Parents' Guide to

I Spy Universe

By Christopher Healy, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 6+

Space-themed hidden object puzzles, plus mini-games.

Game Nintendo DS, Nintendo DSi 2010
I Spy Universe Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this game.

  • I Spy Universe Game: Screenshot #1
  • I Spy Universe Game: Screenshot #2

Community Reviews

See all
age 6+

Based on 1 parent review

mohi
mohi Parent of 6-year-old
August 27, 2010
age 6+

This title has:

Too much violence
Great role models
See all 1 parent review

What’s It About?

I SPY UNIVERSE is a hidden object game set within a scenario that casts the player as a stranded spacecraft pilot. In order to rebuild your engine, you need to gather several missing pieces -- all of which you will earn through winning virtual scavenger hunts. Each missing part is on a different planet, and you will need to play mini-games involving concepts like pattern recognition and path-plotting in order to earn enough fuel to get you from one puzzle planet to the next.

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say: (1):
Kids say: Not yet rated

The fuel-earning mini-games in I Spy Universe add a great new layer to the classic hidden object game. As fun as these scavenger hunt games are, they can be a strain on the eyes after a while, so it's nice to have the visual searching broken up every now and again by a less-static mini-game. The picture puzzles of I Spy Universe tend to veer toward the "jumble of random objects" type; this is a slight disappointment as these games are arguably more fun when the objects you need to find are blended into a complete scene. But at least the messes of scattered toys are artistic messes, and still fun to scour through. All in all, this is still a nice addition to a winning series.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about hidden object games and why they are so popular. Do these games do a good job of replicating a good old-fashioned scavenger hunt?

  • If you're already a fan of the I Spy series, do you think these puzzles work better in book or video game format? What are the pros and cons of each?

Game Details

  • Platforms: Nintendo DS, Nintendo DSi
  • Available online?: Not available online
  • Publisher: Scholastic
  • Release date: June 21, 2010
  • Genre: Puzzle
  • ESRB rating: E for (No Descriptors)
  • Last updated: August 30, 2016

Did we miss something on diversity?

Research shows a connection between kids' healthy self-esteem and positive portrayals in media. That's why we've added a new "Diverse Representations" section to our reviews that will be rolling out on an ongoing basis. You can help us help kids by suggesting a diversity update.

See all recommended game lists

Common Sense Media's unbiased ratings are created by expert reviewers and aren't influenced by the product's creators or by any of our funders, affiliates, or partners.

See how we rate