beyond these is the giant bunny bounce house.  

Gabs getting some mad..."hare"...lol, sorry baby, just had to do it ;)

OK, so thus far we have seen the carnival theme....but moving out from there, well....things kinda got...weird.  There was a giant clear piano, complete with path made up of keys to climb up to it. While this was pretty cool, it would have been even better if there were some poses or at least a solid surface other than the opened lid.

Chopsticks? (oh great.....now I'm hungry, take out anyone?)

And the randomness continues...following the path of keys from the piano brings you to a treehouse.  Wait...a treehouse? Thought we were at a carnival...oh well....  The treehouse did have some pretty cool things, such as a staircase that descends when you click the arrow rather than a teleporter or a standard spiral staircase, and a swing/zip line that carries you to another treehouse.  The one thing that Gabs and I were definitely not fans of though were the automatic vendors located throughout it.  Just kind of ruined the ambiance of the location for us both.

Gabs swinging.....hey, wait a minute....

After leaving the treehouse, we walked along the shore of a cute little pond and found...well...how can I describe it? The love child of a mechanical bull and an x-wing fighter.  I'm hoping a few more sessions with the therapist will help me get past the fact that Gabs one ride on it was longer than all six of mine combined.

Go ahead....I dare you to try to claim your not a Star Wars fan after seeing this...

As long as my masculinity had already been trampled, I guess there was no time like the present to ride some flying bunnies...lol!  All kidding aside, this was definitely one of Gabs and my two most favorite parts of the whole Sim. The bunnies WERE almost ridiculously cute, and the course made up of Sonic the Hedgehog-like rings was just challenging enough to bring out both of our competitive streaks...by the way....I won (grins)

No bunnies were harmed during the writing of this review....

On the far side of the Sim, we found our other favorite item on the Sim.  A circus tent filled with fun things to do.  Although she never came right out and said it...I think Gabs took particular satisfaction blasting me halfway across the Sim in the cannon. Perhaps it had something to do with me showing off my crazy juggling skillz....lol

"I BELIEVE I CAN FLYYYYYYY......."

Final Word: While there is a good amount of potential and no shortage of things to keep you busy, the fact that there was really no central theme to tie things together kind of detracted a bit from the Sim overall.  There were a few things that were very well done, but at times we both got the feel that the designer of this location just started throwing things on it to get it done.  So, if your feeling really, REALLY random...it may be worth a look.  If nothing else, we can guarantee a few chuckles

Additional photos

Look ma...no hands!!

ummmm...not sure but....I think R2D2 and I are now engaged....

A La KAZAM!

hmmmm....there's a joke here, just not sure I should go there... :p

awwww....a punkin patch...randomly placed, who'd a thunk? lol

mmmmm...my favorite part of every review =)

Threatened? Why would I be threatened? Just cause Gabs won a trophy at this and I didn't....

The emergency exits are located here, here....and here

Nailed the landing...and STILL only a 9.3 from the Russian judge....WTH?

Ok...this new super economy coach seating is just getting ridiculous

Getting native up in here...

Having a lil pow wow....your TP or mine baby?

"I see dead people...."