Elroy Goes Bugzerk
Reviewed by Cynthia A. Sorrels
Published by Headbone Interactive, Inc.
Age Group: Age 4 to 8, Age 8 and Up
Type: Puzzles & Memory, Thinking Games
Price: $49.95Description:
Say "hi" to Elroy and his trusty dog, Blue. Elroy beat out hateful Gordon Smugs and won the 9th Annual Big City Insectathon. Smugs is determined to win this year, and emails Elroy to brag on his entry for this year's event. Elroy is spending the weekend at a farm, looking for bugs, and finds the legendary Technoloptera! He then begins chasing this critter, hoping for a chance at this year's prize. Elroy needs YOU to help him make decisions about what to do next!
This game is part story and part game, beautifully integrated. At the beginning of the game, you are given the option of skipping the story, although I'd suggest you watch it once. The booklet says that the story lasts about 7 minutes; on my machine it was more like 15. Remember, the system this game was reviewed on was considerably less than the company recommends!
During the game, Elroy occasionally looks at other bugs and calls them by their scientific name. Is this an attempt at edutainment? It would have been nice to see a "bug museum" or "winner's hall of fame" that included real photos and spelled out scientific names. You will learn some useful things about bugs that bore Blue into a yawn.
LOOK, ETHEL!!
The graphics here are artsy and cartoon-like. My favorite was the black and white outdoor background with the color cartoon figures. There is a lot of action in the animation, and the storyline holds a child's imagination easily.
WHAT DAT SOUND?
The sounds grab a youngster's attention and hold it! My 2 year old even wandered away from watching Barney (yes, oh Purple One) to see Elroy. So what if she has to give back her Barney Fan Club card, I didn't buy it, her gramma did! She sat happily through the story and watched me play the game. Her favorite character was Blue, Elroy's dog.
"KEWL!" was the reaction of my 11 year old. She spent an afternoon with Elroy, and except that it ran slowly on our machine, had a great time. She says she enjoyed the adventure connected with the story, and got lost with the chicken! She also reported that she'd never seen a game quite like this, that it was a lot of FUN.
PLAYING THE GAME
Elroy is having several problems this weekend: his parents are away and sent him to stay with the Farmer. Farmer has just baked a cake for Aunt May's birthday; you can guess what Blue's first chore is. Then Elroy sees a TECHNOLOPTERA, which is only rumored to exist, and begins to give chase. Here is where you become involved: should Elroy try to get an egg to make another birthday cake or chase that bug?The bug leads Elroy and Blue all over the farm, into forbidden territory. As you are in various parts of the farm, you look for items Elroy can use to catch this Technoloptera. If you can pull this off before your time is up, Elroy WINS! If not, Gordon Smugs is waiting to rub your nose in the loser's circle.
This game is not difficult, but you probably won't solve it the first time. It may take my kids the rest of the century, but they seem to be looking forward to it! There are enough options to keep the game from becoming boring, since each option takes the game a new direction.
The game does have a SAVE feature, which is nice, and unlike some programs on CD-ROM, it doesn't dump the biggest part of it on your hard drive. It does create a directory for the group and program icons, and if you save the game, it's saved to your drive.
BUT JUST A MINUTE...
While this would be designated a "Family" game, it is NOT family-friendly. Elroy's parents have no heads (literally), no time and no interest in their son's plans. Just who the heck do they think pays for these games?? I'm not particularly conservative, but found this facet of the game offensive.
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