Review: I SPY Fun House - Nintendo DS - DS - HEXUS.net

I spy with my little eye something beginning with…C?

Now, I don’t normally like to ruin the ‘storyline’(so to speak) in a game, but tough I’m going to. I'll actually be doing you a favour because you won't then be as disappointed as I was with the ending. Part of the reason why I persisted with the puzzles was because I was looking forward to playing the ‘Prize Popper’ and excited to discover what would happen to me once I’d exited the fun house.

First off, the ‘Prize Popper’ works like a kind of picture association game. You have a number of objects at the bottom of the screen which you have to catapult into matching holes shown on the upper screen. For example, a key may go in the hole where a padlock is hovering above it, or a nail might go where the hammer sits. It’s actually a pretty good game and I can see where it may help in the education of young children, but what’s the reward for beating it and getting out of the funhouse? Absolutely NOTHING! The game is over just when I thought it was getting going. Now, if I’m annoyed with that, I get the feeling a child would be mortified.

The abysmal, abrupt ending aside, I SPY Fun House may keep the kids entertained on a long car journey and it will teach them a few things in the process, but it’s certainly not a replacement for many of the children’s puzzle books on the market, including the actual I SPY books. Adults who like a bit of occasional puzzling will enjoy the game, like I did, for a few evenings, but there’s nothing to keep you coming back for more and after your umpteenth hidden object puzzle you’ll soon be reaching for Dr Kawashima’s Brain Training to get your mental fix.

Pros
It’s educational for the kids
Good use of the stylus.

Cons
Repetitive puzzles
The kind of puzzles that your kids will probably do at school, for free
A massive anti-climax at the end of the game

An average puzzler in many respects, but may keep the kids entertained (quiet) on a long car journey.