Review: Spiderwick Chronicles for Xbox 360
Though it may be based on a movie, Spiderwick Chronicles is a great introductory video game for young people with its helpful instructions and fun gameplay.
The game revolves around two twin boys and their sister, who discover a hidden world of Brownies, Ogres, Goblins, and more in their dead uncle’s mansion. The story is explained piece by piece through various movie segments, so players don’t feel like they are mindlessly guiding a player around. I would say that a previous knowledge of the movie isn’t necessary–players will get the gist soon enough.
In the game, the player can choose among easy, medium, and hard difficulty levels and then complete a series of mini-quests around the mansion and backyard. The instructions clearly tell you what to do at the right time, so there’s no need to endlessly consult the player’s manual or online sources (a definite bonus). Another good part of the game is that if you’re stuck you can click on the task to find out what you’re supposed to be doing.
Although that may not seem like a good feature to experienced players, the lessons will be a godsend to any kid who has just picked up their first game. Spiderwick Chronicles on easy level is just right for the younger audience–it even has arrows throughout the game for players on where to move next, and isn’t too difficult.
The graphics and the musical score are also very good compared to most children’s video games. One cute part of the game is that when a character–for example, the Brownie Thimbletack–moves, the musical score is accentuated with a little musical noise instead of the standard video game action grunt. The voice actors are nothing special, but the dialog is fresh and actually sounds like a young kid at points. It seems that everything has been thought of, and this leads to an immersing experience.
Spiderwick is no Zelda for sure, so those looking for a multi-layer, 100+ hour experience should look elsewhere; but it’s a good game for its intended audience.
Tags: gaming, MP3, gadgets, video
