Miss Spider is a popular
character in children’s literature, and also has her own TV show on Nick Jr.
The books are wonderfully illustrated books, with humorous pictures and
rhymes. The TV show is cute enough and imparts some of the charm of the books.
Now Miss Spider is available for play on the computer, in Miss Spider’s
Scavenger Hunt.
In Miss Spider’s
Scavenger Hunt, children are directed to take part in a scavenger hunt game
devised by Miss Spider for her children. Miss Spider presents the game while
everyone is sitting at the kitchen table. Each of the four children has their
own scavenger hunt, which can be completed in any order. These scavenger hunts
are similar to the I Spy books in an interactive mode, except that the items
are partially hidden behind things sometimes. There are also activities and
games included with each scavenger hunt.
The scavenger hunts are
vividly illustrated and feature colorful forest backgrounds, with equally
colorful objects to find. These items are seeds, flowers and other woodsy
things. Miss Spider’s kids look for the items in a side-scrolling view, where
users will need to click the edge of the screen to get them to move forward
into the next screen. The items on the list are plentiful and are just the
right number of things to look for, without being too many or too few. These
hunts are fun and kids will get a real sense of accomplishment when they find
all of the items. However, we were vastly disappointed to discover that these
hunts aren’t randomized, as they are the same items hidden in the same
locations each time, with the only difference being for the different levels.
Children can play either
in the story mode, where they have to complete all the scavenger hunts, or
they can choose to play just the activities, of which there are eight (there
is a ninth activity with Miss Spider, but it’s only available in story mode).
There are three difficulty levels for both the scavenger hunts and the
activities. The different difficulty levels for the scavenger hunt lists
appear to be the same for the first two levels, but then ramps up considerably
in difficulty for the third level. The first two are the same and feature a
picture list of the needed items with a short descriptive sentence underneath
the items. The third level dispenses with pictures and has just a written
list. However, the written list doesn’t just say “acorns”, it says “fruit of
an oak tree”, or words to that effect.
The games are a mix of
arcade and educational activities. They are all fun to play, especially a
“Guess Who” type game that features ants; a spelling game which requires kids
to not only recognize the letters, but plan on just when to grab them in
order; and an arcade game that features Squirt the little spider web-surfing
in the wind. These games feature much of the same type found in most games for
young children, but they are presented exceptionally well and demonstrate a
certain individuality. However, the difficulty levels for these activities are
widely different as to the ability levels. The second and third levels are
substantially harder than the first levels.
For instance, in a memory
matching game involving numbers, the first level requires that three numbers
be turned over to make a match. The third level requires that the first two
matching numbers be matched with their sums, with equations like 14 + 14 =
28. This is a big leap from number recognition in the first level. In the
spelling game, the first level doesn’t have letters, it features a picture
that has a shape, color and picture which must be matched by choosing the
three characteristics from a moving assembly line of three rows of possible
matches. The second level has the first two letters of a word that must be
spelled out from the three lines, and the third level has the first letter of
a word to match. There is a big difference between matching shapes and colors,
to spelling words like “truck”.
My first impression of
Miss Spider Scavenger Hunt was of pleasure, due to the wonderful
illustrations, the fun scavenger hunts, the well-designed activities and the
gentle charm of the entire game. This is a neat little game that young
children will definitely enjoy, whether they are familiar with Miss Spider or
not. However, while good, it is not a great game, mainly because of the
inexcusable lack of randomization in the scavenger hunts. There is no reason
why the items couldn’t have been randomized. After a few times playing, kids
will know where everything is, which takes away from the fun. Another drawback
is the extreme range of ability required for the activities on the different
levels. The hardest levels are geared toward older kids, who will probably
find the Miss Scavenger hunts too easy and the story not very engaging.
Despite these flaws,
though, parents and kids will still find much to like in this game. Best for
families with several children, to get the most out of the program.
Gameplay: 7.5
This is a cute
and fun game, but the lack of randomization detracts from the replayability.
The difficulty levels are two widely ranging, too.
Graphics: 9
The graphics are
beautiful.
Sound: 7
The sound and
music are average.
Difficulty: Medium
While the game as
a whole isn’t difficult, the upper difficulty levels are very hard.
Concept: 7.5
While the games
are pretty much the same types we’ve all seen before, the implementation and
design is very good.
Overall: 7.5
This is a good
preschool age game, but it could have been better. The scavenger hunts are fun
the first several times through, but will soon be memorized. There should have
been an easier mid-range difficulty level available, too, for the activities.
