Common Sense Note
Parents need to know that this computer game is based on the 2006 movie Charlotte's Web. It's a different game than the Charlotte's Web for the Nintendo DS and Game Boy Advance. The game offers a series of fun, mentally challenging games, but the onscreen instructions can sometimes be incomplete. Parents will want to remind children to read the manual for help if they are having trouble figuring out a game. A nice feature in this game is that it uses the voice of Dominic Scott Kay for Wilbur, the same actor whose voice is heard in the movie.
Families can talk about which of the games and activities they like best. Parents might ask kids if they were going to create an activity to play on the computer with Wilbur and friends, what might it look like? What sort of gameplay would they create? As with the movie, this game provides an opportunity to discuss friendships, and how friendships can exist between those who are very different.
Common Sense Review
Reviewed By: Jinny Gudmundsen
Gossamer threads from the 2006 movie version of Charlotte's Web are woven into the PC game CHARLOTTE'S WEB: WILBUR AND FRIENDS. This series of activity-based games follows Charlotte and Wilbur's story through movie still pictures.
The game opens with Wilbur the pig facing you. He talks in the voice of Dominic Scott Kay, the actor who voices Wilbur in the feature film, and encourages you to play with him. In this petting pen, you can select food to give Wilbur, fill his water bowl from a pump, turn the cursor into a hand to pet him, and decorate the walls of his pen.
After Wilbur is happy in his pen, he introduces you to the Zuckerman Barn. There, kids will find six games. After playing all of them, they will unlock a new location (the county fair) that houses three more games. By playing the games at the county fair, kids unlock the final location, which has one last game and three other activities: jigsaw puzzles, a drawing activity, and a movie-trivia quiz.
While the movie tie-in will draw kids to this software, the playability of the games will keep them coming back. This set of games is an enticing combination of simple logic games, logic puzzles, and learning games. Kids will find a variation of the game where you pop matching colored balloons -- but this time they are popping colored spider eggs to help them hatch. They must move bales of hay within a maze to open up a path, find words in a spider web full of letters, and collect rings on a bumper-car rink by driving into others.
Because some of the games can be challenging, Charlotte's Web: Wilbur and Friends is best suited to kids aged 7-12. While younger kids could succeed at some of the games, other will frustrate them. And ultimately they won't be able to unlock all the game's content.
A minor weakness of this software is that the onscreen instructions are, at times, insufficient. Kids should plan to consult the printed game manual, or just fool around with the games to figure them out.
Charlotte's Web: Wilbur and Friends is a well done movie tie-in game because its 10 games are mentally challenging and different. For those looking for a more traditional action platformer game, turn to Charlotte's Web for Nintendo DS and Game Boy Advance.
If your kids enjoy playing computer games based on animated movies, they might also enjoy Cars Radiator Springs Adventures.
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Social BehaviorWilbur helps his animal friends. |
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CommercialismThis game is based on the movie license. |
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Educational ValueSeveral of the activities teach logic and reading skills. |
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