Bookworm Adventure Deluxe
General Introduction
Briefly told, it is your job to defeat the numerous enemies by spelling words. The tiles do not have to connect in order for you to spell a word. The larger the word that is spelled, the quicker an enemy is defeated. As you defeat the various monsters, you fill up your level bar which means that you(Bookworm) become more powerful. When the health meter of the monster becomes empty, it is defeated. Finding treasures have the effects of improving your lightning power automatically. A map is given to show where the different treasures are located. It is the bookworm's quest to find those treasures.
Sound and Music
Overall, I think that the music adequately suits this game. I did, think, however, that the music could have sounded a bit more suspenseful as each monster was eliminated. In the music department I give it a rating of 6.
As far as the sound effects go, I thought they could have been more realistic. Over all of the other sound effects, I think that the snake's hiss and the bird's scream were by far the best! I would have expected the lion to emit a loud roar, but I was disappointed by the sound that came out of its mouth! In the category of sound effects, I would give the Bookworm Adventure Deluxe a rating of 5.
Game play
The computer game was challenging because it specifically tested your spelling ability. It actually made you think before spelling a word because the larger the word that was spelled, the more damage that was done to the enemy. You could also press the scramble button to re-scramble the letters and perhaps give you a better chance to make a larger word, but you had to forfeit your current turn to use this feature. I would give the gameplay feature a rating of 8.
Graphics
The best graphic in the whole game was the little green bookworm. All of the other graphics paled in comparison. That little green worm mesmerized me! As you looked at the waves and the lightning while on board the ship, they did not seem to be very realisticat all. The octopus had only four arms instead of the traditional eight. Aside from the bookworm, the colors of the other graphics could have been more colorful so that they could have stood out more. However, that may have taken away from the bookworm, so perhaps this was done for a purpose. It seemed like to me that the bookworm was always in the forefront while all of the other graphics were in the foreground. The graphics did not seem to have any depth to them such as 3D would give. As I reviewed the game again, I found that the mountain goat was an excellent graphic and was one of the few 3D graphics. In the graphics area, I would give it a rating of 7.
Fun Factor
I thoroughly enjoyed playing this game. Since I enjoy things that stimulate my mind, I felt that I was actually accomplishing something rather than sitting at my chair like a bump on the log. For a computer newbie like myself, this game had just the right amount of action. I also wanted someone else's opinion so I had my thirteen year old play the game. She loved it! The pace of the game was not timed which I found to be a great plus. It gave me time to think of the words I wanted to spell without having to worry whether I would be penalized or not. I would definitely give this an outstanding rating of 10!
Final conclusion
As a former teacher, I would certainly recommend this game for younger age children to help strengthen their spelling skills. Of course, this game would be suitable for most ages both young and old. I would not, however, recommend this game for children below the third grade level. I would definitely recommend purchasing this game! To try a trial version of this game feel free to download a copy here: http://www.reflexive.com/BookwormAdventuresDeluxe.html
Wednesday, February 7, 2007
Tuesday, February 6, 2007
Kudos
Kudos
General Introduction
No, folks, it is not the breakfast bar called Kudos but a computer game! In this particular game, you are given the choice from a variety of characters of who you wish to be. Then you are given a small synopsis about your character. You control your character's life one day at a time. There are hidden messages throughout the game explaining how it works. As with anything in day to day life, your character must apply for a job. However, you must be careful that he or she possesses the necessary qualifications and attributes for it. You must pay bills and get the main necessities of life from the wages that you make just as in real life. You earn Kudos points based on the relationships you have. The more friends you have, the more Kudos you earn. However, the relationship has to have a strength of 20% before any Kudos points are earned. You can decide whether you wish to spend time alone or interact with your friends or perhaps improve your education. You can earn more Kudos points by organizing activities that your friends can perform.
Sound and Music
As far as music goes, it seems like good elevator music, that is, easy listening, but after a time it got to be monotonous for me. Therefore, I would only give it a rating of 4. The sound effects, some of which are snoring, a telephone ringing, a cat's meow, a dog's bark and the pitter patter of rain drops were all quite realistic. As a matter of fact, I thought it was our cat that was meowing and not the one on Kudos! The nightclub graphics were kind of cool, but then again, the color was much too drab. To rate these sound effects, I would give Kudos a high rating of 9.
Comment of Game play
When I began to play Kudos, I felt that the instructions were somewhat vague in the beginning. Also, at times I felt the English was a little difficult to understand. If you want to play the game correctly, there is quite a bit of reading to be done. I also got very frustrated as I could not see where to click on the activities that my character could perform. Since I am a newbie to computer games, it has to be spelled out or shown to me in black and white or else I will just not get it! Later on in the day, I went back to play Kudos, and this time I could click my mouse to play a certain activity. Perhaps there was a glitch in the game the first time I played it.
Graphics
I was not particularly impressed with the graphics of this game. I found that they were rather drab...too many grays and blacks were used. It would certainly help to spruce up the game by adding a splash of more color. I would give the graphics a rating of 5.
Fun Factor
This is a mild-mannered game that has very little action in it. It is perfect for someone who does not have the experience of playing computer games. I found that the game was a bit on the boring and dull side. I let my fourteen year old daughter play it, and she had the same opinion as I did. It was certainly not much fun playing the game, and I found that it did not motivate me to continue playing it. I would give the fun factor an overall rating of 3.
Final Conclusion
For those newbies to computer games, this game is perfect for you to ease yourself into other more challenging games. However, for the seasoned computer player, I would definitely not recommend this game. It is not challenging enough and does not have enough action to keep you captivated. I would recommend playing the free version online To download a free version go here: http://get.games.yahoo.com/proddesc?gamekey=kudos
General Introduction
No, folks, it is not the breakfast bar called Kudos but a computer game! In this particular game, you are given the choice from a variety of characters of who you wish to be. Then you are given a small synopsis about your character. You control your character's life one day at a time. There are hidden messages throughout the game explaining how it works. As with anything in day to day life, your character must apply for a job. However, you must be careful that he or she possesses the necessary qualifications and attributes for it. You must pay bills and get the main necessities of life from the wages that you make just as in real life. You earn Kudos points based on the relationships you have. The more friends you have, the more Kudos you earn. However, the relationship has to have a strength of 20% before any Kudos points are earned. You can decide whether you wish to spend time alone or interact with your friends or perhaps improve your education. You can earn more Kudos points by organizing activities that your friends can perform.
Sound and Music
As far as music goes, it seems like good elevator music, that is, easy listening, but after a time it got to be monotonous for me. Therefore, I would only give it a rating of 4. The sound effects, some of which are snoring, a telephone ringing, a cat's meow, a dog's bark and the pitter patter of rain drops were all quite realistic. As a matter of fact, I thought it was our cat that was meowing and not the one on Kudos! The nightclub graphics were kind of cool, but then again, the color was much too drab. To rate these sound effects, I would give Kudos a high rating of 9.
Comment of Game play
When I began to play Kudos, I felt that the instructions were somewhat vague in the beginning. Also, at times I felt the English was a little difficult to understand. If you want to play the game correctly, there is quite a bit of reading to be done. I also got very frustrated as I could not see where to click on the activities that my character could perform. Since I am a newbie to computer games, it has to be spelled out or shown to me in black and white or else I will just not get it! Later on in the day, I went back to play Kudos, and this time I could click my mouse to play a certain activity. Perhaps there was a glitch in the game the first time I played it.
Graphics
I was not particularly impressed with the graphics of this game. I found that they were rather drab...too many grays and blacks were used. It would certainly help to spruce up the game by adding a splash of more color. I would give the graphics a rating of 5.
Fun Factor
This is a mild-mannered game that has very little action in it. It is perfect for someone who does not have the experience of playing computer games. I found that the game was a bit on the boring and dull side. I let my fourteen year old daughter play it, and she had the same opinion as I did. It was certainly not much fun playing the game, and I found that it did not motivate me to continue playing it. I would give the fun factor an overall rating of 3.
Final Conclusion
For those newbies to computer games, this game is perfect for you to ease yourself into other more challenging games. However, for the seasoned computer player, I would definitely not recommend this game. It is not challenging enough and does not have enough action to keep you captivated. I would recommend playing the free version online To download a free version go here: http://get.games.yahoo.com/proddesc?gamekey=kudos
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)