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Blue's Clues: Blue's Birthday Adventure
 I feel I'm reviewing this title at a disadvantage because I haven't yet seen the Blue's Clues TV series on which it is based. This means I can't make any comments or comparisons in this respect, but I can nevertheless assume that the TV series is a lot of fun and has a lot of fans ... especially if it is as cute as this game.
Just in case you haven't met her, Blue is a cute, little, spotted puppy and she has a number of friends including Slippery Soap, Tickety Tock, Mr. Salt and Mrs. Pepper and Shovel and Pail, and they are all here to join in the game.
It's Blue's birthday, of course, and Steve from the TV Series is co-hosting the party. In the opening screen of this package, for three to six year olds, he invites the player into the house where the games begin. What does Blue want to do for her birthday? Well, she loves to play games so, instead of indicating outright what she wants, she leaves clues under her paw prints for you to gather up and guess.
Find those paw prints, that's the name of this game, to reveal Blue's heart's desire. There is the house and garden to search and along the way there are a number of activities thrown in for lots of fun and learning. Pick some flowers for Blue, but they must be the right colour and the correct amount, or, maybe, bake a cake, make a birthday card, play the matching game or complete a simple jigsaw.
The clues themselves - big blue paw prints - are hidden somewhere. Sometimes they are easy to spot, but at other times another character might have a little errand for the player to run before they are revealed. For instance, fetch the correct coloured balloon for a paw print reward or, maybe, a coat hanger or a watering can will do the trick. The problems are simple and easy to follow and there are many items to click on for a bit of extra laughter.
This title comes on two disks each containing two birthday stories with three paw prints to find for each story. As the paw prints are discovered Steve produces his Notebook and records the clue, then with the help of the clues there's the guessing game to play to work out exactly what Blue has in mind for her birthday activity.
This one's an engaging adventure for younger children and the idea of chasing after paw prints is novel and captivating. It has a very simple point and click interface with excellent graphics and in-game hints and advice for parents. Undoubtedly, it will thrill young Blue's Clues fans who are already familiar with the TV Series. For new friends of Blue, however, Mum and Dad might need to lend a helping hand to get the ball rolling, but Blue won't take long to win young hearts.
Copyright © Rosemary Young 1998.
All rights reserved.
System requirements:
Windows: Minimum System Requirements:
Windows 95/98, Pentium only (P90+ recommended) 16 MB of RAM, 10 MB hard drive space available, Sound card, Quad-speed (or faster) CD-ROM drive, SVGA video card (640x480, 256 color video display)
Macintosh: Power PC, 80MHz, System 7.1 or higher, 16 MB RAM (8.3 MB free), 80 MB HD available, 640 x 480, 256 color, 4X-CD ROM.
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