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Point-n-Click/Keyboard, Arcade/Puzzle/Adventure/Children | |
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September 2005 |
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Third Person "It's my pleasure to be reviewing the third entry in developer Digital Praise's six-part series of Adventures in Odyssey games. This series, based on the Adventures in Odyssey radio show and designed for kids ages 8 and above, offers games that can actually be enjoyed by the entire family. Each has a basis in Christian tenets (although not overbearingly so) and presents solid values and virtues within the context of some very entertaining activities. "This time out we have Adventures in Odyssey and the Great Escape, which boasts a story penned by Odyssey head writer John Fornof. Here, the emphasis is on choices and consequences, obedience, moral character, responsibility, and the value of time. Skills such as problem-solving, logic, and independent thinking are highlighted as well. "Let's talk...about the games that appear within Escape. The six arcade games are of the twitch variety, and they have you blasting, crunching, blocking, zapping, and otherwise dispatching those bothersome computer nasties...At the other end of the spectrum is Escape's solitary logic-based puzzle. This can be solved at a leisurely pace, but it's so easy that I thought I must be doing something wrong at first...I would have preferred a more balanced mix. I also found the instructions that appear prior to the start of each game to be somewhat unclear. "As with the first two Odyssey games, I'm wholeheartedly behind the concepts presented in Escape...The folks at Digital Praise have really outdone themselves with Escape's music and sound effects. The upbeat electronic tunes that play in the background serve as a perfect complement to the game's high-tech theme...The sound effects, consisting of a variety electronic tones, buzzes, beeps and other high-tech noises, are also right on target. "Escape's cartoon-style graphics are clear, colorful and vibrant; animation is pleasingly rendered, cutscenes are plentiful, and the voice acting is nicely done. "Escape may have its flaws, but it also has an abundance of good things. On the downside are the lack of balance between arcade and non-arcade activities, the somewhat confusing instructions, and the rather steep success curve yielded by the rapid pace of the arcade games...On the positive side, Digital Praise has again offered us a refreshing, high-quality alternative to games that feature bad behavior, realistic violence and general mayhem. One need not be a kid or a Christian to enjoy playing it, either. "I continue to applaud the Odyssey series of games for promoting the kinds of solid values that I feel we could use a lot more of in our increasingly mixed-up world. It's my hope that Digital Praise will keep up the great work and keep those games coming!"
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Tips
and Tricks - click Adventures in Odyssey then Great Escape
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