Parents' Guide to The Turing Test

The fact that this extraterrestrial space puzzler is so familiar out of the gate is both good and bad. Yes, this is another game where you play as yet another space explorer toting a gun. But instead of shooting enemies, you spend most of your time tinkering to find the proper sequence switches that should be thrown in and where boxes you lug around belong. There's no way to jazz this up, but that's fine because this is intended to be a cerebral game that inspires you to reflect and react. Unfortunately, the setup and overall generic nature of the game muddy its philosophical waters. Younger players are likely to be more stimulated and curious about the questions raised in the game, but older players are likely to scoff and see where things are going from the beginning.

But predictability is different from whether playing the game is entertaining, which it is. The game's puzzles are enough of a welcome change of pace to merit a look, even if you can complete the game in a weekend if you're dedicated enough. They never become flat-out frustrating and aggravating, as with enough determination, the puzzles will reveal their answers to you when you realize what you haven't tried through the process of elimination. If you're itching for something that's just a little tiny bit different and is completely nonviolent, The Turing Test is worth a look -- with your expectations properly aligned.