Common Sense Media Review
By Jinny Gudmundsen
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
Doll-based mysteries aren't interactive enough.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 7+?
Any Positive Content?
Where to Play
What's It About?
AMERICAN GIRL KIT: MYSTERY CHALLENGE!, a video game played on the Nintendo DS, offers fans of the American Girl doll, Kit Kittredge, an opportunity to help her solve six mysteries. By controlling Kit's movements around her house, yard, and neighborhood, she can look for clues and talk to people to collect evidence. In one of the mysteries, Kit uncovers who left the chicken coop open so that some of the chickens escaped. In another, she finds some missing pearls.
Unfortunately, the gameplay is awkward. You move Kit by using the DS multi-directional controller, but to talk to someone, you must pick up the DS stylus to tap a person on screen. There are other actions that require you to put down the stylus and use the \"A\" button.
Is It Any Good?
On the plus side, this is a game that requires children to read. And it automatically keeps track of testimony and physical clues you find. You must use logic to solve the mysteries because you have to charge someone and support your claim with three pieces of evidence.
But the negatives are plenty with the most glaring problem that you have no interactivity when talking to others. The narrative just rolls along without any input from you. And all this moving around with little of no interactivity gets boring quickly
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about which of the six mysteries they liked best. What was the Great Depression? What did Kit's family do to get out of their financial difficulties? Do any of your relatives remember what it was like to live during the Depression?
Game Details
- Platform : Nintendo DS
- Pricing structure :
- Available online? : Not available online
- Publisher : THQ
- Release date : June 30, 2008
- Genre : Role-Playing
- ESRB rating :
- Last updated : March 16, 2020
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