Kids
are helping Bob and his friends build a park, and there are plenty
of activities to do before the park opens. For one, kids can
"design" a park, complete with a bandstand, pond, and
things like shrubs and park benches. For another, players help Mr.
Ellis build three dinosaur models in a puzzle activity. There are
10 activities altogether, and the final one (the Firework Finale)
needs to be unlocked by participating in all of the other
activities in the game.
Each activity opens with instructions and many of them have
three difficulty levels to choose from. Once complete, kids are
treated to a 3D animation--for
example,
when kids have helped Farmer Pickles round up animals on the farm
(they lure them to their homes with pet food), Farmer Pickles and
his dog congratulate kids. Bob's Band is a weaker activity--it
involves placing "noisy bricks" onto a brick wall. It
opens with the cheer, "Can we play it?" Bob's Hole in
One is a golf activity that is a little challenging for kids in
the target age group. However, Lofty's Squirrel Run is a nice
little exercise in logical thinking--kids need to place logs and
pipes in order to build a squirrel run and they must judge which
variations make the most sense.
The Firework Finale game opens with a lengthy narration about
firework safety, including the spelling out of URLs for websites
about fire safety. This was a little odd--while firework safety is
something kids should know about, the urls for websites were too
much.
Overall, the graphics are lovely and the activities are a mixed
bag -- some very cute and others mediocre. Fans of the show should
enjoy the game, however.
See more
screens from the game and our comments in our screenshot
gallery.
For more information, user reviews, or to
buy: Bob the Builder: Bob Builds a Park