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> Results: Charlotte's Web
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The ESRB says:
Mild Cartoon Violence: GamerDad helped Wilbur the pig and Templeton the rat avoid grumpy mice, pecking crows, and stinging bees. E. B. White's classic children's story, Charlotte's Web, is now a live action film coming this holiday season. It tells the story of Wilbur, the runt of a litter of pigs, who makes friends with a barnyard spider named Charlotte who saves Wilbur's life with the power of wordsﾗby writing them on her web. Now your kids can enjoy the fun of the book and movie with Charlotte's Web on the Nintendo DS. And surprise, surprise, it's actually pretty good! Guide Wilbur the pig and Templeton the rat through the barnyard and county fair in this 2-D platform jumping adventure. By finding letters scattered about so Charlotte can make words, Wilbur and Templeton can move onto the next stage. Collect all the spider eggs, gosling chicks, and other goodies hidden in the levels so players unlock treats like pictures and pages for a mini Charlotte's Web storybook. At the halfway mark in every level, Wilbur meets up with Fern, who saves your progress and refills Wilbur's energy by taking care of him. This is where players take out their stylus pen and use it on the touch screen to scrub Wilbur's teeth or give him a bath. It's a cute little distraction, especially when Wilbur says "I love you, Fern." Also hidden in nearly every level is a fun mini-game that players can try anytime after they find it. These mini-games are really enjoyable and will keep players coming back after the main game is over. One of the games is a touch screen version of the Internet word puzzle game Bookworm that Mom and Dad may even want to try out. Charlotte's Web mixes pictures and music from the new movie with cartoony in-game graphics. Plenty of voice samples from Wilbur and Templeton really give the game authentic movie personality. The only problem with the game is the play control in the main adventure. Wilbur and Templeton control like, well, a pig and a rat. They're slow and don't jump very high and aren't as "radiant" as other video game characters. But other than that, Charlotte's Web on the DS is a great kids' game!  
Kids young and old will have fun adventuring and playing mini-games based on the classic story. Reading skill is helpful when Charlotte comes to give Wilbur tips, but most times there are picture cues telling the player which buttons to push, too. Violence is almost non-existent. Wilbur can sing and stomp to scare away pesky mice, birds, and bees, and that's pretty much it. Three selectable difficulty levels mean that players of all gaming skills can enjoy it. Mini-games are exciting but parents may need to remind young players not to tap too hard on the touch screen with the stylus. Some of the mini-games could be even considered educational in that they teach letter recognition, and the mini-story book encourages reading. Overall a fantastic game for young gamers.
One minor annoyance with the Bookworm style mini-game. They won't let you spell words like ﾑgay' and ﾑsex.' I guess they wanted to keep the game kid friendly and not let you spell out bad words, but those are only bad in connotation. But that's only a minor complaint. Parents, do you and your kids a favor. If your kids are old enough to handle a somewhat sad ending and their attention span can handle it, read them the Charlotte's Web book before going to see the movie or play the game. Reading is the best way to enjoy Charlotte's Web. Which Version to Buy? Nintendo DS: The version reviewed here. Great kids' game. GBA: Looks like the DS version but without the touch screen stuff. PC: This one looks more like a kid's activity center. Comments? Chat about it in our forums! Format For Printing | Tell A Friend | Digg | Slashdot | del.icio.us | Buy This Game Home > Review Archive > Video Games > Results: Charlotte's Web |
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