Common Sense Media Review
By Erin Bell
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
Shallow game explores cutthroat school cliques and shopping.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 10+?
Any Positive Content?
Where to Play
Videos and Photos
The Clique: Diss and Make Up
What's It About?
Loosely based on the novel The Clique by Lisi Harrison, THE CLIQUE: DISS AND MAKE UP is about a young girl's efforts to make friends and fit in at her new school by ingratiating herself with the six different ruling cliques: the Eccentrix, Mathletes, Jocks, Pop Divas, Arteests, and Pretty Committee. To impress each clique, players have to dress their character in certain clothes, perform errands for clique members (such as fetching items), dish juicy gossip, and in some cases perform well in a chosen school subject (the Mathletes, for example are impressed by straight-A's in algebra). As well, players take trips to the mall where they can work one of four job mini-games to earn cash and spend it on tops, pants, skirts, and shoes.
Is It Any Good?
The premise of The Clique is about as shallow as they come, furthering the idea that young girls have to dress a certain way to be accepted and risk snarky put-downs if they look "wrong." There isn't a whole lot of gameplay either, aside from the simple mini-games that represent jobs and classes. Once players have figured out what they need to do (buy the right clothes, run a couple of errands, and get invited to the party at the end of the day), the entire game can be completed in a couple of hours. The story – a typical teen angst love triangle with misplaced crushes and rivalries – is predictable, too. Fans of the book or movie might get a kick out of The Clique, but it's not a very satisfying game otherwise.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
What are some of the cliques at your school? Do you think you belong to a clique?
Why do you think kids choose to be in a clique?
Do you think it's more important to "fit in" or to be yourself?
Game Details
- Platform : Nintendo DS
- Pricing structure :
- Available online? : Not available online
- Publisher : Warner Bros. Games
- Release date : August 25, 2009
- Genre : Girl
- ESRB rating :
- Last updated : June 19, 2019
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