Unlike
some of the more complex Barbie sports titles, Barbie Sparkling
Ice Show is easy enough to master for a 4-5 year old. The
program's three levels (easy, medium, or expert) allow children
approximately 4-8 to find derive some enjoyment and challenge from
the game.
The graphics are beautifully done and engaging. But be
particularly concerned with the minimum system requirements: you
will need a 3D graphics accelerator video card with 8 MB of memory
and DirectX 8.1-compatible driver. This game wouldn't work on our
older test machines.
The
basic idea of the game is this: players lead Barbie and/or two of
her friends through an international ice tour. There are 5
different themed rinks to master (such as the Rose Garden or
Island Paradise), and as each is complete, the next opens up. For
each stop on the "international tour", kids must pick a
skater (Barbie or either of her two friends), a skating
"style" (which actually defines the difficulty level),
and a routine (such as the City Girl Twirl). Then they are off to
practice on the ice. On the easy level, children need only pay
attention to the color of the trail that the skater follows and
match the color on the skate meter using the up and down keyboard
arrows. Barbie never falls down and always performs the
"tricks" successfully on this first level. On the medium
level, kids still need to change the skate meter as the trail
color changes, but they also need to strategically tap the
spacebar as she skates over a large snowflake on the rink. This
controls her tricks. Expert level requires the same controls as
the medium level but with the addition of left-right arrow keys
for keeping the skater on the trails. On this level, Barbie falls
down when the spacebar is not tapped at the correct time.
Once
players have gone through the practice run successfully, they can
pick the skater's costume, the color of the rink (different shades
of pastel colors are offered), 3D decorations for the rink (such
as harps and unicorns for the Sky rink pictured at left, or polar
bears and snowmen for the Winterland rink), and music for the
performance. That done, kids control the skater in the
performance.
As each new rink is opened up, an Exhibition Area allows
players to take part in "encore" performances of
previous stops on the tour. The final rink is a
"magical" one--Skating in the Sky. This final stop on
the tour allows children to create their own routine for the first
time.
The
game is very easy to understand and control, but it is also
exceptionally easy to complete in one afternoon. Although children
are free to return to any stop on the tour and select different
props, costumes, and difficulty levels, many young players will
tire of the game far too quickly. For this reason, children ages
4-6 will likely get the most out of the game, simply because some
kids in this age group enjoy repeating activities over and over.
Purchasing the game for kids older than 6 may be disappointing.
However, for younger Barbie fans, the game is very accessible and
quite fun while it lasts.
Note: You will need a 3D graphics accelerator video card with 8
MB of memory and DirectX 8.1-compatible driver.
For more information, user reviews, or to
buy: Barbie Sparkling Ice Show
