The Barbie Diaries: High School Mystery (PC) - E
Common Sense Note
Parents will want to know that the Barbie represented here is not the one with a greatly exaggerated figure. Rather, she is a cute, petite high school girl. Unfortunately, she walks with a runway-model's swish of the hips. While the game is a little short, it's still fun to play. Some of the behavior modeled in the game is negative, including a high school girl that lies and is snobby to others. Also, to win the game, Barbie must hack into the school's computers. Another thing for parents to consider is the age-compression issue. Wouldn't it make more sense if this game for tweens was set in a middle school instead of a high school?
Parents can talk about how the Barbie represented in this software is different from the doll. Is that a good thing or a bad thing, and why? Parents might also want to discuss the part where Barbie hacks into the school computer to solve the mystery. Is it ever OK to break the law? Should Barbie have hacked into the computer or sought help from the school administration?
Common Sense Review
Reviewed By: Jinny Gudmundsen
Barbie, the popular doll, is now in high school -- at least in the virtual world of THE BARBIE DIARIES: HIGH SCHOOL MYSTERY. She takes on the role of detective in this computer game based on The Barbie Diaries straight-to-DVD movie. This is a review of the PC game, not the GBA version, which is a different game.
The Barbie represented in this computer game is a refreshing change from the doll. She looks like a pretty blonde teen with a normal figure instead of an exaggerated one. And while you still help her choose what she wears to school each morning, dress-up is a minor part of the game. This is a game that requires logic to help Barbie solve a mystery at her high school. The character of Barbie is smart, friendly, responsible, and musical. Unfortunately, she still walks with a runway-model exaggerated swish of the hips.
Barbie and her Charmz band members are scheduled to compete in the school's "Battle of the Bands." On the day of competition, Barbie's bandmate receives a threatening text message telling the band to "Drop out of the contest or else!" Then someone vandalizes their staging area and mixes up all their sheet music. Barbie decides to talk to her classmates and teachers to see if she can discover who is trying to bungle the battle of the bands.
You control Barbie by directing where she walks by using the arrow keys or a combination of the spacebar and mouse. Barbie's onscreen diary serves as a way for you to keep notes and strategize.
Barbie's path throughout the game is linear, but you have flexibility to explore the high school's seven locations, talk to whom you want, and click on sparkling objects you want to investigate.
You go through the game by accomplishing a series of objectives, which are posted one at a time for you in the bottom left corner of your screen. For example, your objective may be to get more information about a specific student. You will be told to head to the courtyard to talk to fellow students.
To get information, Barbie can't simply barge up to someone and ask a question about the mystery. She has to engage people in conversations before they will reveal what they know. When talking with someone, you can choose the topics of conversation. By asking questions, you fill a friendship meter; and when it is full, Barbie can ask a clue-revealing question. If you have sleuthed around before talking to a person to discover that person's interests, then you will be able to ask a more personal question, which will cause the friendship meter to fill up more quickly.
In addition to talking to people, Barbie will need to solve puzzles to crack the mystery and get ready to compete in the Battle of the Bands. For example, to trace the source of the threatening text message, you rotate pieces of a puzzle to make a connected path. To help Barbie reassemble her sheet music, you must listen to a song and then place the song segments in the correct order.
Testers really enjoyed solving this mystery. In addition to talking to characters, girls liked the in-game puzzles and extra activities, including designing a necklace for a friend and decorating a friend's locker. A minor complaint was that the fun experience doesn't last long enough.
Since this is a game of conversations, parents will want to know what is being said during the game. In most of the conversations, Barbie is charming, funny (she tells jokes), and kind. Occasionally, the characters will say and do things parents wish they didn't. For example, one of the stuck-up girls talks about how she lies to get out of gym class. And Barbie hacks into the school's computer to solve the mystery.
While Barbie isn't a perfect role model, she does show girls that it's OK to be smart, funny, and good at music. After Barbie solves the mystery, the game ends with an exciting Battle of the Bands activity where you control the light show and camera angles of the Charmz performance.
This is a Barbie game worth exploring. Another fun Barbie mystery is Barbie Horse Adventures Mystery.
Reviewed: 01/23/2007
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Social BehaviorBarbie is smart and resourceful. Unfortunately, she is so resourceful that she hacks into the school's computer to solve the mystery. Barbie's friends are culturally diverse. |
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CommercialismThis game is based on The Barbie Diaries movie and on the Barbie doll franchise. |
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Educational ValuePuzzles are good, and the mystery is fun to reason out. |
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