Family Vacation HD: The simplest of hidden object games comes to iPad

In the fall of last year, hidden object fans were treated to an incredibly simple game by the name of Family Vacation: California. In the game, you'll help a mother and family travel to California so that mom can be on a game show. As far as PC download titles go, Family Vacation: California was pretty average, but Big Fish Games is hoping that the title fares better on mobile, as Family Vacation: California HD is now available to download on iPad.

As is the case with most Big Fish Games titles on iOS, you can download a free trail of Family Vacation: California HD to see if you like the basic gameplay therein. You'll complete one hidden object scene after another, finding items on lists and occasionally interacting with hotspots within those scenes to open drawers, doors and so on. In some scenes, there might be a themed set of items that you'll need to collect in order to "reconstruct" a specific item, like finding a doll and her clothing, for instance. That all being said, this is definitely one hidden object game that's great for beginners or even younger players, as any feeling of challenge is lacking.

The only real difficulty within the game can be found when completing a few very light puzzles within the game, which ask you to line up the family before entering the plane and even rearrange them once on the plane so that each person sits in the seat they want (as two examples).

Unfortunately, there are some technical issues with "tap" responsiveness, forcing you to tap multiple times on the same object before the game recognizes you've done so. This is normally the case when clicking on small items, like memory cards, dominoes and the like, and thankfully isn't the case throughout the experience. If you end up liking Family Vacation HD, you can unlock the full version for $4.99, which is a bit steep when comparing the game to the other (read: better) hidden object games available in the App Store. Still, if you've got a child that you need to entertain during your own family vacation, this might be one to look into.

Click here to download Family Vacation: California HD on iTunes --->

What do you think of this mobile version of Family Vacation on iPad? Do you think it's better or worse than the original PC version? Sound off in the comments!