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I Spy Spooky Mansion
 Targeted at children aged 6 to 10 this is a game with a lot of I Spying. It all happens in a Spooky Mansion, on a dark night, and with a Skeleton as a playmate. Really, despite the setting, the spookiness is low level with a number of dimly lit rooms full of crazy paraphernalia to explore, and an activity to conjure up just 7 harmless ghosts that don't stay around to do any haunting. Apart from this activity, when the player is in control, there are no unannounced fright episodes to worry the younger ones.
After typing in their name the child is invited to enter the mansion by a young narrator in a suitably disquieting tone. Oops, the door slams shut and it has no knob, and no keyhole. The only way out is by deciphering the 'secret message' that points the way to escape. This message takes the form of a torn piece of paper within a frame, and it is gathered piece by piece by completing the I Spy games.
There are approximately 14 games in all and they comprise still screens cluttered with all sorts of objects ... spoons and spiders, cats and hats, bees and keys, and the list goes on. When a game is opened the narrator recites a little rhyme or riddle listing the 10 objects that must be spied and a text listing appears below the play window to remind the player what they are looking for. Find and click on the objects and a short animation rewards the player. For each I Spy screen there are two games to be played making 28 in all. Some of the objects are easy to spot but some are deviously hidden in the contours of other objects. Occasionally there is even a hand icon to move things to their proper place to match with the riddle or rhyme.
 As well as a good deal of I Spying there are also a couple of games thrown in. These involve matching objects or recognising similarities and relationships. The games are timed but there is no time limit to frustrate young players, it's just a matter of improving your score. They are simple to follow and each has three difficulty levels for different ages. Also included is a Make Your Own I Spy Game where players can select and place objects in a frame and make up their own riddles.
Spooky Mansion is a very simple point and click with a bright arrow pointing the way to new locations and clickable areas come to life when the cursor passes over them so the curtains shimmer and rustle and the doors creek and open a crack. There is no way to get lost and, just in case, a question mark in the top right corner of screen calls up the helpful narrator to keep the player on track.
It's a charming little package of familiar fun with a dash of creepiness to spice it up. Because of its simplicity young players can jump right in, only those at the younger end of the spectrum might need a little help to get going. Unfortunately it's not subtitled throughout but games are saved automatically when the player quits and reloaded when they return. It comes on one CD for Mac and Windows and although the system specs are low for Windows (see below) it worked fine in Win 98 on a P3 500 and XP on a P4 2.4.
Copyright © Rosemary Young 2003.
All rights reserved.
System Requirements:
Windows:
486DX 66 MHz or faster processor, Windows 95/98 or later, 16 MB RAM, 10 MB hard disk space, 640x480 display with 256 colors, 4X CD-ROM, Windows-compatible sound card.
Mac
PowerPC, 75 MHz or faster processor, System 7.5 or later, 16 MB RAM, 10 MB hard disk space, 640x480 display with 256 colors, 4X CD-ROM.
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