Family Fun with Fairy Tales
A Review of Rumpelstiltskin's Labyrinth of the Lost
Karina Worlton
Spin straw into gold? Not so impossible, if your name is Rumpelstiltskin. But if you're the miller's daughter, you don't even know the name of the little man who comes to help you spin gold. TerraGlyph has begun a series focusing on fairy tales. "Rumpelstiltskin's Labyrinth of the Lost" is the second in this series.
The story follows the original fairy tale, until Rumpelstiltskin sends the miller's daughter (whom you control) into the labyrinth to recover a necklace in exchange for straw spun into gold. Up to this point, "Labyrinth" resembles an interactive storybook. Each scene is acted out by well-drawn animated characters. Several characters sing original songs, which point out the danger of greed and dishonesty. ("Lies can be fatal, but greed destroys the soul.") Clicking around the screen will cause animated sequences.
Once you enter the labyrinth, the interactive storybook aspect ends, and you are now in a adventure-game type maze. As the miller's daughter, you must navigate the maze three "nights" in a row. After you have done so successfully, you get to marry the king. But after your first child is born, Rumpelstiltskin comes to claim him. You go to the maze again, to discover the name of the odd little man. Each time you enter the labyrinth, you search for three golden orbs to trade for the item Rumpelstilskin wants.
You can select the difficulty level for the maze. You can also choose whether or not to have questions you must answer before getting those orbs. In the hard option, you need to map out the labyrinth on paper, or you won't make it through. The easy option does not require mapping. This flexibility in difficulty makes this game accessible to a wide age range. The questions are mainly general knowledge, such as "What was the name of King Arthur's sword?" and include multiple-choice answers.
The graphics are fairly well-done, although some of the faces look somewhat pinched. I thought several of the songs were quite catchy. However, I did get a little annoyed by the voice of Rumpelstiltskin when navigating the labyrinth. I heard the same two or three sentences over and over, in that nasal-sounding voice. A little variety would not have been hard to program.
This product is billed as "family entertainment," one that the entire family can play together. To do so, one member would be in charge of the controls, while another mapped the labyrinth, and the rest could give the answers to the questions, or just watch. I think that this is a product that family members will enjoy, although the price is a little on the high side.
School House Scorecard
| Product: |
Rumpelstiltskin's Labyrinth of the Lost |
| Company: |
TerraGlyph Interactive Studios
|
| Cost: |
$49.95 |
System Requirements:
Windows 95, 486/33 Processor, 8MB RAM, 2x CD-ROM Drive, Sound Blaster Compatible Audio, MPC2 SVGA Graphics Adapter640 x 480 256 colors, Mouse or Windows pointing device
Breakdown:
Ease of Use 3
Learning Value 3
Entertainment Value 3
Graphics 3
Sound 3
Overall Score:
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